well, we're at the end of November, already, when (speaking from a DM perspective) the time till Christmas runs out like the spiral of a bathtub drain ...
anyone having a practice on Dec 24? anyone have some new and challenging piece on the list for this year? anyone have other Christmas plans to share?
Sunday, Dec. 24 = Christmas Vigil for Sunday Mass Sunday, Dec. 24 = Christmas Midnight Mass with carol program preceding Monday, Dec. 25 = Christmas Mass of the Day
New Christmas pieces this season (challenging or not;)) ** Puer Natus (Morales) ** Iesu Redemptor (Stadlmayer) ** Iesu Dulcis (Victoria) ** Iesu Dulcis (Allen)
Missa O Magnum Mysterium (Victoria) for the seasonal Masses - hopefully, a pontifical for Epiphany.
Fortunately, we have the opportunity this year for Sunday Mass on 12/31 (Te Deum - plenary indulgence) and 1/1 (Veni Creator - plenary indulgence)
Planning for 2018-2019 season - Angelus ad Pastores Ait (Hassler) + Magi Viderunt Stellam (Victoria)
Planning for 2019-2020 season - Christmas Matins before the Midnight Mass + possibly introduce parts of Messe de Minuit (Charpentier).
Concert celebrating the Centennial of the birth of George Malcolm, harpsichordist & choirmaster of Westminster Cathedral. Concert features a performance of Malcolm's setting of Matins for Christmas, followed by harpsichord selections performed by Dr. Rebecca Burkhart, Professor of Harpsichord at Ball State University. (Incardination will also feature in this concert!) PM me for more details - we'd love to see you there. (Technically it takes place in Advent; don't know if that's cheating . . .)
Christmas? Don't remind me. It's going to be crazy this year. Sunday masses on the 24th, midnight mass, masses Christmas Day. I remember the last time the two days came so close together. It was exhausting for musicians and clergy.
We have a practice at 10pm on Sunday 24th, breaking off at 11 for mince pies and mulled wine (probably non-alcoholic or well diluted) and then Adventish carols and music before Midnight Mass.
Thanks for the recipe; 'Good Christians all rejoice' could go with a swing after a glass or two of that! Here in Scotland there is a rather pungent local cheese with whisky-washed rind, known as Stinking Bishop. A Presbyterian cheese methinks.
Mme: We are English expats living in N E Scotland, where at present we have snow. Back home in England our church did go out carolling, sometimes with a brass quartet, but here they don't seem to do it. Probably too cold. Also Scotland used to have a tradition of ignoring Christmas and focusing on New Year, when lots and lots of people ARE out and about, especially in cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow, though not singing carols. Do come and visit, it's a beautiful country, though the weather is not great. Incardination: please could you supply more info about your Advent Mass, eg where to find it. Too late for this year, but it might be useful for Lent. And I like your suggestion for the two Bishops. Thanks!
The Scots custom of visiting early after midnight at the New Year is also present on the Isle of Man. But the Manx have a Christmas custom of their own - Oeill Voirrey, which means the Night of Mary. This has now decayed into a general sing-song and party sometime in winter. Orginally, people would attend evensong on Christmas Eve, and then without the cooperation of the parson, would remain in church and spend the evening in a recitation of carvals. These were long chanted poems, often newly composed, delivered while walking as slowly as possible up the aisle of the church. The earliest fragments of these which have been preserved date from the 16th century. (No written Manx exists before 1748, when the Gospel of Matthew was published). I imagine this is a popular reaction to the loss of midnight Mass, but there is no proof.
Viola - my sister once told me she wanted to move to Scotland. Knowing her susceptibility to cold, I asked why, and her answer floored me. She said, "When's the last time Scotland made the news?" and besides all that, it is a beautiful country as you say.
about this >> introducing a Casciolini 3 voice for Advent - it is modeled from XVII-2 and XVIII with alternating chant / parts. Quite lovely! is choir doing the chant *and* parts? One of my singers proposed a Perosi Mass which alternates chant and parts..... in his past life, he said, the congregation sang the Gregorian end of it. I can't see that happening here, but wondered if your congregation is to do it and if so, how you managed that :-)
Dec. 24, 10:30am service. Dec. 24 subbing at the 4:00 service at my previous work church Dec. 24 7:00 candlelight service. Had the Lauridsen O Magnum Mysterium programmed for this but lost two of my section leaders to family or personal health challenges and pulled it. I’m really sad, and very concerned that one of my basses (who is nearing 90) may not be with us much longer. He was in tears when he told me he had to stop singing and kept apologizing. I told him he did not need to apologize, he needs to take care of himself. He’s been fighting bladder cancer and it’s not going well. Dec. 24 11:30pm attend TLM with my family.
Dec. 25-at some point hit the road for south Florida to visit the in laws, soak up some sun and go sit at my favorite tiki hut on Hollywood Beach and try to decompress. This has been a rough year.
Dec 24: 10am Dec 24: 530pm possibly Dec 24: singing/playing at 10pm at different church Dec 25: back at regular church singing quartet before 12am, then play the 12 am Dec 25: 730am Dec 25: 10am Prayers please...
Dec. 24: Advent IV, 8:00 a.m and 10:00 a.m. Dec.24: Choral concert 11:30 p.m. Dec. 25: Midnight Mass Dec. 25: 8:00 a.m and 10: a.m. Dec. 31/Jan 1 will be more of the same. It is easier in those years when Sunday and Christmas Day have a few days in between.
Viola, I wasn't quite sure where I stumbled across the hard copy of the Mass... I had transcribed it into Finale (attached), but your question made me curious as to its provenance. Searched for it online, and found the same that I had a hard copy of - interestingly enough, uploaded to this forum back in 2011 by rich_enough. I've attached it here as well.
The original has accompaniment. My version is a cappella. I provided the chant notation for the chant parts as well as the modern music equivalent, but this is just to see both representations - the chant is still only sung once. In my version I edited text to the standards I have for my group. Text in parentheses indicate final consonants of melismatic phrases. Depending on the context they might go on the final half of the note. (In this case, for example, final consonants in parenthesis occurring on a half note are on the last beat of the half note).
I was in a bit of a rush, so I'm sure there are some clean-up things that I need to do. Anyway, hope these are helpful!
December 23 4:30pm anticipated with cantor December 24 9:00am televised with men's schola December 24 11:00am Spanish with men's schola December 24 4:00pm Children's Choir December 24 6:00pm women's schola December 24 10:00pm Prelude with Cathedral Choir December 24 11:00pm Pontifical televised with Cathedral Choir December 25 9:00am Solemn with Cathedral Choir
Or, in honor of the day, stoned. (In the British sense, mind you!)
. . . and probably trying to get our chaplain to do a TLM for St. Stephen, St. John, Holy Innocents, Becket, Circumcision, Holy Name, or Epiphany. Because I'm a glutton for punishment.
Dec. 24: Rehearse 9 am for Christmas Vigil Dec. 24: Advent IV, 10:30 am Dec. 24: Christmas Vigil, 4:00 pm
In our rural midwest area we are one parish in a cluster of 6. Dec. 25 Masses are annually rotated amongst them, our parish is not scheduled this year.
Wow, I feel thankful that we have a pastor who is in our parish full-time. He may be a bit ham handed at times, but I do believe he is doing his best. We should all pray for an increase in vocations!
For the Casciolini 3 v Mass, we are introducing a section each Sunday as an Ad Lib. So Advent I we sang the Kyrie of the Mass but used the rest from XVII. This Sunday, we will introduce the Sanctus / Benedictus, but use the rest from XVII. Advent III, we will introduce the Agnus but use the rest from XVII. Finally, Christmas Eve, we'll use the full Casciolini 3 v.
That was a long-winded introduction to the point!! :) As we rehearsed the Sanctus last night, we found it strange that the incipit for the Benedictus would have been written as in the key of F while the remainder was in the key of C. It doesn't add anything - if anything it makes it a bit more challenging, particularly hearing the B flat before singing the B naturals for the II line. I believe it was an editing error in the original which I simply reproduced without assessing. I've changed the incipit to be as in the key of C to match the rest of the Benedictus.
Advent 4 .. Sat 1700 Sun 0800 Sun 0930 espanol Sun 1100
Christmas .. Sun 1700 That Nineteen Seventies Mass. After fifteen years, for the first time I am not playing. The school Society-For-The-Non-Use-Of-Any-Pipe-Organ finally prevailed on the pastor and since Aug the school choir has been accompanied by guitars. I will miss the Gospel of awkward pauses for the pantomime show and the Santa candy cane distribution before the final blessing. Sun 2330 concert and carols Sun 2359 midnight mass Mon 0800 Mon 0930 espanol Mon 1100
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