Carmel and Music

This book is an invitation to explore the theme of Carmel and music. In some cases, it deals with Carmelites who were themselves musicians and composers such as Bartolino da Padova, John Hothby, Giovanni Bonadies, Manuel Cardoso, Benedictus Buns and Hermann Cohen, all of whom are receiving greater attention in recent years and are included in this volume. In other cases, Carmelite history, spirituality or even a particular Carmelite have been an inspiration to major composers such as Francis Poulenc, Sir Lennox Berkeley and Sir John Tavener. George Frederick Handel composed music or the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on foot of a commission. Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio Elijah may be justifiably brought into the discussion based as it is on the Biblical account of Elijah, Prophet of Carmel.