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Posted on by Kathleen Pluth

A Night Set Afire

On March 21 at 7 pm, the Dominican friars are once again holding a candlelight event at St. Dominic church in Washington, DC.

 
 
The Lenten candlelight prayer service, which is followed by a light reception, follows upon a similar event held during Advent, of which a beautiful photo set may be found here.
 
The Dominicans of the U.S. Eastern Province are having a busy Lent. This coming Saturday, eleven of the friars will be ordained to the transitional diaconate. They are on retreat right now, and ask our prayers.

Posted on by Kathleen Pluth

Forward!

One of the wonderful things about the expression “Reform of the Reform” is its realistic acceptance of the forward motion of history. Where are we now? it asks. Where should we be? How do we get there from here?

One sees this attitude reflected in the inexhaustible liturgical resources provided here and here by the Church Music Association of America. While keeping in mind the heights of glory to which we are called–an earthly liturgy that almost seamlessly unites the People of God with the sublimity and splendor of the heavenly liturgy which it truly joins–these resources are above all practical. They allow parishes to move forward, step by step, into a new and more abundant liturgical life.

Some years ago I heard a bishop who is very much attached to the liturgical reforms of the last century speak in an academic context. His refrain throughout his lecture surprised me very much. He said over and over, “We do not need a reform of the reform!”

I couldn’t help wondering why this particular aspect of the Church’s life–its source and summit, according to the Second Vatican Council–should alone be exempt from the rule Ecclesia semper reformanda est. Is there one particular moment in our swiftly moving time, either in the sixteenth century or the twentieth, at which the Church completes its self-examination and stops growing?

The Lord said, “By their fruits you shall know them.” And this seems to be a good rule of thumb as we move forward in the liturgical reform in the new generation, some of whose young leaders of my acquaintance were barely alive yet in the twentieth century, with all its upheavals and revolutions, and perhaps something of an attitude of self-sufficiency.

What are the liturgical forms that best express the truths of faith and the relationship that the Church has with God? What are the forms of liturgical expression that lead right back into secularism? What forms accurately reflect the relationship that we enjoy with God? What liturgical expressions encourage ecclesial vocations? Is liturgically contemplative prayer possible? Is conversion? What musical atmospheres truly enhance the sacred  texts, so that the living and effective Word of God can be heard afresh by the human heart?

Posted on by Kathleen Pluth

Ecclesiastical gossip

My favorite place to have lunch in Rome was actually a pleasant little Chinese place across the road from my parish church. One memorable day while studying St. Thomas Aquinas on a particular point, after praying at the little shrine to St. John Paul, I realized exactly what Thomas was doing. Emperor’s chicken never tasted so delicious as on that day.

When near the Vatican I used to have a different chicken dish, the roasted chicken at Da Roberto’s. I think it might have cost 7 or 9 euro, which is great on a student budget. There, as everywhere, it was obvious that food in Rome is really only an excuse for a good conversation. However, the chicken was good–although not as good as the “tram chicken” at Sant’Anselmo.

Rome is a place of talking. One morning I had run out of espresso at home and so was waiting for my first macchiato of the day at a little tourist bakery, but it was very slow in coming because the man who was making it was much more interested in arguing with another customer who was standing on the other side of me about something. Politics, I think it probably was. It was a loud and long conversation, and probably seemed even more so because of the wait for the coffee, which again tasted very good, once it came.

Knowing something juicy, some news, tastes very good in the mouth. Telling it seems for a moment to show power, knowledge, control. This is particularly true for us German-Irish Americans, for whom words, used sparsely, mean something definite, permanent, and enduring. It’s perhaps less important in cultures where language is a means of exploring ideas, not only expressing them.

All in all, I think something ought to be borne in mind: No leader will appreciate the suggestion that he has been manipulated. Besides being often untrue, and almost always concerning matters that are much more complicated than one thinks, it’s insulting and divisive.

Posted on by Ben

Technology for the Church Singer: Choral Singing from a Tablet

I use a tablet for 95% of all my music, and I have to admit, I love it, and would never go back to paper for most uses. At the suggestion of Adam Wood, I am using this post to outline my setup, in case anyone else would find it useful. Here it goes….

Some may remember me as “that guy” at the last colloquium.
You can see my tablet peeking out behind another singer
in this pic from the 2014 Colloquium, singing with
the esteemed Scott Turkington

I have a dropbox folder filled with tons of resources. SEP, Graduale Romanum, Graduale Simplex, Liber Usualis, Liber Brevior, Offertoriale Romanum, Chants Abrégés, all the gregorian ordinaries via the Kyriale Romanum, a decent amount of simpler organ music (example), parish book of chant (1st and 2nd editions), Richard Rice’s communion books (with english and latin verses), Cantus Selecti, The Simple Choral Gradual, The Parish Book of Psalms,The American Gradual, The Gregorian Missal, The Palmer-Burgess Plainchant Gradual (pt 1, pt 2), The Revised Grail Psalms, Secunda anthologia vocalis (three voice motets), Fr. Kelly’s Missal Chants (entrance, communion), Nova Organi Harmonia, the entire collection of organ scores for the ordinary for when I sub at my parish, random resources downloaded from the forum, the entire repertoire for each of the several choirs I sing in, as well as any specific music for Masses for which I plan to sing/direct/play for (which rotates around depending on what I’m doing), and a ton more (for example). Additionally, you can find a large number of motets on CPDL and other locations online.

It’s between 1-2GB in all.

This collection lives in my dropbox on my computer, and also thanks to a third part app called DropSync, it is contained entirely offline on my tablet (Nexus 7, 2013) and my phone (nexus 5) and phone as well. I have used both of them at Masses, though obviously the nexus 7 is what I typically use. I use dropsync because the native android dropbox app only allows you to download individual files, not keep your entire collection offline on your device and synced.

Also, if you use THIS  LINK to sign up for dropbox, you can get an extra 500mb free.

I’d recommend the Nexus 9. I think it’s a great option, and is quite fast. My tablet, the Nexus 7, is now being discontinued. It should allow you to store all these things offline and keep them synchronized like I doubt you could on an apple tablet. Adobe’s PDF reader on android also allows me to take and edit notes (both typed and scribbled) allowing me to fully take notes like any other singer, but also to sync these notes to my computer and phone, so that they follow me no matter what device I use. Depending on how fast things are running I also use an android task manager to kill all background apps when I am getting ready to sing to ensure there is absolutely no lag or delay in the processing to change pages or change files (for example, from the graduale PDF to the PDF of my next motet).

I am very satisfied with this system. If anyone wanted to set themselves up with a similar system, I’d be more than willing to answer questions here or by email. I’ve used this for upwards of 2 years, so I am very comfortable with it and know all the tips and tricks related to this!

Posted on by Mary Jane Ballou

Correction on Early Registration Deadlines

I was wrong (yes, it happens) about the early registration deadline for the Colloquium – if you weren’t in as of midnight last night, you missed it.  But you could still save on the Chant Intensive early registration this month.

Soooo, why not register for both now?  You’ll have saved on one and helped us out on the other.

Apologies for any confusion.  It’s late Sunday afternoon.

Posted on by Mary Jane Ballou

Time & Tide Wait for No Man (or Woman) – Early Registrations for Summer Events

Tomorrow is the 1st of March.  There is one month left for early registration at the Summer Chant Intensive and/or the Summer Colloquium.  This year both will be at Duquesne University in beautiful  Pittsburgh – the city of 27 bridges, a splendid cathedral, a new organ in the campus chapel – and all the delights of sacred music.  Monophony, polyphony, vocal, organ, chances to sing your heart out, to learn semiology and principles of chironomy, to network with like-minded folks for all over the country (and even other countries).

What are you waiting for?  Hie thee to the CMAA site and get on board the train now.  Early registration saves you $50 (or fifty Washingtons, if that’s the way you talk).

Join us for one or both conferences.  Summer Chant Intensive with the incomparable Wilko Brouwers, June 23-26,2015.  Summer Colloquium XXV with a plethora of talent and brain power, June 29-July 4, 2015.

Take the plunge!