Place Me Among the Sheep, Not the Goats
The Dies Irae is part of why my choir prefers singing Requiems to Nuptial Masses. Here’s why you should spend a few minutes with this Sequence on All Souls Day.
“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).
The Dies Irae is part of why my choir prefers singing Requiems to Nuptial Masses. Here’s why you should spend a few minutes with this Sequence on All Souls Day.
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Looking for a speedy way to help your choir get into good placement for singing? The yawn breath encourages healthy phonation.
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(Keven Smith) • Ever had a man express interest in your choir, only to discover that he has trouble matching pitch? You may just need to unlock his high range. Here’s how I’d approach the situation • James C. McKinney is mentioned+
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It all boils down to recollection. This 39-page book will help. (And so will one weird trick with your computer, as the clickbaiters would say.)
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(Keven Smith) • I’ve come to realize that the vast majority of “tone-deaf” people aren’t really tone-deaf at all. They just haven’t been trained to coordinate their voices with their audiation+
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One hundred participants? Either sacred music is alive and well or families are getting stir-crazy from the lockdown.
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These intuitive manuscripts give singers the information they need to bring out the oft-ignored nuances of chant rhythm.
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(Keven Smith) • Here are some suggestions on how to get the most out of your unusual combination of skills and traits+
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Top 10 Features • “An Ideal Extraordinary Form Hymnal”
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You’ll never meet a serious choral singer who strives for a breathy sound. But a little breathiness in warmups and personal practice can work wonders.
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When was the last time you gave your muscles permission to relax and let your bones do their job?
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(Keven Smith) • Now is the perfect time for us all to stop and reflect on where we came from as church musicians. What was it that first made you interested in singing, directing, or playing the organ?+
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In a recent survey, only 3% of young adults said it was music that drew them to the Latin Mass. Find out why that’s great news for church musicians.
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Have you seen the viral video of four men singing Ubi Caritas in a stairwell? Here are some thoughts on this phenomenon.
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One common place for musicians to feel wear and tear is in the neck. Here’s how to release it.
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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.
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