Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Midnight Mass

We sang Midnight Mass at Fr Brown's Church, St Mary of the Rosary Forest Hall. Due to restrictions imposed on Fr Brown by the local bishop this was technically a 'private Mass' (so no publicity - not even mentioned on the parish newsletter) but it still attracted 60 people.

My aim with the music was to make it 'user-friendly' so that anyone not a regular at the TLM would still find things they found familiar. We started with two carols, which were followed by the blessing of the crib. We then sang the whole of the Proper of the Mass (only using psalm tones for the Gradual and Alleluia verse). The Ordinary of the Mass was Mass VIII (de Angelis) with Credo III (both sung antiphonally between Schola and people). At the Offertory we sang Adeste Fideles and at Communion Adoro te Devote. The Mass ended with a roof-raising rendering of Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

One or two mistakes aside, a happy and successful occasion.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

The Great Antiphons

Christmas really is approaching: today is the 17 December and the day appointed for the first of the Great "O" Antiphons.

As we were singing at St Joseph's Gateshead this morning I was able to sing the first Great Antiphon "O Sapientia" during Communion.

There is a good commentary about the Great Antiphons here:-
http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0374.html

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Taking the Chant to Forest Hall

I have received an invitation from Fr Michael Brown, Parish Priest of St Mary of the Rosary Forest Hall, to introduce some Chant into his Sunday morning Novus Ordo Parish Mass.

We had experimented with this during 2006 but it never became regular and it was not a huge success. I certainly had underestimated how far the pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI have taken liturgy and music in an average parish church away from traditional ways and the principles of Vatican II.

Fr Brown has suggested that we try to have a "Chant Sunday" once a month and we have agreed on the first Sunday of the month. A few parishioners have expresed an interest in joining a Chant group and I hope we can build on that.

My plan is to start with something very simple, probably just the Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei from Mass XVIII. I then hope, during the year, gradually to introduce more Chant elements, including at least some of the Proper.

Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Advent

We were able to get off to a good start for the new liturgical year with a sung Mass for the First Sunday of Advent at St Joseph's Gateshead. This was something special as it was the first time that Fr Adrian Dixon, Parish Priest of St Joseph's, had celebrated a sung Mass in the traditional rite.

I do not intend to review the event as if it were a performance; suffice it to say that I was very happy with the way things went. There was a good turnout of Schola singers (including Mike Forbester who runs the Rudgate Singers) and Peter Locke was there to play the organ and sing with the Schola.

We sang the Introit, Alleluia and Communion, using psalm tones for the other parts of the Proper. The Ordinary of the Mass was Orbis Factor. At the Offertory we sang the beautiful Advent Responsory Rorate Caeli and at Communion we sang Adoro te Devote. We ended the Mass with the great Advent hymn "O Come O Come Emmanuel".

We owe the existence of the Sunday Mass at St Joseph's to the time when Fr Michael Brown was Parish Priest there: it was he who started the Sunday traditional Masses. We are very fortunate that Bishop Dunn and Fr Dixon have allowed the Mass to continue and that Fr Dixon himself is now regularly celebrating the Mass.