Five Pro Tips for Amateur Choirs
Here are five pro-level tips that can help your amateur choirs to both sound more unified and feel more confident.
Articles
Advent Hymn Experiment
Our volunteer choir tried something I wanted to share…
Gregorian Rhythm Wars • “On the Nuance Theory of Plainchant”
A brief historical survey of free rhythm in plainchant, as practiced from the modern monastic foundation of Solesmes (1833) to the present.
PDF Download • Traditional Notation Gradual-Book (692 Pages) on Five Lines!
This book makes it easy for singers who only know Treble Clef.
Join Your Parish Choir! • Why We Sing as a Faith Community
As many parishes struggle, your presence, your voice, your witness to the love of Christ is that much more important!
Gregorian Rhythm Wars • “Repercussion and the Mora Vocis” (21 Nov 2022)
Patrick Williams addresses points raised by Matthew Frederes and Jeff Ostrowski
PDF Download • “How Does the Official Rhythm Actually Sound?”
Including three (3) professionally-scanned versions of the Kyriale, released here for the 1st time!
Reverence: Feeling or Action?
Maybe we can agree that the Latin Mass has more external signs of reverence. Maybe that will clarify our position.
Directing Choirs • “Do You Have What It Takes?”
Church music should not be boring! Here I provide eleven (11) ways to keep it awesome.
Gregorian Rhythm Wars • “Feedback from Dom Stephen Concordia”
“I greatly appreciate your hospitality and willingness to engage in dialogue.” — Dom Concordia, OSB
“A Mother’s New Missal” • Part 1
A mother and her children open the 2022 edition of the “Campion Missal” and find it more compact and very beautiful. Initial impressions include new images, a golden ribbon, and a newly-textured cover.
Gregorian Rhythm Wars • “Disputed Questions” (16 Nov 2022)
A few further thoughts on what ways of singing chant are “allowed.”
Gregorian Rhythm Wars • “Patrick’s Second Response to Jeff” (16 Nov 2022)
“Does it make more sense to judge later manuscripts in light of the oldest sources, or to judge the oldest sources in light of later manuscripts?” —Patrick Williams
PDF Download • Rare “Kyriale” Organ Accompaniment Book (175 pages)
Including a few brief responses to Professor Charles Weaver.
Help Me Banish ‘Wimpy’ Hymn Texts!
Preparing this blog, I discovered interesting snippets about the hymn, the composer, the translator, and even the poet who penned these lines in Latin!