Roger Scruton & Pergolesi's Stabat Mater

I do not, like Roger Scruton, believe that beauty can substitute for religion, nor is my interest in posting his video due to his thesis about "why beauty matters," although he does make some salient points. Rather, I am posting it because, as I have told my students, his discussion (beginning around 52:40) accompanied by his playing of Giovanni Pergolesi's Stabat Mater on the piano, serves as an engaging introduction to this piece, which is particularly appropriate for Lent. I hope to post a couple of other performances of Pergolesi's piece, which was written just weeks before his death from tuberculosis on March 16, 1736, at the age of 26. Inspirational.

Why Beauty Matters ∇ Roger Scruton BBC from Vue Fine Art & Design on Vimeo.