HAVE ALREADY made it clear that our organization will not be speaking about the response to Covid-19. I’ve also made it clear that our silence does not necessarily mean we believe the response by our government (or the bishops) has been wise. What I can say, however, is that the response has caused severe pain to many people—especially church musicians. In particular, the isolation has caused great damage. Many wonder whether we can ever heal from this.
Church musicians: let us take courage! Let us consider how many advantages we have. For example, literally hundreds of rehearsal videos have been uploaded to the Brébeuf website. This is very helpful for amateur choirs! Often, the harmonies were composed specifically for the Brébeuf hymnal, such as Holy God, We Praise Thy Name (#802):
Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #802.
DO YOU NOT AGREE we have tremendous advantages? Can you imagine the days before computers? Can you imagine the days before xerox machines? Here’s how an Alexander Peloquin score looked in 1961:
* PDF • Alexander Peloquin “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name”
—Dated 1961, dedicated to Dr. Theodore Marier.
I would have great difficulty playing from a score like this:
In honor of Holy God, We Praise Thy Name, here’s a beautiful and unique picture of the Holy Trinity (circa 1510AD) inside a Flemish Book of Hours.
