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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Lesson 4: A Practical Example

How does this method work in practice? Let us take an example of the Lux Aeterna chant from the Requiem Mass. As was mentioned already, the Do Clef tells us where Do is. Then we count down like this:

Now that we know where Do is, it is easy to mark the rest of the solfege:

The following video shows how you can sing the chant in solfege. Then, it goes through it in the “French” system of numbers (see above). Finally, it goes through it with the Latin words:

As you can see by these two examples (PDF), it is possible to notate entire Gregorian pieces using nothing but Solfege or the French number system. If you think this is fun, here are hundreds more (PDF), compiled by Justine Ward.

This may seem very difficult, but the really good news is that after you figure out the first 2-3 notes, the entire piece seems to “fall into place” easily. However, if you miss the first interval or so, you are in for a rocky ride!

When there are large skips in a piece, they need to be “filled in.” Filling in the intervals is something that must be practiced constantly. Even the professionals sometimes need to “fill in” an interval to make sure they are singing it correctly.

Here’s how it works. When the singer is presented with a large skip, how can he know how it should sound?

It could sound like any of these:

So, how can we know which is the correct skip? The only way to know for sure is to “fill in” the difficult interval, like so:

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Quick Thoughts

23 May 2022 • FEEDBACK

From a reader: “I wasn’t looking for it. But, I stumbled across your hand-dandy arrangement of Pachelbel’s Canon. Jeff, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread! I had to play a wedding on Saturday. The bride requested the Canon. There were 11 bridesmaids! The organ loft is a football field away from the communion rail. It’s so difficult to play and keep checking the mirror. Your arrangement is absolutely genius. One can skip and choose which variations to use. The chord names are handy so that when my eyes are off the music, I always know where I am at. A thousand times thank you for sharing this arrangement!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”

I’m still trying to decide how to visually present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores, using what is (technically) the official rhythm of the Church. You can download my latest attempt, for this coming Sunday. Notice the “trochee trouble” as well as the old issue of neumes before the quilisma.

—Jeff Ostrowski
16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Legitimate and necessary concern for current realities in the concrete lives of people cannot make us forget the true nature of the liturgical actions. It is clear that the Mass is not the time to “celebrate” human dignity or purely terrestrial claims or hopes. It is rather the sacrifice which renders Christ really present in the sacrament.

— Pope Saint John Paul II (20 March 1990)

Recent Posts

  • 23 May 2022 • FEEDBACK
  • PDF Download • “A Canon Choirs Love!”
  • On Mistakes (Part I of II)
  • 19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”
  • “Gregorian Chant Not In Danger Pope Tells French”

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.