Might there be some cause for hope that Church music can recover from 40 years of banality on parade?
Damian Thompson sees glimmers of hope thanks to the leadership of Pope Benedict. It is not that Marty You-know-who will be thrown to the curb anytime soon but rather signs of a burgeoning movement of thought led by the Pope. Three recent actions, and inaction for that matter, are the signals seen by Thompson:
1. Pope Benedict XVI boycotted a performance of “Christian pop music” in Loreto last week. The organisers of his pilgrimage had planned to subject him to it, just as they made John Paul II listen to Bob Dylan a decade ago. But Benedict stayed secluded in prayer at the shrine, missing all the groovy worship.
2. The Pope celebrated Mass in Vienna last Sunday to the accompaniment of a complete performance of Haydn’s Mariazeller Mass. John Paul (who was uninterested in music) presided at only one full liturgical performance of a polyphonic or classical Mass setting during his entire pontificate. Benedict intends to make a habit of it. That’s great news. Byrd, Palestrina, Haydn, Mozart, Bruckner – welcome back. You can find the details here, courtesy of Sandro Magister.
3. At long last, John Paul II’s master of ceremonies, Archbishop Piero Marini, is retiring. Hallelujah! In addition to encouraging the performance of elevator music at papal ceremonies, Marini is the man responsible for decking out the pontiff in draylon tents instead of fiddleback chasubles.
Don’t expect the faux folk to give up their exclusive claim to relevance any time soon, but perhaps some inroads can be made and a little sanity restored. Now that the Mass of the ages has been restored to its rightful place, perhaps our musical heritage is next?
September 15, 2007 at 5:20 am
Sacred Music is celebrated at St John Cantius in Chicago
Here is a sampler of what they offer…
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
In Celebration of “Summorum Pontificum” of Pope Benedict XVI
7:30 p.m.—Tridentine High Mass
Solemn Procession after Mass
Messe Basse
Gabriel Fauré (1845 – 1924)
Vexilla Regis
Gregorian Chant
Tantum Ergo
Gabriel Fauré (1845 – 1924)
Maria, Mater Gratiae, Op.47, No.2
Gabriel Fauré (1845 – 1924)
Cantate Domino Choir
September 23, 2007 — Sunday
Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost
12:30 p.m.—Tridentine Latin High Mass
Missa Il Ne Se Trouve En Amytie
Claude Goudimel (1514 – 1572)
Ubi Caritas
Maurice Durufle (1902 – 1986)
Dixit Dominus
Roland Lassus (1532 – 1594)
St. Cecilia Choir
September 30, 2007 — Sunday
Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
11:00 a.m.—Missa Normativa (Latin)
Messe Basse
Gabriel Fauré (1845 – 1924)
Vexilla Regis
Gregorian Chant
Tantum Ergo
Gabriel Faure (1845 – 1924)
Maria, Mater Gratiae, Op.47, No.2
Gabriel Faure (1845 – 1924)
Cantate Domino Choir
October 7, 2007—Sunday
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
11:00 a.m.—Missa Normativa (Latin)
Missa Prima Sexti Toni
Giovanni Croce (1557 – 1609)
Ave Maria à 8
Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548 – 1611)
Os Justi
Anton Bruckner (1824 – 1896)
St. Cecilia Choir
October 13, 2007—Saturday
COMMEMORATION OF THE 90th ANNIVERSARY
OF THE APPARITIONS AT FATIMA
5:00 p.m.—Anticipated Mass (Missa Normativa in English)
6:00 p.m.—Vespers & Compline
6:45 p.m.—Candlelight Procession with the Statue of Our Lady of Fatima
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament until Midnight
October 14, 2007 — Sunday
Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
11:00 a.m.—Missa Normativa (Latin)
Missa No. 6 in G Major
Bernhard Hahn
Panis Angelicus
Cesar Franck (1822 – 1890)
Ave Verum Corpus , K 618
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791)
Sonata for Trumpet and Strings
Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695)
Resurrection Choir and Orchestra
October 17, 2007 — Wednesday
Memorial of Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr
Missa in Cantu: A Seminar in the Sung Mass for Celebrants
Sponsored by the Church Music Association of America
4:00 p.m.—Missa Normativa (English)
Kyriale VIII
Gregorian Chant
October 17, 2007 — Wednesday
Feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
Missa in Cantu: A Seminar in the Sung Mass for Celebrants
Sponsored by the Church Music Association of America
7:30 p.m.—Tridentine Latin High Mass
Christchurch Mass
Malcolm Archer, (1952—)
Ave Verum
Francis Poulenc (1899 – 1963)
Ave Maria
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 – 1921)
Cantate Domino Choir
October 18, 2007 — Thursday
Feast of Saint Luke
Missa in Cantu: A Seminar in the Sung Mass for Celebrants
Sponsored by the Church Music Association of America
4:00 p.m.—Missa Normativa (Latin)
Mass of St. Theresa
Healey Willan (1880 – 1968)
Schola Cantorum of St. Gregory the Great
7:30 p.m. Tridentine Latin High Mass
Missa Secunda
Michael Haller (1840 – 1915)
Chorus Innocentium Sanctorum
October 19, 2007 — Friday
Memorial of Saints John de Brebeuf & Isaac Jogues and Companions
Missa in Cantu: A Seminar in the Sung Mass for Celebrants
Sponsored by the Church Music Association of America
12:00 p.m.—Missa Normativa (Latin)
Kyriale IV
Gregorian Chant
Schola Cantorum of St. Gregory the Great
7:00 p.m.—Latin Holy Hour
Holy Hour, Rosary and Solemn Benediction
Lauda Sion
Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847)
St. Cecilia Choir
October 20, 2007 — Saturday
Solemnity of Saint John Cantius
9:00 a.m.—Tridentine Latin High Mass
Messe Basse
Rev. Scott Haynes, S.J.C. (b. 1971 –)
Beatus vir
Orlandus Lassus (1530-1594)
Ave verum , Op. 65 No. 1
Gabriel Fauré (1845 – 1924)
Cantate Domino Choir
October 21, 2007 — Sunday
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
11:00 a.m.—Missa Normativa (Latin)
Messe Basse
Gabriel Fauré (1845 – 1924)
Tantum Ergo
Gabriel Fauré (1845 – 1924)
Maria, Mater Gratiae , Op.47, No.2
Gabriel Fauré (1845 – 1924)
Cantate Domino Choir
October 21, 2007 —Sunday
Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost
Music Presented in Honor of Blessed Karl of Austria on his feast day.
12:30 p.m. Tridentine Latin High Mass
Missa Brevis in C – “Spatzenmesse” , KV 220
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791)
Sine Nomine Choir and Orchestra
Also check our full schedule for sacred music at St. John Cantius.
http://WWW.CANTIUS.ORG