Les Béatitudes

Les Béatitudes,, CFF 185, FWV 53, is a French oratorio written by César Franck from 1869 to 1879 and scored for orchestra, chorus, and soloists. The text is a poetic meditation on the eight beatitudes of Jesus, from the Gospel of Matthew, by Joséphine-Blanche Colomb. It was first performed, in reduced form, on 20 February 1879 at a private performance in Franck's home in Paris. The full oratorio was not performed until after Franck's death, on 19 March 1893 in Colonne.