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Views from the Choir Loft

It is Finished

Andrew Leung · April 6, 2017

CTL It is Finished EING A SEMINARIAN requires me to offer my whole self to God and the Church, which also means that I don’t always get to do what I like. I definitely don’t get as much opportunities and time to get involved in church music as I used to. But because of this change, I learned to be thankful for each opportunity and I pray more intensely every time I sing.

During this season of Lent, I have been reflecting on the last words of our crucified Lord, “It is finished”. These very last words of Christ show his complete humility and obedience to God the Father.

From a human perspective, one should be very proud after knowing that he has saved many lives. And one would probably proudly look at the result, the numbers and the outcome of his works and sacrifice. However, our Lord chose to conclude his sacrifice with “It is finished”, and this is true humility.

For us, musicians, humility is not an easy virtue to obtain. We are taught to be confident, strong, not to stop and not to apologize after playing a wrong note. And we are always pursuing and striving for beauty and perfection. Humility, of course, doesn’t conflict with the above. Sacred music makes us realize the greatness of God and help us to stay humble before Him, who is the source of all beauty and perfection.

Christ’s last words are a great lesson on humility. They show the right attitude that a church musician should have as he serves. May the Lord help us not to focus on our success, glory and the words of praise from others; but help us to conclude every Mass and postlude with: “It is finished.”

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 Andrew Leung

Andrew Leung currently serves the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers, and music director at Our Lady of China Church.—(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!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —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

“Thus, by the celebration of a single Mass (in which he offers Jesus Christ in sacrifice), a priest gives greater honor to the Lord than if all men by dying for God offered to him the sacrifice of their lives. By a single Mass, he gives greater honor to God than all the angels and saints—along with the Blessed Virgin Mary—have given or shall give to him; for their worship cannot be of infinite value, like that which the priest celebrating on the altar offers to God.”

— Saint Alphonsus Liguori

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