(Installment #1) “Catholic Hymnals” • Patrick Torsell
Five tips for rousing, inspiring hymn playing!
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Articles
“Homily — 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A” • Father Valentine Young, OFM
“Catholic teaching says we should pray for people who die. If we were sure they were in heaven, that wouldn’t be necessary—so let’s be consistent in our teaching.”
Quick Vocal Tip: Be Breathy, but Briefly
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.
Huge Discovery! (Not a Joke) • Re: “Gradual Antiphons vs. Missal Antiphons”
Last night I discovered something I never knew—so I immediately telephoned a priest to verify this.
Homeschool Snapshots: Take 2
A homeschooling mother offers a few verses that inspire her during the dark times of teaching, when cooperation is lacking and patience must grow. Hang them on your walls to remind you of God’s good graces.
“Secret Book of Happiness” • Official English Translations of the Roman Gradual
Overkill: “ too much of something; the amount by which destruction exceeds what is necessary.”
Clarity! • Missal vs. Gradual Text (Ordinary Form)
If this problem is to be solved, we must first understand it.
“Homily for the 12th Sunday after Pentecost” (EF) • Father Valentine Young, OFM
“I considered myself privileged to be Pastor at one of the places in Houck, Arizona, where Saint Katherine Drexel built a church and grade school.”
Stress Relief Tip: Let Your Structure Do the Work
When was the last time you gave your muscles permission to relax and let your bones do their job?
Certificate in Sacred Music
Offered by the Saint Gregory Institute of Sacred Music in Pittsburgh, PA
“Homily — 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A” • Father Valentine Young, OFM
“I had a brother who was married outside the Church and had stopped going to Church for about thirty years…”
“Crown Him with Many Crowns” (Diademata) • Brébeuf Hymnal #752
Big news! They discovered why Franz Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony” was never completed!
These kids are on fire! • “Victimæ Paschali Laudes” by Philippe Verdelot
I don’t know a more beautiful, gorgeous, memorable 15 seconds than the beginning of Part 2—stunning!
“Plainchant in Two Parts” • (Guest Article by a Julliard Faculty Member)
Polyphonic settings from a thirteenth-century Italian convent teach us how we might add a second part to a piece of plainchant.
Why Are You a Church Musician, Anyway?
(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?+