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Views from the Choir Loft

A Simple SSA Offering

Richard J. Clark · January 23, 2013

OMPOSED FOR the Boston City Singers, Sing a New Song is based on Psalm 98, reflective of last week’s Responsorial psalm and this Sunday’s Introit. It is a very simple setting for SSA choir with a simple organ accompaniment. It easily learned in a rehearsal or two. A simple harmonization of the melody alternates with a three part canon of the same melody, ending with a rhythmic and step-wise descant.

Free Download:
PDF • “Sing a New Song” (SSA with Organ)

As a guest choir, the Boston City Singers recently sang this piece at St. Cecilia Parish in Boston. But more importantly, this secular organization beautifully models the evangelization we must do in our churches and faith communities (from their website):

Directed by founder, Jane Money, the Boston City Singers was founded in 1995 as a response to budget cuts in music education in the public schools. They provide outstanding music training opportunities to low and moderate income inner-city youth in the communities in which they live. With eight different programs, the students who sing with BCS range in age from four years to eighteen years old.

Eighty percent of the students who sing with BCS live in Boston’s urban neighborhoods. Boston City Singers’ vision is to provide the highest level of musical training and wide–ranging performance opportunities to young people, to inspire personal development, celebrate diversity, and foster goodwill within our city and surrounding towns. As advocates for the performing arts, BCS see themselves as partners with the local community and ambassadors to the world. Through their gift of song, the members of the BCS develop a lifelong love of music and the heart to live in a world of differences.

This is a wonderful example of action taken to better our communities, backed by a long-term commitment! This is what we must do to strengthen our prayer and strengthen our faith communities.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

23 May 2022 • FEEDBACK

From a reader: “I wasn’t looking for it. But, I stumbled across your hand-dandy arrangement of Pachelbel’s Canon. Jeff, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread! I had to play a wedding on Saturday. The bride requested the Canon. There were 11 bridesmaids! The organ loft is a football field away from the communion rail. It’s so difficult to play and keep checking the mirror. Your arrangement is absolutely genius. One can skip and choose which variations to use. The chord names are handy so that when my eyes are off the music, I always know where I am at. A thousand times thank you for sharing this arrangement!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”

I’m still trying to decide how to visually present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores, using what is (technically) the official rhythm of the Church. You can download my latest attempt, for this coming Sunday. Notice the “trochee trouble” as well as the old issue of neumes before the quilisma.

—Jeff Ostrowski
16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Pope Francis breaks Catholic traditions whenever he wants because he is free from disordered attachments. Our Church has indeed entered a new phase: with the advent of this first Jesuit pope, it is openly ruled by an individual rather than by the authority of Scripture alone or even its own dictates of tradition plus Scripture.”

— Fr. Thomas Rosica (31 July 2018)

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