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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

Colloquium 2013

Fr. David Friel · June 23, 2013

ALT LAKE CITY is a beautiful place. I have spent the last week here, along with some of you, participating in the annual Sacred Music Colloquium, sponsored by the CMAA. So many of the graces of my first Colloquium two years ago have been renewed throughout this week.

Again this year, I learned an incredible amount. With the help of a talented faculty, I cracked the code on the basics of chironomy, learned the fundamentals of modern conducting, and gained the confidence to approach the bass part of Guerrero’s phenomenally colorful Requiem Mass. We were blessed to hear an engaging personal witness from Msgr. Wadsworth of ICEL, and Archbishop Sample of Portland offered the most extraordinary statement on sacred music and the cosmic liturgy I have heard from any bishop other than our beloved Pope Emeritus. We participated in liturgies brimming with beauty, and the Gloria from the Mass of the English Martyrs (available from Corpus Christi Watershed!) was even featured at Sunday’s closing Mass.

Perhaps more than any of these things, what I have enjoyed most about my Colloquium experiences has been the opportunity to meet other musicians committed to making music consonant with the mind of the Church. When we think we are alone—that no one else longs for authentically sacred music—we should remind ourselves that it isn’t so. There are good people throughout our country (and beyond) who share the vision and the burden.

The folks I have met in Pittsburgh and in Salt Lake City are not merely kindred spirits, but true friends. For this reason, Colloquium is a wonderful experience. If you have never been to one, consider attending next year, perhaps bringing along another choir member or priest. It’s a time for those of us who know each other mostly via the Internet to spend time in one another’s presence; it’s a time to challenge one another, to learn from one another, and to encourage one another.

May the Lord continue to prosper the work of our hands, our hearts, and our voices!

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 Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and teaches liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    PDF • “For the Season of Pentecost”
    During the season of Pentecost, you might consider using this 2-page Piece “for the season of Pentecost.” Rehearsal videos are available at #40691, but the lyrics are different. Therefore, make sure your choir members understand that one can rehearse songs that have different lyrics (“CONTRAFACT”).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Introit • (This Coming Sunday)
    Our volunteer choir appreciates training videos, so here's my attempt at recording “Exáudi Dómine Vocem Meam,” which is the INTROIT for this coming Sunday. This coming Sunday is Dominica Post Ascensionem (“Sunday after the feast of the Ascension”). It is sung according to the official rhythm of the Catholic Church.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Volunteer Choir Attempts “Kýrie Eléison”
    My volunteer choir attempted the polyphonic KYRIE that will be sung at this year's Sacred Music Symposium. If you're interested, you can listen to the live recording from last Sunday. The piece is based on the ancient plainchant hymn melody: Ave Maris Stella. Polyphony like this is truly intricate and wonderful. It reminds me of the quote by Artur Schnabel: “music that's greater than it can be performed.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The authority of the Pope is not unlimited. It is at the service of Sacred Tradition. Still less is any kind of general ‘freedom’ of manufacture, degenerating into spontaneous improvisation, compatible with the essence of faith and liturgy. The greatness of the liturgy depends—we shall have to repeat this frequently—on its lack of spontaneity.”

— Josef Cardinal Ratzinger (2000)

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