IKE OTHER WISE PRIESTS, Father Valentine Young (d. 2020) had phrases he liked to repeat. One of them was: “You can play 1,000 notes correctly on the pipe organ and hit one wrong note—and the people listening will only notice that wrong note.” I believe the point he was trying to make was: Don’t make the perfect the enemy of the good. The ENTRANCE CHANT for this coming Sunday—which is the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B—will be eminently familiar to those who love the MISSALE VESTUSTUM. That’s because it repeats over and over again at the end of the year (in the pre-conciliar calendar).
Jeff’s Mistake • I couldn’t help calling to mind the words of Father Valentine when I hit a wrong note in this week’s rehearsal video (see below). I can’t remove it now—so it will remain there in perpetuity.1 How good are your ears? Are you able to pinpoint my error?
* PDF Download • Singer’s Score (Treble Clef)
* PDF Download • ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT (2 Pages)
Here’s the direct URL link.
Don’t Tell Anyone Else! • I probably shouldn’t admit this publicly, but I find it rather beautiful that the Novus Ordo does not repeat the same propers over and over again. Instead, it assigns ‘forgotten’ introits from the Ember Days of Lent and September. On the other hand, I hope nobody will jump to the conclusion that I dislike the famous Dicit Dominus. (Nothing could be further from the truth.) The “arrangement” or “English adaptation” or “plainchant setting” by the CHAUMONOT COMPOSERS GROUP mimics the original in a way that’s absolutely spectacular.
That being said, Mode 6 (the “peaceful” mode) is best used sparingly. If it’s used too much, it gets boring. But when used sparingly it’s fantastic. If you’ve heard “LAUDATE DOMINUM OMNES GENTES” sung in Gregorian Chant, odds are you’ve heard Mode 6. There’s nothing quite like Mode 6. It has its own special feel.
1 Speaking of errors, in one of the messages that got sent out to the mailing list, it incorrectly said 23rd instead of 33rd. In my defense, it is the 23rd in the pre-conciliar calendar. Typos are the bane of my existence. I wish I could always do everything 100% perfectly. If you notice typos in any of our articles, please feel free to let us know!
