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Musical Allusion

bt — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 19:11:06 +0000

The Liber is full of internal references that join different parts of the liturgical year like secret passages between distant rooms in a mansion. For example, the Gradual of the first Sunday of Lent has the same tune as that of the Mass for the Dead, just with different text. That means both are in mode two, the ‘sad’ mode. They also both have words brimming over with hope.

The Requiem Gradual begins with the text of the introit,
‘Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them,’ and continues: ‘The just shall be in everlasting remembrance: he shall not fear the evil hearing.’ (Ps. 111:7)

Today’s Gradual goes:
‘He hath given his angels charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways. In their hands they shall bear thee up: lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.’ (Ps. 90:11-12) The Tract (also in mode two) restates most of the same Psalm, concluding with ‘I will fill him with length of days; and I will show him my salvation.’

I imagine the point of the allusion is that Lent is a small death in rehearsal for the real thing. Both involve real sorrow. But the hopeful words say the sorrow is there not for its own sake, but on the path to the great joy of Easter; a small Easter after Lent, and an eternal one after death. In the mean time, don’t cheat yourself by ignoring the sorrow! Instead, sing it loudly, with courage and good cheer.

You’re not kidding!

bt — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:37:40 +0000

The second verse of the offertory chant for yesterday’s Mass concludes with a single word lasting ninety-seven notes. The word? ‘Semper.’

Cultural Imperialism

bt — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:04:42 +0000

Those most responsible for the wreck of Catholic liturgy in recent years are fond of the notion of delivering local custom from the ravages of the out-of-touch juggernaut of Roman tradition. In the name of which cause they take the metreless chants of the dusty Meditteranean first Christians, add words here, repeat others there and twist rhythm, mode and instrumentation until the Gloria evokes the latter end of a night in a Northern European beer hall. Not all the pretzels are of the salty and delectable variety.

Requiescant in Pace

bt — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:09:13 +0000

Here’s the Absolution following the Requiem Mass in Kinkora, Ontario, about 20 minutes from Stratford. A tad rusty, but a brilliant first shot at the Requiem in a parish that probably hasn’t seen it in 40 years. And listen to the parishioners! Most of them have never sung those responses. I have the honour to mention that Schola Nomini Tuo sang the whole Mass.