Catholic musicians gathered to blog about liturgy and life
This afternoon a few friends of mine and I put together a couple of recordings of the Simple Propers for Jeffrey’s Sirius Radio interview on Monday (and with hours to spare before the deadline!). We recorded the Introits for the feasts of All Saints and All Souls which are being celebrated on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, of this week.
Here’s a preview:
I strongly encourage anyone who seeks to be thoroughly imbued with the Spirit of the Liturgy to consider studies at the Liturgical Institute. Though not a school of music I find that it offers something to church musicians that they will not find anywhere else–a thorough study of the theological foundations of the liturgy; a training perhaps not in the how of sacred music, but a firm grounding in the what and why of the liturgy, and of the sacred music that is in service of it. Highly recommended!
(By the way, did you catch Kevin Allen in the video who has directed the institute’s sacred music retreat over the past two years?)
Note that the chants for the Feast of All Souls are the same as the Requiem (Funeral) Mass. What if we were to sing these instead of “On Eagle’s Wings” and “Amazing Grace” at our parish funerals? Probably would make quite a difference.
I would also love some feedback on the Offertory “Domine Iesu Christe”. This is a tricky one to handle!
Note in this offering a couple of things:
Firstly, that the Offertory chant is set in a new melodic formula that hasn’t been seen here yet. And secondly, that all three propers are in Mode 1. This allows for a nice quick comparison of the 3 different melodic formulas that are in the first mode, and also allows us to ask ourselves how tired we would be of Meinrad tone 1 after hearing it for an entire liturgy if the second, “Simple Setting”, were sung! This is definitely good food for thought!
Also, look soon for Simple Propers for All Souls, All Saints, and the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Did you know that there are only two Offertory chants in the entire Graduale Romanum that are in the 7th mode? I didn’t until just now. And they aren’t exactly prominently featured chants either: Eripe me for Wednesday of the 5th week of Lent, and Confitebuntur caeli for the Common of an Apostle or Martyr. There’s not a single mode 7 Offertory found anywhere else in the entire Gradual.
I really have nothing else intelligent to say about this right now, but thought it would at least be an interesting curiosity to our readers. Do any of the scholars among us know why this is? If nothing else this tidbit can come in handy the next time you play a round of Graduale Romanum trivia!
