OW COULD I EVER FORGET an incident that took place twenty years ago? While studying musicology at the graduate level, one of my professors burst into the classroom more excited than I’d ever seen her. She practically yelled to our class: “Josquin was a vandal.” You see, there had just been a discovery made. Somebody at the Vatican knocked down a wall in the choir loft revealing a wooden pew. Centuries ago, papal singers had vandalized this pew, carving their names with a knife. One vandal turned out to be none other than JOSQUIN DES PREZ (d. 1521).
Singers First! • We sometimes forget that all the great composers we love—Morales, Palestrina, Nanino, Arcadelt, Lassus, and so forth—were hired not as composers, but as singers. I have to admit, I would give my right arm to hear Father Cristóbal de Morales (d. 1553) sing. I suspect he was excellent. Father Morales was first admitted to the papal choir on 1 September 1535. Although I work with volunteer singers, many of them are superb. Listen to how perfectly these two sopranos (who sing in my choir) blend together:
Richness • Even a marvelous studio recording like that one, however, lacks the richness of a full choir. Consider the following hymn, recorded yesterday (Ash Wednesday 2024) by my volunteer female singers. This text was prescribed for Lent in former times, and Father Adrian Fortescue (d. 1923) called it: “One of the most beautiful examples of mediæval hymnody.”
The Day My Life Changed • Some claim it’s immoral for singers to take delight in the music they sing during Mass. Certain popes and other religious leaders throughout history argued that if there’s any enjoyment in singing sacred music, that “proves” it’s done for man and not for God; but I don’t believe that’s correct. When I was young, I erroneously believed the only things we could offer up to God were things we hate. But my life changed forever when I realized we can (and should) offer to God not only our sufferings, but also our joys. We must never allow ourselves to check our cell phone in the morning before we’ve made the morning offering. If you don’t know a morning offering, you might want to consider this one, by Cardinal Merry Del Vel.
My volunteer choir really enjoys—and finds edifying—the music of Kevin Allen. Here’s an example they sang recently during Mass:
