“Palestrina500” • Sacred Heart Parish (Michigan)
Jean Calvin (d. 1564) famously detested sacred music. Ironically, Jonathan Bading—a convert from Calvinism!—has become one of the Church’s “leading lights” when it comes to authentic church music.
PDF Download • “Two-Voice Polyphony For Lent”
Found in a special choral collection by Maria von Trapp.
PDF Download • “For the Season of Lent” (SATB)
It even sounds great with four (4) singers: Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass!
Offered in a Spirit of Dialogue
Pope Francis said famously: “To dialogue entails a cordial reception, not a prior condemnation.” The following brief utterances of mine are offered in that spirit. Pope Saint Pius X called the sacred liturgy “the primary and indispensable source of the true Christian spirit.” If the reformers had told the fathers of Vatican II they desired […]
Josquin Des Prez Was A Vandal • (Not Kidding)
Also included: the day my life changed forever.
Polyphony For Three Voices!
Writing excellent music is easier in four voices than three. We often sing from MATRI DIVINAE GRATIAE, a 3-voice collection by Kevin Allen for Soprano, Alto, and Bass. Someone made a recording of my volunteer choir singing “Si Ambulávero” (from that collection). This “raw recording” starts toward the end of the psalm tone then launches […]
“Ite, Missa Est” • What Does That Actually Mean?
Bishop Ambo’s assertion that Mass was attended—for centuries—by a single woman (and nobody else) is bizarre.
PDF Download • “Chant Chart”
A thoughtful priest from another country wrote me a magnificent message praising a PDF comparison chart I recently posted. It deals with “staffless” CARMEN GREGORIANUM (Gregorian Chant). Download it for free by scrolling to the bottom of this article. Of course, I hope you will read the article instead of just scrolling past it.
Must We “Love” All Gregorian Chant?
Where “Parce Dómine” (the famous song for Lent) came from.
“Somber Song!” • Sexagesima Sunday
As we approach the holy season of Lent, the prayers and readings become more lengthy. When we arrive at Easter, the prayers and readings will become extremely brief. As we get closer to Lent, some of the music becomes quite somber. I can’t think of a more somber piece than the INTROIT for Sexagesima Sunday. […]
“Reader Feedback” • 6 February 2024
The word 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆 can mean “not punctual” or “dead.”
“Mass in the Vernacular?” • Seven (7) Considerations
Should Mass be in Latin or English? Or should it be a mixture?
Do You Like Organ Accompaniment for Hymns?
Real choir (‘live’) vs. studio recording.
“When Does Christmas End?” • (Correct Answer)
Including the official hymn for February 2nd: the feast of the Purification.
Abbat Bourigaud Challenges Dr. Charles Weaver!
Father De Santi opined that “Solesmes had rid themselves of Pothier by giving him an abbey”—to which Pope Pius X responded that it amounted to “a small compensation.”