Musica Sacra Colloquium, Day 3

Day three opened with chanted Morning Prayer.  Each day a little bit more Latin is sprinkled in to the prayers, so that by the end of the week it should be all or mostly in that heavenly language.  (I have it on good authority that the other heavenly language is Polish, but that is a topic for a different post! ;) )

solfege warmup

After our usual solfege warmup (after only two days I'm describing it as 'usual' lol), we gathered into our various chant groups to prepare our assigned Propers for the afternoon Mass.

our chant director, Jonathan Ryan

 The cathedral parish made three of its restored side altars available for any attending priest who wished to celebrate a private Mass during the morning.

review of the EF rubrics before Mass

more review, there is much to remember

This afternoon we celebrated the Feast of the Visitation of our Lady with a Solemn High Mass in the extraordinary form.

The high altar prepared for Solemn High Mass

Before getting to that, however, the plenary talk was by Denis  McNamara, on the subject of Liturgy and Architecture: The Essential Questions.

After lunch came another polyphony rehearsal to prepare for Saturday's Requiem Mass.  Confessions were available before Mass.

All under the watchful eye of St. Mother Theodore Guerin

The various scholae await the start of Mass

Gloria in Excelsis Deo!

The men's schola chants the Gradual.

Mahrt Gradual improv 

the Gospel being chanted facing liturgical North -  North symbolizes the barbarians who await the Good News of Christ.
the advanced men's schola chants the Communion Proper

Ite, missa est

To round out evening, the episcopal cathedral hosted an organ concert by Mr. Simon Thomas Jacobs, 2013 winner of the St. Albans International Organ Competition.

Pange Lingua (Livre d'orgue, 1699)
Nicolas de Grigny (1672-1703)
Organ and chant in alternatum

Musica Sacra Colloquium, Day 2

The day began with chanted Morning Prayer in alternatum, followed by solfege warmup.  We then broke up into various chant ensemble practice sections.  Jean and I are in the Advanced women's section.  Our group was responsible for the Alleluia gospel acclamation and the Communion Proper for this afternoon's ad orientem Ordinary Form Mass.

The Plenary talk today was given by Fr. Christopher Smith, on the Theology of the Liturgy.  After lunch were various breakout sessions.  I attended the session on Chant in English and Spanish, part 1.  After the talk, I was pleased to meet The Recovering Choir Director himself, Aristotle Esguerra!   He had helped me a lot in the past when I needed help on a piece of music, but I had only ever 'met' him electronically.  It's so nice to meet people in person on occasion. :)

Next came our first polyphony rehearsal.  This was held in Christ Church Cathedral, across the street from our hotel.  Our director is Dr. Horst Buchholz, director of sacred music at the cathedral and the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

Dr. Horst Buchholz

We have quite a large group of singers!

working on the 1583 Missa pro Defunctis by Tomas Luis de Victoria
 for Saturday's Requiem Mass
 in the Extraordinary Form

Since we were practicing in the same church in which yesterday's evensong was held, I got a better look at their baptismal font, which had much theological symbolism:

the symbols also remind me of my Christmas Springerle cookie molds ;)

highly decorated from every angle with theological symbolism

At last, it was time for the completely chanted Mass.  This was held at St. John the Evangelist cathedral parish in downtown Indy, about a mile from the other church.

ad orientem celebration of the Holy Sacrifice from the restored high altar

the holy gospel was incensed and chanted
 from the historic pulpit in the midst of the assembly

the homily was also proclaimed from the high pulpit in the midst

Offertory  motet: Let Thy Merciful Ears, by Mudd

All the 240 Colloquium participants sang the Mozart Ave Verum Corpus after the Communion antiphon.  Have you ever heard an entire congregation singing polyphony together like that?  It must be like that in heaven!  The exquisite beauty gave me goosebumps and brought a tear to my eye, it was that moving.

After supper, the evening concluded when we gathered to chant Compline.
God was fittingly worshipped today.

Musica Sacra Colloquium, Day 1

Today was the first day of the Colloquium, the beginning of a glorious week devoted to sacred music, specifically Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony.  I flew with my schola buddy and  friend Jean C. to Indianapolis.  She did a great job at getting me through the whole TSA gauntlet, and the plane landed uneventfully after dealing with a bad storm right over Indy.

After settling in at the hotel, we walked down to St. John the Evangelist Church, where we will be chanting the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in both the ordinary and extraordinary forms.
The church is undergoing repair and restoration, but it is beautiful even with repairs underway. (Will try to label these later, mobile isn't cooperating)

It has become a plurk tradition to post the 8th station in honor of plurker Tina 'snupnjake', who started it.

Before the opening banquet, we were treated to a beautiful presentation of Evening Choralsong by the choir of Christ Church Cathedral.

(Insert video clip here)

It was a long day.  Tomorrow the fun begins, with 240 enthusiastic participants from all over the country.  May we become the leaven in the liturgical environment and help to raise the whole loaf of sacred music in our local churches!

Easter Monday

Jesus is risen!
Truly, He is risen!

Ad Multos Annos!!

Auguri, Benedetto!  Happy 87th Birthday, Papa Bene!

Lenten fare - Roasted Vegetable Tarts

I hope everyone is having a fruitful Lenten season.  Tonight's Lenten fare is from an old Food & Wine magazine recipe.  I just make it from memory, so I do not know from what issue it was originally published.

Roasted Vegetable Tarts

1 pkg. refrigerator pie crusts
2 8-oz. cream cheese (I used Neufchatel), at room temp.
1 container crumbled Gorgonzola
2 eggs
a variety of assorted vegetables, like onions, peppers, mushrooms, garlic, celery, carrots, summer squash, whatever you like, cut into small pieces
olive oil
salt & pepper

Toss veggies with olive oil, salt & pepper.  Spread on baking sheets and roast at 375F for about 30 minutes.

Mix cream cheese, Gorgonzola and eggs until smooth.

Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray.  Roll out one crust at a time.  Spread 1/2 of cream cheese mixture on crust, leaving about 2 inches from the edge.  Top with half the roasted vegetables.  Bring up and pinch-pleat edges of pie crust all around.  It will stand up a bit.  Repeat with other crust.

Bake for another 30 minutes or so, until crust has browned.

 

Bon appetit!

 

Bless us, O Lord,

and these Thy gifts,

which we are about to receive

through Thy bounty,

through Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

 

Blessed feast of Mary, Mother of God!

Salutation to the Blessed Virgin Mary

by St. Francis of Assisi

Hail Lady, Holy Queen, Holy Mary Theotokos,

who art the Virgin made church

and the One elect by the Most Holy Father of Heaven,

whom He consecrated with His Most Holy beloved Son

and with the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete;

Thou in whom was and is all fullness of grace and every good.

Hail His Palace;

Hail His Tabernacle;

Hail His Home.

Hail His Vestment;

Hail His Handmaid;

Hail His Mother

And hail all you holy virtues,

which through the grace and illumination of the Holy Spirit

are infused into the hearts of the faithful,

so that from those unfaithful

you make them faithful to God.

Amen.