• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

  • About
  • Symposium
  • Hymnal
  • Jogues Missal
  • Site Map
  • Donate
Views from the Choir Loft

Place Me Among the Sheep, Not the Goats

Keven Smith · November 2, 2020

F THIS WERE a typical year, I’d be preparing for a sung Mass tonight for the Commemoration of All Souls. My parish choir loves singing the traditional Requiem Mass.

When I say we love it, I don’t mean that we merely don’t mind it or that we enjoy it about as much as the typical Sunday Mass. I mean that we love it above nearly any other Mass. I’ve asked many choir members over the years, “Would you rather sing a Requiem Mass or a Nuptial Mass?” Every last singer has chosen the Requiem.

There are several reasons for this affection. The Requiem chants are plentiful, colorful, and poignant, encompassing every mode except for 3 and 5. The liturgical texts deal with eschatology, which gives perspective to everything we believe and do as Catholics. Also, it’s always easy to see how much grieving families appreciate even the modest efforts of the handful of singers who are typically available to sing a midweek Requiem.

I love any Mass that includes a Sequence because the 1962 missal contains only five of them. The Dies Irae is one—and perhaps the best.

It’s Not Just About Wrath

Dies Irae conjures up images of righteous anger, fire, deafening noise, and judgment. Here in 2020, as the worst machinations of the world’s elite become apparent, it’s tempting to hope that the Day of Wrath will come soon. We trust that the return of Our Savior will mean swift judgment for those who want to prohibit public worship, promote deviant behaviors, and safeguard the “right” to dismember babies in the womb.

But we know that the return of Our Savior will also mean swift judgment for ourselves—we who are weak, lazy, selfish, and lukewarm.

Am I hoping for the Day of Wrath to come quickly? Would I dare? I prefer to focus on the inner stanzas of Dies Irae. In the ninth through fifteenth stanzas, beginning with “Recordare, Jesu pie,” we address Our Lord directly.

Here is where supplication reigns—where we focus on the things we can control.

Here is where we admit that, although nothing can slip His mind, our ingratitude has made us deserve to be forgotten.

Here is where we picture Our Lord faint and weary from seeking us—and yet we continue to wander off and hide.

Here is where we beg for forgiveness while there’s still time. Here is where our faces grow red with shame.

Here is where we dare suggest that if there was hope for Mary Magdalen and Dismas, perhaps there is hope for us. Here is where we admit that our prayers and sighs are worthless but beg nevertheless for a place among the sheep—not the goats.

Everything Is Better with Jerry Hadley

Even if my parish had the budget, I would have no interest in conducting an orchestral Requiem during an actual liturgy. I would much prefer to chant the traditional Requiem Mass. But I do enjoy listening to the Mozart Requiem and will always be grateful that Mozart set the middle stanzas of Dies Irae with such sensitivity. Here’s a performance of his Recordare that includes the late, great American tenor Jerry Hadley (oh, and Leonard Bernstein). May it inspire you to more fervent prayer this All Souls Day.

 

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

Follow the Discussion on Facebook

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: dies irae, Extraordinary Form 1962 Missal, Gregorian Chant, Requiem Last Updated: November 8, 2020

Subscribe to the CCW Mailing List

About Keven Smith

Keven Smith, music director at St. Stephen the First Martyr, lives in Sacramento with his wife and five musical children.—(Read full biography).

Primary Sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

Alabama Assessment!

We received this evaluation of Symposium 2022 from an Alabama participant:

“Oh, how the Symposium echoed the words of Cardinal Merry Del Val: …choosing only what is most conformed to Thy glory, which is my final aim. In one short and fast paced week, the faculty and attendees showed me the hand of God and our Lady working in our lives. The wide range of education—from Gregorian Chant, jazz modes in organ improvisation, to ‘staying sane’ while leading a choir—were certainly first-class knowledge from the best teachers of the art. However, the most powerful lesson was learning how to pray as a choir. The sacrifice of putting songs together, taking time to learn the sacred text, meditating on the church teaching through the chants, and gaining the virtues required to persevere in these duties were not only qualities of a choir but of a saint. The sanctification of the lives of the attendees was a beautiful outcome of this event … and that in itself is worth more than a beautifully-sung Solesmes style chant!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
PDF Download • Trinity Sunday (22 pages)

Feel free to download this Organ Accompaniment Booklet for Trinity Sunday (Second Vespers). Notice how the modes progress by number. Psalm 1 is mode 1; Psalm 2 is mode 2; Psalm 3 is mode 3; Psalm 4 is mode 4; Psalm 5 is mode 5. I am told by an expert that other feasts (such as Corpus Christi) are likewise organized by mode, and it’s called a “numerical office.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
10 June 2022 • “Official” rhythm of plainsong

I continue to search for the most beautiful way to present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores. (Technically, the “pure” rhythm of the official edition is what everyone is supposed to use.) You can download my latest attempt, which is the Introit for this coming Sunday: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Because this is not an ancient feast, the Introit had to be adapted (perhaps around 750AD). Prior Johner says the adaptation is “not an entirely happy one.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Church officials frequently asked Tomás Luis de Victoria for his opinion on cathedral appointments because of his fame and knowledge. He was faithful to his position as convent organist even after his professional debut as an organist, and never accepted any extra pay for being a chapelmaster. Held in great esteem, his contract allowed him frequent travel away from the convent, and he attended Palestrina’s funeral (in Rome) in 1594.”

— ‘Dr. Robert Stevenson, 1961 (mod.)’

Recent Posts

  • “I Decided to Get a Plane Ticket and Fly 8,700 Miles From Singapore to Take Part.”
  • Alabama Assessment!
  • “How Has Nobody Done This Before?” • Vol. 1
  • “Exceeded Every Expectation!” • Mr. O’Brien’s Review
  • “81 Photos” • Sacred Music Symposium 2022

Copyright © 2022 Corpus Christi Watershed · Gabriel Lalemant on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.