To survive without choking the crap out of some deserving Catholic. ;-)

New ordinary mass parts, new color of paper!

Us too!

Unaccompanied Ordinary, partially Latin chant, on Advent I, II, & IV.

Palestrina's Alma Redemptoris on Advent III (they know the simple chant already). Goudimel's motet setting of "GENEVA 42/Comfort, Comfort Ye." A choral setting of the prose "Rorate Caeli."

Convincing my pastor to do a votive of Our Lady by candlelight on the Saturday preceding Advent IV, even in the New Rite, if need be.

Choral chanting of the proper at least in psalm-tone each Sunday.

-b

There's no requirement that the cantor be at the pulpit -- in fact, there's a prohibition of it, I think, but I'm open to correction on this point. Ordinarily, the cantor (cantrix) sings from something called an ambo -- which is distinct from the pulpit -- but there's nothing* which precludes the following:

1) if there is a choir loft, having the cantor (cantrix) sing from the choir loft.
2) the psalm being sung according to the Graduale, by the entire choir.
3) the psalm being sung using the gift of Anglican chant, therefore in parts.
4) the entire congregation singing the psalm, either antiphonally or according to some other plan.


* If there is no choir loft, obviously, the cantor (cantrix) can't sing from the choir loft; additionally, bloody-mind liturgy committees; and, mis-educated priests; and, clergy who may have such a target rich environment of things to fix that (rightly) moving a cantor (cantrix) from the ambo.

This is true of the Introits as well. They began as a Psalter, proceeding numerically through the Psalms (skipping many, obviously, but going in order). The antiphons were added to sound against them.

I'm going to start saying "cantrix".

So after all these emails we get about advent music changes from tptb, we get to mass and the cantrix has reminded the deacon and priest we are singing Kyrie. What does the deacon go ahead and do? He takes it himself.

We switched alleluyas for advent. Our normal one is that tidy little mode vi one from the Anglican Use Gradual, which on solemnities is gussied up with organum-style descanting. For Advent, though, we are using the Gregorian mode iv alleluia as appointed for Advent III and others. You should have heard our people singing it as though they sang it every Sunday. Too bad no one ever told our people that, being Catholics, they can't sing these chants.

Other nice things at Walsingham this Advent Sunday -

Matins - sung matins before high mass. We do this every Advent and Lent (why only then I don't know.)

Ordinary - Kyrie, Sanctus, Agnus Dei (in English) from the cum jubilo mass, otherwise known to Anglicans as the 'Fourth Communion Service'. (Another thing that Catholics aren't supposed to be able to do. How would you like to hear several hundred people singing the cum jubilo kyrie!)

Offertory Anthem - Ad te levavi - Domenico Scarlatti

Communion Anthem - 'O pray for the peace of Jerusalem' - John Goss

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As for new liturgical year plans -
I am composing for use at the cathedral of OLW SATB or polyphonic alleluya verses for all solemnities, including those, such as (for the Ordinariate) Epiphany and Ascension, etc., that occur on week days. Since our gospel procession is a rather elaborate affair, we have ample time for verses of around a dozen bars in length.

I began with the recent Christ the King (Potestas eius), and have now completed the ones for Christmas midnight (Dominus dixit ad me) and Christmas day (Dies sanctificatus). The language is the English of Palmer-Burgess.

Any who would like to see or use these are welcome to them free of charge.

(We ordinarily do Palmer-Burgess on solemnities, but, for some reason, have consistently eschewed the P-B alleluya verse. So, these polyphonic settings are an attempt to put the alleluya and verse into a proper ceremonial register for great feasts at a cathedral church.)

(Keenly aware of some of the extraordinary compositional endowments with which some of our forum members are blessed, I'm a little skittish about putting my very humble work up here. But, perhaps it will inspire them to give badly needed attention to composing SATB or polyphonic propers after the example of Byrd, et al., at least for all solemnities.)

I am singing in a new choir--new, as in, it did not exist until about two months ago. It's a very mixed demographic, and a joy to see us all improving together. Yesterday we tried part-singing in practice for the first time, and in Latin to boot! At Christmas we might sing an SATB piece at mass, and after Advent will begin using Mass VIII, working up from the Kyrie. We are now working on the Roman Missal ICEL chants. (Still a ways to go.)

This year I (a youngish whippersnapper) might be able to start organ lessons and gaining conducting experience. Truly, thanks be to God for our volunteer choir directors, who are generous with their knowledge and time, and for our rector, who is not at all a musician but serious about improving the music situation in the diocese.