THE NINTH STATION OF THE CROSS - JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME Piano Solo - Digital Sheet Music

The Ninth Station of The Cross - Jesus Falls the Third Time

The Ninth Station of The Cross - Jesus Falls the Third Time for solo piano, is the ninth movement of a prayerful devotion on The Stations of the Cross, referring to the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. The music is characterized by recurring themes that appear in other movements of the entire piano cycle of 15 pieces or movements entitled The Stations of the Cross for Solo Piano by John Cartée.This movement is centred on the key of D minor, a key traditionally used throughout music history to convey an ominous and fearful mood, a notable work being Mozart's Requiem. Would Jesus be able to complete his mission? We hear the anguish of the fall in the turbulent repeated broken chord idea that links the fast running sequences. With a gradual decrescendo to a muffled low bass, The Theme of The Cross (six notes) is presented (also in movements 2, 3, 4, 7, 11 & 14) rising above the dark thunderous and sustained running scales. A soothing soft passage links to The Theme of The Joy of The Cross heard earlier in the second fall (movement 7). This develops into a section of repeated low D bass notes in the left hand quickly crossing over the right hand to encompass nearly the entire spectrum of the keyboard played fortissimo. This is a technically demanding section as there are three registers of the piano being played simultaneously requiring the pianist to move quickly. The movement represents the pain of falling a third time and the challenge to maintain momentum.The Theme of The Joy of The Cross (movement 7) returns before moving into the final section of this movement, presenting again The Theme of Perseverance (presented in each fall, 3, 7 and 9).Rise up O Lord and go to your resting place, you and the arc of your might.Psalm 132:8