Another Friday is near... the second Friday of Lent. I'll take a little time out to see if I can put together seven thoughts... Check out Jennifer's blog over at Conversion Diary.
1. It is finally nice and warm again. Yesterday the temp got into the mid '80's. The boys were happy to play outside. We have a fairly steep driveway, that seems to be perfect for riding scooters and flying turtles at breakneck speed and narrowly missing the live oak tree at the edge of the drive before careening off onto the grass... I keep saying it looks too dangerous to me... my husband says it is just what boys like to do. So, I insist they wear their helmets and try their best to avoid the tree and try not to look.
2. I've received my 5 copies of Sing Like a Catholic. One copy went to my pastor... one went out on loan to a schola member. Two are packaged up to send off to my parents and former pastor. One is marked up with pencil markings where I found a few more corrections I missed before the first printing. Happily, they weren't earth-shatteringly bad... just little minor things... even things that could be considered a matter of taste.
The Church Music Association of America now has a vendor site on Amazon where several books are listed for sale. I've been monitoring the inventory and processing shipping requests, so it has kept me busy. Check out the site here.
3. We are the happy purchasers of a quarter of beef... all nicely packaged and in the freezer. It was a young cow raised by a 4-H student and sold at the annual auction... so, no weird stuff fed to it... we had steaks last night and they were very good. Nice and tender.
4. I would really like to make it to the parish stations of the cross tonight... so maybe we'll make an evening of it with the boys...
5. Getting older is not for the faint-hearted. It also helps if you have a good sense of humor. Next week I hit that lovely milestone -- and to honor it, I got my temporary AARP membership card. Now I just would really like to know why they don't have any more sense than to send a woman such a vivid reminder of her age the week before the birthday... surely not many are so tempted by their fabulous benefits that they send in the membership fee...
I can tell you, it didn't work with me. I did keep the temporary card, though, and have had quite a few laughs... perhaps I'll try to get the senior discount at dinner tonight by waving it at the waitress...
6. We are working through some really lovely chants with the schola. Since we are still a new schola, there are many propers I would love to do that are just a little too much for this year. But, I have chosen some absolutely wonderful choices for this year during Holy Week. We'll be singing on Palm Sunday, Good Friday and probably also on Easter morning. There are so many wonderful chants...
We'll be singing the following pieces:
Palm Sunday:
Hosanna Filio David
Gloria Laus (although this is typically done during the procession, I'm not sure where we'll use it)
Pater, si non (Communion proper) click on it to listen to a recording of it at IsaacJogues.org
Good Friday:
Reproaches -- Popule Meus (this is the very powerful proper text to use during the veneration of the cross -- and the refrain portions are really not that difficult. The schola has already learned the two different refrains... I'll sing the verses in between)
The words can really bring you to tears...
Here is a sampling of it:
Refrain in Latin: Popule meus, quid feci tibi? Aut in quo contristavi te? Responde mihi.
translation: My people, what have I done to you? How have I offended you? answer me.
1st verse: Quia eduxi te de terra Aegypti: parasti Crucem Salvatori tuo.
translation: I led you out of Egypt, from slavery to freedom, but you led your Savior to the cross.
2nd Refrain in Greek/Latin: Hagios o Theos. Sanctus Deus. Hagios Ischyros. Sanctus Fortis. Hagios Athanatos, eleison hymas. Sanctus Immortalis, miserere nobis.
translation: Holy is God! (Greek) Holy is God! (Latin), Holy and strong! (Greek) Holy and strong! (Latin), Holy imortal One, have mercy on us! (Greek and then Latin)
2nd verse: Quia eduxi te per desertum qudraginta annis, et manna cibavi te, et introduxi in terram satis optimam: parasti Crucem Salvatori tuo.
translation: For forty years I led you safely through the desert. I fed you with manna from heaven and brought you to a land of plenty; but you led your Saviour to the cross.
It continues on for several verses, alternating with the two refrains... it has a very haunting melody, sounds very middle-eastern in places.
I'll fill you in on more pieces that we are learning... next week.
7. One of the gifts I got for my soon to be coming birthday is The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, published by Baronius Press. One of the schola members brought it with her one evening... I was so enthralled by the beautiful book and its lovely chants for the office... I've been learning my way through it.
Wishing you many blessings as I approach a half century...
2 comments:
I love my Little Office and use it periodically throughout the year for Lauds. Bring yours to the Colloquium and we can do a "private office."
I find it very unnerving that AARP knows when my birthday is. I've been hearing from them regularly for a few years now ....
Oh, that would be so great. I am still a bit mystified about how exactly to use it correctly. I have even read the instructions (which is not my usual style).
AARP can send me as many applications for membership as they want -- I am not joining up!
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