Rex Olandi Rex Cledendi

Tu, armonica Cecilia / Splenda l'alba in oriente

I have read that both Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti said a prayer to St. Cecilia before each performance. That encouraged me to start searching for an appropriate prayer; one full of meaning. Finally, I found Cecilia, volgi un sguardo, and in particular, two selections within it: "Tu, armonica Cecilia" (tenor recitative) and "Splenda l'alba in oriente" (tenor aria). PDF HTML

Here they are, both in English, and in the original Italian:

Recitative

You, harmonious Cecilia,
who ravished with your singing,
who enchanted with your playing,
let it be granted to this gathering
of your worthy followers
that they may imitate your merits,
for a noble birth becomes obscure
without Virtue to match.

Tu, armonica Cecilia,
che rapisti col canto,
che incantasti col suono,
fa pur che sia concesso
a questo stuol de’ tuoi seguaci egregi
imitarne i tuoi pregi,
perché un nobil natale
si rende oscur senza Virtute eguale.

Aria

Whether the dawn shines in the east,
or the sun sinks in the west,
I shall always extol Virtue.
Let my voice be more melodious,
let my lyre be more harmonious,
beyond heaven and beyond the stars
I shall exalt
her high and beautiful glories.
Whether the dawn shines in the east,
or the sun sinks in the west,
I shall always extol Virtue.

Splenda l’alba in oriente,
cada il sole in occidente,
Virtù sempre esalterò.
Sia la lingua più canora,
sia la cetra più sonora,
oltre il ciel, oltre le stelle,
le sue belle
alte glorie innalzerò.
Splenda l’alba in oriente,
cada il sole in occidente,
Virtù sempre esalterò.

There is a nice rendition of "Splenda l'alba in oriente" by the American mezzo-soprano, Vivica Genaux.

Hail! Bright Cecilia

I can't tell you the joy this day brings me, as we honor St. Cecilia on this her feast day - the patron saint of musicians in general, and vocalists and organists in particular.

Deepening my devotion to her has moved me to search for music dedicated to her. I found the major works: Hymn to St. Cecilia, by Benjamin Britten; An Ode for St. Ceclia's Day, by Georg Friedrich Händel; and Ode to St. Cecilia, by Henry Purcell.

May all musicians pay her the homage she is due. St. Cecilia, pray for us.

Open the Door to Tradition

With the Holy Father's recent Motu Proprio on the liberation of the use of the traditional Latin Mass, we can't help but be pleased. This move validates the aspirations of millions of devout Catholics around the world. Here is an excerpt:

"Since time immemorial it has been necessary - as it is also for the future - to maintain the principle according to which each particular Church must concur with the universal Church, not only as regards the doctrine of the faith and the sacramental signs, but also as regards the usages universally accepted by uninterrupted apostolic tradition, which must be observed not only to avoid errors but also to transmit the integrity of the faith, because the Church's law of prayer corresponds to her law of faith."

[Via EWTN]

Holy Father Again Attempts to Restore Chant

In the Holy Father's recent apostolic exhortation, entiltled Sacramentum Caritatis, we read again how he is trying to restore the use of liturgical Latin and Gregorian chant.

In order to express more clearly the unity and universality of the Church, I wish to endorse the proposal made by the Synod of Bishops, in harmony with the directives of the Second Vatican Council, that, with the exception of the readings, the homily and the prayer of the faithful, it is fitting that such liturgies be celebrated in Latin. Similarly, the better-known prayers of the Church's tradition should be recited in Latin and, if possible, selections of Gregorian chant should be sung. Speaking more generally, I ask that future priests, from their time in the seminary, receive the preparation needed to understand and to celebrate Mass in Latin, and also to use Latin texts and execute Gregorian chant; nor should we forget that the faithful can be taught to recite the more common prayers in Latin, and also to sing parts of the liturgy to Gregorian chant.

and of course this gem:

In the ars celebrandi, liturgical song has a pre-eminent place. Saint Augustine rightly says in a famous sermon that "the new man sings a new song. Singing is an expression of joy and, if we consider the matter, an expression of love". The People of God assembled for the liturgy sings the praises of God. In the course of her two-thousand-year history, the Church has created, and still creates, music and songs which represent a rich patrimony of faith and love. This heritage must not be lost. Certainly as far as the liturgy is concerned, we cannot say that one song is as good as another. Generic improvisation or the introduction of musical genres which fail to respect the meaning of the liturgy should be avoided. As an element of the liturgy, song should be well integrated into the overall celebration. Consequently everything – texts, music, execution – ought to correspond to the meaning of the mystery being celebrated, the structure of the rite and the liturgical seasons. Finally, while respecting various styles and different and highly praiseworthy traditions, I desire, in accordance with the request advanced by the Synod Fathers, that Gregorian chant be suitably esteemed and employed as the chant proper to the Roman liturgy.

[Via Damian Thompson]

What about Music at Mass?

In this article, Fr. James Farfaglia weighs in on this important and controversial topic.

Open Letter to Pope from 38 Muslims

In this article by Sandro Magister, we begin to see the fruit of Regensburg. Thirty-eight Muslim personalities accept the Pope's apologies unreservedly, and agree with him on the need to dialogue on the basis of reason. This is what the Pope was looking for - a starting point for respectful discussion. Looks like he was right all along.

Good Reason not to Backpedal

The Holy Father has chosen neither to fall silent nor backpedal regarding is recent lecture, which has caused such an uproar in the Muslim world. Sandro Magister in this commentary gives the most cogent and coherent analysis of why he has done and is doing the right thing.

Here is one personal observation. When I saw pictures of Pope Benedict in his open-air car circling St. Peter's Square this past Sunday, I thought this is a man who is not afraid to die. In fact, I recalled his original hesitancy at being asked to ascend the throne of St. Peter. He was probably thinking to himself, "OK, Lord, I didn't want this job in the first place. Now that I'm in this predicament, I'll need you to protect me. If you want me to continue what I'm doing, You'll ensure I'm safe. If not, then this would be a perfect opportunity to cut my pontificate short. Thy will be done."

I'm not saying he is being reckless; rather, he is faithfully carrying out his mission with no earthly fear. Would that we have courage enough to take a page from his playbook.

Change of Tune in the Vatican

Pope Benedict reinforces traditional liturgical music by organizing a concert conducted in the Sistine Chapel, on Saturday, June 24, by maestro monsignor Domenico Bartolucci.

Sandro Magister elaborates on the significance of this event in this www.chiesa article.

Benedict Eyes Low Canadian Birth Rate

The criticism could have been leveled at any of a number of Western nations, but many Canadians are seeing red over Pope Benedict's observation that too many Canadians are living an utterly secular life. For these, there is no room for moral values founded on religious beliefs. It's the "me" generation taken to the extreme.

Roy Clancy's column provides the details.

Chant's Return from Exile

Valentino Miserachs Grau, president of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, is calling for its revival. The Holy Father wants it too, but the path is full of obstacles. Sandro Magister has this report.

Pope wants Liturgical Music Fixed

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 5, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI appealed for greater attention to sacred liturgical music, in a message sent to the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments.

In his brief message to Cardinal Francis Arinze, the Pope greeted the participants in a day of study organized today by that Vatican dicastery on the topic "Sacred Music: A Liturgical and Pastoral Challenge."

The congress was responding to Pope John Paul II's desire, expressed in a 2003 chirograph, in which he called the dicastery to intensify its efforts in the field of sacred liturgical music.

"Echoing the call of my beloved predecessor, I would like to encourage those who cultivate sacred music to continue this journey," said Benedict XVI said.

In particular, the Holy Father suggested that the Vatican congregation reflect "on the relationship between music and liturgy, while remaining attentive to practical applications and experimentation, and maintaining constant understanding and collaboration with national episcopal conferences."

When opening the congress, Cardinal Arinze explained: "Sacred music must be in accord with the grandeur of the liturgical act that celebrates the mysteries of Christ; it must be characterized by a sense of prayer, beauty and dignity."

Vatican Radio quoted him saying: "In no way must it give way to shallowness, superficiality or theatricality."

Noonan on John Paul the Great

Penguin has recently released Peggy Noonan's long-awaited book on the life and influence of Pope John Paul II, whom she calls a great spiritual father.

Pope Benedict on Liturgical Music

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger delivered this lecture in Italian at the VIII International Church Music Congress in Rome, November 17, 1985. It was printed Sacred Music 112 (1986, pp. 13-22), and also in A New Song for the Lord (NY: Crossroad, 1995). Here is an excerpt:

I would like to conclude my remarks with a fine quotation from Mahatma Gandhi which I recently, found in a calendar. Gandhi mentions the three “living areas� of the cosmos and notes that each of these involves a specific manner of existing. Fish live in the sea, and they are silent. Animals on earth below, bark and bray. But the birds who inhabit the heavens sing. Silence is proper to the sea, braying is proper to the earth, and singing belongs to heaven. But man has a share in all three, for within himself he bears the depths of the sea, the burden of the earth and the heights of heaven. Hence he possesses all three properties: silence, bellowing and singing.

Today, I would like to add, we see that for man deprived of transcendence there remains only braying, because he desires to be earth arid nothing more, indeed tries to make the heavens and the ocean deep to be his earth. True liturgy, the liturgy of the communion of saints, gives man once again his completeness. It instructs him once again in silence and in singing by opening for him the depths of the sea and by teaching him to fly—the existence of the angels. By “lifting up the heart;� true liturgy allows the buried song to resound in man once again. Indeed, we could now actually say that true liturgy can be recognized by the fact that it liberates from everyday activity and restores to us both the depths and the heights: silence and singing. True liturgy is recognizable because it is cosmic and not limited to a group. True liturgy sings with the angels, and true liturgy is silent with the expectant depths of the universe. And thus true liturgy redeems the earth.

[Via St. Cecilia Schola Cantorum]

Hope For Those Who Believe

By now, you've all heard about how Jason Torres kept his wife alive, just long enough to deliver a healthy baby girl. Well, this part, you probably have not heard. On the night of Susan's collapse, both Jason and his father, Sonny Torres, were awoken, in their respective homes, at 4:15am, to the sound of a woman's voice:

“You and others will tell the world of a fight to save a precious life, not to change hardened hearts, but to give hope to those who believe, so that they know that there is more than what they see and hear. Let them come and see for themselves.�

Sonny believes the story of Susan spread all over the world, so that people of faith could be reminded that there are those who live by their faith. Great story.

Pope is Atheist's Soulmate

In this interview of Oriana Fallaci, by Tunku Varadarajan, we read her assessment of a creeping Islamic world domination.

Speaking of the West, in general, and Europe, in particular, Ms. Fallaci offers her diagnosis: "The moment you give up your principles, and your values . . . the moment you laugh at those principles, and those values, you are dead, your culture is dead, your civilization is dead. Period."

Although she has many enemies, she is not alone in her dire asessment: "I feel less alone when I read the books of Ratzinger." [Tunku Varadarajan] asked Ms. Fallaci whether there was any contemporary leader she admired, and Pope Benedict XVI was evidently a man in whom she reposed some trust. "I am an atheist, and if an atheist and a pope think the same things, there must be something true. It's that simple! There must be some human truth here that is beyond religion."

It is "Ratzinger" (as she insists on calling the pope) who is her soulmate. . . The scant hopes that she has for the West she rests on [him]. As a cardinal, Pope Benedict XVI wrote frequently on the European (and the Western) condition. Last year, he wrote an essay titled "If Europe Hates Itself," from which Ms. Fallaci reads this to me: "The West reveals . . . a hatred of itself, which is strange and can only be considered pathological; the West . . . no longer loves itself; in its own history, it now sees only what is deplorable and destructive, while it is no longer able to perceive what is great and pure."

"Ecco!" she says. A man after her own heart. "Ecco!"

State Controlled Religion?

CBC Radio, Canada's publicly-funded national radio network, has aired a commentary by Bob Ferguson, a retired professor from the Royal Military College, calling for state control over religion, specifically Catholicism. Here's a sample:

"Given the inertia of the Catholic Church, perhaps we could encourage reform by changing the environment in which all religions operate," Ferguson began his commentary in measured tones yesterday. "Couldn't we insist that human rights, employment and consumer legislation apply to them as it does other organizations? Then it would be illegal to require a particular marital status as a condition of employment or to exclude women from the priesthood."

Ferguson sees the formation of legislation and a common code of behavior for all religious practitioners, an RRP designation for registered religious practitioners, such that no one could be a religious practitioner without it. Ferguson also suggests a few "obvious" prohibitions contained in such a code:

"A key item would have to be a ban on claims of exclusivity. It should be unethical for any RRP to claim that theirs was the one true religion and believers in anything else or nothing were doomed to fire and brimstone. One might also expect prohibition of ritual circumcisions, bans on preaching hate or violence, the regulation of faith healers, protocols for missionary work, etc."

These may be just the ramblings of a retired professor, but they were broadcast on Canada's national radio network. Where is this going to lead? Would it be alarmist to believe that holding orthodox Catholic views will very soon result in open persecution in Canada? Could the same thing happen in the US?

[Via LifeSite]

Old World Spirituality in the U.S.

Our friends at St. Cecilia Schola Cantorum, in Auburn, Alabama, recently had a visitor from Torino, Italy, who made some interesting comments. Here is a paraphrase:

"To hear such beautiful sounds in a parish would be in impossible in Italy. The quality of music has declined decade by decade since the reform, so that you do not find the talent or the inclination to achieve this mastery. But here, in this small parish in Alabama, I experienced the greatest music that the human ear has ever experienced. It is music that can be loved by all, not just Catholics but also by Muslims and anyone else. You cannot move the cathedrals of Europe to the US, but you have moved the music and recreated the environment and spirituality. To me, this liturgy is further proof that the future of civilization has moved from Europe to the United States."

[Via St. Cecilia Schola Cantorum]

Liturgical Music in the 21st Century

In an age bombarded with fast messages and short attention spans, Mary Jane Ballou writes on how this affects western church musicians.

Please carry on any discussion at Mary Jane's place, below.

[Via Sacred Miscellany]

Profoundly Dividing Society

In this article, we hear Marc Cardinal Oullet make a final impassioned plea, to the Canadian Senate, to stop final passage of the bill that will re-define marriage. Only a miracle could stop it now.

Bishops' Working Document

The Vatican recently published an Instrumentum Laboris for the upcoming Eleventh Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, entitled, "The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church", due to be held in the Vatican from October 2 to 23, 2005.

In the document, and through the Synod, it is the hope of Benedict XVI to encourage a correct understanding of the Eucharist in the life of the faithful, and to correct various liturgical abuses, which have yet to be properly addressed.

Readers of this blog may be interested in any number of points raised in the document. However, I wish to reproduce here, in full, paragraphs 60 and 61, dedicated to Liturgical Song.

Continue reading "Bishops' Working Document"