Category: Uncategorized

Posted on by Jeffrey Tucker

Same music, same choir, different director, different sound

A corespondent writes:

You’ve probably already seen this full length concert of Westminster Cathedral and the Sistine Choir in Rome (at St Mary Major and also the same programme at the Sistine Chapel.

They jointly perform Tu Es Petrus and Sicut Cervus by Palestrina (dir. Martin Baker). The Sistine perform some Roman choral music (dir. Massimo Palombella), and Westminster perform a longer set of British choral music (Taverner, Byrd, Tallis, Howells, MacMillan, Mawby), dir. M Baker. The join forces again at the end for Credo from Missae Papae Marcelli dir by Palombella (and how good it is to see the shared faith of both choirs acknowledged in this way.

What is interesting is the difference in style (in the joint works) that Baker and Palombella get from the choirs – same composer, same joint choir, different style….I wondered what your thoughts were about that? It seemed in the Credo that the westminster boys were pushing the music along – Palombella has a tendency to drag the polyphony out for some reason. Whereas Baker keeps it lighter and cleaner. Would you agree?

If you were Palombella what steps could you take to bring the choir up to the same standard as Westminster?

Posted on by Jeffrey Tucker

Music in the New Missal Very Popular

The results of the Tablet survey on the new Missal are out. I find them difficult to interpret. On the one hand, 70 percent of clergy are unhappy with it. Among the laity, opinion is split down the middle. But on the specifics, the support is obvious. Two thirds support specifics like “go forth” and “with your spirit.” As for the music: “The plainchant settings were the element respondents felt least strongly about: 48 per cent liked it, 25 per cent did not and 27 per cent were undecided.”

Posted on by Kathleen Pluth

London Summer Studies in Liturgy

For those interested in improving their knowledge of liturgical sources, or really advancing in Latin, I recommend looking into the Liturgical Institue at Ealing Abbey, London, England.

Classes are taught in two week blocks, fitting neatly into a holiday schedule. Locals can commute by tube, or there is reasonably priced and comfortable accommodation on-site.

Ealing is a beautiful area of London, full of Victorian houses. The monks of the Abbey chant the Divine Office daily, and there are a number of daily Masses to choose from.

Course fees are low–and even lower when taken for graduate credit from the Catholic University of Leuven.

More information here.

Posted on by Kathleen Pluth

Archbishop Sample Interview

The new Archbishop of Portland was interviewed by Catholic World Report on the bishop’s role as teacher, and many other things, including liturgical music.

     It is clear that the Council calls for the liturgy to be sung. In recent decades we’ve adopted the practice of singing songs at Mass. We take the Mass, and attach four hymns or songs to it. But this is not the Church’s vision. We need to sing the Mass. It is meant to be sung. The texts of the Mass are meant to be sung.
     The Church provides us with chant, which is integral to liturgy, and should inspire the music of the Mass. We need to get away from singing songs at Mass and return to singing the Mass. And Gregorian chant is best suited to the Mass. The new director I hired [in the Diocese of Marquette] will introduce chant. It will be a huge shift for the people.

     I mean no criticism of our sacred musicians, who are very dedicated. It will be a shift for them as well.
     And, in addition to Latin chant, we also need to introduce chant in English. Although the Second Vatican Council said that chant should be given “pride of place,”one rarely hears it in parishes. Music is an important part of celebrating the Mass. As Pope Benedict has said, if we get the music right, we’ll get the spirit of the Mass right.

More here.