Monday, January 7, 2008

Ash Wednesday and Accompanied Polyphony

We are going to try to work together with the regular choir for Ash Wednesday... perhaps we can make a nice blend of the styles of music each group does for that 1st day of Lent this year. We'll be singing the XVII chant ordinaries throughout Lent. My biggest concern with that is that the entire Lenten season will be exclusively the domain of the cantors and regular choir. The schola sings no Mass in all of Lent except for the part we will sing on Ash Wednesday. While I am glad that chant ordinaries will be used at all the Masses, I am concerned about how they'll be sung.

Ah, well... we shall hope for the best. On Ash Wednesday, I have made a proposal that the schola sing during the imposition of ashes. Otherwise, it is all up to the regular choir. In looking over the proper antiphons for Ash Wednesday, I found that part of the text for the 2nd antiphon contained "Parce, Domine"; part of the text on the 3rd antiphon contains "Attende, Domine". So, rather than trying to get the schola to learn three new propers, I have suggested that we sing the two hymns in place of the 2nd and 3rd antiphons. Both pieces were sung by the schola last year... so we should be able to get them sounding very nice again for this year. The only new proper we'll have to learn is the first one...

I also proposed a joint effort in terms of one piece of polyphony for a meditation piece after Communion. I am not sure how that will work out. We may have to shelve that idea for another time.

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