Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”
Although it’s a hideous accompaniment, I’ve added the harmonization by Monsignor Franz Nekes to this collection of nineteen organ accompaniments for the Easter Sunday Sequence: Víctimæ Pascháli Laudes. Once upon a time, Monsignor Nekes was a very popular composer, known as “The German Palestrina.”
Sung according to the official rhythm of the Catholic Church.
“If you begin by telling a man that in a word like 𝐷𝑒𝑢𝑠 the first syllable corresponds to the weak beat, the second to the strong beat of a modern bar, the only thing accomplished will be to bewilder him thoroughly.” —Father Bewerunge
“Hardly any of this made-up system has its basis in medieval music theory or in the manuscripts themselves.”—Patrick Williams
The beginnings of a response to mensuralism from the classic Solesmes point of view.
The organ accompaniment I created for the 3rd Sunday of Lent (“Extraordinary Form”) may now be downloaded, if anyone is interested in this.
Glossary of Chant Terms
In my own diocese, “The Catholic Academy of Sacred Music” was incorporated for that very purpose last summer.
“With my questions unanswered by those objecting to rhythmic markings based on the oldest sources, it is difficult to take their arguments seriously.” —Patrick Williams
This volume has been professionally scanned—and you’ll love the results!
Every Gregorian melody is a precious gift, and every time we meet a melody again, we have a chance to consider some new aspect.
Listening to this Easter Alleluia—an SATB arrangement I made twenty years ago based on the work of Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel—one of our readers left this comment: “I get tears in my eyes each time I sing to this hymn.” I hope this person is weeping for joy!
Let me explain why this 1961 Spanish Missal is so important.
REPERTORIUM has been awarded a large grant to scan and digitize over 400,000 ancient manuscript images from the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Solesmes archive.
To withdraw the pipe organ no longer has the impact it once did.
