Hindsight is 20/20....How did your Holy Week go?
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,501
    I didn't post what we sang for the Triduum. We didn't do anything out of the ordinary. I think our program was covered in the impressive posts on the thread.

    But I was thinking about the Triduum and Holy Week and I was very happy with how it all turned out. We didn't do much new music, and I was disappointed in this before Holy Week. In the end though, it was what was best. We were all relaxed and well able to pray what we sang.

    My best decision was to ask our newly formed women's schola to sing the propers for Holy Thursday. It added immense prayerfulness and they were thrilled to be a part of Holy Week. It also allowed my choir to listen to another group and took some work away from us which was a good thing. I was also very pleased with our singing of "Sicut Cervus." We finally sang it through well, and managed to stay on pitch throughout.

    I'm not sure what I would change for next year, except that I would like to sing Allegri's "Miserere." We started on this, but couldn't perfect it on time.

    How was your Holy Week?
  • ghmus7
    Posts: 1,478
    Congratulations on the Sicut. It really is an accomplishment to sing a polyphonic piece a-capella and end up in the same general pitch area where you began. When this happens, you know you have reached a certain stage of development.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,501
    Yes, thanks gh. My "Halleluia" moment came just before the Gloria this Easter Vigil!
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    Out here in CenCA it went very well! The "performance" of our repertoire was very fulfilling. Choosing to resurrect the old Jane Marshall chestnut, FANFARE FOR EASTER, was a crowning moment of sorts. At our lightly attended Vigil (will discuss that in another thread) the pastor offered (after the Communion collect) as how if someone didn't get the memo that "Christ is risen," they sure did with that anthem. Was sweet moment, as one of my basses, mein Bruder aus Muenchen, is moving next week to Mississippi.
    The other nice thing is that we have "circumambulation" now as a standard for at least two Masses at the mother church as the pastor and associates love it. So the Introit and Offertory are sung as intended, as is the Communio.
    Thanked by 2canadash CHGiffen
  • Holy Week was completely and totally exhausting, but good. The only frustration/disappointment I had was on Holy Thursday when there was some confusion between me and the priest and we weren't able to do the Offertory Chant (for some reason when I started playing it he started shaking his head "no" indicating us to stop). Sort of embarrassing, but it wasn't our fault, so whatever. I had a horrible allergic reaction to the incense on Holy Thursday too, which wasn't fun at all. But other than that, it was good and very fulfilling! I'm sure glad it's over, though.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,791
    A strong finish after a rocky start: we recessed in silence Palm Sunday, but this was preceded by announcements and repeated rounds of applause for church decorators, altar servers, ushers &c (choir's turn was right after the Passion Gospel). Should have had "Were you there" at the ready ;-)
  • scholistascholista
    Posts: 109
    Our parish priest, himself, had a last minute medical emergency and so on Holy Saturday morning at 9:30 I received a distress call asking me if I would sing the Exsúltet that night at the Easter Vigil. Although I love hearing this Paschal Proclamation each Easter, I had never learned it, much less thought that I would ever be called on to sing it. After finding the updated ICEL version online, I told Father that I would, by God's grace, learn and sing the long form in English at 8:00 that night. I had a very fun day (my poor wife!) praying and chanting the Exsúltet.

    Eight o'clock came and as I ascended the ambo, little five-week-old Cecilia, who was in the front row, and who was to be baptized that night, and whose godfather I had agreed to be, began wailing as only a distressed newborn can. She cried so hard and so loud that I could hardly think, much less hear myself sing. I blew the pitch pipe, took a deep breath and sang my way through it, hoping that the congregation could hear me better than I could hear myself. Although at the time I felt miserable and humiliated, my wife said it sounded fine; and with 20/20 hindsight, I realized that what had really happened was that, together, Cecilia and I had made a joyful noise unto the Lord, and that my goddaughter and I had sung our first duet.
  • Spriggo
    Posts: 122
    I realized that what had really happened was that, together, Cecilia and I had made a joyful noise unto the Lord, and that my goddaughter and I had sung our first duet


    What a lovely way to look at it!
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • scholistascholista
    Posts: 109
    We were all...well able to pray what we sang.

    A beautiful, good and true goal for liturgical singing. Thanks for the reminder and example!
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • donr
    Posts: 971
    After months of rehearsal and nailing La Rocca's "This is the Body" for Palm Sunday, for some reason when we did it for Holy Thursday it just fell apart.

    Everyone commented how lovely the whole Mass was , so they were either being kind or didn't hear what i did.

    With that said everything else was done quite well, and I appreciate all the hard work the choir did.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • OraLabora
    Posts: 218
    I was scheduled to sing Lauds on Holy Saturday with the schola, but a snowstorm (!) Saturday morning nixed that. I had to be there at 7 am, it was an 85 km drive, and I'd already taken the snow tires off my car. Other than that, I attended Mass on Holy Thursday, the Good Friday liturgy and the Easter Vigil at the abbey I'm an oblate of. All went without a hitch as usual (in Gregorian chant, mostly Latin with some French plainchant for readings, the EP, etc.), except that the Exsultet was a bit shaky at the start, but the young monk who was recently ordained a deacon was doing it for the first time (in French).
    Thanked by 2canadash veromary
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,501
    85 km! Whoa! Now THAT is commitment! I'd love to know where your church/abbey is. We are planning a jaunt into QC and am so looking forward to some spectacular shrines and churches!
  • OraLabora
    Posts: 218
    The abbey is Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, located on Lake Memphremagog in Quebec. It's about 130 km east of Montreal. Gregorian chant is used daily, it's well worth the detour. A mixture of very ancient music with very modern architecture (in the abbey church at least, which was consecrated in 1994, the rest of the abbey was built in stages in the '30s and 40s). Lauds and Vespers are sung in Latin in Gregorian chant; at the other Offices, the hymn is in Latin Gregorian chant, but the Office itself is in French plainchant. At Compline, the hymn, responsory and antiphon to Our Lady are in Latin Gregorian chant. The Mass has the propers and ordinary in Latin Gregorian chant (Kyrie in Greek of course), the rest in French plainchant. It's a concelebrated Ordinary Form Mass. If you bring your Graduale Romanum you'll be all set, but for the Divine Office they use Monastic Schema B which is different than the usual Benedictine psalter (but still covers all 150 psalms in a week).

    Website: http://www.st-benoit-du-lac.com/
  • Should have had "Were you there" at the ready


    Richard,

    Did you mean that you wished this to cover the announcements and applause or that something about a silent procession bothered you?
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,791
    Not much the musicians can do about announcements. The point of the silent recession as I understand it is to think on Christ's Passion. If what is going to be remembered instead are the Palm decorations, surely a hymn is the lesser evil. Besides, I have a weak spot for WYT.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • Richard,

    I don't dislike Were you There, but there are many things, musical and otherwise, which I like, but/and which don't have place at Mass.
  • I’m late to this party, but here is the menu for the principal liturgies of Holy Week and Triduum at Annunciation Catholic Church in Houston, TX:

    PALM SUNDAY
    Antiphon “Hosanna filio David”
    Hymn “All glory, laud, and honor”
    Responsorial psalm: in directum, St. Meinrad mode I
    Before the Gospel: Anerio “Christus factus est”
    Offertory antiphon: Graduale Romanum
    Offertory hymn: “O sacred head”
    Mass XVII
    Communion antiphon: Graduale Romanum
    Communion motet: Iribarren (arr. FG) “Vexilla Regis”
    Thanksgiving: “When I survey the wondrous Cross”

    MAUNDY THURSDAY
    Prelude: J. S. Bach, “Schmücke dich, O liebe Seele” (BWV 654)
    Chants for the introit, foot washing, and communion: Graduale Romanum
    Readings chanted
    Mass XVII (Gloria from Mass VIII)
    Resp. psalm: St. Meinrad mode VIII
    Offertory: Duruflé (arr. Baker) “Ubi caritas”, hymn “Ubi caritas”
    Communion: Byrd “Ave verum corpus”, hymn “Lord, who at thy first Eucharist”
    Transfer of the Eucharist: “Pange lingua … córporis”

    GOOD FRIDAY
    Readings chanted
    Resp. psalm: St. Meinrad mode I
    Before the Passion: Anerio "Christus factus est"
    Chants during the veneration: Crucem tuam, Reproaches, Crux fidelis
    Communion: Iribarren (arr. FG) "Vexilla Regis"
    Hymn "My song is love unknown" (Crossman/Ireland)

    EASTER VIGIL
    Readings #1, #4, and #7 chanted
    Psalms:
    - St. Meinrad mode I for #1, #3, #6, and #7
    - Graduale Romanum for #2, #4, and #5
    Offertory antiphon: Graduale Romanum
    Offertory motet: Aichinger “Regina caeli”
    Offertory hymn: “At the Lamb’s high feast”
    ICEL chant Mass
    Communion antiphon: Graduale Romanum
    Communion motet: Haller “Ego sum panis vivus”
    Thanksgiving: The strife is o’er
    Recessional: Jesus Christ is risen today
    Postlude: J. S. Bach, Prelude and Fugue in G Major (BWV 541)

    EASTER SUNDAY
    Largely the same as the Easter Vigil but for the addition of “Vidi aquam” during the sprinkling and, of course, the “Victimae” sequence!
  • veromaryveromary
    Posts: 162
    This year Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday and Good Friday were sung by my 13 year old son and me. We had one extra voice for the Easter Vigil, plus an almost spontaneous family favourite - I had focussed so much on the proper chants in the Liber I forgot about preparing motets for Offertory and Communion. And the recessional which I played on the organ was not as well-known as I expected - Jesus Christ is risen today.

    The Easter Day Mass was the regular choir of which I am the youngest, and after the enormity of the triduum ceremonies I only realised before Mass that I hadn't really gone over the Offertory antiphon at all, but my mother had driven up to join the choir and she knew it from past years in a much more experienced choir, so we held it together.

    It was exhausting, but very exciting. I always hope we will have more singers for next year, better venues, more time to prepare. It is a privilege to sing for Easter, but one I would be happy to pass on to someone else.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen