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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

“Sanctus” Recorded By Young Ladies From Las Vegas • Fabulous!

Jeff Ostrowski · November 1, 2016

E’RE CURRENTLY IN THE MIDST of planning next year’s Sacred Music Symposium. During last year’s event, I had the pleasure of meeting members from a wonderful Schola Cantorum in Las Vegas. These young ladies were bright, energetic, and had the most pure voices! They really took to heart what Dr. Calabrese and Dr. Buchholz taught them.

Several members agreed to help record a Palestrina SANCTUS (PDF), and I think you’ll agree the results are magnificent:

REHEARSAL VIDEOS for each individual voice have been created: locate #6962.


You owe it to yourself run through the Tenor rehearsal video. Could anything be more fun, especially in the Hosanna?

THIS SANCTUS IS FROM the same Mass as this Kyrie, so I won’t repeat what I wrote about the hymn tune. I would mention, however, that Palestrina adds a free countersubject to the Sanctus (marked in green). In the Benedictus—which we’ll upload soon—he adds two more! I eliminated the trio Palestrina wrote for “pleni sunt coeli” because that would have made the piece too long for our FSSP.la Masses—causing a delay for the priest. 1

When composers like Palestrina based Masses on a tune, it’s remarkable to see how they change their treatment in each movement. It could be as simple as adding a new countersubject. Or, it might be something “structural” like never beginning more than one movement with the same voice. In the KYRIE, the Soprano entered last, whereas in the SANCTUS it enters second.

I feel there’s something amazing about polyphony—something which grabs the ear of “homo modernus” instantly. Plainsong is powerful in a different way; perhaps a deeper way. For example, no one who sang the full version of the Offertory on 1 November, as we did, could fail to be moved. Consider the significance of the word “autem,” and the marvelous attention the unknown Gregorian composer draws to this crucial word.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Did celebrants pray slower in Palestrina’s day? Or did they sing faster? This is not easy to answer with certainty.

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    “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!”
    —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.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Baptism” • A Unique Hymn
    Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on Trinity Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. You can hear live recording from last Sunday by clicking here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Yet, with all its advantages, the new Missal was published as if it were a work put together by professors, not a phase in a continual growth process. Such a thing never happened before. It is absolutely contrary to the laws of liturgical growth, and it has resulted in the nonsensical notion that Trent and Pius V had “produced” a Missal four hundred years ago.

— Josef Cardinal Ratzinger (1986)

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