The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38: Vocal Score Paperback – December 1, 2003

I heard Father Benedict Groeschel read this on the radio one night, and it had me sitting in my car in front of my house in a state of awe, listening to it for half an hour. Written by John Henry Newman, a nineteenth-century intellectual who converted to Catholicism while he was an Anglican bishop, it is a first-person account of a person who dies surrounded by priests and loved ones (whose prayers he can still hear dimly as he begins his Travels). While he still is aware of himself as fully "himself," he describes rapidly going through changes and passing through an almost unbearable love as he moves into a very intense and loving purification process.Naturally this is not a "real" account of an experience which anyone who has gone through it has ever come back to describe, but it still solidifies my respect for John Henry Newman and makes me want to read more of him. It's printed off old plates which have written corrections and edits marked on them, but I'm glad Amazon had it in print. The word "awesome" is so over-used that I rarely use it myself (people describe tortilla chips as "awesome"), but that word truly applies to this poem.

I needed the script to go with the musical work, so this is very satisfactory.

Good clear printing of Gerontius piano/vocal score

What a beautiful little book. It’s a poem about a soul leaving the earth. I’ve given it to friends.

High quality. Crisp, easy to read.

A bible study leader suggested this book to our class. After a page or two of trying to make out what the author was trying to convey, I gave up and returned it. Too deep for me!

No one's Faith and acceptance of Death could be more elegantly described, as this man did before his own demise.

excellent recording

A beautiful poem to read - I had recently lost my Mum and felt bereft when a good priest recommended I read this. I read it slowly and prayerfully and it helped me tremendously with my grief. A very spiritually deep poem, describing how loved souls are to God and how much they long to be with Him when they pass from this life. Thank you and God Bless you.

I am very pleased with the copy that arrived as it is the 1982 copy which is thinner and lighter in weight than the copy in the photo. It is easier to hold up for a long time when you are singing in a choir!

This score is slightly longer and slightly wider than the older Novello edition. Consequently it is much easier to read, both the text and notes.

Since I make lots of notes in my scores, I always buy rather than hire them. Very glad to have added this to my collection - it's an amazing work to sing.

And therein lies the problem. There's more to be said, and this doesn't say it.