Great Catholic choirs on the Internet
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,094
    many are grossly underestimating the abilities of our major cathedral choirs.

    Spinning this off that thread... we need to compile a list of great Catholic choirs putting their work on the Internet, either streaming or for download. By "great", I mean "I wouldn't mind having this on my ipod." An example (though not ROMAN Catholic) would be St. Clement's Philadelphia. If there are great choirs, shouldn't they be sharing to inspire the rest of us?
    Thanked by 2MBW BruceL
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,117
    Well, if they are singing copyrighted material, they'd have some issues to attend to before sharing it....
    Thanked by 3CCooze Jeffrey Quick CHGiffen
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,094
    IF. But the process is fairly automatic (does Harry Fox do digital rights, or is it someone else?) But a truly great Catholic choir would be singing a lot of PD music.
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,700
    The St. Martin of Tours choir from Louisville (formerly directed by Paul Weber):
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnRZjLKZfz0

    Only a few recordings.
    Thanked by 4CHGiffen M. Jackson Osborn Jeffrey Quick MatthewRoth
  • music123
    Posts: 100
    In all humility, allow me to present my very own choir, singing my very own music. This is Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, La Grange, KY, singing my "Anima Christi," which was sung at the 2009 Colloquium New Music session. We had augmented forces for our pastor's 25th Anniversary Mass, so I believe we qualified for "great" status on this occasion.

    https://youtu.be/y97wX3b03YQ
    Thanked by 2canadash Jeffrey Quick
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,515
    You've got to be on the lookout for the young choirs coming through the newer Catholic colleges, such as Thomas Aquinas College.
    Thanked by 3M. Jackson Osborn CHGiffen rich_enough
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,369
    MatthewJ, thanks for sharing my home parish’s choir. :)

    Music123, I distinctly remember it as the Offertory motet for Corpus Christi at St. Martin’s four years ago.
  • music123
    Posts: 100
    MatthewRoth, wow, you've got a good ear, and a good memory!

    Yes, it was done at St. Martin's four years ago, and I believe this video is of the only other performance. This summer, I plan on sending some of my pieces off for publication, so I hope that it gets sung a bit more often!
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,369
    I saved the ordo from that day, which I remember so well only because it was a good friend’s birthday. :)
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,094
    There's more St. Martin of Tours if you go to Weber's youtube uploads: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUE6GW_dd8Fb9U_RRxzyDyJQ
    music123, you should really put more up of your stuff.

    So, thus far we have 2 parishes and a college (sort of); no cathedrals. Why not? Sometimes there are reasons, like the absurd union situation at St. Agnes. But otherwise?

    Every LDS congregation knows what the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sounds like; every ECUSA congregation knows the great English choirs, and may have a cathedral nearly as good. Every once in awhile we see the funeral of a famous Catholic and get a glimpse of what could be done.

    We know great Catholic music largely through professional recordings, outside of liturgical context (and even those imitate-a-Mass recordings aren't real liturgy, and certainly not real MODERN liturgy). We will never be able to do that in a million years, We had a music ed prof here at Case who had us buy a bunch of recordings of choirs from ACDA conventions and state choral festivals. His argument was that professional performances were frustrating in the music ed context, that it was more valuable to hear what a top-notch high school choir could do with high school choral literature. Where do we go to hear what a top-notch Catholic choir can do?
  • MBWMBW
    Posts: 175
    Is there a copyright issue in posting recordings?
  • MBWMBW
    Posts: 175
    Here is one that I know is safe since it is youtube. The St James Cathedral Choir (Seattle) under Dr. James Savage has been an exemplary Catholic music program for many years. I expect this will continue under the leadership of Paul Thornack who did such an incredible job at the Columbus cathedral. What do you all think?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-no-4TeXOXU

    Also, not bad for a wedding, eh?
    Thanked by 1BruceL
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,424
    As my German friend, Klaus Kratzenstein, used to say: 'nice done, Jchickson'.

    It is indeed nice to hear Catholic choirs singing such anthems. We hear so many horror stories that we don't realise that, here and there, very fine things are being done. (And, after all, even in the Protestant world, outstanding music far from universal is.)

    When Msgr Steenson was installed as ordinary back in 2012, I was talking to him after the installation at the co-cathedral, and he said, 'oh, Jackson, it was wonderful. I had thought that when I became Catholic I would never hear "I was glad" again'. (We had sung it as the offertory anthem.)

    Let us pray daily for those who are struggling, and for those who are succeeding.

    Here is a collect for choirs often used in Anglicandom -
    O GOD, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven;
    Be with us, we beseech thee, as we seek to perfect the praises
    of thy children on earth; and grant to us even now such glimpses
    of thy beauty that we may be made worthy at length
    to behold it unveiled forevermore:
    Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
    Thanked by 2MBW CHGiffen
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,369
    The final Mass of our previous pastor at St. Martin’s before his reassignment featured “I was glad.” On Sundays, the anthems follow the proper chants, and they are either English or Latin (Latin only, naturally, at the Missa Cantata in the traditional form). Dr. Weber would sometimes select Masses from the Anglican tradition, modified for the new English translation, such as this past Christmas Eve. I expect under the interim director all this will continue.
    Thanked by 2M. Jackson Osborn kevinf
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,094
    Is there a copyright issue in posting recordings?

    Well, of course.
    You can't post a performance unless you have the rights to that performance (it's your group, or you've been given permission).
    If you've released a recording of a copyright work, a compulsory mechanical license must be paid. I'm not sure how that works on the internet. In the vinyl world, it wasn't much.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,369
    At least with what is held by major companies Google does it for you in the case of Youtube.
  • MBWMBW
    Posts: 175
    Here is a recording of Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral Chamber Singers performing the Imant Raminsh Ave Maria.
    06 Ave Maria, Raminsh 1.mp3
    5M
    Thanked by 2M. Jackson Osborn CHGiffen
  • StimsonInRehabStimsonInRehab
    Posts: 1,935
    Give me a few more weeks and I'll have a recording for you from Purdue University's Newman Center.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,501
    St. Michael's Choir School in Toronto has a few videos on Youtube.
    Thanked by 1Casavant Organist
  • marek
    Posts: 17
    From America - Mr. J. Michael Thompson is sharing recording of his (former?) choir - Schola Cantorum of St. Peter the Apostle - Chicago:
    https://soundcloud.com/chantermt

    My choir Gregoriana is singing at the Cathedral of Kosice, Slovakia. Here is our youtube chanel http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBQHqmaUgUMZ4Bd4w4heeQF9lV9L7BS-s
    and you can have our recordings on your ipad too: https://itunes.apple.com/ph/artist/gregoriana/id915612401
    or: http://open.spotify.com/artist/0DFcMZ7Yat4QwoEcX4M6i5
    Thanked by 4M. Jackson Osborn Spriggo CHGiffen canadash
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