Forget the First Note, give me the Do

Veronica Brandt · January 14, 2017

HERE ARE LOTS of familiar pieces I can sing from a first note, but somehow when it comes to sight reading chant I need the Do or tonic note.

There is a habit passed around some choirs here to sing a descending few notes – Do La Fa – to anchor the ear and find the right note. The sequence helps get away from the modern major scale and cue the brain for more modal sounds.

And it’s not just for the beginning of a piece, but often as a safety net in case of mishaps along the way.

So, if you are helping me out at Mass and we’re ready to begin the Communion Antiphon, hum a Do, La, Fa before giving me the starting note.

I don’t know where this practice comes from, but I find it very handy myself. I offer it here in case someone else finds it useful.

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

About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

Music List • (27th Sund. Ordinary Time)

This coming Sunday (6 October 2024) is the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. Some have expressed interest in seeing my “ORDER OF MUSIC.” If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“In Feriis Per Annum” • Kýrie Eléison

For years I’d been meaning to harmonize the famous KYRIE SIMPLEX—but I never got the opportunity until today. Feel free to download the PDF score if you wish. It is “Kyrie XVI,” which in the old books bore the title In Feriis Per Annum.

—Jeff Ostrowski

MONTH OF OCTOBER — “Reminder”

On a daily basis, I speak to people who—in spite of following our blog for years—don’t realize we publish a free newsletter. We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and refuse to run annoyong ads. As a result, our mailing list is crucial to our survival. Subscribing to it could not be easier: just scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.

—Jeff Ostrowski

This Coming Sunday’s Resp. Psalm

Visit the feasts website and examine the Responsorial Psalm REFRAIN for this coming Sunday [6-OCT-2024] which is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. Compare the official text (in Latin) to the “translation” given in the Spanish Lectionary. You’ll see the translators got it completely wrong. The 1970s “translations” by ICEL were notoriously heinous. Are those responsible for translating the Lectionary into Spanish striving to outdo them? Almost every psalm I’ve examined contains at least one major error.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Communion Antiphon • “For Any Mass?”

The GRADUALE ROMANUM says Psalm 33 can replace the proper Communion antiphon at any Mass. (The GRADUALE SIMPLEX says the same thing … in two separate places of the book.) I’ve posted a bright and clever arrangement of Psalm 33 in English and Latin. Rehearsal videos are also included. I hope you check it out!

—Veronica Moreno

A Talk on the Importance of Chant

Back in January I gave a talk at Sacred Heart Parish in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They have a fantastic lecture series, and this was also in connection with their admirable project on the fifth centennial of Palestrina's birth. The talk is now available on Spotify, and I hope it will be of some interest to our readers. You can find the talk by clicking here.

—Dr. Charles Weaver

Subscribe

It greatly helps us if you subscribe to our mailing list!

About Veronica Brandt