The Catholic Church has a great tradition of sacred music right from Gregorian chant to
Polyphony and then contemporary Church music. In association with the same, Fr.
Romeo Monteiro initiated the idea of utilizing this great musical treasure that
is present in the Church by presenting a concert ‘Bhokti songitantlean niyall’
which will help people meditate through sacred music; make them experience and
taste the spirituality of the Church growing in their own faith experience. The
event will be held on March 31, Sunday, at 6:30 pm, at Our Lady of Penha de
França Church, Penha de França (Britona), April 6 at 7:00 pm, at Our Lady of
Livra Febres Church, Consua and on April 7 at 6:30 pm in St. Anthony’s Chapel,
near Santa Monica Convent (Old Goa).
What’s
Special?
The concert consists of ten pieces of Sacred Music rendered by a
35 member choir and an 18 member orchestra. The programme also includes two
Lenten motets, which are a Goan culture specialty. It is known that these
motets originated in Goa, and were widely sung in almost all the churches in
the last 18th – 20th centuries. It is not found anywhere else in the world and
have a distinct flavor of their own; few churches sing these motets even now.
Goribancho Asro, Tu pauperum refugium, Ekuch Hor, Hoi poi, Let
my people go, I know that my Redeemer liveth, Khuxe monan, Roddon sodtali, But
thanks be to God, and The Lord is my Shepherd are the pieces that will be
performed at the concert. Two pieces are written by Fr. Romeo, who has a degree
in Liturgical Music and Composition from the Pontifical Universities in Rome.
There are two soloists who will be performing for programme, both in Sopranos
voices, Preethi Coutinho, who has done her Licentiate Diploma through the
Trinity College of London, and the other, Ruchita Gomes, who has done her Grade
8 through the Trinity College of London.
The
man behind the scenes
Fr
Romeo assures, “It is a spiritual experience for the members to sing and open
up the riches of the Word of God to the audience. It is also an opportunity to
improve their musical skills and offer them to Jesus, united in his passion”.
Dr. Romeo, besides being the Chancellor of the Archdiocese, is a refined
musician and has been requested by the Governor of Goa to be the Director of
the Western Music Department of Kala Academy Goa. He has also been Professor of
Canon Law and Music at the Rachol Seminary from 2006-2013, and has raised the
standard of the Santa Cecilia Choir with which he gave several concerts in Goa
and even in Delhi at the invitation of the Apostolic Nuncio. Fr Romeo invites
each and every one to be part of the fun musical spiritual event.
