On Easter Monday, April 9, Missa Sancti Patris Benedicti from Opus III/1, dedicated to the Holy Father, was firstly performed by the Chamber Choir Würzburg under the direction of Matthias Beckert within a pontifical service with Auxiliary Bishop Helmut Bauer. At this service the Catholic pilgrimage church St. Kilian Oberelsbach was crowded by guests from near and far.

Auxiliary Bishop Helmut Bauer had the "cheerful duty" to convey heartiest compliments and greetings of the Holy Father to the congregation.  On the occasion of the ad limina visit of the Bavarian bishops, he could present the Benedict Mass of Rathgeber to the Holy Father.

In his celebratory sermon, he especially appreciates Rathgeber's accomplisments as person, musician and monk. He also encouraged the congregation to live according Rathgeber's motto:  "to praise God in singing and music".

Further Information could be get here.

„Rauchtabak ist mein Vergnügen"
Sound and Smoke in the cellar of the Valentin-Rathgeber-House

Sound and Smoke belong together for a long time. Both are a permanent feature of western cultural history. With the recital "Schall und Rauch" of the Valentin-Rathgeber-Society Oberelsbach these coordinates of sociable meeting will be featured. The cellar of the First German Tobacco Museum, birth house of the important Frankonian composer Johann Valentin Rathgeber (1682-1750) is the best suited place to combine Sound and Smoke here. Mainly compositions of the Frankonian homeland have been selected. All of them originated in the 18th century.

Lecture of the Valentin-Rathgeber-Society in Poland

The famous composer Valentin Rathgeber born in Oberelsbach on April 3, 1682, is hardly known in Poland so far. The Polish musicologist Marcin Konik of Kraków University found in monastic archives in Poland and Slovakia a lot of manuscripts with compositions of Rathgeber. He was surprised at the former importance of this composer hitherto unknown in his home country.  Literature on this composer is also sparse.  Only by searching the internet he could contact the Valentin-Rathgeber-Society in Oberelsbach. Due to his initiative, a  fruitful dialogue was established and  a lot of manuscripts could be identified with the historical prints.