Fourth-Century Advice for Choir Directors
A passage from Nicetas of Remesiana remains eminently applicable today.
“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)
A passage from Nicetas of Remesiana remains eminently applicable today.
Sometimes everything comes together. How is this achieved? Here are a few ways.
“Tacit approval” alone isn’t getting the job done. It is abdicating authority to composers and publishers, pastors and liturgists.
There is a built in tendency for nervous musicians to rush things – I think as your heart beats faster, your perception of time is dilated. As you build more confidence your sense of timing improves too.
Turn off the microphones. This can be a challenge when many parishes and even some cathedrals are enamored of carpeting – to say nothing of seat cushions!
Michael Olbash’s “Mass in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea” demonstrates the mandate of Pope Saint Pius X that music for the liturgy be Sacred, Beautiful, and Universal.
Preview of the “Mass in Honor of Pope Saint John Paul II” Listen to the Gloria!
“My opinion is that this is one of the best congregational settings of the new texts.” — Adam Wood
Disparagement is not catechesis. It is destructive. If we are to catechize and evangelize, we must put God first, not our own preferences. Meanwhile, we must catechize and strive for the ideal.
“Southie” is a section of Boston better known from the films “Good Will Hunting” and “The Departed.” It is also infamous for the convicted murderer and gangster, James “Whitey” Bulger. But, yes, glorious Gregorian Propers, polyphony, and hymnody at a Nuptial Mass in “Southie.”
John Paul II asked your forgiveness in 1980 … did you forgive him?
Are we being honest when we claim that the “entire congregation” can sing a hymn at Mass? I had to search pretty hard, but finally found someone willing to admit the truth.
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