Occasionally in classic Latin hymns we find texts that don’t fit the poetic meter perfectly but have an extra syllable, and these are often notated so as to draw attention to the discrepancy, as here (“digitus”) in the Veni Creator Spiritus: Some choir directors adjust these “hypermetric syllables” to fit the meter: that is, they may “elide” syllables by omitting the vowel of one syllable and combining the rest of that syllable with the next (or the previous one!). For example, in the doxology at the end of a long-meter hymn, the phrase “cum Patre et almo Spiritu” can be sung in eight syllabl ..read more

Watts & Co. is proud to have supplied choir wear for cathedrals worldwide, including St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York (above).Watts and Co. Special Offer! Watts and Co., founded in 1874 has offered a special savings to readers on ChantCafe.com that we want to pass along. They have been long-time advertisers on the NewLiturgicalMovement.org website, supporting our work for many years. Use discount code CCWATTS to receive an 8% discount on all their choir products. Just visit their website at wattsandco.com. A little about Watts and Co.: Traditional hand embroidery remains a key part of Wat ..read more

The post Oremus pro invicem appeared first on Chant Caf ..read more

The martyr Stephen met his death– Forgiveness in his final breath– He interceded for them all Whose cloaks lay at the feet of Saul. The Father, hearing Stephen’s prayer, Gave gifts for all the Church to share When grace and mercy overflowed In light upon Damascus Road. Then bless the Lord of heart and mind Who gives new vision to the blind, Whose reign throughout the world extends, Whose loving-kindness never ends. © 2008 Kathleen Pluth. Permission is given for parish use December 26, 2023, January 24-25, 2024. All other rights reserved. The post A hymn for the saint of the day appea ..read more

Last spring I joyfully and gratefully received the news that my hymn text was chosen as the official Hymn for the USCCB’s important initiative, the Eucharistic Revival. After the editing process, the Hymn and also Diane Mahoney’s original composition, the official Theme Song of the Revival, are now available to parishes. With its themes of salvation and glory, the hymn might well be useful to some during their celebration of Christ the King in a couple of weeks. Let+the+Earth+Acclaim+Christ+Jesus+-+Lyrics Let+The+Earth+Acclaim+Christ+Jesus+-+Assembly+-+Hyfrydol More versions of the Hymn, and t ..read more

Last week (October 12-14), seventy participants came to CMAA’s Fall Sacred Music Workshop at St. Benedict Abbey in Still River, Massachusetts for three days of learning and performing chant and polyphony amid the beautiful hills of Central New England. Starting on Thursday afternoon we prepared the plainchant Mass XII, which we sang on Friday afternoon for a votive Mass of the Sacred Heart, offered in the abbey’s chapel by Abbot Marc Crilly, OSB. We also began to study Palestrina’s Missa Pater noster, a charming Mass taking the plainchant melody of the Pater noster as its main motif. The Pal ..read more

  Monsignor Andrew Wadsworth, for fourteen years Executive Director at the International Commission for English in the Liturgy, and a frequent speaker at CMAA’s Sacred Music Colloquium,  is stepping down from his prominent role at ICEL, while remaining a member of the Commission’s staff and taking on some new duties in the theology department at Georgetown. During his time leading the offices of ICEL, Msgr. Wadsworth shepherded several important translation projects on the way to their completion: the current English version of the Roman Missal, based on the 2002 Missale Romanum  ..read more

Plan to join the weekend workshop August 25-27, 2023 on sacred music at St. Anthony of Padua Parish, 250 Burrin, Winnipeg, MB. The workshop is targeted for beginners who wish to learn the fundamentals of Gregorian Chant, fostering a deeper appreciation of sacred music and equipping attendees with tools and knowledge to bring beautiful music to use at their parishes. A Parish Book of Chant book will be provided for each registrant, as well as all needed materials for the workshop and lunch on Saturday, all for the very reasonable cost of CA$75. The workshop will be led by Catherine Helferty. S ..read more

At the Blessing of the New Organ in St. Peter’s An address of Pope St. John XXIII (Monday, September 26, 1962) [This address was reported in L’Osservatore Romano, September 27, 1962. Italian text (“Nel fervore di questa”.) The translation was prepared by Rev. Austin Vaughan and published in the U.S. quarterly The Pope Speaks (1963, vol. 8, no. 4). The blessing of a new 8,500-pipe organ, installed in the apse of St. Peter’s, was the occasion of the Holy Father’s talk. This organ was built by the Tamburrini Company of Crema, Italy, to accompany the existing organ of similar size installed ten ye ..read more

In the interest of promptly communicating, I thought I would respond widely online to some of the many kind inquiries I’ve received since the Detroit and USCCB Eucharistic Revival Hymn Competition results were announced. I was graced to win the “hymn text” portions of both of those contests. Some folks have asked whether they can use one or the other of the texts. The USCCB text will be made freely available at some point in the near future. The Detroit text, God Our Father, Ever Dwelling, is free to use within the Archdiocese of Detroit until Pentecost of 2025. For others, I am happy to make ..read more