Miracle of Fátima

for string quartet

About

On October 13, 1917, tens of thousands people witnessed a fantastical display in the sky above the Portuguese town of Fátima. In the months leading up to the event, three shepherd children claimed to have been visited by an apparition of the Virgin Mary who told them she would perform a miracle on that day.

On the day prophesied, approximately 70,000 people gathered in anticipation of the miracle. When the clouds parted after a period of rain, the sun appeared as a spinning disk giving off multicolor lights. At one point, it plunged towards the earth, frightening the masses, before zig-zagging back up to its original position. The display lasted for about ten minutes.

To this day, the event remains a mystery. Could it have been natural aerial phenomena? Optical effects caused by staring at the sun? A visitation by a UFO? Or a true miracle? In any case, tens of thousands of witnesses experienced something on that day. The event has since become known as the Miracle of the Sun or the Miracle of Fátima.

Composition Year

2026

Duration

6′ 15″

Instrumentation

Violin 1

Violin 2

Viola

Violoncello