F ONLY WE KNEW how privileged we are to serve God by means of music. We complain about the abysmal state of music in the Catholic Church, yet we should rejoice! Because that means there’s work to do. To understand what I’m saying, imagine if the opposite were true. Imagine if sacred music were in such amazing shape that only the greatest musicians stood a chance at being accepted. Read about the great musical prodigies: Mozart, Mendelssohn, Hofmann, Franck, Albéniz, Georges Bizet (who astounded Liszt), Rachmaninoff, Saint-Saëns, and so forth. How do we compare to such talent? The truth is, 99% of us would never be allowed in the choir loft if pitted against talent like that.
Jeff Has Left Los Angeles • After ten years in Los Angeles, I’ve accepted a job in Michigan. I am currently traveling across the United States with my family. I thought you’d like to hear the final Communion piece my choir sang, which is a translation of Consors Paterni Luminis, an ancient hymn:
A Few Days Ago! • A few days ago, I was searching through an ancient manuscript and stumbled upon Consors Paterni Luminis. When this happened, I decided to post that recording (see above). First of all, let’s examine the manuscript:
Reason #1 • There are numerous reasons this Communion hymn was a fitting “end” for me in Los Angeles. For one thing, the English translation—after a version Jean Racine (d. 1699) called Verbe, égal au Très-Haut based on the Breviary hymn Consors Paterni Luminis—is by Father Dominic Popplewell, and the language is elevated and sublime. During my ten years in Los Angeles, I tried to show my choir that hymns shouldn’t use lyrics that are hokey or extremely predictable.
Reason #2 • Secondly, we sang the 4th verse as an SATB refrain, which is kind of my “trademark” (for lack of a better term) because it allows the choir to focus on gems that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Reason #3 • Finally, the tune resurrects a melody that’s been forgotten, but formerly was incredibly popular among sacred musicians. I just love resurrecting cool music. Indeed, there’s even a version which places the melody into the tenor line—which I have yet to introduce, but will someday. I could easily provide thirty examples of this melody being used in hymnals over the last 200 years. In other words, this melody isn’t something I invented. Tradition is important in the Catholic Church.
I’m out of time, so I’ll just include one example:
