Very happy news: the schola will sing Josquin's Ave Christe as communion on Pentecost, the first time of many more Sundays. The schola has a long history with this fragile and astonishingly beautiful piece.

We first attempted it five years ago. But the demands on the singers and the director were just too intense. We didn't yet have the feeling of the tempo. The holds and starts were too difficult to manage. Sometimes the piece seems to turn inside out and backwards, and one almost begins to feel lost in the relationship between notes, beat, and words. The voicings were unlike anything we were used to.

And yet, one could sense that its beauty was there, like a light out of reach.

We tried again two years ago, but still could not do it.

Then about a month ago, we pulled it out again. For the first time, we managed to make it all the way through with some competence. Since then we have worked almost continuously on it. Part of the fear with this piece is that it is too brittle and breakable. One or two mistakes and the whole motet could fall apart. We wanted to be sure.

We seem to there now, which is the fulfillment of many hopes and prayers. This amazing piece will be experienced in our little parish, brought to life in the sacred space that is such much our home.

Ave Christe, immolate in crucis ara,
redemptionis hostia:
morte tua nos amara fac redemptos luce clara tecum frui gloria.
Ave verbum, incarnatum de Maria Virgine,
panis vivus Angelorum, salus et spes infirmorum,
medicina peccatorum.
Salve corpus Jesu Christi,
quod de coelo descendisti et populum redemisti,
qui in cruce pependisti.
Jesu bone, fons pietatis,
laus Angelorum, gloria Sanctorum,
spes peccatorum, miserere nobis.

Hail, O Christ, sacrificed on the altar of the Cross,
an offering of redemption: by thy bitter death,
make us rejoice with thee, redeemed in the clear light of glory.
Hail, Word incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
living bread of the angels,
healing and hope of the sick,
cure of sinners.
Hail, body of Jesus Christ,
who came down from heaven,
and redeemed the people,
who hung upon the cross.
O good Jesus, source of kindness,
praise of the angels, glory of the saints,
hope of sinners, have mercy upon us.

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(If you like it, feel free to link)

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Please note the NEW dates for next year's Sacred Music Workshop: February 16-17, 2007. Register now.

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Catholic Church musicians of all varieties have this in common: the idealistic urge to unite their two great loves of music and faith. For those interested in exploring the broadest possible range of tradition within the Roman Rite framework--one that fulfills the aspirations of the Second Vatican Council--consider the CMAA's Summer Colloquium at the Catholic University of America, June 20-25, 2006. It is an excellent environment for discovering the roots and lost treasures of Catholic music, with a particularly emphasis on chant and polyphony.

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You can't get too far into Catholic sacred music without bumping into "neumes," those little square notes on four lines that look beautiful if oddly antiquated. Most people have no idea how to read them, and most trained musicians are as much at a loss as anyone else.

Well, be not afraid. This is your time-saving, one-article, clip-'n-save introduction to chant notation. Read the full article from Crisis Magazine, May 2006: "An Idiot's Guide to Square Notes".

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The Asperges Me, the first chant the Schola learned, is now blogged.

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