Is it Maundy, or is it Thursday? Why, it’s Maundy Thursday!

“Maundy” is most likely derived from the Latin “mandatum,” as in “Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos” (“A new commandment I give you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you”). Or it could come from the Middle English and Old French words “maund” and “mendier,” respectively, after the Latin “mendicare,” meaning to beg.

In any case, we are now entering the holiest days of the Christian calendar. Maundy Thursday commemorates Jesus’ washing of the feet of his disciples, the Last Supper, and the betrayal and arrest of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane.

This morning on WPRB, we’ll have music inspired by the events of Passion Week, when Christians mark the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ. We’ll have a setting of the Stabat Mater, a poignant work for string quartet inspired by Christ’s reflections in the garden on the eve of his crucifixion, and a symphonic poem inspired by the same.

It won’t all be hardcore, however. We’ll also have music of a more generalized reflective or mystical nature. For instance, later on in this hour, we’ll hear William Alwyn’s gorgeous harp concerto, “Lyra Angelica,” which was popularized by figure skater Michelle Kwan when she used it as the basis for one of her performances during the 1998 Winter Olympics.

I hope you’ll join me this morning from 6 to 11 EDT, on WPRB 103.3 FM and at wprb.com, as we get passionate about Holy Week on Classic Ross Amico.

PHOTO: Early 13th century depiction by an unknown artist of Christ washing the feet of his disciples, located in the Basilica di San Marco in Venice