O Filli et Filiae (avec neuf Variations)

Today is commonly called "Low Sunday" or "Thomas Sunday." It is when the Church commemorates Thomas the Apostle saying that he will not believe that Jesus has risen unless he sees the physical evidence for himself.

The work is based upon the famous melody for the hymn, "O sons and daughters, let us sing," which deals with the risen Jesus appearing to all the disciples except Thomas, who is slow to believe, hence the phrase, "a doubting Thomas."

Josse-François-Joseph Benaut (c.1743, Gullegem, Belgium - 13 July 1794, in what is now Place de la Nation, Paris) was a Belgian composer, organist and harpsichordist who was guillotined during the French Revolution. His father Charles Benaut was an organist in Wulveringen in Flanders. Josse-François-Joseph Benaut set himself up in Paris as a harpsichord tutor and in 1771 married the daughter of a Flemish merchant.

He was quite industrious during his short career: between 1772 and 1784 he brought out 260 compositions, 120 of which survive. The bulk consists of popular keyboard arrangements of arias and opera overtures, but he also produced 12 Organ Masses, six Magnificats, a Te Deum, two keyboard concertos, chamber sonatas, motets, ceremonial pieces and songs. His Galant manner had roots in outdated Baroque techniques, though he was not as conservative as all that. He had a broad knowledge of European music and experimented with novel scoring, employing Scottish bagpipes in one piece. Benaut's book of keyboard sonatas (1773) was written for both harpsichord and fortepiano.

This is by no means a masterpiece, since in it we hear the "decline" of the great French baroque as the music passes into a "lighter" and "more classical" style.

The score is attached below as well as 3 photos showing Benaut's grave and memorials. This is a mass grave containing 1000 guillotined victims.

Also attached is "The Incredulity of St. Thomas" by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610), as well as a sketch of the artist.