It is not a copy of some earlier, falsely venerated style. But it’s not new for the sake of new, either. Here we have a very gifted composer (who should be more famous, by the way) marrying his craft to the needs of the liturgy and, more, to what I can only assume is his very deeply held personal faith.

I’m not done with the whole setting, but I think I may be soon, so I thought I’d let people see and hear the Sanctus from my Missa Sakanala.

This is, by far, the best new setting of the Ordinary I have heard or seen since the new translations were announced.

The second in a series that started with reviews of GIA’s new Mass settings. Some hits and misses here, but OCP’s line up seems a bit better than GIA’s.

Prepare then well, and swiftly too,
For swifter still is God’s own grace.
Prepare your heart to be made new,
Prepare your eyes to see His face.

Advent 2010 is half-over, which means that Advent 2011 is less than a year away. If you’re a choir director at a Catholic Parish, you probably are trying to figure out what new Mass settings to start using. I highly recommend the ICEL chants to start with.
All the publishers, of course, want you to sing their settings (or at least purchase them), and they are offering previews of their works online. I have listened to almost all of them.
Folks, it ain’t pretty out there.

Do you really need 10 reasons? Well, here they are…

I have been a little hesitant to talk about my writing of music that explores a feminine understanding of God, because I am trying to build bridges between progressives and traditionalists, and because I am loath to associate myself with some of the more ridiculous strands of feminist and liberal theology (I like to use the phrase “otherwise orthodox”).

When thinking about the Ascension Sunday, I couldn’t help but think that chanted Propers would be a particularly fantasic choice given the nature of the Solemnity and the texts of the Lectionary, and I wanted to expound on that thought a bit, as it may provide one more opening for chanted propers to find a way into Liturgy at your parish.

Please note! The following has nothing to do with correct liturgical practices, or what would be pastorally appropriate in particular parish. It does not represent what I would actually do if put in charge. It does not represent my understanding of Sacrosanctum Concilium or the USCCB’s guidelines on anything. The following is what I, personally [...]