“Lessons and Carols”
Seen online…
Quick Thoughts
Epiphany Proclamation 2025
Each year, without fail, someone asks me to typeset the Epiphany Proclamation, an announcement of moveable feasts chanted each year on the feast of the Epiphany. As a result, you may now find an archive of 23 such proclamations in PDF ready to print HERE.
The Breviary in the Life of the Laity
Recently I have been enjoying looking through the inaugural (1927) edition of a 20th-century liturgical magazine called Orate Fratres. The July 1927 issue included an excellent article by a Chicago laywoman named Ellen Gates Starr entitled “The Delights of the Breviary: From the Point of View of a Lay Woman.” As we in the 21st century […]
Principles vs Preferences
I ran into this idea recently…
Liquescent Notes in the Official Edition
A perfect “apples-to-apples” comparison.
Final Sundays after Pentecost
There’s no reason to get bored at this time of year!
Parallel Fifths In Plainsong Accompaniment?
The great masters sometimes even wrote parallel sevenths!
“Singing With The Girls”
The version by Father Victoria is also quite beautiful, although the ranges for some voices are challenging.
A Story of Success!
Veronica Moreno shares a ‘quick thought’ regarding the topic of the sacred liturgy.
The Best Conducting Advice
The best conducting advice I’ve ever received…
Finding New Motets
It strikes me that many of the best motets my choir sings are ones I found by accident. These are motets that popped up as YouTube suggestions, or that someone mentioned in a Facebook thread and I casually gave them a listen. The lesson? Be open to finding good sacred music even when you’re not […]
Mass • “Singing” Vs. “Reciting”
That single change made clear that those present were able to enter more deeply…
This Coming Sunday’s Resp. Psalm
ICEL wasn’t the only group that produced reprehensible translations in the 1970s…
Communion Antiphon • “For Any Mass?”
Rehearsal videos are included—and they’re pretty fantastic!
A Talk on the Importance of Chant
Back in January I gave a talk at Sacred Heart Parish in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They have a fantastic lecture series, and this was also in connection with their admirable project on the fifth centennial of Palestrina’s birth. The talk is now available on Spotify, and I hope it will be of some interest to […]