IanW

Pope Benedict on Bruckner
The concert was begun before the Pope could arrive (at about 9 pm.), and an intermission inserted after the second movement of the Bruckner symphony, during which the Pope praised the music and faith of Bruckner. Someone was clearly thinking of HH&…

Comment by IanW October 2011 permalink
The (words of the) new missal!!!!!!!
I also got to read through the Collects. They do not sound as clunky to my ears as some have claimed. That’s the thing, BG: they’re designed to be heard, not read silently. When read aloud (even to the mind's ear) they resonate with layers of…

Comment by IanW October 2011 permalink
Plainsong Propers (1964)
Did Xavier ever say why he thought this an "unfortunate collection"? Unfortunate as to its timing and reception, or in its use today?

Comment by IanW October 2011 permalink
Mahler's "Veni Creator Spiritus" in his 8th Symphony
Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to a Maazel Mahler 8 I go ... (Yes, I know it doesn't scan, but his Mahler is something special)

Comment by IanW October 2011 permalink
Criteria for USCCB approval of Liturgical books
I think the CMAA did the right thing in submitting the settings to the local hierarchy, even though it did not need to do so. It is better to attempt to work with one's Bishops' conference than to ignore it. Bureaucracy being what it is …

Comment by IanW October 2011 permalink
Music is "depressing"
JERUSALEM. Oh Charles, I wish you hadn't said that. It's doing all sorts of things to my cultural receptors. Mmmmm...

Comment by IanW September 2011 permalink
Music is "depressing"
Missing variable: Processional or recessional? If the former, slow & majestic, if the latter, fast & scampering (the bar beckons).

Comment by IanW September 2011 permalink
Official Release: St. Edmund Arrowsmith Mass Setting, using the New Translation
Nice one, Jeff.

Comment by IanW September 2011 permalink
Simple English Propers
The SEP project is a wonderful resource, especially where a parish is sensitive to the Latin vs vernacular issue. I have used it often and would thoroughly recommend it as a bridge to liturgical continuity, and a beautiful one at that. One observa…

Comment by IanW September 2011 permalink
Mass setting with a difficult Welsh name: Williams: free to all
Charles, Very kind in you, sir. Thanks. CHGiffen & Bobby, As I'm sure you know, the three rules to make life easier for anglophones (amongst whom I include myself) when attempting Welsh place names are: - For double L's, raise the…

Comment by IanW September 2011 permalink
SEP vs OCP Propers
larry wrote: I have decided to write my own English propers in psalm tones that match what the congregation would normally see and hear. I believe this to be a good intermediate step. Whatever the explanation for use of a text that isn't in t…

Comment by IanW August 2011 permalink
Strange quote from Canadian Roman Missal website
Matthewj: "No longer Latin, but the spoken language will be the principal language of the Mass"? Is that the type of quotation you're looking for? True, it's not from the Council itself, though it does have the benefit of being f…

Comment by IanW August 2011 permalink
MacMillan's "Mass of Blessed John Henry Newman": A Review
Jeffrey: he's a professional composer, so he's probably contracted to Boosey and unable to use alternatives for music designed for parish use.

Comment by IanW July 2011 permalink
What the heck's up with Fr. Zed?
Amen, Charles.

Comment by IanW July 2011 permalink
What the heck's up with Fr. Zed?
You say tomado, ...

Comment by IanW July 2011 permalink
St. James Cathedral sings a paraphrased Gloria?
FNJ, Adam: but not, I'd think, in the Usage/Ordinariat parishes.

Comment by IanW July 2011 permalink
Why I avoid PT.
Heap those coals, Jeffrey :-)

Comment by IanW July 2011 permalink
Why I avoid PT.
I'm no fan of Fr. Ruff when he puts on his editorial hat at Pray, Tell (he and it are a considerable dissapointment), but I think anyone who finds that quote a problem should chill - it's fair banter, tho' maybe it does approach taki…

Comment by IanW July 2011 permalink
What is this "Solfege" thing you keep talking about?
Ruth, it sounds a sensible approach for the seminarians, and i'm so pleased to read that a seminary is paying attention to this need.

Comment by IanW July 2011 permalink
What is this "Solfege" thing you keep talking about?
Come and join us, Jeffrey. It's a blast!

Comment by IanW July 2011 permalink
What is this "Solfege" thing you keep talking about?
@Jeffrey: Spode Music Week. I got the bug in 1997 and I've been back there every year since, though many have been attending far longer. It's been running for close to sixty years. The course chair and this year's director of liturg…

Comment by IanW July 2011 permalink
What is this "Solfege" thing you keep talking about?
@Ruth: not where I and many others learned to sight sing. Next month I will attend a Catholic music week where we sing a different mass setting every day of the week (mostly polyphony and chant), plus propers, on the basis of 40-60 minutes' re…

Comment by IanW July 2011 permalink
What is this "Solfege" thing you keep talking about?
Some points for clarification. Jeffrey: an integer-based system is no more rooted in absolute pitch that solfege - it is relative to the pitching of 1. Major / minor modifications are happily accomodated. Jazz and rock musicians will talk about f…

Comment by IanW July 2011 permalink
What is this "Solfege" thing you keep talking about?
Movable do = movable 1. Harmony and counterpoint involve vertical and horizontal relationships between pitches; those relationships can be labelled and understood numerically, whereas 'from' and 'to are required if the description is…

Comment by IanW July 2011 permalink
What is this "Solfege" thing you keep talking about?
Actually, I learned integers as a young student of piano, not singing - the musicianship syllabus of the ABRSM (a UK instrumental exam body) included identifying and singing intervals by number. This was reinforced by music 'O' and '…

Comment by IanW July 2011 permalink
What is this "Solfege" thing you keep talking about?
Integers are of their nature an ordered series; words used to denote degrees are only so by convention. Integers are not only useful for expressing degrees, but the intevals which are an inherent property of the series.

Comment by IanW July 2011 permalink
Closing Music
The seasonal Marian antiphon, unnacompanied, in Latin. Mind you, this is the once-a-month chant mass, and it's a particular tradition of the Order who have care of our parish. Words, music and and translation are provided and the congregation…

Comment by IanW June 2011 permalink
NPM locks us out...since we are self-published.
@BadCharles: I think it's infantile to traffic in detriment, mockery, prejudice and presupposition about anyone's integrity in such a public yet protected environment, one that is ostensibly Catholic. I quite agree, my vieux terrible. Th…

Comment by IanW June 2011 permalink
NPM locks us out...since we are self-published.
I'm pleased that you post there, bad Charles, but I beg tolerance for those of us who don't follow it, either on principled grounds or because life's just too blessed short.

Comment by IanW June 2011 permalink
Is the Schola to be incensed? (TLM)
It's about as bad an idea as putting lilies by the schola.

Comment by IanW June 2011 permalink

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Username: IanW
Joined: November 2007
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