sacred miscellany

From a traditional Benedictine monastery in France Alléluia, Potestus ejus sung by the choir of the Benedictine monastery of Le Barroux with a excellent sense of movement (just as one would expect)! While this is from the Feast of Christ the King, it seems apt at any moment in turbulent times. Want to know more about the Abbaye de Barroux, visit their excellent  website , if a visit to France isn’t in the offing. I had some problems navigating the English version of the site, so I enjoyed improving my French. Translation: His power is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed.

Agni Partene is one of the most loved Orthodox hymns, despite its recent origins in 20th century Greece. I’ve sung it in English and Greek; it’s also popular in a number of Slavic versions. Some sing it fast and some sing it slowly. The simple melody combines with praises to the Virgin and the repeated refrain: “Rejoice, Thou Unwedded Bride.” The text uses phrases drawn from numerous hymns and odes to the Virgin. The melody is more like a Greek folk tune than Byzantine chant - and that gives it immediate accessibility. The singer here is Divna Ljubojevic, a Serbian singer with a style so ardent that you’ll want to hear more of her work with her Melodi choir. She tours in Europe and divides her time between Paris and Belgrade. Divna and Melodi do have an official YouTube channel and you’ll want in it your favorites. The composer was a Greek presbyter who had a singularly difficult life. St. Nectarios of Aegina (1846-1920) was born to poor parents in what is now Istanbul. After com...

Professor, author, and composer Peter Kwasniewski of Wyoming College has some works, including a new Mass setting that will premiere at the end of this month (April 2018) in Denver, Colorado. You can find out more about the schedule at The New Liturgical Movement  website, so head over there if you’re anywhere nearby. While I was wandering around Kwasniewski’s YouTube Channel, I enjoyed the following. I hope you will too - and you can sing along! There are just enough interesting harmonic turns to keep you on your toes.

Often called “the father of American choral music,” William Billings lived and worked in Boston from 1746-1800. He variously supported himself as a tanner and a singing school teacher, never with great success. However, he left a legacy of shape-note works that are sung to this day. The Easter Anthem is challenging and usually only sung at large conventions where folks really let it rip! It is rousing, lively, and full of Easter spirit. This performance by His Majesties Clerkes is combined with a slide show of Russian Orthodox icons. I’m not quite sure what Billings would have thought. The anthem is 236 in the Sacred Harp. What makes this performance stand out is the combination of professional-quality voices (using appropriate straight tone) with a spirited tempo. Several recordings I’ve reviewed of this anthem take it way too slowly and attempt to turn it into respectable church music. Remember that Billings and his contemporaries composed the music that the German-educated refo...

I'm going to violate my "a cappella" rule for this splendid piece on Bright Monday. It's a pleasure to listen and a delight to watch. I live and breathe for the day when we can somehow celebrate Easter on the same Sunday. In the meantime, I celebrate twice! This is the season of rejoicing - not just for us, but for all of creation! Here are the lyrics (taken from YouTube): People rejoice, all nations listen: Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice! Dance all ye stars and sing all ye mountains: Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice! Whisper ye woods and blow all ye winds: Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice! O seas proclaim and roar all ye beasts: Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice! Buzz all ye bees and sing all ye birds: Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice! O little lambs rejoice and be merry: Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice! Nightengales joyous, lending your song: Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice! Ring, O ye bells, let everyone hear: Christ God is ri...

Here is New York Polyphony’s performance of this polyphonic “Regina Caeli.” While most everyone knows the simple chant version, we forget that the Marian antiphons were perfect for polyphonic arrangement in the eyes of Renaissance composers. Francisco Guerrero (1528-1599) was born and spent most of his career in Sevilla, Spain. There were intervals where he traveled to Rome (very common for Spanish composers looking to learn the latest Italian stylings) and a couple of brief tenures in other Spanish cathedrals. But somehow he always came back to Sevilla. Robert Merrell Stevenson’s Spanish Cathedral Music in the Golden Age gives a detailed picture of Guerrero’s ups and downs with the Cathedral Dean and Chapter. Our composer was chronically in debt and once was bailed out by the Chapter. He was always borrowing from his employers, who towards the end of Guerrero’s life acknowledged that these “loans” were gifts. Guerrero was also somewhat of a failure with the supervision of the choi...