Views from the Choir Loft

Working on a Compline booklet

Veronica Brandt · April 12, 2014

VERY NIGHT MY FAMILY SINGS Compline together. It is an awesome habit to have in place. The peace and regular practice of singing together is valuable, but there is another side effect. Our cat loves this as a time when she has her humans staying still, ready to smoodge up against, and our toddling daughter finds she has a captive audience for her latest accomplishments.

We go by the 1962 Roman rite books, like in the ’62 Liber Usualis.

I have been working on a booklet, and mentioned it here, a few months ago.

Now Holy Week is almost upon us, I have recently added a note at the end about Compline in the Sacred Triduum. Hopefully I can finish the Easter Octave section this week, but it is going to be busy!

Last time I linked to my GitLab repo, but that was probably not very accomodating. So here is the work in progress (yes, it will probably forever be a work in progress, but it keeps getting better, and you are welcome to take it and fit it to your needs/wants)

* * DOWNLOAD HERE

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

About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

14 June 2021 • “From Rehearsal…”

One of our choristers recorded this audio excerpt from a recent rehearsal we had. I know there are certain people on the internet who claim that “proper voice leading & harmonies died with Bach in 1750AD…anything goes these days.” But I could not disagree more with such an assertion. The proper rules of harmony and counterpoint make incredible music—and I would suggest that tiny excerpt (from our volunteer choir rehearsal) shows this reality.

—Jeff Ostrowski

3 June 2021 • Re: “Mass of the Angels”

In the past, we have provided thirteen organ accompaniments to Mass VIII (a.k.a. “Missa de Angelis”). Some versions of the KYRIALE use the melody from Sanctus VIII for Agnus VIII also. Dr. Peter Wagner’s 1903 edition of the KYRIALE does this, as we mentioned earlier this month. Please sing through Sanctus VIII and then sing O Quam Suavis Est from the feast of Corpus Christi. Do you hear it?

—Jeff Ostrowski

1 June 2021 • Unsure of Author

The editors of this 1667AD Missale Romanum weren’t sure who wrote the VEXILLA REGIS hymn, so they wrote this in the margin. (To be fair, the original text by Bishop Fortunatus was greatly altered under Pope Urban VIII.)

—Jeff Ostrowski