Thursday 14 February 2013

This Weekend

Car permitting, as mine's off the road at the moment, something to do with an ECU, whatever that is. I only just bought the thing a week ago!

Saturday am: Choral Orthodox Liturgy at Ampleforth Abbey, followed no doubt by an excellent lunch. For those of you who think we're in Lent, and shouldn't be indulging, you're only partially right. The vast majority of Orthodox, and most Eastern Rite Catholics don't begin Great Lent until the first weekend in March as there is a 3 week discrepancy between the dates of Easter this year due to the different calendars in use.

Saturday pm sees a return to the Catholic Extraordinary Form for both Vespers (of the BVM) and later, Compline, both at our York base of St. Mary's Bishophill Jnr. Vespers is at 6:30pm. Compline at 8:45. New singers (and congregation) always welcome. :-)

Sunday, sees another minor (this time) calendar switch to the Ordinary Form and a trip up to co. Durham to sing Byrd's mass for 4 voices with the Darlington Ordinariate. They're desperately short of tenors, so if any of you reading this can oblige, and are free on Sunday, get in touch via the Rudgate website email link!

Music in the Diocese of Middlesbrough

I realise I'm guilty of directing readers to excellent blogs and websites in the USA regarding quality articles concerning church music, particularly catholic church music, so it's time to redress the balance a little bit.

This is very encouraging, and very close to home - I do in fact, live in this Diocese! Only a few years ago, liturgically speaking, this area of the UK was almost barren. If you wanted to hear a decent choir sing sacred music in a catholic service, you either had to follow us on our travels across Northern England, or visit Ampleforth in term time. However, the Diocese has got its act together and appointed an excellent musician, Tim Harrison, as Director of Music for both cathedral and diocese, and what a transformation he has made!

Where there were no choirs at all until recently, there are now 5 in residence at the cathedral, comprising of Cathedral Adult, Boy's & Girl's choirs + Ladies' & Mens' Schola Cantorum.

A tremendous amount of hard work has gone into this, and Tim deserves huge congratulations and a lot more publicity, something this blog can only go a little way towards achieving!

The link to the Diocesan music site can be found here.

From the excellent Chant Café

Lent Is Victoria Time

We need more Bishops like this!

Bishop Sample's Pastoral Letter on Sacred Music