Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”
Pipe organ (with voices) or unaccompanied SATB? Which do you prefer? Yesterday at Mass, my volunteer choir gave you an opportunity to compare “apples to apples.” Simply click here and compare the first verse with the second. For the record, that melody is called by various names: ALTONA, VOM HIMMEL HOCH, ERFURT, and so on.
In the past, I have attempted to determine the origins of the “simple” Salve Regina chant. When it comes to the so-called “restored” plainsong books, the earliest instance I can find (of the simple version) is in the LIBER RESPONSORIALIS, published in 1895, a marvelous book based upon the groundbreaking research of Dom Joseph Pothier. […]
She claimed she’d rather die than sing “womb” at Mass, since she considered it to be a medical term.
Over the last 70 years, ST VENANTIUS has fallen out of favor. One reason might be that many harmonizations of it are “chunky.” I was pleased to see the Brébeuf Hymnal adopted the harmonization by Dom Gregory Murray (probably the finest ever created for ST VENANTIUS). This morning, I created this pipe organ recording. The […]
“Thou light, thou radiance of the Father, thou undying hope of all, pay heed to the prayers that thy servants pour forth throughout the earth…”
Anyone who wishes to may download the Organ Accompaniment Booklet (22 pages) I created for FIRST VESPERS of January 1st. That feast has various names, including “In Octava Nativitatis Domini.” These organ accompaniment booklets take forever to make!
If you’re somebody who likes grandiloquence, you’ll prefer the description by Dr. Ellis.
“There were only two classes of men who heard the cry that night…” Fulton J. Sheen
A few minutes ago, I uploaded an English SATB version of “CORDE NATUS EX PARENTIS” (an ancient Christmas hymn by Prudentius). A nifty Latin version is also available. The quickest way to download either is to visit #668 in the Portal and scroll down to where it says: Additional information about Hymn 668. Many people […]
Sharing one’s opinions candidly is a quick way to make lifelong enemies.
We thought you might enjoy reading messages we’ve received over the last few weeks.
In 1957, the Abbey of Solesmes publicly claimed copyright over “the rhythmic signs 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗵𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁.”
The more I argued, the more Kenneth insisted that none of my objections were valid…
Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang “the mandatory piece” for ADVENT in these United States. Anyone interested can listen to the ‘live’ recording. The claim is sometimes made (erroneously) that this piece can be sung only during the final days of ADVENT. Such an assertion demonstrates a misunderstanding of where this piece came from and […]
Here’s a handy organ accompaniment (PDF) in three different key signatures: MIDDLE, HIGH, and LOW. The Latin lyrics (“Silens Nox”) are courtesy of Father Valentine Young, OFM (d. 2020). The organ harmonies are very simple, yet beautiful. Those who desire such a thing may also download a Singer’s Version. Choirs will ‘pick up’ this piece […]
