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Views from the Choir Loft

Repeating Repertoire? • Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt · March 31, 2020

He said unto them: Therefore every scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven, is like to a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure new things and old.

Matthew 13: 52

It seems self-evident that a church’s music program will combine new music with old music that people are more familiar with. There is music which varies according to season and music which is always applicable. A music director has the honor of choosing the music according to the abilities of all concerned, liturgical needs and making a beautiful sound for the greater glory of God.

New and old music

Sometimes a music director can encounter criticism about the music program. The good side of this is that it shows that someone cares. It can be an opportunity to share ideas about why we choose certain music. Hopefully it can be an amicable exchange mutually enriching both sides.

Having a plan can be helpful. Having a published schedule of upcoming music can help show that the choices are not arbitrary. It can also show that any alterations need to be made months in advance. Also having records of past plans helps bring something concrete to any discussion.

When it comes to the discussion of varying music, I’m always reminded of a dear old priest who would sing the same two hymns, one before Mass and the other after Mass, just for the quiet weekday Masses. Usually such Masses would have had no music whatsoever, but these two well known hymns were very welcome.

I still fall back on those two hymns on a fairly regular basis. They are well known here in Australia but I understand not so well known elsewhere around the world. I’m speculating that other places would tend to have old stalwart pieces which can guarantee a good reception. Such pieces could become stale, but they have their place.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Repeating Repertoire Last Updated: April 2, 2020

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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).

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Quick Thoughts

6 January 2021 • Anglicans on Plainsong

A book published by Anglicans in 1965 has this to say about Abbat Pothier’s Editio Vaticana, the musical edition reproduced by books such as the LIBER USUALIS (Solesmes Abbey): “No performing edition of the music of the Eucharistic Psalmody can afford to ignore the evidence of the current official edition of the Latin Graduale, which is no mere reproduction of a local or partial tradition, but a CENTO resulting from an extended study and comparison of a host of manuscripts gathered from many places. Thus the musical text of the Graduale possesses a measure of authority which cannot lightly be disregarded.” They are absolutely correct.

—Jeff Ostrowski
2 January 2021 • Temptation

When I see idiotic statements made on the internet, I go nuts. When I see heretics promoted by people who should know better, I get angry. Learning to ignore such items is difficult—very difficult. I try to remember the words of Fr. Valentine Young: “Do what God places in front of you each day.” When I am honest, I don’t believe God wants me to dwell on errors and idiocy; there’s nothing I can do about that. During 2021, I will strive to do a better job following the advice of Fr. Valentine.

—Jeff Ostrowski
31 December 2020 • “COMITES CHRISTI”

The feasts for Saint Stephen Proto-Martyr (26 December), Saint John the Evangelist The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved (27 December), and the Feast of the Holy Innocents (28 December) seem untouched by any liturgical reforms. These are very powerful feasts—I believe they once possessed octaves—and I believe they could sometimes “overpower” a Sunday feast. The rules for octaves in the olden days are extremely complex. These feasts are sometimes referred to as a single entity as: Comites Christi (“Companions of Christ”). This is just a guess, but there seems to be a triple significance: STEPHEN martyred after Christ lived, JOHN was a martyr who knew Christ personally, and the HOLY INNOCENTS were martyred before Christ’s birth.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The pope regrets that this trade in African slaves, that he believed having ceased, is still exercised in some regions and even more cruel way. He begs and begs the King of Portugal that it implement all its authority and wisdom to extirpate this unholy and abominable shame.”

— ‘Pope Pius VII, writing to the King of Portugal’

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