Accompanist Anna Kovalevska performing Dubois' Seven Last Words at DePaul University.

Conductor - Dr. Eric Esparza. Director of Choral Studies and Vocal Area Coordinator, DePaul University Soloists - Kevin Wheatle, Daniel O’Hearn, Stephanie Gubin Theodore Dubois was born in France in 1837. He spent most of his life in Paris, where he studied at the Paris Conservatory. While he was not recognized as one of the great musicians of his time, he was highly respected by his more famous counterparts, including Franz Liszt, Cesar Franck, and Camille Saint-Saens. Dubois was the organist and choirmaster at the Church of St. Clotilde in Paris when he wrote the “Seven Last Words of Christ.” This composition was first performed in 1867 for the Good Friday service at the Church of St. Clotilde. Even though Dubois composed several other works, very few of them are still performed today, with the exception of the “Seven Last Words of Christ.” The “Seven Last Words” is very much a “period” piece, in that its style is representative of another time and place–namely, the gilded age of the late 1800s and early 1900s.