The institute dedicated to Giovanni Maria Rossi, a composer for the liturgy and a Camillian religious who is unanimously listed amongst the great of this field of musical production of the last hundred years, presents itself to the general public with a review that is connected in its intentions and its structure to Gregorius. This last was enthusiastically promoted by the maestro and created through the designs of a worthy group of former pupils of the Centre of Formation for Animators of the Liturgy of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (Co.per.li.m.), an absolutely winning school. This review was ‘conceived of’ and strongly wanted by maestro Don Antonio Parisi during the fertile years of his role at the National Liturgical Office.

This review (Gregorius), as often happens, had a short life. Why not bring it into existence again in an affectionate tribute to the continuous exhortations of Father Rossi?

This institute, created in Tramo, where the memory of the maestro is strongest and where the signs of a predilection happily transferred to musical production are most evident, already boasts a first collection of pieces which looks forward to the complete publication of the musical production of Giovanni Maria Rossi.

We are now attempting to bring into existence a review that offers, with pieces by Rossi, space for a debate about sensitive and controversial questions about the nature and the lives of musical works for the liturgy.

Giovanni Maria Rossi, camilliano

We will do this by ‘taking advantage’ of the friendship of intellectuals of an undeniable quality: first and foremost Father Eugenio Costa, an authentic figure of reference in the field of music for the liturgy and in other fields of cultural research and dissemination, and the director emeritus of the Sistine Pontifical Musical Chapel, Msgr. Giuseppe Liberto, who is happily active as a composer and lecturer.

An article on Father Rossi by maestro Iotti completes the part dedicated to analysis.

A rich choice of works of the maestro follows together with the piece that was classified first at the composition competition organised by the institute, which availed itself of the generous and prestigious cooperation of maestro Parisi as chairman of the award-giving committee.

Discussing music for the liturgy when remembering and offering anew pieces by Father Giovanni, and contributing to an attempt to allow this kind of ‘flying high’, is the hope of this new initiative of the group of friends who created the association: Don Mimmo De Toma, an authoritative and valuable guide; maestro Cannone, who is active in the production of music for the liturgy; the architect Parente, a brilliant project manager in the field of  the art of organs; and the engineer and musician Vincenzo Lavarra, with his very insistent and providential exhortations to get to work.

Grateful thoughts go to the honorary president of the institute, Monsignor Savino Giannotti, for his concrete and enthusiastic support, and also to the late Archbishop Pichietti, who did not fail to offer his support. An affectionate welcome, lastly, goes to the newly appointed Archbishop D’Ascenzo, who comes from the upper echelons of a distinguished school of formation for the priesthood, in the certainty that he will lucidly know how to ‘distinguish’ between very many languages and very many liturgical-musical ‘products’ that interpret the wish (or the need) to ‘pray with music’.

And may the Lord help us with the intercession of Father Rossi, an exemplary Camillian and an inspired singer of God!