Moving Chant

I've located another possible source for helping with organizing our Vespers project: the Mundelein Psalter. The Introduction & Pastoral Guide is a very informative read. It includes this very useful & compelling statement...

"The singing of chant must be characterized by the three virtues of sobriety, simplicity, & restraint. This requires on the part of the singer a mind disciplined in the art of prayer as well as in the art of music. There must never be a sensation of dragging in the rendition of the chant. It must be sung lightly & it must move."

Stations of the Cross

Our group has been asked to assist with sacred song at Stations of the Cross this year, which will to some degree be tri-lingual (English, Spanish, & the Mother Tongue)! The Youth Group will have Living Stations on the Friday before Palm Sunday (Apr 15).

I propose to open each Stations gathering with the Introit from that coming Sunday's Mass. I have posted at right the link to the music for the Sundays of Lent & the practice recordings.

I haven't yet seen the music for the actual Stations service, but apparently it is bi-lingual set to the tune of O Sacred Head Surrounded.

We will close with the seasonal Marian antiphon, which for Lent is Ave Regina Caelorum.

Please practice these on your own & we can just meet early on Fri, Mar 11 to warm-up (maybe 5:30pm?) & the program starts at 7:00pm, as I recall. Remember that the soup supper is just before Stations.

After this first time, we can just pick up with our regularly scheduled practice on Wed, Mar 16. Perhaps later in the season we can offer other hymns or perhaps one of the motets.

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Thanks!

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P.S.: I took the photo at top in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Hangzhou, China last year.