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When, last Sunday, the Catalan Benedictine Àngel Rodamilans was beatified, it occurred to me to wonder how many (or how few) composers have been honored in that way. The only one I can think of is Hildegard of Bingen. Given the importance that official church documents place on music in the life of the church, we might expect a little more musical presence among the blessed. (There are plenty of saints who made music — like Robert Bellarmine, who played violin and not forgetting the legendary figure of Cecilia, who may or may not have been a musician.)

Twenty-five years ago I heard about Rodamilans and his very cruel martyrdom from two of his pupils (Ireneu Segarra and Gregori Estrada, now deceased), and they gave me an album of his works. Here’s a sample of his style: