PDF Download • SATB “Alleluia” by J.S. Bach
This short piece shimmers with beauty. The arrangement is by Monsignor René Moissenet.
“What Is Polyphony?” • With Audio Examples
A professor at our conservatory always told us: “An example is worth 1,000 words.”
Say “Hello” to the Villain Who Lied About You
Fulton J. Sheen told a story about a man who bumped into Abraham Lincoln yelling: “Get out of my way, you big ugly lummox!”
“Nobody Cares About This” • (Except Me!)
I’ve attempted to create a recording for this coming Sunday according to the official rhythm…
Why Text Only?
Why do hymns in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal give so many optional “text only” versions of the hymns? It’s easier to demonstrate than explain. Consider Hymn #24, which allows the director to choose a wonderful melody and easily apply it to the text. Hymnal editors knew about the value of “text only” versions […]
PDF Download • Brief Polyphonic “Asperges Me” for SATB by Father Guerrero (d. 1599)
Here’s my attempt at recording all the voices myself, to give you a rough idea how it sounds.
Official USCCB Synod Document: “The Limited Access to the 1962 Missal Was Lamented…”
In this official document, we find a remarkable statement!
“Choral Eavesdropping” • 15 Sept. 2022
If you enjoy eavesdropping, here’s a rehearsal excerpt (mp3) of my volunteers singing the exercise I posted last week. This is the second time we’ve used it, and I can definitely hear improvement. You can download this choral warm-up for free.
“An Irish Hymnal?” • 126 Pages (English and Gaelic)
I find this hymn quite beautiful—and singers love it!
“Isolation Camps” for Summórum Catholics?
Today is the 15th anniversary of “Summorum Pontificum”—and some clerics are choosing coercion where persuasion has failed.
PDF Download • 2-Voice Eucharistic Hymn by Flor Peeters (45 pages) • Includes a Descant!
Lyrics in English, with an (optional) version in Latin.
PDF Download • “Choir Warm-Up Exercise”
Your singers might enjoy this vocal warm-up exercise I composed for a volunteer choir.
“Defending the English” • Brief Riposte from Uganda
“As for the subject of whether the music of Tallis, Taverner, and Tye was tainted by the reformation, I would agree with Mr. Ostrowski.” —Reader from Uganda
Feedback: “The Lack of Charity in Your Statement Stuns Me!” • Defending the English
“Was Mr. Ostrowski ever forced to see the choir stalls he sang in as a boy demolished by iconoclasts?” — Reader from Atlanta (9/8/2022)
“Pronouncing the Responses at Mass” • Phonetic Booklet for Altar Boys (Latin Mass)
This would make a splendid gift for boys attempting to memorize the Latin Mass responses.
“British Polyphony” • The Best 55 Seconds In Music!
The paradigmatic English sonority can only be described as “haunting.” There’s nothing else quite like it.
PDF Download • “Organ Interludes—including pedals—on Plainchant Melodies” (55 pages)
Father Ould and William Sewell (organist at the Birmingham Oratory of Saint Philip Neri) produced an impressive collection.
“Face-To-Face” • Card. Roche + Pope Emeritus B16
Cardinal Roche met with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on 27 August 2022.
“Intriguing Quote” • Msgr. Richard J. Schuler
“The new 𝑀𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝑅𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑚 of Pope Paul VI is essentially the same missal that was in use from the time of the Council of Trent…” — Msgr. Richard J. Schuler
PDF Download • “Tantum Ergo” Two-Part Interlude (Manuals Only) by Flor Peeters
Including a stunningly gorgeous (and rare!) hymn by Flor Peeters.