The 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis will culminate in 2026, with celebrations taking place in Italy and among Christian communities worldwide. A wide-ranging cultural program will be dedicated to the Saint of Assisi and his spiritual legacy. Musicians wishing to mark this anniversary in their concerts have begun to rediscover the Tre fioretti di Santo Francesco [The Little Flowers of Saint Francis] Op. 11, for voice and piano, composed by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco in 1919.
These evocations of the life and legend of Saint Francis fascinated Castelnuovo-Tedesco, “also for the ingenuous language in which they are told: sparkling like silver filigree, fresh as a pool of spring water.”* He chose three that he considered the most significant and arranged them as a dramatic progression, creating a kind of musical fresco:
- “Come Santo Francesco dimesticò le tortole salvatiche”
[“How Saint Francis Tamed the Wild Doves”] - “Come Santo Francesco liberò uno Frate che era in peccato col Demonio”
[“How Saint Francis Freed a Friar Who Had Fallen into Sin with the Devil”] - “Come Santo Francesco e Santa Chiara feciono uno desinare in Santa Maria degli Angeli, e parea che tutto lo luogo ardesse”
[“How Saint Francis and Saint Clare Shared a Meal at Santa Maria degli Angeli, and It Seemed as Though the Whole Place Were On Fire”]
Even many years later, reflecting on his musical output, the composer himself regarded these pieces as “among the most spiritual and deeply felt lyrical pages I have written.”* This was also the first work he dedicated to Clara Forti (“my Santa Chiara”), who would become his wife in 1924.
It may seem somewhat unexpected that the young Mario, raised in a Jewish family, chose to set to music a text so deeply rooted in the Christian tradition; however, he saw himself as a “musical storyteller,” always in search of texts rich in emotion and beauty, regardless of their origin. Moreover, having grown up in Italy, he possessed a natural familiarity with its art and culture.
Tre fioretti di Santo Francesco was published in 1924 by Forlivesi, in an exquisite edition illustrated by the Florentine artist Piero Bernardini (1891–1974). Unfortunately, it has long been out of print. Those interested are welcome to contact us HERE for more information on how to obtain the score.
*Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Una vita di musica (Fiesole: Cadmo, 2004)