The Cathedral vibrates with a historic Song of the Sibyl
For the first time in decades, the Sibyl has been played by a child.
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PalmThe Song of the Sibyl, declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010, was once again the star of Christmas Eve in Mallorca. The song resonated this Tuesday during matins in more than 150 churches across the island, but it was also... the Headquarters where an unprecedented event has taken place in its recent history: for the first time in decades, the Sibyl It has been performed by a child.
Twelve-year-old Toni López Dezcallar lent his voice to one of Mallorca's oldest and most unique Christmas traditions during the Midnight Mass, presided over by Bishop Sebastià Taltavull. The service also included the traditional Calenda sermon, delivered this year by Lluís Turell Amer, also twelve years old. Both are members of the Cathedral's Red Choir.
López's selection has been a symbolic milestone. Historically, the Song of the Sibyl was performed by a child, a priest, or a canon. With the liturgical changes stemming from the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), however, women and dolls began to assume this role in many churches in Mallorca, including the Cathedral of Mallorca (La Seu), eventually becoming the predominant voice in recent decades.
The Song of the Sibyl depicts the Last Judgment through a prophetess who, sword in hand, intones verses of medieval origin based on the prophecies attributed to the Erythraean Sibyl of ancient Greece. She is the only figure from pagan antiquity to be incorporated into the Christian liturgy as the closing of Christmas Matins. With this choice, the Cathedral combines tradition and renewal and once again highlights the role of the Escolanía de los Rojos, a choir with origins in the 16th century that remains key in the transmission of Mallorca's musical and liturgical heritage.