Views from the Choir Loft

Sean McDermott’s “Virgo Dei Genitrix”

Jeff Ostrowski · March 16, 2016 ·

OME TIME AGO, I wrote an article which pointed out that a diversity of opinion exists regarding whether choir members should be paid to sing at Mass. I noted that some of my good friends employ paid singers while others do not. There are advantages and disadvantages to either scenario. I explained that my preference is to recruit singers from the congregation and teach them the traditional music of the church. I also mentioned that—in my experience—when church singers are paid, it can sometimes (not always) be difficult to know if they are attending Mass for the right reasons, which can potentially be problematic.

I received several nasty emails from people who failed to carefully read my article. One accused me of “condemning the practice of paid singers.” (I did no such thing.) Another told me forcefully I had no right to share with others my experiences.

I WAS RECENTLY SENT this “live” recording of a composition by Sean McDermott. It was sung by a church choir with twenty-four paid singers! I find the performance quite beautiful—especially around the 1:30 mark—and it certainly does demonstrate the advantages of paid church singers:

* * Mp3 “Live” Recording • Virgo Dei Genitrix (Sean McDermott)

Here’s what Mr. McDermott has written about his piece:

Virgo Dei Genitrix is an SATB (div.) setting that I wrote specifically for the Choir of St. James Episcopal, Los Angeles, where James Buonemani is choirmaster. It is noticeably French in style, whose opening salvo is stated by Tenors and Basses in four parts. It is intended to be sung within the context of the Mass and is an appropriate and accessible motet for any Marian feast day.

Learn more at the website of Sean McDermott.

About Jeff Ostrowski

A theorist, organist, and conductor, Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004), and did graduate work in Musicology. He serves as choirmaster for the new FSSP parish in Los Angeles, where he resides with his wife and children.

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