Identity: Sacred Music

Hello Gentle Readers... it has been a while since I have last posted an "Identity" entry, but the timing was right; with a long weekend at hand, and the creative writing juices flowing, I ran into the catalyst of my current post.

I recently worked on a project over the last three months of last year to create an Anthology of Sacred Polyphony musical scores as a Christmas gift for the music director at my parish. It was quite a labor of love to comb through the vast treasure of Catholic music tradition to find just 100 selected scores of music.

I always new that the Catholic music tradition was big... but as I learned more, I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of just lovely, inspiring, and uplifting sacred music that was there... and I now know that I only scratched the surface.

Now I am not talking the vast quantity of Gregorian chant that fill volumes of books and manuscripts in monasteries, abbeys, and cathedrals... no, I am talking about the plethora of sacred polyphony that for centuries was the voice of the Church's prayer, springing out of, and living side-by-side with its Gregorian chant source.

There is the Roman school , the Spanish school, the English school... with great composers like Palestrina, Victoria, Tallis, Byrd, DuBois, Anerio, Cherubini, et alli... but here is the "kicker"... where do we now hear this sacred music? Is it in our parishes? Is it in our cathedrals? No, sadly most of this lovely music, if even performed any longer, is now to be found in concert halls!

Yes, sadly, our secular, culture-of-death, Godless society even recognizes the beauty of this music, but we do not hear it in out churches and cathedrals! Now I am perhaps being a bit harsh for the Papal liturgies are filled with this sacred music, and more and more cathedrals are being to rediscover this patrimony of the Church... but at the parish level we do not find this music which all the world can recognize when they hear it, that it is something "special"... something "awesome".

I have friends that say "oh, I prefer the folk music at Mass"... and I want it clear for the record... as an Italian, I have quite a love for folk music... but folk music is exactly what the name implies... "music of the folk"... i.e. the people! It is not God's music! Folk music is wonderful for a wedding party or dinner party, but worship of Almighty God calls for something different.

So please, someone please explain to me... why is scared music almost universally recognized as timeless and beautiful... and worthy of concert hall performance... but yet we do not hear it where it originated?

Slowly but surely, "brick by brick" as Fr. Z. would say... we are beginning to see changes, thanks to the example being set by the Holy Father, and the number of younger priests who are open to more sacred music in continuity with the Tradition of the Church, and the work of folks like Jeffrey Tucker et alli involved with getting chant and sacred polyphony more widely rediscovered and available.

Lastly, to those critics that say only a concert choir can sing that "fancy, Latin" stuff... I ask them to attend Mass at St. Ann's in Charlotte, N.C. where they will hear wonderful music from a very small amateur choir... it can happen... and it is part of our Catholic identity that we need to recover!

Grapevine: Next Missa Cantata at St. Ann's: Feast of the Annunciation - Friday, March 25

Hearing that the Schola and Servers are preparing for a Missa Cantata on Friday, March 25th at St. Ann's in for the Feast of the Annunciation... this was the Mass last year that kicked-off the wonderful series of Missae Cantatae in the new renovated St. Ann's. Let's hope this will be a fact from official published sources.

Fact: Missa Cantata for Immaculate Conception set for Dec. 8 at St. Ann's

It's official!!...dear Readers... the next Missa Cantata at St. Ann's will be on Wednesday, Dec. 8th, at 7pm for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception BVM. It was announced today by Father Reid and was in the bulletin! This will actually be the principal Mass for the Holy Day of Obligation... with the other Masses being during the day or prior night anticipated Mass.

Please be sure to spread the word and make sure to assist in was is sure to be another wonderfully moving High Mass.

"... et macula originalis non est in te"

Fact: Charlotte Observer Article on recent Missa Cantata

Dear Readers, check out this terrific article at the Charlotte Observer on last week's Christ the King Missa Cantata!

Fact: St. Ann's Missa Cantata for Christ the King was MAGNIFICENT!

Wow... Gentle Readers... what a Mass! It has taken me a while to post my thoughts because I have just been on such a "spiritual high" since assisting at another Missa Cantata of St. Ann's.

As to its principal function of giving worship and glory to God... it has raised the bar even over the wonderful past Masses offered by that wonderful priest, Fr. Reid. In speaking to one woman after the Mass, she stated that she felt just so "spiritually uplifted"... and I must say, I did as well. And the church was packed! It was not standing-room only, but there was not far from it.

As to the more peripheral elements of the Mass that make it part of what it is... the 12 Altar servers were well trained and precise as always with lovely new silver torches and the music was just spectacular!

St. Ann's schola and choir are well known for their outstanding music, but this Mass' selections were just so wonder... the beautiful harmonized Asperges Me and regal Christus Vincit were outstanding "bookends" to the Gregorian chant in the middle.

What is just so amazing to me is how nobody wants to leave at the end of these Masses! It is as if they do not want the moment/euphoria/feeling to end... compare that to the Masses were after communion the faithful are making a fast-track to parking lot.

In closing, dear Readers, I understand that there was a reporter there for the Charlotte Observer doing an article on St. Ann's in general... what more special moment for that reporter to experience.... I look forward to seeing that article. I am also interested in hearing your thoughts... if you attended, please let me know your impressions as well.

Let us continue to pray that Fr. Reid, the Altar servers , the Schola and Choir will continued to be blest and continue to bring these wonderful "fonts of divine grace" to us faithful. (in a special way that the rumor of another Missa Cantata for Immaculate Conception will be proven to be true)

Christus Vincit! Christus Regnat! Christus Imperat!

Reminder: Missa Cantata at St. Ann's on Sunday, Oct. 31

Just a reminder Gentle Readers that Father Reid of St. Ann's parish on Park Road in Charlotte will be offering a Missa Cantata in honor of Christ the King at the 12.30pm timeslot on this Sunday, Oct. 31.

It is expected to be a spectacular offering to Almighty God which will be assisted by the St. Ann's Latin Altar Servers and the combined St. Ann's Schola Cantorum & Choir.

Hope to see 'standing room only' assistance by the Faithful as well....

P.S. Looks like St. Ann's Schola Cantorum has a blog site as well... why not jump over there and tell them what you think of there efforts....

One last note... grapevine still points to another Missa Cantata for Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8th...

Fact: Missa Cantata for Christ the King at St. Ann's in Charlotte

Dear Readers, we have official confirmation that there will be a Missa Cantata held at St. Ann's in Charlotte on Sunday, Oct. 31st at 12.30pm.

Let us pray for Fr. Reid, the Servers, and the Schola as they prepare to for this Missa Cantata in D.N.I.C. Universorum Regis. Please make plans to attend this Mass, it should be a wonderful offering to Almighty God!

Sedebit Dominus Rex in aeternum (the Lord takes His Throne as King forever)