This man was a prophet. See 3:00 and following. Thank you Adam Wood.
Michigan and Chant
Another chance to study with Wassim Sarweh. This Advanced Chant Workshop is designed for choral directors and accompanists: Feb. 4th 2012 from 9AM to 3PM at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 411 Florence Street, Ypsilanti, MI 48197. Registration is $35 which will be paid at the event. Financial assistance is available. Register here.
No Great Composers Since Purcell—Part 6,431
Some music commentators have been given to say that England hasn’t had any great composers since Henry Purcell. I often think of this strange sentiment every time I happen upon a new English composer who is fantastic, if not frankly downright great. A more recent discovery of mine is Francis Pott, who is part of a whole movement of composers from that country who are continuing its tradition of choral music, the tradition that introduced the European continent to the major third as a consonance in the fifteenth century.
Here is his setting of Ubi Caritas:
Contemporaries never have the final say on a given work of art, and that’s as it should be. As for Purcell, however, I don’t remember the last time I was in the mood to listen to his music.
Archbp. Wenski to Celebrate Solemn Pontifical High Mass Feb.2
News item as part of a CMAA conference:
On Thursday February 2nd, at 7:30 PM EST His Grace Archbishop Thomas Wenski will celebrate a Pontifical Solemn High Mass for the feast of Candlemas at the Church of the Epiphany, Miami, Florida.
The Liturgy will include the distribution of candles for the Feast, as well as a procession of the clerics around the interior of the church.
The assistant clerics will be Very Rev. Msgr. A. Wadsworth (Westminster, England), Rev. Fr. Guy Nicholls (Birmingham Oratory), Rev. Fr. R. Vigoa, Very Rev. Fr. C. Marino, Rev. Fr. J. Fishwick and Very Rev. Msgr. J. O’Doherty (Archdiocese of Miami), Rev. Fr. C. Saenz (Society of Jesus), Rev. Fr. J. Fryar, Rev. Fr. J. Nolan and Rev. Fr. B Austin (Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter).
The Florida Schola Cantorum, under the direction of Rev. Dr. Edward Schaefer will sing Wadsworth’s Missa Brevis, and the Women’s Schola Cantorum will sing the Gregorian Chant propers for the Mass and Terce, under the direction of Dr. Jennifer Donelson.
The Pontifical Mass will broadcast on www.LiveMass.net, and also on iMass (app for iOS devices) LIVE, starting at 7:30 PM EST. Rev. Fr. C. Goodwin FSSP will be joining us as commentator for this Liturgy.
Location:
Epiphany Catholic Church:
8235 SW 57th Ave.
South Miami, FL 33143
Præter rerum seriem, Josquin
Incredible piece. CPDL lists the text as
Præter rerum seriem
parit deum hominem
virgo mater.
Nec vir tangit virginem
nec prolis originem
novit pater.
Virtus sancti spiritus
opus illud cœlitus
operatur.
Initus et exitus
partus tui penitus
quis scrutatur?
Dei providentia
quæ disponit omnia
tam suave.
Tua puerperia
transfer in mysteria.
Mater ave.
——–
This is no normal scheme of things:
God and man is born of a virgin mother.
She has known no man;
the child’s origin is unknown to the father.
By the Holy Spirit’s power
this heavenly work has been brought about.
The beginning and end of your giving birth
who can really know?
By God’s grace, which orders all things so smoothly,
your childbearing confronts us with a mystery.
Hail, Mother.
Missa Pange Lingua, Josquin
To restore a suitably chanted ordinary to Mass is a high enough goal for most parishes, but we should never lose sight of the possibilities for the vast repertoire of polyphonic Masses as well. In an ideal world, every parish would have a choir with a solid number of settings like this to sing.
This from Saint Clement’s Church, Philadelphia (Anglo-Catholic), is fantastic in an EF context but it can be done in the OF as well.
Paul Westermeyer on Church Music
Professor Westermeyer at the Luther Seminary argues that music drawn from the popular culture, designed for emotional manipulation, can be divisive and unsettling for congregations. He pushes instead for a plain singing of the Word. Though his priorities are more community-centric than anyone working in the Roman Rite should be, Catholics will recognize many of the features he speaks about within the Lutheran context.
Thank you Kathy Pluth.