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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 2016 • Day 1

Fr. David Friel · June 21, 2016

424 Colloquium ESTERDAY, the CMAA’s Sacred Music Colloquium XXVI commenced in St. Louis. I will attempt to provide a few highlights from my experiences throughout the week.

Last evening, after enjoying the opening banquet, we were treated to a fabulous concert of early music. The performing group was Pro-Arte Saint Louis, led by Horst Buchholz, co-founder & conductor of the ensemble and vice president of the CMAA. Pro-Arte Saint Louis describes itself as a professional vocal ensemble “dedicated to the stylistically informed performance of music of the Renaissance, Middle Ages, and earlier.” Their disciplined performance last night showed that they are worthy of the many stellar reviews they have received since their inception in 2013.

The concert featured parts of two imitation Masses, both using the tune L’Homme Armé. The first of the Masses we heard was by Guillaume Dufay (c. 1397 – c. 1474), and the other was by Cristóbal de Morales (1500-1553).

My favorite selection in the concert, though, was Ave Maria virgo serena by Josquin des Prez (c. 1440 – 1521). In introducing this piece, Dr. Mahrt noted that the composer is famous for having written a great deal of “risky” music, not conforming to the standards of his day. This particular piece is written for four voice parts, but, unusually, utilizes all four voices at once only at a few important moments. Much of the piece, drawn from the text & melody of an old sequence, was sung in just two voices at a time. The moments when the four-part harmony broke forth really helped to highlight those particular parts of the text.

Lastly, I want to mention the location of the concert, which was the Grand Hall of the Central Library. This hall, pictured above, is a wonderful acoustical space. It reminded me of other grand libraries I have visited, such as the library at Trinity College Dublin, the Philadelphia Free Library, and the main branch of the New York Public Library (adjacent to Bryant Park). All of these buildings, like the Central Library here in St. Louis, are reminders of a time when libraries were thought of rather differently than they are today. The architecture and prominence of these buildings indicate that they were once valued places of public discourse and centers of civic culture. In many ways, the digital age has pushed physical libraries to the margins, but I feel as if these grand public buildings adorned with art and ornamentation still have something quite valuable to offer us in our times.

More to follow in the days ahead!

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Church Music Association of America CMAA, Sacred Music Colloquium 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.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

14 May 2022 • “Pure” Vatican Edition

As readers know, my choir has been singing from the “pure” Editio Vaticana. That is to say, the official rhythm which—technically—is the only rhythm allowed by the Church. I haven’t figured out how I want the scores to look, so in the meantime we’ve been using temporary scores that look like this. Stay tuned!

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • Gorgeous Book

If there is a more beautiful book than Abbat Pothier’s 1888 Processionale Monasticum, I don’t know what it might be. This gorgeous tome was today added to the Saint John Lalande Online Library. I wish I owned a physical copy.

—Jeff Ostrowski
Sound Familiar?

1 June 1579: “The chapter passes a rule that anyone ascending to the new organ without official permission shall be fined a month’s pay.”

26 October 1579: “The altar boys remain always separate and distinct from choirboys—the one group learning only plainchant and assisting at the altar, the other living with the chapel-master and studying counterpoint and polyphony as well. Father Francisco Guerrero postpones his departure for Rome and instead spends the entire year in Seville making ready for the trip. In the meantime he neglects his choirboys. On 16 November, after considerable complaint against their unruliness and ignorance, he engages an assistant, Bartolomé Farfán.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

In the place of liturgy as the fruit of development came fabricated liturgy. We abandoned the organic, living process of growth and development over centuries, and replaced it—as in a manufacturing process—with a fabrication, a banal on-the-spot product.

— ‘Pope Benedict XVI, describing the postconciliar liturgical reforms’

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