An Advent Calendar of Hymn Tune Propers

I hope that some parishes will find this Advent Calendar useful. It is designed for parishes that have little familiarity with the proper texts of the liturgy, and especially with chant.

The hymn-tune format allows Pastors and Music Directors to make an easy initial transition towards the singing of the propers. Anyone can sing these texts to already-established hymn tunes in Long Meter, such as Creator Alme Siderum (Creator of the Stars of Night), Old 100th (All People That on Earth Do Dwell), Duke Street (Jesus Shall Reign), or Jesu Dulcis Memoria (O Radiant Light, O Sun Divine).

I have found the proper texts of the Mass to be nourishing, and am happy to provide this for anyone's use.

The Gothic Revolution

Cardinal Burke's Lecture: "The Theo-Centric Character of the Catholic Liturgy"

This afternoon I had the privilege of being among a small group of guests invited to hear Raymond Cardinal Burke lecture on The Theo-Centric Character of the Catholic Liturgy. The Cardinal spoke on liturgy from the unusual perspective of a canonist: he spoke about God’s right to our worship.

Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke from Province of Saint Joseph on Vimeo.

The Thinking behind the Translating Project

Fr. Jeremy Driscoll, OSB, of the Vox Clara Commission.

Bishop Cupich on the New Translation of the Roman Missal

From Sacramentary to Roman Missal, Part 1 from Diocese of St. Petersburg on Vimeo.

From Sacramentary to Roman Missal, Part 2 from Diocese of St. Petersburg on Vimeo.

From Sacramentary to Roman Missal, Part 3 from Diocese of St. Petersburg on Vimeo.

Need a liturgical pick-me-up? Visit the Chant Cafe!

New blog: theological and pastoral reflections

My grad school professor and noted Vatican II scholar Fr. Joseph Komonchak has a new blog.

I'm hoping to see frequent entries devoted to his elegant translations of St. Augustine, and tutuorials on John Henry Cardinal Newman, whom I have unfortunately been unable to study yet.

Glad to see this blog!

Hymns for Christian Prayer

The current English editions of the Liturgy of the Hours contain hymn texts, but not hymn tunes. The result in some situations is that the hymns are read instead of sung, and other congregations simply use supplemental hymnals or sheet music.

Blogger "Jim" has done a great service to the LOH-praying world by making these resources available for people who would like to sing the hymns, which are an integral part of the Liturgy.

Hymn books online

One of the great joys of the modern age is the amount of information available free, online.

I've spent hours in the Mullen Library at Catholic University looking through books just like these. Comfy as libraries can be, it's wonderful that a virtual library like this is available anywhere you can get a wireless signal.

Once when my office was located above a library, I would run downstairs to look at this on my lunch hour. Now, I just go to the sidebar of my blog, click on Dictionary of Hymnology vol. I, and enjoy!

The IMSLP/ Petrucci Music Library

New to the sidebar, this is a free public domain sheet music library. Enjoy!

Great resources on the Library of Congress website

Here is a beautiful upload of The Southern Harmony.

Many other hymnals are available here. Your tax dollars at work--for hymns!

New Music Blog

My friend and sometime collaborator Michael Lawrence has FINALLY begun a new music blog.

His always welcome, often correct opinions may be found here. Enjoy!!

Musica Sacra

Just took a look at the sidebar links here and noticed to my amazement and embarassment that the Church Music Association of America's website Musica Sacra was not there. This oversight is now remedied. You can find the CMAA under "Chant."

As I've mentioned previously, the CMAA hosts several national events each year for Church musicians, focusing on Gregorian chant and/ or polyphony. Their faculty is excellent and the atmosphere at these events is exceedingly joyful.

I'm posting their ad for the upcoming Colloquium--an annual gathering in Chicago every June. In the audio clips, if you hear a Victoria Sanctus and wonder why one of the altos is hitting a wrong note, that would be me! But I'm learning, and that is exactly what the Colloquium is all about.

New to the Sidebar

I'm adding a link to an online book, Early Latin Hymns by A. S. Walpole. It's an interesting and learned book, summing up the intense hymnological scholarship of the time. It can be found here.

The Introit of the Day

"Behold: the Sovereign Lord is coming. Kingship, government and power are in his hands. Endow the King with your judgment, O God, and the King's son with your righteousness."

"The Priests"

One of my brothers used to refuse to eat at any restaurant chain that seemed to have been thought up in a boardroom.

Although this group has that kind of marketing, marketing feel to it, they also sound terrific. Here's an amazing blend:



More at thepriests.com

Learning Gregorian Chant

In the olden days, you could hang around a schola and learn to chant. Or maybe they would teach you in school.

These days, you can go to youtube and learn from a master.

Songs and Hymns

New to the links bar: please welcome the Center for Church Music's Songs and Hymns website.

This is their mission:

Through edification and education, we seek to assist the church--pastors, music directors and key laypeople-- in maintaining fidelity to its biblical and historical heritage of music. Bringing together congregational singing and choral and instrumental music, our desire is to build new awareness and excitement for church music in general and the singing of hymns in particular.

The Standard Oratorios: Their Stories, Their Music, and Their Composers. A Handbook, by George P. Upton

Something new for the sidebar: a delightfully chatty late-19th century ebook about the major oratorios:

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22793/22793-h/22793-h.htm

About the Messiah:

The "Messiah" represents the ripened product of Handel's genius, and reflects the noblest aspirations and most exalted devotion of mankind. Among all his oratorios it retains its original freshness, vigor, and beauty in the highest degree, in that it appeals to the loftiest sentiment and to universal religious devotion, and is based upon the most harmonious, symmetrical, and enduring forms of the art.

It was begun on the 22d day of August, 1741. The first part was concluded August 28, the second, September 6, the third, September 12, and the instrumentation, September 14. It is an illustration of Handel's almost superhuman capacity for work, that at the age of fifty-six he should have written his masterpiece in twenty-three days. The text was taken from the literal words of Scripture, and the libretto arranged by Charles Jennens, who, [141] singularly enough, was not satisfied with the music which has satisfied the world. In a letter written at that time, he says:--

"I shall show you a collection I gave Handel, called 'Messiah,' which I value highly. He has made a fine entertainment of it, though not near so good as he might and ought to have done. I have with great difficulty made him correct some of the grossest faults in the composition; but he retained his overture obstinately, in which there are some passages far unworthy of Handel, but much more unworthy of the 'Messiah.'"

For two or three years prior to the appearance of the "Messiah," Handel had been harassed by cabals set on foot by rival opera-managers in London, who, by importing Italian singers, drew off the patronage of the nobility, and ultimately succeeded in reducing him to the condition of an insolvent debtor. While in this wretched plight an invitation came to him from the Duke of Devonshire, then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, to visit Dublin. He eagerly accepted it, and in the correspondence which passed between them promised to contribute a portion of whatever might accrue from his music to charitable institutions, and also agreed to give an oratorio "for the benefit and enlargement of poor distressed prisoners for debt in the several marshalseas of the city of Dublin." He left London early in November, arriving in that city, after many delays, on the 18th. On the 23d of December he began a series of six musical entertainments, which was completed February 10. His success was so great that he was induced to begin a second series February 17, a fortnight before the close of which appeared the following advertisement:--

"For the Relief of the Prisoners in the several Gaols, and for the Support of Mercer's Hospital, in Stephen's Street, and of the Charitable Infirmary on the Inn's Quay, on Monday, the 12th of April, will be performed at the Musick Hall in Fishamble-street, Mr. Handel's new Grand Oratorio, called the Messiah, in which the Gentlemen of the Choirs of both Cathedrals will assist, with some Concertos on the Organ by Mr. Handel."

Pandora

As usual, I found out about Pandora from the young people. It's a website, http://www.pandora.com/, that hosts "radio stations" mixed to one's own preferences.

Just to see what it's about, here's a station I made this morning, based on Benjamin Britten's choral work, with some Robert Shaw thrown in:

http://www.pandora.com/stations/f4bddb8b994b178052d55db6aeb5d939ee56ad17f84d5fe3#

But the idea is, you make your own personal stations, starting with an artist or song you like and would like to hear more often. Pandora notes your preferences and chooses similar music to play. You can refine it by giving particular songs a thumbs-up or -down. It doesn't allow you to play particular songs, like a jukebox or IPod, but after some tweaking it gives a specialized personal selection.

Unlike AccuRadio, which I have also appreciated, the commercials are few and brief. I think they make their money by allowing click-throughs to buying music.

Enjoy!