Views from the Choir Loft

Year of the Eucharist • Solemn Vespers with Exposition and Benediction

Richard J. Clark · August 7, 2020

S PART of the “Year of the Eucharist,” in the Archdiocese of Boston the Cathedral of the Holy Cross will offer Solemn Vespers with Exposition and Benediction (online for now) on First Fridays. This takes place in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. The organ you will hear (and see) was built in 1881 by E. &. G. G. Hook & Hastings, restored by Watersmith in 1995. It is one manual with seven ranks.

You may watch here live at 7pm on August 7, 2020, and also watch from here after. You may view a worship guide here or follow along in the breviary, Friday of the eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Friday, Week II, evening prayer.

You’ll note, soprano Barbara Hill and I sing with masks. This has become standard practice at the Cathedral for now, however inconvenient. As always, we discover improvements we can make in production. Of course, this never replaces being there in the real presence of the Eucharist.

Payer is paramount. Prayer is powerful. We have much to pray for.

Oremus pro invicem

Let us pray for each other.

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).

“Tonus Solemnior” • How old is it?

In the 1962 Missal, a section called “præfationes in tono solemniore” contains ornate melodies for the Preface. An article posted on the blog of the Church Music Association of America claims the tone comes from “the late 19th century” and said its elimination “is one of the very few good things which the post-Conciliar reform did for Gregorian chant.” The author said: “The Roman solemn preface tone is already beautiful enough, there was no need to give a more Romantic feel.”

Some have asked us whether the tonus solemnior comes from “the late 19th century.” It does not. Their author was wrong by at least 400 years. I have seen this tone in MSS from the 1400s—and it may go back even further. Here is an example from 1494AD. And here’s another from the 1400s. The FSSP priests use these tones on high feasts, and the effect is unforgettable.

—Jeff Ostrowski

6 January 2022 • Quick!

A short version of the INTROIT for the feast of the Epiphany has been added to the Saint René Goupil Gregorian Chant Website.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Confusing Feasts of Christmas

Whether one considers the Missale Vetustum or the post-conciliar calendar—or even the 1908 calendar—the feasts which follow Christmas are very confusing. Last year I created this comparison chart. I hope you find it helpful. As far as I can tell, my chart is the first effort to carefully detail the changes made to post-Christmas feasts (unless we also count the rather basic one by Lauren Pristas).

—Jeff Ostrowski