What Did Palestrina Look Like?
Father Lawrence Lew, OP, is perhaps the world’s greatest photographer.
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Does Gregorian Chant ever skip a 7th?
I’ve really been enjoying singing from the Père Daniel Kyriale (126 pages), which is a fabulous little book. I had no idea it would turn out so nicely—incredibly useful, and the printing is super crisp. I noticed something quite strange the other day: Kyrie X (an extremely ancient chant) contains a skip of a seventh. […]
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We love getting messages like this one…
“I am a 25-year-old organist and cantor from the mountains of Northern Colorado. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you and your friends for working hard to bring excellent content to your website and my inbox. I have found many, many awesome resources to help me stay faithful to the Church’s stance and […]
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How to properly sing “Alleluia” in Eastertide (1962 Missal)
The way to “repeat” Alleluia during Eastertide confuses many people.
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A B C D F etc. — An Ancient “Alphabetical” Hymn
This hymn by Caelius Sedulius (Christian Poet from the 5th century) has been translated into English by a Catholic priest.
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Wedding Homily (7 min) by Fr. Valentine Young
“The late Archbishop Sheen once pointed out how the Greeks in their language had three different words for love…”
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Stunning Harmonies! • “Hail, Holy Queen Enthroned Above” (Hymn #783)
This has been called the “incomparable and indispensable” hymnal for Catholics.
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What is the “Ordinary” of the Mass?
A few years ago—during the Sacred Music Symposium—I suggested to the audience that the “Our Father” and the “Alleluia” should be considered part of the Ordinary of the Mass (for the Ordinary Form). In my own settings, such as Mass of the English Martyrs, I treated the “Our Father” accordingly—and here in Los Angeles, we […]
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Blog Contributors Speak About A “Favorite” Piece
This is a good way to get to know several contributors a little better!
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“Pange Lingua” translated into English • Hymn by Saint Thomas Aquinas
I predict this smooth harmonization will go down in history—it fits the voice perfectly.
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The best 5 seconds in Gregorian Chant…
“No concession should ever be made for the singing of the Exultet, in whole or in part, in the vernacular.” — Fr. Augustin Bea
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Being Too Hard On Priests?
I’m usually a stickler when it comes to making sure priests sing their chants correctly, especially when priests often substitute a Perfect Fourth for the Minor Third in the famous Triple Alleluia on Holy Saturday. But I just found out the 1575AD Missale Romanum has a skip of a Perfect Fifth! So perhaps I need to […]
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Can Sacred Music Be Saved? • (How exactly?)
I know of no greater composition than this one—and it was written by a devout Catholic priest.
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For Shame! • Collegeville blog says looking at Crucifix “skirts the edge of idolatry”
The Roman Missal explicitly tells the priest to look at the Crucifix at various times during the Holy Mass.
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“Virtual Mass Is Not The Same” • Sermon by Father Mark Ostrowski
On 26 April 2020, Fr. Ostrowski explained an unintended “Covid-19” consequence—from which we can learn.
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