Well, many people have waited years for this. Kevin Allen is one of the greatest living Catholic composers. His music is as thrilling as it is pious, as passionate as it is peaceful, as ancient as it is modern. Many people heard it for the first time in the Tantum Ergo at the documentary about the Sacred Music Colloquium.
Watershed is the reason for his emergence from unjustified obscurity into the spotlight. They’ve now published a second volume of his work, Cantiones Sacrae II. You can and should get this here. Sometimes people think that the sacred music movement is all about old music; it is really about timeless music that can emerge at any point in time. This is a fantastic example.
This book contains 1. Oculi Omnium • 2. Sepulto Domino 3. Intellige Clamorem • 4. Hodie Scietis 5. Hoc Corpus • 6. Sanctificavit Moyses 7. Jerusalem Quae Aedificatur 8. Qui Meditabitur • 9. Juxta Vestibulum 10. Scapulis Suis • 11. Gustate et Videte 12. Ave Regina Caelorum • 13. Tota Pulchra Es 14. Tristis Est Anima Mea • 15. Tantum Ergo
If you are not a leader of a choir, you might just buy some copies for your parish. Give them to the director and say: here is some new music you might consider. Watch what happens.
SATB Hodie Scietis • Kevin Allen (Cantiones Sacrae II) from Corpus Christi Watershed on Vimeo.
Very beautiful. Has the golden age of Franco-Flemish polyphony returned?
Hello, this is Jeff Ostrowski. Thank you so much for helping us "get the word out" about this collection.
One important note: Vimeo has been upgrading their services, causing numerous bugs. If you happen to click on the video above, and there is NO SOUND, all you have to do is click the volume bars to your desired volume level.
Again, Vimeo is working on this. Currently, it only affects some browsers and operating systems. Thanks!!
I am particularly pleased that many of these are settings of texts from the propers… and I hope that Mr. Allen will consider setting many more!
Indications below are for the modern (OF) calendar:
1. Oculi Omnium — Gradual, Holy Thursday & Corpus Christi
2. Sepulto Domino
3. Intellige Clamorem
4. Hodie Scietis — Introit & Gradual, Christmas Vigil
5. Hoc Corpus — Communion, Holy Thursday
6. Sanctificavit Moyses — Offertory, 24th Sunday OT (A&B)
7. Jerusalem Quae Aedificatur — Communion, 4th Sunday of Lent
8. Qui Meditabitur — Communion, Ash Wednesday
9. Juxta Vestibulum
10. Scapulis Suis — Offertory & Communion, 1st Sunday of Lent
11. Gustate et Videte — Communion, 14th Sunday OT
12. Ave Regina Caelorum
13. Tota Pulchra Es — Alleluia, Immaculate Conception
14. Tristis Est Anima Mea
15. Tantum Ergo — Hymn for Holy Thursday
Those I didn't indicate here might be on the EF calendar (I haven't checked).
For the EF, most of these would be the same:
Oculi Omnium – Gradual, Corpus Christi
Sepulto Domino – 9th Repsonsory on Holy Saturday
Intellige Clamorem – Communion, 2nd Sunday of Lent
Hodie Scietis – Introit & Gradual, Christmas Vigil
Hoc Corpus – Communion, Passion Sunday
Sanctificavit Moyses – Offertory, 18th Sunday after Pentecost
Jerusalem quae – Communion, 4th Sunday of Lent
Qui meditabitur – Communion, Ash Wednesday
Juxta vestibulum – antiphon during the imposition of ashes, Ash Wednesday
Scapulis suis – Offertory & Communion, 1st Sunday of Lent
Gustate et Videte – Communion, 8th Sunday after Pentecost
Ave Regina Caelorum – Marian Antiphon for Septuagesima and Lent
Tota Pulchra Es – Alleluia, Immaculate Conception
Tristis est anima mea – 2nd Responsory on Maundy Thursday