A short history of Catholic music in three boxes
  • kevinfkevinf
    Posts: 1,190
    Last week, a family brought me three boxes of music from the estate of their mother. Their explanation to me was "perhaps you can find some use for it." I bid them thanks and took the music.

    Often my experience of these kind of boxes is that they are a collection of some good things and a lot of junk. But the family had told me that she had been an organist for a small church for 40-50 years.

    It turned out to be a fascinating collection that dated the state of sacred music in the US from the middle 1950's up until 1996 when she quit playing.

    I found:
    A Liber Usualis
    Some collections of organ accompaniment for the Liber.
    a Saint Gregory hymnal and accompaniment
    Hi God (Carey Landry)
    Some St. Louis Jesuits accompaniments
    Glory and Praise Vol. 1-3
    Psalms for the Church Year by Haugen and Haas.
    And my favorite: a collection of typed texts which including such jewels as "Let There be Peace on Earth." With chord notations.

    It was a time capsule to be sure. And it was funny because it was in almost chronological order. Needless to say, I am keeping the Liber and the accompaniments.

    But as I looked at the collection, it was sad to see such a decay. Kyrie eleison......

    From the bourbon lands,
    Kevin
    Thanked by 1SamuelDorlaque
  • TCJ
    Posts: 986
    About a year ago I was given a large stack of music from someone I worked for who had known another organist. It was similar to your experience. I found some nice music from the late 50's to early 60's including accompaniments for chants, some music still in Latin and a book of interludes. And then came the 70's and 80's. I still have a good share of it because I haven't cleaned my music collection in some time but eventually I'll probably give a fair share of it away and pitch some.
    Thanked by 1SamuelDorlaque
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