Gregorian Chant • “How To Sing The Repercussion” (such as: Bistropha, Tristropha, etc.)
Each monastery had its own particular way of singing plainsong.
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“Homily — 2nd Sunday of Advent, Year B” • Father Valentine Young, OFM
Yes, these are extraordinary times—and they require something extraordinary from us.
Book Title • “English As She Is Spoke”
One who translates Aquinas expects to be cross-examined by those who understand philosophy and Latin; but Bible translators are liable to be cross-examined by anybody, because everybody thinks he knows what the Bible means.
(Ecuador) • Archbishop Poisoned on Good Friday
It happened during the “Mass of the Presanctified” celebrated on Good Friday, 30 March 1877.
30 November 2020 • “Case in point”
The Solesmes rhythmic markings, which often contradict the official rhythm, do such damage to the antiphons of the Divine Office that—in my humble opinion—they should be abandoned. (In reality, this will never happen.) But sometimes, they do great damage to the melody of the Graduale Romanum, and I would offer the Offertory for the 1st […]
The “Winking” Part • Where’d Father Lasance Get It?
A curious translation which Father Lasance “borrowed” for the Ash Wednesday Introit…
Extremely Rare! • Pages from the “Directorium Chori” (Solesmes Abbey, 1864)
The entire edition was destroyed in a fire (circa 1866) except four rare copies.
27 November 2020 • ACCENTS
Certain Latin words are constantly mispronounced. For example, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana is supposed to be pronounced “Cármina” but people frequently pronounce it as “Carmína”—wrong! Another example: Nova organi harmonia is supposed to be pronounced “órgani” but many people erroneously say “orgáni.” A somewhat tricky word is incipit. In Latin, it would be “íncipit” while […]
Feast of the Holy Family • Where did it come from?
The Consilium asked (15 March 1965): “Is it pleasing that the feast of the Holy Family be suppressed?” • Discussion of the First Sunday After Epiphany; the Feast of the Holy Name; the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord; the two (2) instances of different “Jubilate Deo” Offertories which repeat; “Abhinc Duos Annos” (23 October 1913); and many other items+
“Homily — 1st Sunday of Advent, Year B” • Father Valentine Young, OFM
All of us are now closer to our moment of death than we were last year or in any time in the past.
20 November 2020 • Epiphany Sequence?
A very interesting Missale from 1759AD has a Sequence for the Epiphany, but I don’t know where one could find the musical notation. The Seqence is called: “Prompto Gentes Animo Ferte Nunc Altissimo Honorem Et Gloriam.”
PDF Download • Several Useful Plainsong Books
“Variae Preces” (1892) — “Cantus Varii” (1902) — “Cantus Varii” (1928) — “Cantus Selecti” (1957)
18 November 2020 • FEEDBACK
From a priest in the Midwest: “That video by Andrea Leal which explains hymn meters and hymn text exchange is informative and a truly great explanation. Thank you for sending it to me. I hope all is well with you. God bless you as we soon enter into Advent.”
“Alma Redemptoris Mater” • Thirteen (13) Organ Accompaniments
When it comes to Gregorian harmonizations, this piece is surely the “pons asinorum.”
16 November 2020 • Exciting addition!
By kind permission of the Trustees of the London Oratory, we have added Mæstro Patrick Russill’s outstanding organ accompaniment for “Salve Regina” to the other versions currently available for free PDF download. Patrick Russill needs no introduction among church musicians the world over, and many consider his harmonization the finest of all.