ONALD REAGAN said in his later years: “Having Alzheimer’s is great because it allows you to meet new people every day!” Young people are puzzled when older people repeat things over and over.1 The truth is, as we get older we tend to repeat things in order to emphasize their importance. I often sound like a broken record. Something I’ve mentioned frequently is how disheartening it is to observe sacred music conferences being put on by unqualified presenters. I see people who have never once stood in front of a choir giving choral workshops. I see people who have never worked in a parish (or whose accomplishments at the parochial level were mediocre at best) giving workshops on “how to rejuvenate your parish choir.” Not long ago, I noticed a young man whose only accomplishment was teaching Elementary school being added to a seminary faculty.
In Person • Music is a lifelong pursuit. One cannot “learn piano” in a week. As a result, I’m often skeptical about conferences, colloquia, and symposia. At the same time, certain things do come across better in person. For the last fifteen years on this blog, I’ve made it clear I love accompanied and also unaccompanied plainsong. In spite of that, people online still say things like: “Jeff Ostrowski only likes accompanied chant.” But when I put on conferences, it’s easier to emphasize the truth of the matter. I love them both.
Jeff’s Quest • I’ve been trying to convince the CHAUMONOT COMPOSERS GROUP to consider adding organ accompaniments to their fine Gregorian adaptations. At the same time, I admit they sound fabulous without accompaniment. The following was recorded last night … by just two women!
Here’s the direct URL link.
Stay Tuned • The CHAUMONOT COMPOSERS GROUP is currently looking for a publisher. In the meantime, I’ve been attempting to create recordings for each Entrance Chant. You can download the PDF scores—for both organist and singer—at this link.
1 When that happens, they ask themselves: “Doesn’t this person remember he already said that?”
