Composing music / texts really puts oneself out there in a way that feels exposed and vulnerable.

So here's a shout-out, huzzah, and a pat on the back to @CHGiffen for his supportive, encouraging attitude towards the compositions and hymn texts, at whatever level of development, that are posted here on the Forum. We notice, and we appreciate you for it, Mr. Giffen!

(and for a website you designed, I think... we kinda like that as well. some of us use it occasionally...)

Stimson! Thank you so much for your kind words. Truth be told, I don't even remember that! (lo, it has been a decade...) I'm tickled to think I played a small part in your conversion. My memory being hazy, I presumed—as I began to read—that the name you would drop began with an 'A' (you know the fellow). At any rate, I'm glad to have yet another example of Our Lady's faithfulness!
____

I have always been grateful for the free music that is available here. When the parish refuses to adequately fund the music program, it has been a life saver.

I agree. Not only is the free music helpful, the fact of the matter is there are very many skilled composers who frequent this space and it's wonderful to share in their riches.

Just last week we were once again rehearsing @liammcdonough's Humbly I Adore Thee which fast become a favorite of our choir. https://youtu.be/UngeApB2csQ

I am also grateful for the tremendous wisdom of the forum members. I have 'gotten my degree', as it were, in liturgical music by reading the often erudite comments of those who frequent these pages. I have been pointed to more church documents, historical sources, etc. and learned more things about the liturgy (past and present) than I have ever picked up elsewhere. That is why I come back day after day. I don't comment on all the threads, but I love seeing everything that pops up.

____
As for my happy story, I credit Our Lady with my ability to read music. Truly. I grew up playing piano by ear, and had little formal training until I was nearly a senior in high school. I had been plunked into lessons a few times as a child, but nothing worked. My natural ability to play outstripped the very basic things that were always shoved in front of me, and I even had one teacher quit on me. He told my parents in exasperation, "he's adding notes that aren't there!". (Something like stripped down Mozart pieces where I would play them as I heard them on recordings, rather than the modified version in children's books.) I don't say these things to brag; I don't consider myself to be anything extraordinary (my mother would beg to differ, but she views the whole thing through a mother's rose-colored glasses). I was simply never paired with a teacher who could actually foster what was going on in my little kid brain.

At any rate, reading music never really clicked, and truth be told, I think I was rather lazy and undisciplined, so I was never much forced to actually synthesize what was actually on the page... I just heard it once or twice and went into auto-pilot / play-by-ear mode. Consequently, (and especially after that teacher refused to give me lessons anymore) I was left to languish, musically speaking, for years.

Fast forward to around the time when I turned 16 and one day I randomly pulled an old score out of the piano bench that I had not touched for YEARS. By chance I flipped it open to the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria and instantly everything clicked. I sat there, truly reading and synthesizing the music on the page for the first time in my life; it was like a bolt of lightning. Suddenly rhythms made sense. Processing the whole grand stave... Obviously, I had an auditory reference for this very famous piece of music, so that undoubtedly came into play, but in the end I credit Our Lady with an extraordinary, momentary grace. I'm telling you, I went from 0–60 in a matter of moments, after flipping open to that random page in an old book I hadn't looked at in years. I consider it no coincidence that I flipped open to a page of music honoring Our Lady.

Shortly thereafter, an anonymous benefactor at my high school heard me playing piano, made inquiries and learned that I was not in lessons. He arranged, via intermediaries at my high school, to pay for me to resume lessons, which I promptly did. That teacher happened to also play organ for a lutheran church, and I asked him to switch to teaching me organ (without asking my parents' or the benefactor's permission, lol) and he agreed. After only 3-4 months of lessons, I began auditioning at music schools and the rest is history.

And it all started with a grace from, I believe, Our Lady. (She would again confer great favors upon me in undergrad when I WON a free pilgrimage to Zaragosa, Garabandal, Lourdes, Fatima, and Santiago de Campostela, among others. We toured around Portugal, Spain, and France for 21 days and it was profoundly life-changing, to say the least. I saw a bleeding Host; I led mass music from the ambo of the outdoor chapel in Fatima (mere feet from the original statue), and was even able to make it inside the basilica at SdC on the feast day of St. James (my namesake) and witness the marvelous spectacle that is the giant thurible that swings through the transept.)

Well, my dear colleagues... this virtual community of like minded, passionate, head-over-heels bunch is one that I can't imagine I would ever have done without through the years. I have greatly valued this forum and the CMAA for hosting it as it certainly aids me in living out my 'calling', 'mission', 'charism' or whatever word best fits.

Your presence here demonstrates to us that there are those who are willing to battle to live and promote the Faith and I know it helps all of us press on in that regard.

Of course I will always give a shout out to the BVM as she is certainly the most significant 'worshiper in Spirit and in Truth' that ever lived... the perfect example to we who are called to lead the praises of the Almighty... To her I owe all and divest of all that I am to her service.

Well, the only really good news I have is of the non-musical variety. On January 22, my step-daughter had her first child! A boy!

Blessings to you, Jeffrey! Many of the best educated Catholics are the converts, including my mother. I am thinking of her today particularly because I spoke with her for the last time (in this life) a year ago today. Her last words to me were, "I love you, Carol." What a blessing.

I am grateful to those who are here often! Those here who have prayed for my concerns and those for whom I have prayed.

Having heard some issues related to out of control singers in choirs I felt that this story might be of interest. Quite a few years ago I was a soloist/section leader in a large protestant church. This was a very upscale community and congregation. I had sung there off and on over a period of 10 or 12 years and had become acquainted with a very charming and interesting older gentleman who was in his early 80's when I first met him. We frequently sat next to one another and at that time he sang pretty well. After ten years or so, however, his pitch perception began to suffer and he occasionally deviated fairly far from the assigned pitches. He was aware of it and quieted his singing. He loved to come (his daughter, a choir member, brought him every week and he especially enjoyed conversations with the other men). One day, the inevitable occurred. The complainers assailed the choirmaster regarding his singing. The choirmaster didn't miss a beat. "Charlie has never hurt me," he said. Charlie continued to sing for a few months longer, but his health was failing and he was taken from us not long after.

I was reminded of what one of my HS choir directors said to me. "Sometimes there are choir members who need the choir more than the choir needs them."

...

But the other week I was visiting a church that had two women singing the propers and some polyphony, with great musical excellence and what seemed to me a perfect sensitivity to prayer and the liturgy. I must say it was amazing to hear, and I would love to hear it more often!

I regularly have my ladies sing the psalm verses when we chant because the sound of women singing together is every bit as monastic as the sound of men singing. We alternate verses between each sub group and then have the mixed ensemble do the responsory together. It works very well and sounds positively lovely. I have, on occasion, also split them at the asterisk if the verses are particularly long.

I'd like to thank @CCooze for her tremendous work transcribing the works of Heinrich Isaac onto CPDL. I can imagine how much effort has been spent there, and it's greatly appreciated!

https://www.fssp.org/en/decree-of-pope-francis-confirming-the-use-of-the-1962-liturgical-books/

I want to uncork the champagne, but I find myself reluctant to do so.

They’re affected in the sense that he wants them to keep to themselves and not celebrate the Traditional Mass anywhere besides those places to which they’ve been confined… right?

I heard earlier today that there are apparently only 350 parishes world-wide. That's not very many. And there is no provision in this new document about setting up new parishes which still seems forbidden under TC. There are still many questions, although it's better than nothing. There are also rumors that the ordinariate is on the chopping block next.

In good news I was gifted with a relic of Saint Blaise, which is a huge honor and quite unexpected. May he intercede for all of us who sing!

May he intercede for all of us who sing!

And may he intercede for those of us who have aged out of singing.

There are also rumors that the ordinariate is on the chopping block next.

Care to elaborate there? I don't like the sound of that.

May I give some good news not related to music and parishes and similar stuff?

Go for it!

This morning, my wife and I purchased a replacement car for the one we damaged a week before Christmas. I'm going to be very old fashioned, perhaps, if I say that I am immeasurably grateful that we were able to buy the car outright, pay cash, and drive it home.

We had been praying our monthly novena to the Infant of Prague.
Given how much I drive, in my line of work, a properly functioning car is essential. This 20 yr old car has 48K on the odometer.

Benedicamus Domino!

Still driving my 2003 Corolla with 86K miles. The dealer keeps it in excellent mechanical shape but I think I will have to get it repainted eventually. I could probably drive this car for another 10-15 years. Too cheap to buy a new one.

Chris, for your "new" car, may you drive it many years in health and happiness.

Blessing of Fiery Chariots.

Below is the Prayer for the Blessing of Cars and any kind of Vehicle:

Priest: Let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

O Lord our God, Who make the clouds your conveyance and walk on the wings of the wind. Who sent to your servant Elijah a chariot of fire, Who have guided man to invent this Car (Truck. etc.) which is as fast as the wind, we render thanks to You; for You have provided your servants with this Car to serve in their different needs. Therefore, O Master, pour now upon it your heavenly blessings; assign to it a guardian angel to preserve it against all evil. And as You have granted faith and grace by your deacon, Philip, to the man from Ethiopia who was sitting in his chariot and reading holy Scripture. show the way of salvation to your servants, so that, helped by your grace and always intent on doing good works, they may, after all the trials of their pilgrimage and life on earth, attain to everlasting joys, through the intercession of our Lady, the most holy and ever-Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, through the power of the honorable and life-giving Cross; through the prayers of the holy Angels and of all the Saints: For You are the Provider and the Sanctifier of all things, and we give glory to You, and to your only-begotten Son, and to your all-holy, gracious, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and forever.

People: Amen.

Priest: This Car (Truck etc.) is blessed by the sprinkling of this holy water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Last month I started a HYMN OF THE MONTH feature on my website Mother of Mercy Catholic Hymns. These are short stories about traditional Catholic devotional hymns. Last month was a short story about the hymn Dear Guardian of Mary and the composer Brother Bonitus, FSC.

This month's hymn is Ave Maria, Bright and Pure. It was written by a 19th century woman who converted to Catholicism and was considered Queen Victoria's favorite poet. One hundred years later another woman would share her mothers-heart to win first place in a hymn contest. Please take a few moments to read about these two wonderful women and the story of the ten most popular traditional Catholic hymns.

https://www.motherofmercycatholichymns.com/ave-maria-bright-and-pure/

https://www.motherofmercycatholichymns.com/hymn-of-the-month/

You can also follow me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MotherofMercyCatholicHymns