This is a book that is certain to stir the soul with echoes, in both music and words, of the passion of Christ. That event transcends time or season; its power to uplift and inspire is endless.
In 1786 Franz Joseph Haydn wrote what he considered to be his greatest composition, The Seven Last Words of Christ. Today it continues to provide musical and spiritual nourishment for millions through a format that links its seven main movements to spoken meditations on the seven final utterances of Jesus. The Vermeer String Quartet, in dozens of performances of this masterpiece throughout the world, has been joined by some of the foremost religious figures of our time for meditations on the seven last words. This book offers printed versions of more than 60 of them, along with seven spoken meditations as part of the complete musical performance on one of the accompanying disks. Meditations include contributions by Martin Luther King, Jr., Martin Marty, Virgil Elizondo, Raymond Brown, Peter Gomes, Andrew Greeley, Jean Bethke Elshtain and many more. There are also in-depth essays by theologian Martin Marty, historian Grover A. Zinn, ethicist Jean Bethke Elshtain and the Vermeer’s Richard Young. On a second disk, Young demonstrates how Haydn’s composition embodies the emotion of the seven last words. Echoes from Calvary offers many hours of spiritual reflection and devotion. It is a treasury of insights for any life, in any season.