Hail Mary, Gentle Woman?

Not that I would program it in any case, but is this actually a common choice for whatever Sunday of Paschaltide falls on Mothers' Day?

A choir member bemoaned at rehearsal this week that we weren't singing it.

Bad enough, as part of the preludial extravaganza, we will be offering On This Day, O Beautiful Mother," (Himself always falls into his Bugs Bunny imitation at the mere mention of the chestnut.)

I find it difficult to believe that the composer of the tune most used for Come Holy Ghost, and of that very sturdy setting of Panis Angelicus could have had such an off-day....

I led several decades of life utterly ignorant of the existence of the song, but it is a parish fave -- my first year on the job I did not know that, did not know it, and failed to program it on Mothers Day, and nearly drowned in the flood of tears from choristers and PIPs who accosted me after Mass.

I'm only half joking, they really did weep.
I felt horrible.

So we're doing it.

But we're also doing that woderful Cherubini canon with the text, "Christ is the true vine, we are the branches," the Pitoni Cantate Domino, and a decent choral Regina Coeli, so...

Not Ordinary

Because we are a parish nurtured by the CPPS, we commemorate St Gaspar del Buffalo this week.
Prelude: O Deus Ego Amo Te, trad.
It is a Good Thing to Give Thanks to the Lord, Kent
Entrance: Glory Be to Jesus, text Fr Faber, music Justin Henkel
Gloria, Lee
Psalm 98, Go into the whole world... Ostrowski, St Noel Chabanel Psalter
Gosp. Acc. LAND OF REST
Offertory: For All the Saints, SINE NOMINE
Sanctus, Acc. Amen: Land of Rest
Agnus Dei: Isele, Holy Cross Mass
Communion: O Bone Jesu, Palestrina
w/ congregation Eat This Bread, Taize
Closing: Go Make of All Disciples ST THEODULPH
Choral Postlude: Jezisu Bud Ucteny (a Slovak hymn to the Precious Blood)

OT 28

Did I ever post this? Can't recall
...........
Prelude :
Ave Maria (Arcadelt)
Divine Praises (Grey?)

Processional- The Master Came to Bring Good News
Penitential Rite - spoken
Gloria: Lee, # 254, Men sing all, women sing phrases marked "II"
Psalm 98, Hunstiger
Gospel acclamation, Land of Rest, choir intones, and sings verse
Offertory: Keep in Mind
Please do NOT make up harmonies to this
Sanctus, Acclamation & Amen: Land of Rest
Agnus Dei: Isele
Communion:
IF YOU HAVE NOT REHEARSED THIS DO NOT MAKE UP HARMONIES
Gift of Finest Wheat
Closing: Sing a New Song (;oP)
Postlude: How Can I keep From Singing? (Lowry)

OT 27

(Yes, I'm very late with this, I forgot...)
Choral Prelude:
Zdravas bud Maria
Veni Creator
Organ improv on Keep in Mind and ST COLUMBA
Entrance: The Works of the Lord (KREMSER)
Pen rite: spoken
Gloria: Lee
Psalm 95, If today you hear His, voice..., chanted to tone
Gospel Acc, Sanctus, Mem. Acc. and Amen: Land of Rest
Offertory: O Lord the Giver of All Life (ST COLUMBA)
Agnus Dei: Isele, Holy Cross Mass
Communion: Taste and See, Moore
Recessional : Come Holy Ghost (LAMBILOTTE)
Choral Postlude: Cantate Domino, Pitoni
At non-choir Masses, some very sweet little Guilmant thing, all I can remember is that is was in F :-P

Incidentally, I seem to be the only one I know of who found the second reading ("I remind you, to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. ....Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit") a rationale for hymns and canticles directed toward the Third Person of the Holy Trinity.

OT 26

OT 26
Prelude: Christ Mighty Savior, David Hurd
Improv on SLANE, and #33 form Dom P Benoit's 50 Elevations
Entrance: I Heard the Voice of Jesus Said (KINGSFOLD)
Kyrie: Danish with invocations chanted recto tono
Gloria: Lee
Psalm 46 Hunstiger
Gosp Acc Danish
Offertory: Lord of All Hopefulness (SLANE)
Sanc., An, and Am. - Danish Amen
Agnus Dei - Danish
Communion - Eye Has Not Seen
Choral Mass - O Sacrum Convivium (Remondi)
Closing: God Whose Purpose is to Kindle (ODE TO JOY)
Postlude: Rondeau in D minor, Purcell

No, really, OT 25

All that ranting, and I didn't post my program, the ostensible reason for the post....

Prelude: Precious Lord, Take My Hand (we had anointing of the sick)
Christ is the True Vine, Cherubini
Organ improv on IN BABILONE and the Gregorian AVE VERUM
Processional: To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King
Kyrie: Danish Amen Mass w/ added chanted invocations
Gloria: Lee
Psalm 113 - Guimont
Offertory Song: Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service (IN BABILONE)
Gsp Acc.: Danish
Music during the Sacrament: Lay Your Hands, arr. Scelata
Sanctus, Acc., Amen, Agnus: Danish Amen Mass
Communion: The Cry of the Poor, Foley
At healing Mass, verses from Psalm 63 w/ antiphon, Jesus Christ Son of God, Heal Us With Your Love (GOIN' HOME)
Closing: God We Praise You (NETTLETON)
Postlude: Voluntary in D, Boyce
Choral Postlude: Hymn to the Little Flower (we began a novena to ST Therese today)

OT 24

Prelude: O Sacrum Convivium (Remondi)
Our Father We Have Wandered (PASSION CHORALE)
Improv on SLANE (except at anticipated Mass, improv on STABAT MATER)
Entrance: King of Love (ST COLUMBA)
Kyrie: Danish with invocations chanted recto tono
Gloria: Lee
Psalm 51, I will rise and go to my Father, Ostrowski
http://chabanelpsalms.org/responsorial_psalms.htm
Gosp Acc Danish
Offertory: How Good It Is (LAND O' REST)
Sanc., An, and Am. - Danish Amen
Agnus Dei - Danish
Communion - Jesus Christ Bread of Life, Taize/Batastini eked out with Gregorian Ave Verum
Choral Mass - N ow the Silence, Schalk/Vajda
Closing: For the Beauty of the Earth (DIX)
Postlude: Let Your Light So Shine

Many choral repeats from the previous week, as we were singing at a different Mass .
The response from the Chabanel Psalter drew marvelous response, very high level of participation even at the normally... diffident? contemplative? 7:00 am crowd. (There are the people who, exhorted to greater participation and they asked by a liturgist why they wouldn't sing snarled, "Maybe we would if you'd stop asking us to sing the theme song from Bonanza..."
I will definitely continue to work the Chabanel psalms into the mix, they are a great gift to the Church.
Super turn-out from the choir, I had to cadge a few extra missallettes from downstairs.

It was, however, as if I were trying an entirely new system for EVERYTHING, even veterans were trying to take music from the console, asking for extra copies of the psalm, getting lost because the gospel acclamation was on the back of the Kyrie, sing men's part if they were women and vice versa, and FACING THE BACK OF THE LOFT.
(What is with that?)

I am trying to figure out an utterly no-nonsense way of phrasing "The Rules" for them to have, open to no mis-interpretation or misunderstanding what-so-ever, written out, that will not be too harsh.
(Yeah, I am living in a dream world.)

Oh, and one cantor just didn't show.
He's a teenager, and a really good kid, lovely voice, and I'm trying to be super patient and bring him along, don't want to lose him, but the situation is grinding me down.

OT 23

Prelude: O Sacrum Convivium (Remondi)
The Divine Praises (Grey) (the choir always sing this on the 2nd Sunday of the month, Holy Name Sunday at our parish)
Inprov on SLANE and ST CATHERINE
Entrance: Faith of Our Fathers
Kyrie: Danish with invocations chanted recto tono
Gloria: Lee
Psalm 90, In every age, O Lord, You have been our refuge, Guimont
Gosp Acc Danish (this just reminded me, was that a dream last night, or did I actually find a different published setting of the Alleluia, entirely different, but compatible melody, to the Danish Amen Mass?)
Offertory: Lift High the Cross (not an obvious choice for this slot in the 4 Hymn Sandwich, not quite as boisterously as we usually sing it, slower and softer, but I wanted, for once, to sing all the verses and the Offertory procession is the only possibility of such a practice... they still sang it as if it were their school fight song)
Sanc., An, and Am. - Danish Amen (I like the SATB I wrote, and the choir seems to as well)
Agnus Dei - Danish
Communion: Take Up Your Cross (O WALY WALY) eked out with # 30 from the Benoit 50 Elevations on Modal Themes
Choral Mass "Like as the Hart" Novello
Closing: Now Thank We All Our God
Postlude: Let Your Light So Shine

Excellent choral turn-out, the entire bass and tenor sections, and 6 each S and A, all the psalmists strong, all the congregational singing good, and I didn't make too many egregious mistakes on the pedals (the manual are another matter...)

Belatedly, 22 OT

Prelude: Aaronic Blessing
My Song is Love Unknown
Entrance: Joyful, Joyful (ODE TO JOY)
Kyrie: Chanted invocations (recto tono) + Danish
Gosp Acc, Sanctus, Anemnasis, Amen and Agnus Dei: Danish Amen Mass
Gloria: Lee "Congregational"
Offertory: Lord Whose Love in Humble Service (IN BABILONE)
Communion: What Wondrous Love Is This?
Panis Angelicus, Lambilotte
Closing: Sing a New Song (ONSLOW SQUARE)
Choral Postlude: God of Our Fathers

21st Ordinary

Not too pleased, but not too chagrined.
One "why haven't we sung XXX in so long?," one I am trying to teach, NO good approximation of any proper -- oh, unless you count Gift of Finest Wheat... "Lord, the earth is full of Your gift from heaven; man grows bread from earth and wine to cheer his heart." Not a bad match-up.
Prelude: improv on MCKEE and Ave Verum (Gregorian)
Entrance: Praise to the Lord (Lobe Den Herren)
Kyrie, Gosp Acc, Sanctus, Anemnasis, Amen and Agnus Dei: Danish Amen Mass
Gloria: Lee "Congregational"
Offertory: Improv on THE CALL and MCKEE, then sung In Christ There is No East of West
Communion: G of FW, eked w/ SLANE
Closing: God Make of All Disciples (ST THEODULPH)
Postlude: Stanley, Voluntary in A minor.

For next week I am going to write out and add chanted invocations to the Kyrie for the cantors to use when it's one of the priests who doesn't like the Confiteor. I HATE doing the naked Lord, have ...2X, Christ, have...2X, Lord, have... 2X and calling that a complete penitential rite.

I wish I could start stealthing in a Gregorian ordinary, but it will not be countenanced.
Maybe I'll ask again about trying out the Community.
The Gathers are, I am guiltily pleased to report, on their last legs, and I think Fr and the committee agree with me that with the new translation so imminently pending, it would be foolish to buy now. If we could go to a xeroxed weekly "worship aid" I would have access to much better texts, many great tunes we don't currently use, more latitude in my choice of psalm settings and even the chance to veeeeeeery slowly work in some propers (but no Latin...)
Well, what happens, happens. I will do ... what I can.

Music for 20th Ordinary

I've never posted my music programs, (yeah, yeah, out of fear of having my choices trashed, especially since they aren't entirely mine,) but here goes. (Nothing of which I'm actually ashamed.)

Not a bad weekend, musically.
Well, not a horrific weekend.
Prelude: Improv on St THOMAS and NETTLETON
Entrance: Christ is Made the Sure Foundation (ST THOMAS)
except at Mass with what we call the "3rd Rite" of Baptism, Becker "Litany of Various Good People We Admire"
Penitential Rite: Kyrie from "Danish Amen" Mass
Gloria: Lee "Congregational Mass"
Psalm 40, O Lord, Come to my aid, Hunstiger (Basilica Psalter?)
Gospel Acclamation: Dnaish Amen w/ chanted verse from lectionary
Offertory: God We Praise You (NETTLETON)
Sanctus, Anemnasis and Amen: Danish Amen
Agnus Dei: Danish
Communion With the Lord There is Mercy, Haugen
the remaining time eked out variously with THE CALL, and Nimrod
Recessional: Lift High the Cross (CRUCIFER)
Postlude:Bach "Praeambulum," BWV 924

No parts of the Ordinary that failed to reflect the ACTUAL TEXT OF THE MISSAL.
A psalm that correlated with the Lectionary (no paraphrase, no instance of, "this is what I would have written, if I had been responsible for.... oh, I dunno, the Word of God?)
A communion song that was a good approximation of the Proper.
An add-on (closing song,) that reflected the readings as well as the parochial celebration of Baptisms.
Strong singing of solid texts in the other hymns.
Not a word of Latin, or Greek.
No authentic chant.
But baby-steps...