“The Times” mentions CCW
We were mentioned in article in an article by “The Times” (United Kingdom), as you can see here.
President's Corner
An Interview on Mocquereau’s Method
I recently appeared on Square Notes, the Sacred Music Podcast to discuss some of the basics of Dom Mocquereau’s system of Gregorian rhythm. It’s impossible to give a full treatment to such a complex topic in a mere forty minutes, but I touched on a lot of the foundational ideas, with especial emphasis on the […]
Three-Voice Piece You’ll Love!
To help my volunteer choir members learn, I have attempted to record all the vocal parts for Justorum Animae, composed for SOPRANO, ALTO, and BASS. It’s from a brilliant collection by Kevin Allen called Matri Divinae Gratiae. You can hear my attempt by visiting this website and scrolling down to “Justorum Animæ.” My singers really […]
Please Accept This Advice!
If you’ve been considering attending the Sacred Music Symposium, I suggest you send in your application as soon as possible. The committee that meets to evaluate each candidate has been going through them—and they are scheduled to convene again this week. (They do their best to get through as many as they can as quickly […]
“Sexagesima Vespers” • Organist Booklet
I’m currently in the process of creating a website where all the organ accompaniment booklets for Vespers are posted for download. At the moment, you can download the 25-page booklet I used yesterday, to accompany vespers for Sexagesima Sunday.
PDF Download • “Gorgeous Image!”
Saint John Mary Vianney (d. 1859) is one of my favorite saints. Our readers will want to download this gorgeous stained glass window which depicts Father Vianney, the holy Curé d’Ars.
Hymn by Cardinal Newman
During the season of Septuagesima, we will be using this hymn by Cardinal Newman, which employs both Latin and English. (Readers probably know that Cardinal Newman was one of the world’s experts when it comes to Lingua Latina.) The final verse contains a beautiful soprano descant. You can hear this brief excerpt taken during our […]
Introit • Candlemas (2 February)
“Candlemas” • Our choir sang on February 2nd, and here’s a live recording of the beautiful INTROIT: Suscépimus Deus. We had very little time to rehearse, but I think it has some very nice moments. I promise that by the 8th Sunday after Pentecost it will be perfect! (That Introit is repeated on the 8th […]
Simplified Antiphons • “Candlemas”
Anyone who desires simplified antiphons (“psalm tone versions”) for 2 February, the Feast of the Purification—which is also known as “Candlemas” or the Feast of the Presentation—may freely download them. The texts of the antiphons are quite beautiful. From “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium” you can hear a live excerpt (Mp3). I’m not a fan of […]
Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that’s Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn’t sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I […]
Don’t You Agree About These?
If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don’t you agree?
Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
Here’s a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you […]
26 January 2023 • FEEDBACK
“Jeff, I wanted to personally thank you for your spiritual witness at the Symposium & often blogs that you write too. Praying that prayer in the mornings My God, my Father and my all (by Cardinal Merry Del Val), mentioning saints’ stories of Brébeuf, Jogues, John Vianney, monks who fought in WWII, their hard work […]
Symposium Draft Schedule Released!
Those who head over to the Symposium Website will notice the tentative schedule for 2023 has been released. This is all very exciting! Very soon, we will begin accepting applications, so please make sure you have subscribed to our mailing list. If you are subscribed, that means you’ll hear announcements before anyone else. (It’s incredibly […]
Good Friday Polyphony by L. Senfl
The editor of the Sacred Music Magazine recently made available to the public this splendid article by our own Charles Weaver. It includes an edition of polyphony for the GOOD FRIDAY “Reproaches.” Renaissance composers often set the various offices of Holy Week; e.g. readers will probably be familiar with the beautiful TENEBRAE setting by Father […]