Views from the Choir Loft

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made • New Work for Trumpet and Organ

Richard J. Clark · September 14, 2018

SALM 139 has been one of my greatest sources of strength and inspiration. Asked a year ago to compose an instrumental work for trumpet and organ based upon a psalm I knew exactly which psalm would be my muse: 139 (138).

Richard Kelley, trumpet, whose lyricism can be compared to that of an oboe or clarinet, is another source of inspiration. I am deeply grateful to him. His soul and his humanity is as beautiful as is his playing.

This was recorded at St. Cecilia Church in Boston with the Smith & Gilbert organ.
Listen here to this four movement work, based on Psalm 139:

Richard Kelley, trumpet, has been a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and plays with the Boston Pops. He has performed with artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Ray Charles, Steven Tyler, and James Taylor. He can be heard on a variety of recordings including the Oscar and Golden Globe-winning soundtrack to Disney’s Pocahontas and Stephen Paulus’ Grammy-nominated Concerto for Two Trumpets and Band.

“The career of trumpeter Richard Kelley is not only a testament to the versatility of his instrument, but also to the ability of one individual to excel across the broadest possible range of music.” — Brian McCreath, WCRB

If you wish to order a score of this work, click here.

Soli Deo gloria

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

About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

Surprising Popularity!

One of our most popular downloads has proven to be the organ accompaniment to “The Monastery Hymnal” (131 pages). This book was compiled, arranged, and edited by Achille P. Bragers, who studied at the Lemmensinstituut (Belgium) about thirty years before that school produced the NOH. Bragers might be considered an example of Belgium “Stile Antico” whereas Flor Peeters and Jules Van Nuffel represented Belgium “Prima Pratica.” You can download the hymnal by Bragers at this link.

—Jeff Ostrowski

15 February 2021 • To Capitalize…?

In the Introit for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, there is a question regarding whether to capitalize the word “christi.” The Vulgata does not, because Psalm 27 is not specifically referring to Our Lord, but rather to God’s “anointed one.” However, Missals tend to capitalize it, such as the official 1962 Missal and also a book from 1777 called Missel de Paris. Something tells me Monsignor Knox would not capitalize it.

—Jeff Ostrowski

15 February 2021 • “Sung vs. Spoken”

We have spoken quite a bit about “sung vs. spoken” antiphons. We have also noted that the texts of the Graduale Romanum sometimes don’t match the Missal texts (in the Extraordinary Form) because the Mass Propers are older than Saint Jerome’s Vulgate, and sometimes came from the ITALA versions of Sacred Scripture. On occasion, the Missal itself doesn’t match the Vulgate—cf. the Introit “Esto Mihi.” The Vulgate has: “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in domum refúgii…” but the Missal and Graduale Romanum use “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in locum refúgii…” The 1970s “spoken propers” use the traditional version, as you can see.

—Jeff Ostrowski