Draft Document • “Church Music Manifesto” (2020)
We’re living in darkness—but, like the phoenix, authentic Church music can rise from the ashes!
Follow the Discussion on Facebook
Archives for June 2020
Real Life in a Large Church Choir Program (Part IV of IV)
We come now to the final installment in my series on our music program at St. Stephen the First Martyr Catholic Church in Sacramento, California.
Chanting and Spiritual Health
In a time of contagion and social unrest, we need plainchant more than ever, even when we stay home.
Sonata during the Gradual?
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote seventeen Church Sonatas between 1772 and 1780. These are short pieces intended to be played between the Epistle and the Gospel (during Mass). Shortly after Mozart left Salzburg, the Archbishop mandated that an appropriate choral motet or congregational hymn be sung at that point in the liturgy, with the result that […]
Homeschool Snapshots: Take 1
Summer planning brings homeschooling mother to poetry by Robert Frost and St. Thomas Aquinas. “Poems are the food of faith.”
New Catholic Hymns: 24 Hymns for the Liturgical Year
New compositions in the timeless style of great Catholic hymns for all the major feasts, plus insights into the hymnodist’s creative process.
Sister Goodchild • “Gregorian Chant for Church and School”
This 130-page book can be downloaded for free.
Best Practices with Current Restrictions • New Resource from Detroit
Best practices and a new antiphon project from the Archdiocese of Detroit
Note from a reader (25 June 2020)
“Just visited your website for the first time 5 minutes ago. Was that struck by the beauty of the chant and the immense gift of such a beautiful collection that can be downloaded with ease…at no charge! In awe of the gift of this extensive content and the amount of labor that has gone into […]
Six Points • The Church and Patronage of the Arts
If we want great artists, we must have places to train them in the best of the tradition and be able to crown their studies with a deeply imbued Catholic ethos.
PDF Download • “Saint Edmund Jennings Mass”
Today comes the third setting. A total of five Masses will be released.
More on the subject of “Mutual Enrichment”
My previous post on this subject was misunderstood in some quarters.
Real Life in a Large Church Choir Program (Part III)
Far from being a mere complement to our parish choir, our young Choristers are, quite frankly, its core.
Coloring Calendars – Liturgical Art
Print an illustrated liturgical calendar with seasonal Gregorian chant excerpts.
Important • Watershed Will Never Be The Same!
On the feast of the Sacred Heart, we present an important memorandum from Corpus Christi Watershed’s president.
Silence and The Thoughts of His Heart
Our souls are hurting and in crisis. I have no words.
“Society of Saint Bede” • Free Liturgical Resources
From what I can tell, the website has been around since 2012.
Devotional Catholicism and the Domestic Church
Part 3 of a webinar series hosted by the Society for Catholic Liturgy
PDF Download • “Saint Anne Line Mass”
I will release five (5) Mass settings which come off well with a single cantor & organist; today is the 2nd installment.
How Good Are Your Musical Ears? • (Speedy Test)
Can you hear the difference between females and males?
Real Life in a Large Church Choir Program (Part II)
Yes, children as young as seven or eight will focus and listen as you’re teaching them solfege scales, rhythm patterns, beautiful Latin vowels, and more!
Liturgical Handwashing
Some recommendations from the CDC fit quite naturally with Catholic liturgical sensibilities.
Live Recording (42 min) • “Vespers for the Sacred Heart”
You will hear, as the service progresses, how unisons become more and more refined and how subtlety finds its way into the psalmody.
O Sacred Heart, On Earth Thou Art An Exile’s Rest
A homeschooling mother teaches a hymn and a chant to her children, in the hopes that they “stick” in their hearts forevermore. The hymn is “O Sacred Heart” and the chant is “Ave Verum Corpus”.
Recorded Music At Mass?
Lorin Maazel was conducting major orchestras at the tender age of eight.