HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2013 WELCOME!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!  Clang the bells and welcome in 2013!  I very likely am sleep as this posts for me automatically (Thank God for WordPress!) but my heart is in the welcoming of the New Year. I hope for everyone much grace and many blessings in the coming year. Remember that Jan I, 2013 is a Feast Day and Holy Day of Obligation. I hope everyone sings a wonderful Marian hymn or two to honor Mary, Theotokos. Let us be sure to seek willful holiness, sanctity, and all the virtues in the coming year so that we become better examples … Continue reading

Sacred and Religious Music

Religious music is wonderful for reinforcing our understanding of our Faith and excellent for building our Catholic cultures, but not all religious music is appropriate for use during the Mass. Just up front I want to let my readers know that: I am totally in favor of singing the mass as the norm rather than speaking it;  I am completely in love with the high quality older music that has survived the test of time; I believe the choir should be in the loft or at least well out of the line of sight of the congregation because it is … Continue reading

Unintended Heresies

Catholic Teaching is a beautifully simple thing even in its complexity.  Every word has meaning, every phrase is the result of centuries of thinking and prayer and the fruit of MANY discussions and the decisions of ecumenical councils.  It is a rock on which to build one’s house.  Solid in the storms that come because it is the Truth about God. I have a favorite Marian hymn which I sing with a single word changed from the original.  Why would I do this?  I make the one word change in this fine song because as it is worded it reflects … Continue reading

Old Catholic Music: Dies Irae, dies illa

I love old hymns.  Especially ones that were meant to be sung during worship of God in the holy Mass.  Hymns of the Breviary and Missal is a marvelous site. The web site has tons of historical notes which are just an incredible resource about the music.  It explains concepts that, due to the age of the music, might not be so easily understood. If you love Hymnology I recommend that you go enjoy this web site and explore the depths of the entire project. I enjoy all the music of the Church.  Even hymns which seem dark on the … Continue reading

Music Theory and the Autoharp

Music theory never interested me when I was growing up.  Now that I am older and seeking to move from Quicksilver to Gold in my life, I find myself seeking more knowledge of music theory to help me learn to play my autoharp. Jumping into music, I discovered a whole world of music theory and my total ignorance of such a vast area of knowledge.  I knew that my autoharp, a chromatic instrument, could play in pretty much any key and I have 21 chords I can make with this instrument but I did not know much about what a … Continue reading