Blessed Bartolo Longo

We produced a DVD on Blessed Bartolo Longo back in 2017.  We had wanted to produce a film on this great saint for a while because the fact that he lost his faith and became more and more sinful, all the way to becoming a satanic high priest, yet turned his life around is such an inspiration for conversion and coming back from sinful ways.  I myself suffered in the past from scruples but Bartolo Longo shows us that even siding with the devil and becoming ordained a Satanic priest, still will not prevent a soul in the end from belonging to God if we just turn to him and repent.  Bartolo Longo also shows us the power of the Rosary.

Screenshot from Bartolo Longo Film

For this music score I used quite an orchestral base with cello solos.  The main thing I remember about this score was using sound effects, something I have started to incorporate into our productions over the past few years.  It really aids the productions and in the case of this film I used whispering voices throughout every séance scenes along with eerie soundscapes.

Screenshot from Bartolo Longo Séance portrayal

It was great.  I really do love this production it's so powerful and effective.

Bartolo Longo is available both on DVD worldwide and through ON DEMAND instantly.  On demand enables you to own and watch this film on any device digitally.

Bartolo Longo:

Bartolo Longo was a 19^th century Italian lawyer and a satanic priest whose soul was converted by the power of the rosary. He lived on the brink of hell, preached fiercely against Christ and especially the Catholic Church, with particular venom towards the Dominican order. Although he had been raised a Catholic by his pious mother, it was when he left home to attend university in Naples that he seriously began to doubt the articles of Faith and finally rejected Christianity. He was caught up in the nationalist movement that swept through 19^th century Italy and became obsessed with the thoughts and ideas of its ideology. He also became interested in Spiritualism.

Not satisfied by simply attending séances and listening to the messages given through mediums, Bartolo decided that he would receive the answers to his questions direct. His involvement in the occult eventually saw him ordained a priest of Spiritualism.

At his ordination, Bartolo was alarmed when the church shook and great claps of thunder surrounded him. His life then became worse with deep depression and anxiety. He communicated with demons who taunted him with contradictory answers and messages. His emotional and psychological problems led him to finally consult a Catholic professor who told him that if he did not abandon his occult ways he would be damned.

Through the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the recitation of the most holy Rosary, Blessed Bartolo Longo embarked upon a long period of exorcism and confession, rejection of the occult and deep conversion until he was finally reconciled to the Catholic Church.

After discerning his place in the world, and despite a lifetime of difficulties that followed, Blessed Bartolo Longo dedicated his entire life to promoting the most Holy Rosary and love of Our Lady. He continued to struggle but saw the rosary as his way of beating bondage to Satan forever! He built the magnificent basilica dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii and has been lifted up as a very important Catholic figure especially for our times.

Blessed Bartolo Longo by Mary’s Dowry Productions looks not only at the life and journey of Blessed Bartolo, as well as his writings, prayers and example, but the teachings of the Catholic Church on the dangers of the New Age and Occult with important and helpful quotes to assist us on our life journey’s battle for our souls and for the souls of those around us.

Bartolo Longo DVD available worldwide.

Our Lady and the Visionaries of Knock, Celtic Irish Music Score Soundtrack Project

This week has seen me writing the music for our latest upcoming DVD film release "Our Lady and the Visionaries of Knock".  I delayed writing this over the end of the summer break because I knew it would be a large undertaking.  Not only is the film 50 minutes in length, but it incorporates testimonies by several people recounting their experience at Knock.  I knew that this film is packed with so much historical information and I admit that I was a little nervous about getting started.

Much of my music over the years has incorporated a Celtic feel.  I really thought that being able to write completely freestyle in Irish music would be easy, like, unleashing what I keep contained, wanting to write Irish style music.  Writing this score however has taught me that this is untrue.  I do not write authentic styled music, I deliberately fuse instruments and styles so that my music is never predictable.  Writing Old English music comes naturally because I love all the instruments like Lutes, Fidules, Recorders etc, but I never keep to a strictly authentic or restricted theme or realism, I use the old English sound as a starting point and go from there.

As my music tends towards a Celtic feel, I have been influenced by growing up with James Horner scored films, scores like Braveheart, Far and Away, I've always been fascinated by these lovely instruments from Scotland and Ireland.  I was planning to go completely Irish with this.  Right away however I found it really difficult.  I thought about using the Irish style as a stepping point like I do with Old English and this seemed to work but the whole score was a bit of an uphill struggle I must admit.

Screenshot from "Braveheart"

Today, Saturday, I have completed the long score and although it was hard, it's turned out great!  I'm using my old "Saint Thomas Garnet and the Gunpowder Plot" music score as a template but have added in new instruments like bagpipes and Irish Flute.  Using the Irish Flute also gave me the opportunity to use the pitch bend for a real authentic feel.  I'm also using Heronica from Vocal Codex female voices for the first time too.  

Vocal Codex

This new film tells the entire account of the apparitions at Knock and made it clear to me for the first time who was there and what occurred.  This film begins by putting the events of Knock in context with the history of Ireland, the Reformation and why the Eucharist is linked so importantly with these events.  This film should be released over the next several days.  For more information visit www.marysdowryproductions.org