Happy Easter and greetings from the other side of Holy Week! It has been quite a month and a half since I last posted. My work at the Monastery had me quite busy, though not un-enjoyably so. Along with the usual amounts of work that Lent and Holy Week require, I was asked by my rector to put a program together for Good Friday. More specifically, he asked that I put together an ensemble (voice, violin, flute, and organ) and perform music under the vague title “Music of the Passion.” Honestly, it wasn’t too hard to find hymns for that setting, but finding instrumental music was definitely more challenging.
After spending too much time on IMSLP, I discovered a work for organ by the composer Carlotta Ferrari. I became familiar to her works because of Carson Cooman’s numerous Youtube recordings of her works. The piece titled, Toccata sopra Crux Fidelis, seemed perfect for the Good Friday program as the opening. I reached out to her and she loved the idea of the arrangement and I am so happy I did it. The score is available on the same IMSLP page as the organ version.