Views from the Choir Loft

25% off all Lulu books until 15 October 2014

Jeff Ostrowski · October 9, 2014

Lulu is having a special deal. Through 15 October, get 25% off all print books with code EATYOUREGGS. Below are some Lulu books you might want. I’m sure there’s a lot more, because the CMAA also sells their books through Lulu.

Note: This deal only applies to Lulu books. Many liturgical books are sold on Lulu.

ORGANIST/VOCALIST Complete Gospel Acclamations • First Melody
      All Three Liturgical Years: Year A, Year B, and Year C

ORGANIST/VOCALIST Complete Gospel Acclamations • Second Melody
      All Three Liturgical Years: Year A, Year B, and Year C

ORGANIST/VOCALIST Complete Chabanel Psalms •
      All Three Liturgical Years: Year A, Year B, and Year C

Sacred Choral Works • Peter Kwasniewski

Organ Accompaniments • Campion Missal

Msgr. Ronald Knox “The Mass In Slow Motion”

Lalemant Propers • Complete Mass Propers from the Revised Gradual (Vatican II)

Many books by composer Kevin Allen (link) are also sold by Lulu.

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

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).

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