Four Reasons to Improvise at the Organ
If an ex-clarinetist can do it, you can do it—and the benefits far outweigh the effort involved.
“If we do not love those whom we see, how can we love God, Whom we do not see?” Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
Keven Smith is the music director at St. Stephen the First Martyr Catholic Church, an apostolate of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) in Sacramento, California. He trains and directs a mixed choir that sings full Gregorian propers, ordinaries, and sacred polyphony at more than 100 traditional Latin Masses per year. Keven lives in Sacramento with his wife and five musical children.—Read full biography (with photographs).
If an ex-clarinetist can do it, you can do it—and the benefits far outweigh the effort involved.
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Some guidance on how to stay recollected at a low Mass while you’re also playing organ.
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Learn about the amazing promises attached to this venerable devotion.
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This simple breathing hack could bring new life to your choir’s sound.
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This little-known, accessible motet could serve as your choir’s introduction to the thrilling sonic world of Anton Bruckner.
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Musicians rely on hearing. Hearing is a sense. Synesthesia makes the senses cross over. And that’s where the fun begins….
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A recent encounter made me realize what can happen when we discuss church music with others.
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If you attend the Extraordinary Form, the Alleluia for the Octave of the Nativity will enable you to start the New Year with a bang.
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Here’s a Spanish Baroque motet that will gradually, gently win your heart while giving your choir another good option for the entire Christmas cycle.
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Three more tips on what to do and how to act with your young music students. Learn the secret ingredient of success!
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Got your kids singing in head tone? Good. Next, try these two tips to eliminate obstacles to their success.
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It all starts with teaching your kids to sing in head tone. Here are some ideas on how to do it.
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St. Jane de Chantal’s Prayer of Abandonment can help you make peace with a liturgical year that was not what any of us expected.
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I’m a little early for Thanksgiving, but I think any church musician will appreciate this story of gratitude.
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My grandparents served in World War II and helped defeat fascism. The service, faith, and prayers of people like them made it possible for us all to be church musicians today.
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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.
We’re under tremendous pressure to transfer our website to a “subscription model.”
We don’t want to do this. We believe our website should remain free to all. It’s annoying to have to search for login credentials (e.g. if you’re away from your desk).
Our president has written the following letter:
* Thirteen Men & Coins (Holy Thursday Appeal)
Traditionally on Holy Thursday, the priest washed the feet of thirteen men. Theologians held various opinions regarding whom the “13th man” represented. Before the liturgical changes of Pope Pius XII (which changed the number from thirteen to twelve), the priest washed each man’s feet, kissed his foot, and gave him a coin.
This “coin” business seems providential—inasmuch as our appeal begins on Holy Thursday this year.
Time's up