The longest 54 seconds in a Missa Cantata

Veronica Brandt · December 30, 2016 ·

HE LONG SILENCE. Were you supposed to start singing already, or is something else about to happen first? It is the time just after the Lord’s Prayer while everyone is waiting to start the Agnus Dei at a Vetus Ordo / Extraordinary Form sung Latin Mass. That wait between Sed libera nos a malo until the Per omnia saecula saeculorum. It is so tempting to start the Agnus Dei to fill in the silence, but hopefully that’s a mistake you don’t make more than once.

Starting to take care of the music for a sung Latin Mass can be daunting. There is a handy book available called Psallite Sapienter. It’s not a completely authoritative work – you will find there are all sorts of variations among different priests and musicians, but it does give a good starting point. It’s available printed by Lulu and also as a free pdf download from musicasacra.com.

May your 2017 be full of new adventures, not least in the pursuit of sacred music!

About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. As editor, she has produced fine publications (as well as valuable reprints) dealing with Gregorian chant, hymnody, Latin, and other subjects. These publications are distinguished on account of their tastefulness. She lives in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia, with her husband Peter and six children.

Anger at mistakes

I have a bad habit of getting frustrated when choir members take a long time to learn a particular interval or entrance. But this can be “cured.” It was cured a few weeks ago, when I made a mistake. I was supposed to go down a minor third, but instead I went down a perfect fifth. It reminded me that errors do happen—and we must be patient with our singers!

—Jeff Ostrowski

“The old man carried the Child, but the Child led the old man.”

The Antiphon for First Vespers of the Feast of the Purification (February 2nd) is beautiful: “The old man carried the Child, but it was the Child who was guiding the old man. The Virgin bore the Child, and after child-bearing was virgin still: whom she bore, him she adored.” —Senex púerum portábat, puer autem senem regébat: quem Virgo péperit, et post partum Virgo permánsit: ipsum quem génuit, adorávit.

—Jeff Ostrowski

A quote from Fr. Valentine Young

I had one brother who was out of the church for quite a few years. When my mother was asked, “Did she worry about him?” I remember her answer: “I don’t worry about him; I just pray for him.” She left that in God’s hands. My mother did not live to see her son return to the Church; but he did, and I was able to celebrate his funeral Mass.

—Jeff Ostrowski