Yogyakarta: Catholics mourn Fr. Prier, pioneer of 'musical inculturation'
The German-born Jesuit missionary died in recent days at the age of 87. He founded Pusat Musik Liturgi (Pml), a highly successful center. He composed more than 1,800 liturgical pieces with Paul Widyawan. In 2018 he had been the target of a serious attack by Islamic fundamentalists.
Yogyakarta (AsiaNews) - Indonesian Catholics mourn the passing of the German-born Jesuit Fr. Karl-Edmund Prier, who passed away on January 21st in Yogyakarta at the age of 87 and is remembered for his pioneering mission in the use of liturgical music during the Eucharist, with a view to inculturation.
The process developed thanks also to the indications that emerged from the Second Vatican Council and which led him, over the years, to found a "liturgical music center" in central Java, better known in the local language by the name of Pusat Musik Liturgi (Pml) , what a great following it has gained over time.
The religious figure, together with the center which took shape and developed thanks to his work, is still considered "the most important figure" of the Church in the valorisation of that immense heritage which is "local ethnic music" in Indonesia. And to give it value and dignity.
Arriving in Java in 1964, from his first steps he exploited his musical talent for pastoral activities in the parish of Wonosari, a remote area in the special region of Yogyakarta. Often hearing "gamelan" (local traditional) music in the parish, the priest wanted to deepen his knowledge and their use in the theater. Since then, his passionate research and in-depth study for local musical composition has blossomed into fruitful fruit.
With the Second Vatican Council and the indication aimed at implementing (also) musical inculturation, the priest found the renewed support of the leaders of the Indonesian Church in the foundation of the Pml. Added to this is the formation of "Vocalista Sonora", a group of talented musicians and singers whose main "task" is to entertain people with their musical performances, with a single specific intent: to promote the Indonesian multicultural tradition in forms of music, clothes and dances.
The center begins to promote the creation of liturgical musical compositions inculturated and used in the Eucharist; at the same time, p. Prier invites dozens of members of the Vocalist Sonora group to travel to some European countries for a musical tour.
Both initiatives are highly successful and capture the attention of both Indonesians at home and many spectators and artistic realities abroad. Among the priest's most appreciated results are the prayer book and the music album Madah Bakti, used by Indonesian Catholics for several decades, until the more recent publication of a "reference book" that replaced it.
Accompanied and supported by his faithful protégé, the late Paul Widyawan, Fr. Prier has often toured extensively throughout the archipelago to entertain local musicians and train them to compose their own music through a two-day workshop. The initiative has become a reference model, so much so that it has been repeated for a total of 57 music workshops throughout Indonesia.
Thanks to these workshops with local musicians, Fr. Prier and Widyawan ultimately composed scores of new pieces of liturgical music that were then also used in the Eucharist, a new practice that was implemented in all parishes across the nation. Both produced more than 1,800 pieces of music, some of which were recommended by Indonesian church leaders as official liturgical songs.
In addition to the successes and recognitions, there have also been difficult moments over the years, such as the machete attack he was subject to by Islamic fundamentalists while celebrating mass. The incident occurred just over six years ago, on 11 February 2018, in the church of Saint Lidwina in Bedog (Yogyakarta).
While the priest was on the altar in the presence of hundreds of faithful, Sulyono - the perpetrator of the crime - suddenly approached and began to attack the priest. Seriously injured in the head and arms, Fr. Prier was rushed to hospital and recovered surprisingly quickly. What shocked the world was the gesture of forgiving his attacker and not feeling any feeling of pain or hatred, stating that "my fault was not having escaped from the place...".
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07/07/2011
