Society of Saint Gregory

Dom Gregory Murray. Also in the New English Hymnal, number 537.

A lot of credit to the excellent organist (Nigel Morris?) too; a magnificent voluntary at the end which I think was an improvisation of 'O God our help in ages past' (the recessional hymn) I wonder if he played the (misnamed) 'St Anne' Fugue by Bach? It's what Anthony usually played when we sang O ...

pdsfd wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 26, 2019 5:40 pm

I've heard the folksy version of it, but at both this church and at Salford we have sung it at a much slower pace, and it is better for it IMO.

Here's a nice version of it; the same arrangement (and about the same tempo, I think!) that we sang in Salford.

VML, I'm blushing.

Thanks pdsfd, those are heart-warming things to hear. :) I wonder if your experience counts as good evidence in support of putting the 'dots' on the people's sheet week in week out? A regular attender at the Cathedral would end up being able to read music whether they liked it or not. :) As for the ...

organist wrote: ↑

Fri May 10, 2019 11:19 am

8.30 p.m. at the cathedral fire at the back inside, 3 readings...

Three? I wonder what grave pastoral necessity made them cut things back so far. Evidently not shortage of time, since there was time enough for the Vierne Messe Solenelle.

It looks as though this is an attempt to fix falling numbers: since not many parents want their seven-year olds to board full time, the change is aimed at widening access to the choir rather than restricting it. I sympathise with the predicament - any kind of change will meet with resistance, and in...

alan29 wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 28, 2019 12:41 pm

Easier to stick to hymn books.

Terrible idea, IMHO.

The fee needs to be viewed in perspective. Yes, it is trebling. But it's still very low - about £3 per week in the case quoted. Actually I don't think it is trebling. I think Nick was looking at the US rates, in dollars and then mentally converting to pounds (Baty, pers. comm. :) ) If you go here a...

quaeritor wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 06, 2019 12:50 pm

Deity - Dee-ity? or Day-ity?
Q

We've done this one!

A priest leading a retreat I was on (think it was 1983!) pronounced it em-mouse (ok, /eˈmaʊs/ ). He'd just come back from a sabbatical in the US, so maybe he caught it there.

alan29 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 19, 2018 12:07 pm

Yeah .... a little bit of Latin sending someone down the wrong street.

Nope! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilates

...in early 2000 and an organ can be heard accompanying, albeit not very clearly. Was the pipe organ still in situ at this point? Yes, the pipe organ was still in action by that stage. (It bit the dust in early 2002.) I attended Mass at St Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham a few years ago and to my no...

I'm just asking if anyone has any vivid memories of playing the old pipe organ at Salford Cathedral, or of it being played? What were its main strengths and weaknesses? Was it heavy on the ears or a tame instrument? I can't find any old recordings of it on youtube unfortunately, although it is a fe...

Two outstanding opportunities for Catholic liturgical musicians: http://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/job-alert-director-of-music-and-music-advisor/ with the option to combine the two posts into a single full-time job, if the right person comes along. I'm delighted at the willingness to invest in musi...