HEN I LOOK BACK at things I’ve done in the past, I usually hate them. Can you relate? I always look back at something and feel I could have done much better. I’m also somebody who forgets what they do—even if it happened yesterday!
Here is something I created in 2014:
* * PDF • ORGANIST (“Creator Alme Siderum”)
* * PDF • Singer Score (“Creator Alme Siderum”)
If I find the time, I’ll make a new version using the harmonies found in the Nova Organi Harmonia by Flor Peeters. Until then, this version will have to do… You will notice the translation for the Singer Score is by Fr. Adrian Fortescue (d. 1923). By the way, the way this hymn is treated in the Brébeuf Hymnal is nothing short of magnificent—but, of course, I am biased!
Writing out every verse is crucial. That’s why a team of people spent five years writing out more than 3,000 pages of accompaniments for the Brébeuf hymnal. By the way, the Brébeuf hymnal has a special version of this melody as #182.
Updated:
The life of a choirmaster is mentally and physically demanding, but there are glorious moments, too—and hearing the entire congregation sing this at Vespers (alternating men & women, accompanied by organ) is absolutely one of those fantastic moments! We pause at the end of each line; and I smile from ear to ear because of the beauty. So gorgeous! But it would not have been a success if we used a technique which has every verse “piled up,” such as this example of the Pentecost hymn:
