“Chant Rhythm Wars” • History Matters
“It is important that these melodies should be performed in the manner that they were originally conceived as works of art.” —St. Pius X
Archives for November 2022
“Advent Hymn” • Composed by Flor Peeters
Peeters was organist at Malines Cathedral from 1923 until his death in 1986.
28 November 2022 • FEEDBACK
“I can’t thank you enough for that four-part download of the Graduale with 5 lines. That is absolutely brilliant! Since I and another guy from the choir chant the Traditional Propers every Sunday, it has proven to be an invaluable resource. Great job of scanning it, too.” —Email received this morning from S.M.D.
Photographs • Weinmann “Graduale” on 5 Lines!
They were not allowed to remove their boots, so thousands had their feet amputated (as the frostbite often turned into gangrene).
Five Pro Tips for Amateur Choirs
Here are five pro-level tips that can help your amateur choirs to both sound more unified and feel more confident.
PDF Download • “1st Sunday of Advent”
Those who accompany VESPERS FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT may wish to download this draft copy. It’s the organ accompaniment I use, since my parish has Vespers (in the Extraordinary Form) with our congregation each Sunday afternoon. It looks pretty ‘junky’ but it gets the job done. Someday I hope to make a much […]
Advent Hymn Experiment
Our volunteer choir tried something I wanted to share…
“Trochee Trouble” • Say What?
We have posted many articles discussing the French Vs. German way of interpreting syllabic plainsong—which some refer to as “Trochee Trouble.” Needless to say, we encourage everyone to carefully read all those articles. But some folks still don’t understand what “Trochee Trouble” is all about. Therefore, I have created this 1-Page Sheet that explains it […]
On the Nuance Theory of Plainchant
A brief historical survey of free rhythm in plainchant, as practiced from the modern monastic foundation of Solesmes (1833) to the present.
PDF Download • Traditional Notation Gradual-Book (692 Pages) on Five Lines!
This book makes it easy for singers who only know Treble Clef.
Join Your Parish Choir! • Why We Sing as a Faith Community
As many parishes struggle, your presence, your voice, your witness to the love of Christ is that much more important!
“Chant Rhythm Wars” • Repercussion and the Mora Vocis
Patrick Williams addresses points raised by Matthew Frederes and Jeff Ostrowski
“How Does the Official Rhythm Actually Sound?”
Including three (3) professionally-scanned versions of the Kyriale, released here for the 1st time!
Reverence: Feeling or Action?
Maybe we can agree that the Latin Mass has more external signs of reverence. Maybe that will clarify our position.
Directing Choirs • “Do You Have What It Takes?”
Church music should not be boring! Here I provide eleven (11) ways to keep it awesome.
“Progress Made!” • 10-Nov-2022
My volunteer choir has felt the repercussions of this year’s (particularly severe) flu season. Nevertheless, I believe in always—always—giving one’s best as a choir director, even when many singers are absent. You can hear by this brief recording that our singers are starting to blend very nicely. And you can download that choral “warm-up” exercise […]
Mark Your Calendars!
Have you marked your calendar for Sacred Music Symposium 2023? The dates were recently revealed. You don’t want to miss this! This annual event has gained a reputation as the church music conference par excellence vis-à-vis Catholic musicians “in the trenches.”
“Chant Rhythm Wars” • Feedback (Dom Concordia)
“I greatly appreciate your hospitality and willingness to engage in dialogue.” — Dom Concordia, OSB
“A Mother’s New Missal” • Part 1
A mother and her children open the 2022 edition of the “Campion Missal” and find it more compact and very beautiful. Initial impressions include new images, a golden ribbon, and a newly-textured cover.
Disputed Questions
A few further thoughts on what ways of singing chant are “allowed.”