Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”
I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” […]
Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire […]
Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on […]
Twenty-five years ago, if you’d told me I would end up as an organist, I would have laughed. But God seems to have had a different plan! I intend to record every hymn in the Brébeuf Hymnal on the pipe organ (if our Savior gives me the time and energy). You can hear my first recording […]
Make sure to click on the recent article by Dr. Charles Weaver, because he links to something remarkable. In essence, it’s a list—written by William Byrd!—regarding why we should sing.
Each day, I speak via telephone to folks who have supported Corpus Christi Watershed for years. Yet many of them don’t know about our email newsletter! Please sign up! Simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address. Thank you!
Not long ago, I posted an Agnus Dei for Three Voices by William Byrd (d. 1623). When we sing the “Agnus Dei” at Mass, I often have the singers mix up, so they’re not standing next to someone singing their part. In my experience, this technique does wonders for tuning. Here’s a live excerpt (Mp3) […]
Charles Rosen was a concert pianist who published insightful books about various musical topics. I believe our readers will enjoy this 27-minute presentation on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Not everything Mr. Rosen says is true. (For instance, Rosen was not the first pianist to record the ART OF THE FUGUE on the piano. […]
One could be forgiven for believing that arranging hymns in alphabetical order would make them easier to find. Believe it or not, that’s actually one of the worst decisions an editor could make. This very brief video explains why.
Half a decade has passed since nine (9) colleagues from Corpus Christi Watershed contributed texts, melodies, and harmonizations to a special hymn book in honor of North America’s patron saint, Father John Brébeuf. The website promoting it was massively overdue for a facelift. As of a few minutes ago, I can report that it’s been […]
From a female choirmaster: “Thank you for your recent article, Jeff. We here in _____ absolutely love our Brébeuf hymnals! They have saved my life as a choir director! ☺️ The ease with which my choir members plunge into a new hymn using the ‘common melodies technique’ is so wonderful. You can see the relief on […]
Some feel the most irresponsible 1960s reformer was Fr. Godfrey Diekmann. The Second Vatican Council had solemnly declared: “In accordance with the centuries-old tradition of the Latin rite, the Latin language is to be retained by clerics in the divine office.” In spite of this clear directive, Diekmann (3 March 1964) wrote: “What young candidate […]
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Ash Wednesday
As of a few minutes ago, you may go here to download the organ accompaniment booklet (25 pages) I created for the feast of the TRANSFIGURATION. Obviously, that feast will not take place for another year. Nevertheless, several techniques I used may be of interest to those who create liturgical booklets.
I mentioned a 3-Voice Setting of the AGNUS DEI, based on a Canon by William Byrd (d. 1623) in the context of the “hairpin” technique, something I really will emphasize this coming season. The piece is for Soprano, Middle, and Baritone. (The “Middle” voice should ideally be a mixture of women and men.) Recently, we […]