Choral Music which is Transforming!

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brotherhrolf

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There seem to be quite a few fellow choristers/musicians, etc. on the forums. Share with us some of your favorite memories in which your singing allowed you to enter more fully into the divine:

Mine:

St. Joseph Cathedral Choir, Baton Rouge, La.
  1. Medieval Advent Concert. The high hammer-vaults of our cathedral are perfect for this type of music. Positiv organ plus full consort (from LSU). “Angelus ad Virginem”, “Riu, Riu, Chiu” etc. Choral procession “Personent Hodie”. All on period instruments. I was in heaven.
  2. Most Profound. Funeral services for our beloved Bishop Stanley Joseph Ott. Plain pine coffin made by the Benedictine Abbey. “In Paradisium” from the Faure Requiem reduced me to tears.
  3. Our 200th anniversary. da Vittoria Mass. Cantique du Jean Racine. Papal Legate gives Apostolic Bleesing in Latin AND PEOPLE KNEW HOW TO RESPOND!
 
  1. Isaac-Bach “O Esca Viatorum”…Just before Easter some years back, I was in a state of spiritual dryness, even doubting the Resurrection, the Eucharist, and the existence of God, and during choir practice, upon hearing the resolving chord on ‘…panis angelorum’, my faith was restored.
  2. (since the first post reminded me…) Pie Jesu from the Faure requiem (not choral, a soprano sang it). Tear-jerker as well.
  3. The Liber Usualis Propers for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost (Tridentine)…very beautiful melodies, especially the Gradual and Alleluia.
  4. Billings “I am the Rose of Sharon” taken from the Song of Solomon “for lo, the winter is past…the rain is over and gone”…with high school choir.
That’s about it for now. I know I left out other songs I’ve sung, and there are plenty more songs that I’ve heard sung that I’d like to post.
 
Consistently the best sacred music experience I know of is the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass at St. Paul’s Church in Cambridge, MA. This Mass involves a heavenly boys’ choir (the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School), a men’s schola, and two organs played antiphonally from a single console. The church itself is acoustically perfect. Sit in one of the back five pews in the set of pews to the front left of the center aisle, and you will experience the marvelous sound of the choir processing in and out around you in song.

The music itself is a mixture of Latin and English, with the English sung in chant style. They created their own hymnal, Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Canticles, which is comprised of chant-style Mass settings and traditional hymns. No Marty Haugen here. In three years of attending this church, I rarely heard repetition of organ preludes or postludes; it was a true education in the musical heritage of Holy Mother Church. In fact, experiencing this Mass by accident led me back to the Church after years of being away.

My favorite piece in their repertoire is the hymn, The Lorica of St. Patrick, which they usually perform on the Sunday preceding the feast of St. Patrick.

You can read more at:

www.stpaulparish.org
and
www.bostonboychoir.org

If you love sacred music, you owe it to yourself to visit this church at least once.
 
Great thread!

Thinking about Christmas, since it just passed, I always wait, not for one piece, but for one chord in one piece. It’s the last verse of “O Come All Ye Faithful,” in the arrangement by David Willcocks. In the phrase, “Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing,” the chord on the word, “Word,” is so unexpected and transforming that it just makes Christmas for me.

Lent is coming, which reminds me of Francis Poulenc’s “Vinea Mea.” The text is about the vine that has been planted and tended with love that has returned nothing but bitter grapes. The first time I sang that, it became my theme song for all of Lent, which included a really wonderful retreat. Every time I sing that one, it all comes back.

I really love the Sanctus in the Durufle Requiem. It’s a reminder of what heaven will be like, as so many of the Sanctus movements in Requiem masses are. This is just my personal favorite. However, I rarely get to enjoy it, because I’m stressing about the Pie Jesu which comes next as my solo. I hope this will be sung at my funeral, if I predecease my fellow singers!

Another piece I’ve put on my funeral list is Patrick Hadley’s “Arise My Love, My Fair One, and Come,” that wonderful text from the Song of Songs. I cherish the hope that I will be in a state of grace at my death, and Jesus is pleased with me and my life (better get moving on that!) and comes to me saying, “Arise my love…” as He takes my hand and leads me to heaven.

But here is the hymn that just crowns the year for me. On the first Sunday of Advent, when we’re still thinking more about the Second Coming than about Christmas, we sing this. The tears just stream down my face as we sing of Christ’s majesty, and I’m so proud of Jesus and grateful to be one of his “ransomed worshipers.” And the tune, “Helmsley,” is so gorgeous and appropriate, too.

Thanks for asking!

Betsy
 
  1. Our Chamber Choir sang a version of the “Anima Christi” (I wish I could remember the composer), a capella, as a prelude to Easter Mass. Absolutely amazing.
  2. Every Holy Thursday our Adult and Handbell Choirs lead a procession of the congregation in singing the “Pange Lingua” as we follow the Eucharist, priests, and deacon to the altar of repose. We now have a new electronic system to ring the bells, and last year our music director programmed the bells to play “Pange Lingua” as we sang and processed out the front doors, around the block, and into the convent chapel. The bells really added an extra solemnity to the night.
  3. Christmas Eve, 2004. Our Chamber Choir prepared five a capella carols as a prelude to Mass. My personal favorite to sing was Pearsall’s arrangement of “In Dulci Jubilo”. As much as I love Christmas, I was a little sorry when we finally got to sing that carol- it meant we were done working with it and it was just so much fun, and so joyful. 8-part a capella when you have a 16-voice choir is always fun, especially when the church is dead silent and you can hear your own voice blending with all the other parts.
  4. Easter Vigil. The Exultet always makes me weep. “Christ, that Morning Star, who came back from the dead, and shed his peaceful light on all mankind, your Son who lives and reigns for ever and ever.” Fortunately I sing with the choir on this one. Our deacon sings the solo portions. I know I couldn’t.
  5. Finally, Palestrina’s “Sicut Cervus”. Our director pulls this one out every couple of years for the adult choir to sing at Mass. It is truly one of the most beautiful hymns I have ever heard.
 
We’re really fortunate to have Fr. Paul sing the Exultet. Several of the priests in our diocese have really good voices and some have been trained professionally.
 
Oh come on folks. Surely others of you have felt the transforming power of music?
 
Seeker Jen: Bells are supposed to be silenced after the Gloria on Holy Thursday until the Gloria on Holy Saturday. Surely this must be before the Mass?
 
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brotherhrolf:
Seeker Jen: Bells are supposed to be silenced after the Gloria on Holy Thursday until the Gloria on Holy Saturday. Surely this must be before the Mass?
Click to expand...
Really? I’ll have to look into that. Our priests and music director are pretty uptight about following the GIRM. It would surprise me that they let that one slip by, although it’s possible. Thanks for the heads up.
 
I have posted about this on another thread, about the church of St. Agnes in St. Paul, MN. Full orchestra mass 30 Sundays out of the year. Best choral experience: the “Credo” from Charles Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass on St. Agnes day a couple years back. A full throated chorus that belts out, unequivocally “Credo in unum Deum!” Click on the link below for the recording of it. Recording quality is so-so. stagnes.net/church/Music.do?displayPage=gounodCD
 
I sang Benjamin Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols” in high school. The choir was a step above most high school choirs – Britten’s work is very challenging. I had the solo on “In Freezing Winter’s Night.” I loved processing in and out of the darkened auditorium, the entire choir carrying candles, singing “Hodie, Christus Natus Est.” This was probably the most “divine” musical experience I’ve had.

Also in high school we sang Vivaldi’s “Gloria,” and I got to sing the “Domine Deus, Agnus Dei.” While my solo was nice, the one aria that sent chills up and down my spine was my best friend’s singing of “Domine Deus.” To this day she has the best and purest soprano I have ever heard.

I’ve sung Handel’s “Messiah” many times. I always sing the alto solos. Singing with a full orchestra is edifying.

I particularly like singing the sacred music of John Rutter, too.

I’d love to sing Mozart’s “Requiem” – the “Lacrimosa” makes me weep.

'thann
 
A) Hearing my godmother sing the “Reproaches” on Good Friday at the Carmel where I was rec. into the Church.

B) The Exultet

C) Faure’s Requiem
 
EWTN just broadcast Faure’s requiem. It was my mother’s favorite, we were not allowed to use it for her funeral but played it at home later. That is what I played the morning of Sept. 11 after seeing the second tower being hit on live TV, while praying the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary.
 
There is absolutely nothing like the Bach B Minor Mass. I sang it last year with an excellent group of singers and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. This music could soften the heart of almost any non-believer in my opinion.

In college, I sang in the male glee club at my university and we took a summer tour of Europe. The highlight was singing the Biebl Ave Maria at the cathedral in Assisi, Italy. The space is known for its reverb (approx. 5-7 seconds if I remember correctly) and we sang it while surrounding the audience. Wonderful. We also sang it during mass at St. Peter’s in Rome.
 
Our choir director distributed Palestrina’s “Sicut Cervus” at rehearsal tonight. Thank goodness it’s that time again. 🙂
 
Hey Jen: We’ve sung it both ways in Latin and in an English translation - “Like as a hart desireth the water brooks, so longeth my soul after thee O God”. And all those English Catholic (i.e. Byrd) motets written in secret and sung by 4 voices! How 'bout Holtz’s “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence?” I’ll probably get hammered for this but I also like the Taize “Veni Sancte Spiritus” sung on Pentecost with all the different languages.
 
We’ve sung the Faure Requiem but has anyone sung the Berlioz?
 
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