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Views from the Choir Loft

Dom Gregory Murray’s People’s Mass & Holy Week

Jeff Ostrowski · March 24, 2013

OR YEARS, I’ve heard about Dom Gregory Murray’s People’s Mass. At the moment, I won’t reveal too much, since later on I will be posting several rare documents by Dom Murray, but suffice it to say he loved to brag about this Mass. Written first in Latin, later in English, he would brag, saying, “It may not be musically rewarding, but I sold more copies than anybody else.” I have no way to verify his statement one way or the other, but allegedly both versions sold millions and millions of copies.

I have a lot of respect for Dom Gregory Murray’s compositions. At a later date, I hope to post online (for free) his beautiful “organ preludes for manuals only” which he started writing in the 1930s. I’ve played these for a decade and love them. However, when I finally saw his People’s Mass, I was very disappointed. I found it very predictable and uninspired. However, several of the sections are growing on me a bit.

Anyway, here’s the Latin version. Somebody could make a lot of money by “plugging in” the New Translation of the Roman Missal and selling it:

      * *  Dom Gregory Murray’s “People’s Mass” (Latin version) [pdf]

I found this in a fascinating collection that we posted in 2008 by Eugene Lapierre:

      * *  Accompaniment to the Music of Holy Week [pdf]

By the way, Dr. Eugene Lapierre was the one who encouraged Roger Wagner to complete his doctorate “in absentia.” I believe Wagner’s dissertation was on the music of Josquin Des Prez. Anyway, we’ve posted many Gregorian accompaniments by Lapierre, but that book is probably the most exceptional one, because of the interesting things he included. I hope you enjoy it!

It has been in the Lalande Online Library since 2008. As some of you know, in 2008, Corpus Christi Watershed released about 25,000 pages of Sacred music for free and instant download:

      * *  St. Jean de Lalande Website [url]

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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Jeff Ostrowski

About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Can You Spare 33 Seconds?

Here’s an audio excerpt (33 seconds) of a setting for Kyrie VIII which was recorded live last Sunday at our parish in Los Angeles. The setting (“Missa de Angelis”) is by composer Richard Rice, and you can download the free PDF if you click here and scroll to the bottom. I think Richard’s composition is marvelous. I missed a few notes on the organ, but I’ll get them right next time.

—Jeff Ostrowski
5 April 2021 • When Girls Sing

Covid restrictions here in California are still extremely severe—switching “two weeks to flatten the curve” into “two years to flatten the curve.” Since 2020, we’ve had police breaking into our church to check if everyone is wearing a mask…even when only 5-6 people are present! But we were allowed to have a small percentage of our singers back on Easter Sunday, and here is their live recording of the ancient Catholic hymn for Eastertide: Ad Cenam Agni Providi. The girls were so very excited to sing again—you can hear it in their voices!

—Jeff Ostrowski
29 March 2021 • FEEDBACK

“E.S.” in North Dakota writes: “I just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU for all the hard work you have put—and continue to put—into your wonderful website. In the past two years, my parish has moved from a little house basement into a brand new church and gone from a few families receiving Low Masses twice a month to several families (and many individuals) receiving Mass every Sunday, two Saturdays a month, and every Holy Day. Our priest has been incorporating more and more High Masses and various ceremonies into our lives, which has made my job as a huge newbie choir master very trying and complicated. CCWatershed has been an invaluable resource in helping me get on my feet and know what to do!!! Thank you more than I can express! May God bless you abundantly and assist you in your work and daily lives!”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“…it would be a very praiseworthy thing and the correction would be so easy to make that one could accommodate the chant by gradual changes; and through this it would not lose its original form, since it is only through the binding together of many notes put under short syllables that they become long without any good purpose when it would be sufficient to give one note only.”

— Zarlino (1558) anticipating the Medicæa

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