Catch-up Practice!

I will be at the church from 5:00 - 6:00pm on Tuesday, October 1 for a non-mandatory catch-up practice for anyone who feels they need a little extra instruction.

No Vespers.

"Become a saint!"

Vespers

Greetings Scholars,

Vespers will be held at 5:30pm in the church on Tuesday, Sep 24, that is, just before practice.  I will bring copies of the required music/text.

Something to ponder: I am planning on singing Vespers every Tuesday from now on.  That was Fr. Christian's original mandatum for Regina Caeli - to sing Vespers.

From the General Instructions of the Liturgy of the Hours:

268. The sung celebration of the divine office is more in keeping with the nature of this prayer and a mark of both higher solemnity and closer union of hearts in offering praise to God.  Therefore, the singing of the office is earnestly recommended to those who carry out the office in choir or in common.

270. In celebrating the liturgy singing is not to be regarded as an embellishment superimposed upon prayer; rather it wells up from the depth of a soul intent on prayer and the praise of God and reveals in a full and complete way the community nature of Christian worship.

In keeping with this understanding, perhaps Regina Caeli can finally fulfill it mission if some or all of you would agree to participate in regular Tuesday Vespers as you are able.  I know Fr. Doug is all for more sung Vespers & may be willing to preside if we can make it a steady, regular thing.  It also puts us in his ear, literally & figuratively, if you catch my meaning.

I believe this would accomplish good things for our group, for us individually, & for the parish.  On a practical level for us, besides learning the order of the office & its various hymns, chants, & prayers through repetition, the more we sing together the more we begin to "gel" as a group & discover the unique voice hidden within our group; & the office is a relatively non-threatening, low-pressure way to do that.

We can discuss it at practice.

"Become a saint!"

Practice Videos III

Here are the parts for two Eucharistic hymns that we will be singing with some regularity & which are already in your notebooks.  There are a zillion versions of these, including chants.  We will learn other arrangements when we get these basics down.  Some notes:

I) In O Salutaris Hostia, we will sing the three notes for host-Sti-Li-A and Ter-Mi-No as straight quarter notes of equal length, not what is printed.

II) Remember that "H"s in Latin are silent, so we will sing Hostia as "Oh-stee-ah" and in Panis Angelicus, we will sing hominum as "Oh-mee-noom."  Got it?  I knew you would.

III) We will add the Amens to these hymns, even if not printed.  I will give you your notes at practice, though you can probably guess them.

IV) A trick for learning/checking your part is to sing your part with another part or with the All Parts recording.  You will find out quickly if you really know your part.

O SALUTARIS HOSTIA

All Parts Together:

Soprano:

Alto:

Tenor:

PANIS ANGELICUS

All Parts Together:

Soprano:

Alto:

Tenor:

You can a hear a sung 4-part version of the same arrangement of Panis Angelicus at the Adoremus Hymnal link on the side bar.  It is #523 in the list.

"Become a saint!"

Practice Videos II

Here is the Kyrie for our new "Mass setting," the Heritage Mass.  Hopefully, we will have the music by our next practice.

The Kyrie is a little different, in that it builds up the voices as it goes on.  We will try starting with just women singing all in the same Soprano octave, then add Altos (who will sing the Tenor line), and finally Tenors (who will sing the Bass line).  Altos: if you can't decipher Bass clef notation, I will re-write it in Treble clef for you.

All Parts Together:

Soprano:

Alto:

Tenor:

Practice Videos I

Our good friend & Latin Mass scholar, Ericka, allowed me to record her playing the various parts of some of our music, including the new Heritage Mass Kyrie (& she sight read most of it, which is pretty amazing).

I will probably have to post in several installments (I will provide a link on the side bar), but I hope this makes your practice time more fruitful.

PSALM - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

All Parts & Soprano:

Alto:

Tenor:

ALLELUIA

All Parts & Soprano:

Alto:

Tenor:

New Practice Day, New Ordinary, & Christmas

THE MEETING

All the parish musicians from all the various factions, er, groups met with Fr. Doug tonight.  His purpose was to thank us for our service & encourage us to keep on keeping on.

He publicly validated our schola, saying the workshop Mass really captured his heart & he looks forward to hearing more sacred music from us in the future.

THE NEW MASS ORDINARY

That said, it probably would have been better for me to go to Confession after the meeting, because the new Mass setting that St. Thomas will begin using soon is, well, uh, um... let's say an improvement over Missa Luna.

Drum roll, please!  Our new Mass setting (cue Soul Train theme) is the Heritage Mass, circa 1977.  Chicka-bow. Chicka-bow-bow.  OK, it's not that bad.  The Agnus Dei is actually pretty sweet.  However, it does have heavy 70's, nursery-rhyme-meets-Peter, Paul, & Mary overtones.  One of my favorite quotes: "Why is it better to be nostalgic for 1979 than 1579?"

Alright, enough of that.  It is an improvement.  And we will sing it as beautifully as we can & supplement with genuine sacred music as we are able.  I will get copies for all of you as soon as I can.

Father emphasized smoothness & predictability in the flow of Mass, both for himself & the congregation.  He needs a choir that he can rely on to know what to do & when to do it.  That means we should all commit to being true students of the liturgy so that there are no surprises.  If necessary (& it is), read the GIRM (General Instruction of the Roman Missal) & the Missal itself .  You will be surprised how much you learn.

THE PROPER THING TO DO

I asked Father if he was open to having the Introit & Communion propers sung at Mass instead of recited or ignored.  He said go for it.  I will talk to Donna to about implementation plans, but I may have to write all of them myself, because what's in our missalettes doesn't match the standard texts for those pieces.

THE PLAN

Practice will move to Tuesdays from 6:00 to 7:30pm.  Here is our schedule for the next few months:

Sep 24  - Practice
Oct 8    - Practice
Oct 22  - Practice
Oct 26  - Sat Vigil Mass, 30th Sun Ordinary Time - meet at 4:00pm to warm-up
Nov 5   - Practice
Nov 19 - Practice
Nov 23 - Sat Vigil Mass, Christ the King  - meet at 4:00pm
Nov 26 - Practice
Dec 3   - Practice
Dec 10 - Practice
Dec 17 - Practice
Dec 21 - Sat Vigil Mass, Advent IV - meet at 4:00pm

Note that weekly practices are scheduled from mid Nov thru Christmas

CHRISTMAS

I am very much thinking of a Christmas program where the schola can really offer some lovely things to the parish.  Christmas is on a Wed this year, so maybe the evening of the Sunday prior?  Other suggestions?  I will put together a list of potential music.  One thing we will learn even if it kills us! is Alma Redemptoris Mater by Palestrina.  It is simple, but gorgeous.  YouTube it.

We may also participate in the music program for Christmas Eve or Day.  Please let me know your availability at the next meeting.

We may also take our show on the road & sing carols/hymns/motets at some of the local assisted living facilities in the area.  I've done that before & it's an absolute delight.

Be working on your music until then.  E-mail, call, or text me anytime with question, concerns, or ideas.  Thanks!

"Become a saint!"
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