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Corpus Christi Watershed

“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

choir

Keven Smith · September 15, 2023

Implementing a Private Lesson Program for Your Choir

How to sell the idea to your singers, and what to teach them. (Part 2 of 2)

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Keven Smith · August 18, 2023

Give Them Permission to Be Awesome

The case for offering private lessons to your singers. (Part 1 of 2.)

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Keven Smith · December 22, 2022

Five Tips for Saving Your Body During Christmas Liturgies

These easy techniques will help you eliminate tension so you can be at your best.

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Richard J. Clark · November 22, 2022

Saint Cecilia and an Angel Orazio Gentileschi and Giovanni Lanfranco

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!

Keven Smith · January 4, 2021

Here’s a New Year’s Resolution: Tell Strangers What You Do

A recent encounter made me realize what can happen when we discuss church music with others.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    William Byrd • Simple “Agnus Dei” Canon
    Time flies! Back in July, I posted a PDF setting of a perfect canon by William Byrd (d. 1623) arranged as an AGNUS DEI for three voices. Last Sunday, we sang that arrangement with our volunteer choir. To hear a ‘live’ recording of it, click here (Mp3). In my humble opinion, this would be a perfect piece for a choir just beginning to experiment with polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    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.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    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 to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony. — One of our volunteer choirs also sang that SANCTUS on 24 September 2023, and you can listen to how that came out.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“After the Second Vatican Council, the impression arose that the pope really could do anything in liturgical matters, especially if he were acting on the mandate of an ecumenical council. Eventually, the idea of the givenness of the liturgy, the fact that one cannot do with it what one will, faded from the public consciousness of the West.”

— Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

Recent Posts

  • Gregorian Rhythm Wars • “Nuances of Nuances” (28 Sep 2023)
  • William Byrd • Simple “Agnus Dei” Canon
  • Active Participation or Not?
  • (Not Kidding) • Does Singing for Mass Fulfill One’s Obligation to Attend Mass?
  • A Brief Addendum

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