Choral offerings of the Mass Ordinary
  • Mark HuseyMark Husey
    Posts: 192
    Can somebody tell me which parishes in the SouthEast will sing even choral movements of the Ordinary of the Mass? My graduate thesis involved a survey of parishes and Cathedrals through the US whose choirs sang movements of, if not entire choral settings of the Mass ordinary with some regularity, either weekly or for feast days. We do them occasionally at Saint Peter's, and will typically do a Kyrie/Agnus Dei pairing in Advent and Lent. If this has been posted previously, please refer me to that posting, but I'm looking particularly for parishes south of Washington, DC metro (NOVA), and east of Texas. OK, include Texas. Why not.
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,700
    It would be most interesting to compare this list with a list from 20 years ago and a list that could be compiled in 20 years. I think the results of 1993, 2013, and 2033 would be staggering.
  • Mark HuseyMark Husey
    Posts: 192
    Well, you're the only person here who talks to me. Thanks for playing. :-P
  • JDE
    Posts: 588
    Mark, you may be aware that at St Joseph's in Columbia they used to do the Gounod St Cecilia Mass every Sunday, but they stopped that in the 1970s if I recall correctly. That particular work would not be as well received today, I imagine.
  • SamuelDorlaque
    Posts: 318
    Mark, at Saint Edward, Newark, CA we are slightly west of Texas. However, we do sing polyphonic ordinaries or movements thereof regularly. When we sing an EF Mass, we of course sing the entire polyphonic mass. Saint Dominic in San Francisco also regularly offers polyphonic ordinaries at their Sunday and feast day Solemn Masses in the OF.
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    As do we in CenCA, Mark, every week at one Mass in particular. These are settings by Royce Nickel and Jeff Ostrowski, but they are choral and alternate polyphony with homophony.
    Thanked by 1Paul_Onnonhoaraton
  • JDE
    Posts: 588
    We do my Masses at my parish, or at least the one I revised for the MR3, but it hardly counts as "Choral" in the sense that the people don't sing -- they do. The fact that the men in the congregation just sing the tune thickens the musical texture a little.
  • PaixGioiaAmorPaixGioiaAmor
    Posts: 1,473
    We do, but not in the geographic area you're looking for. I'm in Ohio.
  • BruceL
    Posts: 1,072
    Cal Shenk and Steve Calvert both did movements (perhaps more) during their tenures here at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham. I plan to keep that up, but am not sure about the current rector's predilections. He is a huge supporter of good music and liturgy, though, so I am hopeful that this continues! I think St. Joseph (or whatever it is) in Macon, GA where Fr. McDonald is does choral ordinary sometimes.

    St. Mary Cathedral in Austin occasionally does choral ordinaries, but more often motets. They certainly would be capable of ordinary movements: fantastic singing city and a great choir.
  • Mark HuseyMark Husey
    Posts: 192
    That's more like it. Thanks to all!
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