AITRIN. Her name is Kaitrin—and she’s one of the greatest church musicians I know. I suspect she wouldn’t identify primarily as a church musician. Rather, I suspect she would emphasize that she’s a wife and mother of five beautiful children. I’ve had the privilege of working with her (and hope to learn a lot more from her in the future). What Kaitrin has accomplished musically at her Catholic parish over the last decade is nothing short of miraculous. As we’ve mentioned in the past, the internet is full of ‘expert’ Catholic authors* who spend hours each day complaining about the sacred liturgy’s deficiencies yet are unwilling to lift a finger in real life to improve the situation. Kaitrin has taken a different approach. She has “gotten her hands dirty”—with her parish as the beneficiary.
Only Three Voices • What can the conscientious choirmaster accomplish with only three voices? Yesterday, I was present when Kaitrin and her two daughters sang (during a 5:00pm Sunday Mass) a three-voice motet called O Sacrum Convivium by Kevin Allen. Our 1-year-old baby is the one you hear crying in the pews—and I apologize for that:
Talent Runs In The Family • Kaitrin’s daughter made a really beautiful arrangement of “Soul of my Savior” (Ánima Christi Sanctífica Me), but the tune is different from the one found in Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal. Here’s an excerpt from yesterday:
* Many spend an inordinate amount of time publishing articles explaining how brilliant they are, while everyone else is (according to them) an uncultured, unenlightened Philistine. Yet the same folks who consider themselves to be “the world’s leading liturgical experts” make rather basic mistakes with an alarming frequency. Someday, I’d like to give specific examples—if I can find the time—although that’s a dangerous game because such authors take themselves very seriously. The fact is, we musicians tend to be some of the best liturgists because our livelihood depends upon a practical knowledge of the sacred liturgy.
