Views from the Choir Loft

“Requiem pour une américaine à Paris” on “Sounds from the Spires”

Richard J. Clark · October 11, 2013 ·

NSPIRED BY THE GREGORIAN CHANT propers of the Requiem Mass, the CD Requiem pour une américaine à Paris was recently featured on “Sounds from the Spires” on SIRIUS XM 129 Radio, The Catholic Channel.

Trumpet player, Richard Kelley and I had the opportunity to speak with the program’s host, Dr. Jennifer Pascual, Director of Music for Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. Dr. Pascual is an incredibly down to earth and welcoming host!

• PODCAST • Listen here to the program broadcast on 10.6.2013:

• The CD is available for purchase ($9.99) and for download ($6.93) (Also available on iTunes)

• You may listen and follow the scores below on YouTube. (Score available at RJC Cecilia Music)

      YouTube:  I. Introit | Requiem aeternam”
      YouTube:  II. Gradual | Requiem aeternam
      YouTube:  III. Dies Irae
      YouTube:  IV. Jubilis!
      YouTube:  V. Offertory | Domine Jesu Christe”
      YouTube:  VI. Communion | Lux aeterna
      YouTube:  VII. Last Farewell

• BONUS PODCAST! Here is my 2012 interview on “Sounds from the Spires.”

About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. He is also Chapel Organist (Saint Mary’s Chapel) at Boston College. His compositions have been performed worldwide.

Could Pope St. Pius X Sing?

“On 12 March 1908, the complete publication of the Roman Gradual was issued by the Vatican Press. On that very day, Dom Pothier solemnly presented the first copy to the Holy Father. A witness of the audience says that Pius X wished to be the first to see the new book; he opened it at random, at page 128 of the supplement pro aliquibus locis—it was the Introit of the new Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Pope sang it with perfect taste to the last note.” (Catholic Choirmaster, February 1915)

—Jeff Ostrowski

Julius Bas Accompaniment

A very prolific harmonizer of Gregorian chant in the early 20th century was Mr. Julius Bas. He often uses a very strange technique, wherein he employs rests to eliminate the Alto, Tenor, and Bass voices. Consider what he did with “Lumen ad revelationem” here:

* JPEG • Lumen ad revelationem

It seems quite lazy, and I’ve never seen anyone else use such a technique, although Dr. Peter Wagner often switched to parallel octaves when he ran out of ideas… (Yuck!)

—Jeff Ostrowski

Hitting wrong notes

Fr. Valentine Young, OFM, used to say: “The organist can play 1,000 correct notes and one wrong note—and the only thing people will care about is the wrong note.” Last Sunday I hit some wrong notes, and felt bad. Then I remembered a story about Rudolf Serkin and started to chuckle. Charles Rosen (or was it Leon Fleisher?) told the story of Serkin playing a Beethoven Sonata in front of a large audience. The theme is all in octaves; but Serkin hit some wrong notes, and played parallel 7ths instead. This so unnerved him that every time the theme returned, he played the entire thing in parallel 7ths! We must remember that even the greatest hit wrong notes. Alfred Cortot, Vladimir Horowitz, Wilhelm Backhaus, Edwin Fischer, Sviatoslav Richter, Egon Petri—they all hit wrong notes, which we can hear on recordings. (Josef Hofmann was an exception, but he was super-human so he doesn’t count!)

—Jeff Ostrowski