The rest of the week - Epiphany and fleeing Snowmageddon

Thursday was another day full of music.  We had 4 1/2 hours of chant and polyphony rehearsal, plus chanting of Morning and Night Prayer, plus Mass - probably about 7 hours of singing, total.

The day's Mass was for St. John Neumann, OF ad orientem, completely sung, not only the ordinary (Mass IV) and the chanted propers of the day, but also the readings.

In the Traditional Latin Mass, Epiphany is celebrated on the appointed day, not transferred, so we actually got to have Epiphany on Jan. 6th. :) 
Due to the impending Winter Storm Helene, the  High Mass was moved up by three hours.  This meant we had to skip our last rehearsal, and the earlier one was shortened.  The rector of the cathedral surprised us by sending over two King cakes for the coffee hour after Morning Prayer! 

The Mass setting for the day was the Missa O Quam Gloriosum Est Regnum by Vittoria, which uses the same motifs from the motet after which this blog is named.  Hopefully, we will learn this setting in our parish schola at home later on.

Music files!   (It's a wonder I figured out how to do this)

 St. Paul Cathedral

Men's schola

Women's schola

Our fearless conductors!

Morning sky from hotel window
prior to Snowmageddon

So, I've been collecting pics of the 'angels in the architecture' in the various churches .  There weren't any in this cathedral, but they do have these adoring angels before the tabernacle!

Birmingham was getting ready for an afternoon of heavy sleet, so it was a blessing to be able to finish early, but it's always hard to leave.  We made it home safely, although it rained most of the way.  My schola and traveling buddy Jean is a great driver, even if I was white-knuckling it for a good part of the time! :-)

The annual summer Colloquium will take place in Minnesota this June.  Hope to see y'all there!

Mass with Bishop +Baker

Since we were not in town to attend the installation of  our new bishop, it was lovely to have this evening's Mass celebrated by Bishop +Baker.  His Excellency was supposed to attend the installation, but he said our conference was more important.  May God bless him for his sacrifice!

This was following a full day of rehearsals for our own Masses on Thursday and Friday, of course.  More pieces have been added to our repertoire, with one chant rehearsal and two polyphony rehearsals.  Lots'o singing today!

Chanting Morning Prayer

Sister Servants of the Eternal Word

Bishop +Baker at his Cathedra

Bishop +Baker with priests, seminarians, and
servers attending the sacred music workshop

Highlands Consort of Birmingham
presented an Early Music Concert
after Mass
Works by William Byrd 

Winter Sacred Music - Birmingham!

No, it isn't yet Colloquium time!  This is a special edition - the Winter Sacred Music workshop, this year held in chilly Birmingham, AL.  There is even a chance of snow before we finish on Friday.  Woot!

45 attendees have braved various weather events traveling.   It's great so see old friends again and to meet new ones.

 We just had a very long drive with rain and fog thrown in for good measure.

The Mass on Wednesday will be with Bishop Baker in his cathedral.  As our schola director at home  would say, we will be 'massed at' by the cathedral choir.  In the meantime, we are practicing for the Thursday and Friday Masses, in the OF and EF forms respectively.  We are still in the Christmas season liturgically , so the Friday EF Mass will be Epiphany proper.  The setting of the Ordinary that we are learning is the Missa O Quam Gloriosum et Regnum by Victoria, which features the same motives as the motet of the same name.  We are also learning his motet Magi Viderunt Stellam.  Our advanced chant group is also responsible for the OF Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, and Offertory Propers on Thursday, as well as the Alma Redemptoris Mater by Palestrina.  The entire ensemble is learning Mass IV, Cunctipotens Genitor Deus, for that Mass, too.  There might be a few others, but we haven't learned them yet.  That's a whole lot of music we have, and have learned most of it in under two days so far.  (Well, two of the motets aren't new, so that helps.)

Looking forward to more rehearsals and chanted morning and night prayer each day!  This is the Best kind of vacation!  :-)  I highly recommend it.