It was one of those truly unforgettable experiences. The church of San Fortunato in Todi – always beautiful but usually empty and rather austere – was buzzing with energy and full of people. Many of them had come long distances to be there. Even the light was different: normally cool and pale, on this night it was warm and vibrant. I recall thinking back to the day several years previously, when my wife and I first wandered into Todi, and reflecting that I never imagined it might lead to an evening like this.

Our friend Hannie van Osnabrugge has, for almost 30 years, been running the wonderful Ultimate Stabat Mater Website.  As the name implies, this is the definitive source of information on the Stabat Mater and particularly on the huge number of musical versions and recordings, through many centuries.  Now Hannie has produced a book, Stabat Mater Dolorosa – A Journey Through Seven Centuries of Music.  

Many mysteries surround Jacopone but maybe the greatest mystery concerns one of medieval Europe’s most popular religious hymns, the Stabat Mater. Despite its great popularity, we don’t know for certain who wrote it. Various suggestions have been made over the centuries, summarised by Desmond Fisher (in his 2015 book on the subject) as “three Popes, three Saints and one layman”. The layman is Jacopone.