Sunday choral report

Circumstances only permitted a half hour rehearsal this morning, but our music went reasonably well.

During the Offertory we sang Josquin's Ave Maria, presented below by the Tallis Scholars. (My email subscribers may not be getting the embedded video. If you'd like to see it, go to the link to my blog at the end of the email.)



During Communion, we presented Jesu Dulcis Memoria, sung here by the Cambridge Singers.


We were rather short of male singers this morning, with only one bass and two tenors, one of them a substitute for our cantor, but I think we managed to pull it off with our organist singing whichever male part needed him.

I spent a lazy afternoon, finishing up another read-through of Atonementby Ian McEwan in preparation for the screening tomorrow at TIFF, part of the Books on Film series. Playwright and screenwriter Christopher Hampton will be there for an interview with Eleanor Wachtel after the screening. The novel is so layered with emotion (or lack thereof) that it was perfect for a sunny Sunday afternoon on the porch.

It will be a busy week. Besides the screening, we are seeing two operas at the COC (Tuesday and Wednesday evenings) and then Michael's final music concert of high school on Thursday,where he will be featured playing a tuba concerto composed by another student at the school.

From the divine to the devil

The Divine

I used to publish a Sunday Choral Report detailing what we sang in my church choir. When we returned to Canada five years ago, we were lucky to land in a parish with a fabulous organist and traditional choir at the 11:30 am mass. We rehearse from 10-11:15 on Sunday mornings in preparation for that mass, so there's no weeknight rehearsal which is best for a choir made up of  professional singers and musicians (who sing)  as well as strong amateurs.

Our organist/director has a love of the Renaissance so we often sing from that era. This  morning was no exception. For the offertory we sang Nigra sum sed formosa filia Jerusalem by Tomás Luis de Victoria. The first line of text (originally from Song of Solomon) replaces the singular filliae (daughters) with filia (daughter) pointing to Mary. The full (English) text is as follows:

I am a dark-skinned but comely daughter of Jerusalem,
Therefore have I pleased the Lord
And he has brought me into his chamber
And said to me: arise my love and come.
For now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone,
The flowers have appeared in our land,
The time of pruning is come.

Chanticleer performs it here.

During Communion we sang Homo Quidam in a setting by Jean Mouton. I cannot find a recording to share, but the text is translated as:

Certain man organized a great dinner and sent his servant at the hour of dinner so that he said to his guests to come: Because everything is prepared.Come to eat my bread and to drink my wine that I prepared for you.

Quite an appropriate Communion hymn.

The Devil

After mass, I travelled south to my my monthly book club meeting where we shared our thoughts onGone Girlby Gillian Flynn. [No spoilers follow.] A psychological thriller featuring an arguably evil protagonist, I personally found it both hard to put down and necessary to set aside as the tension rose. Themes of marriage, life in the big-city vs. small-town South, the fate of print journalism and the impact of the 24-hour news cycle and quest to be first with "the" story were all present and considered by the group. While the book was rated on average 8/10 with a small range (7-9), differences of opinion were expressed about the protagonist's mental state and motivation for the events detailed in the novel. We all loved her plotting (with some debate over how much closure the ending achieved), her sense of humour, and agreed that we'd all see the movie together when it comes out. We had one new member today, and a couple of usual members were absent, but the discussion was excellent. It topped the Amazon.ca Best Pick for 2012list.

On my drive home, I considered my descent from the divinity of the mass and the music we sang, to the discussion of evil and how it comes into a person, a marriage, and a world. On arriving home, I was greeted by my husband sitting on the porch with the papers, a whisky, and a cigar, the first time we've had our furniture out on the deck this spring. Life in the middle seems pretty ok.

M is for Ma(r)y

As we move into the month of May, my parish choir presents songs to Mary. This has to be one of the most beautiful choral pieces ever written, and was apparently Rachmaninoff's favourite composition. We sang this on Sunday and below is a version sung (by men only) by the Westminster Chorus.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4zGqHSzajc]

 

In the search for the Voice of God...

...some believe Gregorian chants are preferable to folk music

Charles Lewis  Apr 22, 2011 

Aaron Lynett/National Post

Brother Brian holds his rosary as he, along with Frater Stanislaus (centre) and Frater Herman Joseph (right) rehearse for their choir specializing in Gregorian Chant at the Holy Family Church in Toronto

When Philip Fournier sings a line of Gregorian chant, it hangs like a puff of smoke in the air before it slowly dissipates above the empty pews below.

The sound, listening to it live from a distance of just several inches away in the choir loft at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Toronto, is ancient, elemental. The sound originates in his abdomen — a line of text that flows out like a wave, sung in tones that are dark and rich. The words are in Latin. It is not a song so much as prayer that is sung.

Mr. Fournier, with his ragged sweater and perpetual five o’clock shadow, is part of a small cadre of traditionalists for whom singing Gregorian chant is an attempt to restore what they see as the real music of the Catholic Church — sounds that go back to the time when King David sang psalms in the temple. 

If they had their way, they would storm the parish churches and hurl all the guitars and drums into the street because they believe substituting modern music for ancient music has eroded worship.

Philip Fournier

via life.nationalpost.com

Read the rest at the link above.

I'm a huge chant fan, although realize that to encourage congregational participation in the novus ordo mass, we need to sing familiar hymns and (re-)inroduce these more traditional forms slowly. Both of the parishes I have belonged to since I became Catholic moved to Latin mass parts for Advent and Lent, and my current choir uses a lot of renaissance (and some medieval) music during the offertory and communion periods. We are also (apparently) ordering the Parish Book of Chant and this should go a long way to including more chant in the liturgy.

Duruflé Mania

I missed choir last week due to illness, but I was happy to be back today, particularly since both of our pieces were by Duruflé.  During the Offertory, we sang Ubi Caritas.

Here's the Chor of King's College Cambridge....

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwR_dM-1MlU]

Then, during Communion we sang Duruflé's Notre Pere.

Here's the Ensemble Vocal de l'AVP singing at l'Église Saint Merry (Paris 4e):

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m15EYvYvvuA]

These pieces are stunning in their harmony and forward movement, and are a joy to sing.  While I'm excited to be travelling to England in the next couple of weeks, I'm sorry to not be singing with the choir over the Easter weekend.

Today's earworm....

[audio http://janetberkman.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/24167-10_teach_me_o_lord_teach_me_o_.mp3]
10 Teach me, O Lord_ Teach me, O Lor.m4a

...the anthem we sung during the Offertory yesterday.  William Byrd's Teach Me, O Lord, sung here by the Hereford Cathedral Choir.

Gorgeous modulation during the Gloria (about 2:30).

Sunday Choral Report

We are blessed with a terrific parish choir, comprised of a combination of professional singers, musicians, and keen amateurs. Our rehearsals are the hour and a quarter before mass, where we spend our time preparing the days hymns, choir-only pieces, and work on music for upcoming weeks with remaining time. We rehearse in a room in the lower level of the church building, and then in the quarter hour before mass, we have a break, robe, and head up to the loft at the rear of the nave during the organ prelude. 

Today's rehearsal went quite well.  We prepared Francis Poulenc's Salve Regina for the Offertory and Jesu, Dulcis Memoria (Tomás Luis de Victoria) for Communion.  I wasn't completely firm on some of the difficult intervals in the Poulenc, but it was 98% good.  

Singing from the loft is such a pleasure.  The difference in the sound between our enclosed rehearsal room and the soaring space in the church is huge.  We also stand in a semi-circle around the organ console when we sing and the acoustics are quite different.  As a result, our efforts typically sound much better when we actually "perform".  (I realise that's not the correct word to use during mass....)  It was no exception this morning.  I joked to one of my colleagues that I got intervals in the Poulenc during mass that I hadn't managed to get during the rehearsal.  It's always a pleasure to finally hear ourselves singing from the loft.  

The presider spoke about the Church's newest saint, the first male saint born on Canadian soil, Brother André Bessette, now Saint André of Montreal.  Father quoted Saint Augustine's recommendation to "Pray as if everything depends on God, and work as if everything depends on you."  I think that will be my maxim for the upcoming week.  I have a lot of catching up to do.

Monday Miscellany - last sprint before we leave.

I have been a bad blogger, but it's been a little frantic around here as we have one boy in exams, one man in high work stress, and one trip to Paris (this Thursday) to prep for.  The trip doesn't really feel real, I was remarking to Z last night.  We were in Rome barely three months ago, and Paris was booked very quickly due to my mother-in-law's health issues.  Because we will want to spend a lot of time with her, we're not doing our usual planning for day-trips and excursions.  We're just heading over there with our bags and our prayers.  Alex and I will return after eight days as he starts his summer camp job later this month.  Michael will stay on with his father for another week and do some touring, likely St. Malo/Mont St. Michel and then the chateaux de la Loire.  One of his cousins may join them, and a convertible Golf has been offered up, do it should be a fun road trip for the guys.

Last week was busy.  We saw the Eagles with Dixie Chicks Tuesday night and it was a great concert. I was surprised to see Natalie Maines with a very short haircut.  They did some of their hits, some less familiar music, and a cover of Train's "Hey Soul Sister".  The Eagles played a long set, packed with hits and a very 70s vibe to the staging/video.  We were in a corporate box, so quite far from the stage in the Rogers Centre, but it was a great show that had everyone in the house singing along.

On Friday, I headed to Stratford with some gals from the choir to see The Tempest.  We had a picnic by the lake with napping swans and ducks around our feet, saw the show and then dined at The Church before heading back to Toronto.  It was the first public performance of the Tempest, which has it's media opening in a couple of weeks, and it was a stunner.  Apart from a few sound issues (we had trouble hearing some of the actors when their backs were to us), it was stacked with talent and was received with an instantaneous ovation.  It was lovely getting to know these ladies a little better, and it was a farewell to one of the long-standing members of the alto section who is moving to Stittsville.

The Parish choir is winding down for the year....two more Sundays of singing (of which I'll miss next week while we're away) and then we close for the summer.  So we've been pulling out some familiar music.  This Sunday, we sang Brahms' Lass dich nur nichts nicht dauren (pdf) and John Sheppard's sublime The Lord's Supper (pdf).

 

I've joined another choir for the summer and we rehearse on Monday nights.  I'll miss the next two rehearsals, one while I'm in Paris.  On June 28th I have tickets to the National Theatre's live broadcast of the play London Assurance which I purchased months ago, before I joined the choir.

Before we leave, I need to finish up one of my genealogy courses, complete a CWL newsletter for our parish bulletin, get the house in order, pay some bills and do all the laundry before we pack.  I've done all the newspaper cancellation/dog boarding stuff so it's really the last minute things that are on my mind now.  Plus supervise study time for Michael.  He writes his last exam on Thursday morning, and we leave that evening.

I may not be back before we leave, but I'll try to post some photos while we're away.

Sunday Choral Report

The choir sounded quite wonderful yesterday!  It never fails to amaze me how much better we sound from the loft compared to the rehearsal room in the basement of the church, particularly with certain types of music.

This week, we sang Josquin's 4-voice Salve Regina during the offertory and Jesu Dulcis Memoria (Tomas Luis.de Victoria) during communion (pdf).  They are simply thrilling to sing.  I can't find a video of the Josquin, but here's one of the latter.

The text, in English:

Jesus, sweet remembrance,
Granting the heart its true joys,
But above honey and all things Is His sweet presence.

You can't have too much music....

What a (long) weekend musically speaking!  Starting with the TSO and Verdi's Requiem on Thursday night, it's been a very rich weekend.  

Friday night, I joined 10 women at a birthday party for an old friend at the Jerusalem Restaurant where, once we were almost finished our meal, we were treated to Arabic music and lots of belly dancing.  Not just the woman who works at the restaurant but a number of women who were at a table near us, who continued to party after the dancer had moved on to another area of the restaurant.  It was an interesting group of about 12...all middle-eastern or north African women, but a spectrum of very glamourous form-fitting outfits with makeup and jewellry to head-covered-no-makeup types.  Some of the former were most likely Christian as they were wearing crosses.  But the music was great and it was fun to watch the dancing and celebration.

Saturday, Michael participated in the second of two Kiwanis Music Festival band performances.  Friday, he played with the Junior Stage Band (bass trombone) and although they were the only entry in their class, they scored 89 and thus a gold medal.  On Saturday, the Junior Concert Band competed and they were second in the adjudicated class and scored a 90 as the only entrant in the Challenge (open reperatoire) class.

Sunday morning was choir and mass.  We sang the most beautiful Cantate Domino by Hans Leo Hassler during the offertory and Thou Knowest Lord, the Secrets of Our Hearts (Henry Purcell) (Version from YouTube embedded below). This beautiful piece was written for the funeral of Queen Mary II in 1695.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf_84OQgZSg?wmode=transparent]

Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts;

shut not thy merciful ears unto our pray'rs;

but spare us, Lord most holy, O God most mighty.

O holy and most merciful Saviour,
thou most worthy Judge eternal,
suffer us not, at our last hour,
for any pains of death, to fall from thee. Amen.

Right after lunch, we headed down to Mazzoleni Hall at the Royal Conservatory to hear a performance in the Glenn Gould Faculty Series featuring their percussion faculty John Rudolph and David Kent, with the Glenn Gould School Percussion Ensemble and special guests percussionist John Wong and flautist Kathleen Rudolph.  I know Kathleen from choir, and  the composer of one of the works is Michael's tuba teacher (Rob Teehan), so it was especially nice to be able to attend, and it was a terrific show.  I can't say that I've listened to that much percussion repertoire and I very much enjoyed the afternoon.

We're looking forward to next weekend when we'll enjoy the TSO again (La Pasion) and COC's Otello!  We're so lucky to live in this great city and be able to enjoy so much world-class music.