Ep. 118—Music for the Joyful Mysteries—Mark Christopher Brandt

Mark Christopher Brandt returns to the show to discuss his latest album, Joy, which is based on the structure of the Rosary. It features the family choir of Mark and his three daughters, accompanied by Mark on piano.

 

Mark began composing this music in the mid-1990s, not knowing who would sing it, when only his first daughter had been born. On the eve of the new millenium, he decided to take a hiatus from his career as a jazz pianist in order to focus on his family and his spiritual life. In 2021, by the most marvelous and unexpected Providence, Mark’s selfless fidelity to God and family has been rewarded a hundredfold in making an album with his children!

 

In addition to the album itself (pieces of which you will hear in the episode), topics discussed include:

 

• Why artists should give credit to God for inspiration
• How Mark taught his daughters to be discerning about music
• Using music to reverence the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
• A spiritual perspective on “artist’s block”