“Stella Caeli Exstirpavit” • Gregorian Chant During Times Of Pestilence
I would give anything to know how these girls created this recording—because it’s free rhythm!
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Archives for July 2020
8,000 entries • “Snippets Index” for New Hymnal
(Be patient while it loads) —Easy to use, fully complete; what more could you ask?
Goal Met • Why We’re Grateful To Our Readers
The pop-up has been taken down…plus, a small gift to our readers!
Ubi Caritas Goes Viral: My Thoughts
Have you seen the viral video of four men singing Ubi Caritas in a stairwell? Here are some thoughts on this phenomenon.
PDF Download • “Holy Week and Easter with Gregorian Chant” (797 pages)
Supremely rare Belgian book with Gregorian Chant!
22 July 2020 • Five Recent Messages
We are asking our readers to give $5.00 per month (or even $3.00 per month) so we can keep our website online. Here are five recent messages from donors: (#1) Your site is a Godsend. It must continue. I am a church mouse but I can afford $5 a month. Let’s help keep the beautiful […]
21 July 2020 • From a Musicology PhD…
To you and your colleagues who helped produce the Brébeuf hymnal, I wanted to drop a line to say “bravo.” I just got a copy and immediately ordered the choral supplement (I ought to have just gotten it in the first place). What an achievement this book is! This is the sort of hymnal one […]
“Pope Pius XII Psalter” • How different was it?
If this had caught on, every chant book—along with every psalm setting of Palestrina, Victoria, Morales, Guerrero, etc.—would have become “garbage” overnight.
Biography • Dr. Gregory Hamilton
Dr. Gregory Hamilton is a widely published composer and accomplished performer currently on the faculty of Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas TX.
The Gifts of Abel the Just
Offering an Acceptable Sacrifice
PDF Download • “Label Your Luggage”
Religious instruction from Fr. Robert Nash, SJ. (1943 Imprimatur)
PDF Download • “Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Mass”
The fourth installment—“Mass settings that work well, even with a single cantor + organist.”
Wonderful emails received recently…
(#1) “Thank you for all the great work you do to provide music and rehearsal videos for all of us to use! It has been invaluable to those music and choir directors who’ve had to build a Gregorian chant schola from scratch! May God continue to bless all you do to promote sacred music for […]
Obsequies for Msgr. Georg Ratzinger (1924-2020)
I doubt the Divine Office in the vernacular could have been more beautifully sung.
Two Fast, Easy Ways for Church Musicians to Relieve Stress
One common place for musicians to feel wear and tear is in the neck. Here’s how to release it.
1,055 Images • “Paramentica Liturgical Design”
When we pray from a book which is special, beautiful, and dignified, it helps us focus.
Honesty and Integrity
Someone who made a generous donation wrote as follows: While I sometimes strongly disagree with the content or tone of the blog article authors, I, as a parish music director, have used CCWatershed’s resources countless times and have always found the site to be an excellent source of high-quality Sacred Music, which is very hard […]
Two Settings • “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name”
Imagine trying to read from a score like this!
The Illusion of Permanence — an Exercise in Humility
There is an illusion of permanence in the Church. We are changing often and changing right now.
Featured • “To All Who Care About CCWatershed”
During my 9 years as president, you know I never ask for assistance unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Solemn Novena for Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
This year’s preacher will be Fr. Joseph Lee, F.S.S.P.
Can These Youngsters Save Catholic Music?
This remarkable piece by Father Victoria contains a mind-blowing canon between upper voices!
“Just how Tridentine are you?” • Quiz by GIA Publications
GIA’s 2004 article Re: “masses of yesteryear” seems absurd on this 13th Anniversary of Summorum Pontificum.
Unslumping Yourself with the King of Instruments
On those days when you can’t quite put your heart into singing, improvising at the organ can be comforting and rewarding.
Two Remarkable Liturgical Realities (Which Few Realize)
It’s interesting to compare the literal translations in the Brébeuf Hymnal to those done by Solesmes Abbey during the 1950s.