On a recent MusicaSacra Forum thread, musicians discussed the new pieces they will be adding to their Triduum repertoire this year. Two cathedral musicians among them mentioned that they will be including Peter Latona’s Mandatum in their Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper.
Dr. Latona has just returned to the States from Rome, where he played a recital at the Church of Sant’Antonio dei Portoghese, which is certainly impressive. But I suppose that one of the things that impresses me most is that his music is always good, always quite fresh, whether it is a Communion improvisation for an 8 am weekday morning Mass or Vespers with the Holy Father, whether it is a brief antiphon for a responsorial Psalm or a hymn harmonized for a CD recording, with each verse harmonized quite uniquely. His music is like one of those restaurants that advertises, “We don’t own a can opener.”
There is always something new, like an imitation of the newness of the Gospel itself, or like a reflection of the kindnesses of the Lord that are new every morning.
A while back, I walked in on a Mass where the schola was directed by Dr. Latona, and the music absolutely BLEW me away! It was amazing, check out the blog post I wrote about it:
"As I walked into the church on Saturday afternoon, the choir and congregation were singing Kyrie VIII, which a friend and I instantly and happily joined in on. After they finished the kyrie gracefully, the cantor intoned Gloria VIII and the massive organ filled the church as the congregation began: “et in terra pax homínibus.” I was intensely joyful, only having heard the gloria in Latin one other time in the Ordinary Form, and marveling at the grand sound of the massive organ filling the beautiful shrine with the praises of God.
Glória in excélsis Deo et in terra pax homínibus bonae voluntátis.
But as they reached “Laudamus te,” the organ fell silent, and I realized they were singing the Gloria in alternatim, as they often do at Papal Masses, and the choir broke out into fantastic polyphony. That’s when I just about lost it.
I went weak in the knees. My jaw literally hung open. I felt chills straight up my spine as I mouthed along with the prayers the schola was singing in such a sublime manner. The beauty of the church, combined with the stunning beauty of the music, had quite literally sucked me into the liturgy unfolding before me. It was almost a form of ecstasy."
Read more: http://blog.yankehome.com/index.php/power-sacred-…