Views from the Choir Loft

Dr. Gregory Hamilton • Article Archive

Dr. Gregory Hamilton is a widely published composer and accomplished performer. His compositions include works for organ, piano, choir, flute, cello, and orchestra. An active conductor, Dr. Hamilton also performs extensively as a soloist and accompanist on the organ, piano, harpsichord. He has also performed regularly on the keyboard, theorbo and lute with the Orchestra of New Spain. He is currently on the faculty of Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas TX.—Read full biography (with photographs).

Dr. Gregory Hamilton · September 3, 2020

(Installment #5) “Catholic Hymnals” • Dr. Gregory Hamilton

The word “hymn” is one of the earliest music words in all languages…

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Dr. Gregory Hamilton · July 20, 2020

Biography • Dr. Gregory Hamilton

Dr. Gregory Hamilton is a widely published composer and accomplished performer currently on the faculty of Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas TX.

Dr. Gregory Hamilton · April 1, 2020

Repeating Repertoire? • Dr. Hamilton

Psalm 51 occurs a dozen times in the lectionary during the year, for such diverse days such as St. Thomas Aquinas, weekdays during ordinary Time, many days in Lent, and the Easter Vigil.

Dr. Gregory Hamilton · March 10, 2020

Psalms, Psalmody, Psalmists, Psalm Singing

Some of you may not know, but in seminaries and houses of religious, the 150 psalms are still recited or sung every month.

Dr. Gregory Hamilton · February 20, 2020

Secret Sympathy

“Our souls are moved to the ardor of piety by the sacred words more piously and powerfully when these words are sung…” —St. Augustine

Dr. Gregory Hamilton · January 28, 2020

“Performance” and the Liturgy.

I have sometimes been told that I was “performing” in the Liturgy, and this has made me think about the meaning of this term and why people say it…

Dr. Gregory Hamilton · January 18, 2020

Of Weddings, Funerals and other Comedies

A lot of what we do in serving our communities is rather unglamorous…

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Dr. Gregory Hamilton · March 27, 2019

Beauty in the Service of the Lord

“Recently, playing a prelude before a Mass, I thought of the preeminence of beauty in our faith.” —Dr. Hamilton

30 November 2020 • “Case in point”

The Solesmes rhythmic markings, which often contradict the official rhythm, do such damage to the antiphons of the Divine Office that—in my humble opinion—they should be abandoned. (In reality, this will never happen.) But sometimes, they do great damage to the melody of the Graduale Romanum, and I would offer the Offertory for the 1st Sunday of Advent as a “case in point.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

27 November 2020 • ACCENTS

Certain Latin words are constantly mispronounced. For example, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana is supposed to be pronounced “Cármina” but people frequently pronounce it as “Carmína”—wrong! Another example: Nova organi harmonia is supposed to be pronounced “órgani” but many people erroneously say “orgáni.” A somewhat tricky word is incipit. In Latin, it would be “íncipit” while some believe it has entered the English language as “incípit”—but I’m not convinced…

—Jeff Ostrowski

20 November 2020 • Epiphany Sequence?

A very interesting Missale from 1759AD has a Sequence for the Epiphany, but I don’t know where one could find the musical notation. The Seqence is called: “Prompto Gentes Animo Ferte Nunc Altissimo Honorem Et Gloriam.”

—Jeff Ostrowski