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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Are You to Wash My Feet?

Andrew R. Motyka · February 20, 2013

IFFERENT COMPOSERS write music for different reasons. The most common reason I find myself composing is because I have a need for music for a particular occasion or part of the Mass.

Several years ago, I was directing music at a small parish in Pennsylvania, and I was searching for a good piece of choral music for use at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. I needed a choir piece during the washing of feet and, since we adopted the practice of using no organ until the Gloria on Easter Vigil, it had to be a cappella and simple enough for a small amateur choir.

To that end, I composed Mandatum novum, a piece based on the Gregorian antiphon of the same name. It is for cantor, choir, and congregation, featuring a “call and response” antiphon for the main portion, and a second antiphon for choir only which follows two of the verses. The antiphon and verses themselves are taken directly from the text provided for us in the Roman Missal, so this is a great opportunity to sing the Mass instead of singing at Mass.

I hope that others are able to make use of this piece and that it furthers the solemnity of the most sacred season of the year.

DOWNLOAD Mandatum novum, a free piece for choir.

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 Andrew R. Motyka

Andrew Motyka is the Archdiocesan Director of Liturgical Music and Cathedral Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    William Byrd • Simple “Agnus Dei” Canon
    Time flies! Back in July, I posted a PDF setting of a perfect canon by William Byrd (d. 1623) arranged as an AGNUS DEI for three voices. Last Sunday, we sang that arrangement with our volunteer choir. To hear a ‘live’ recording of it, click here (Mp3). In my humble opinion, this would be a perfect piece for a choir just beginning to experiment with polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony. — One of our volunteer choirs also sang that SANCTUS on 24 September 2023, and you can listen to how that came out.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The scholar who lives only for his subject is but the fragment of a man; he lives in a shadow-world, mistaking means for ends.”

— Msgr. Ronald Knox (1888-1957)

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