Search found 254 matches

by dmu3tem
Sat Jul 29, 2006 9:33 am
Forum: Sounds Off
Topic: Tips for composing and arranging music
Replies: 37
Views: 75658

Tips for composing and arranging music

Readers might be interested to look at Alan Smith's article on composition in the latest issue of 'Music and Liturgy'. This is the first of three parts.

Thomas Muir
by dmu3tem
Sat Jul 22, 2006 10:03 am
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: Use of Latin
Replies: 46
Views: 57211

Use of Latin

Could I just pick up on a point made by 'Cantator' about the relationship between the Latin text and plainchant in Mass Propers. I would be the last to deny that the actual plainchant can be closely tied to the text, especially if sung using Pothier and Haberl's 'sing as you speak principle' (though...
by dmu3tem
Fri Jul 21, 2006 3:13 pm
Forum: Sounds Off
Topic: Tips for composing and arranging music
Replies: 37
Views: 75658

Tips for composing and arranging music

For a useful cross-reference on combining organs with other instruments (by me, I am afraid), see the thread 'Organists' and the item dated July 14th, 2006. You might also be amused to see some of the reactions to this as well!

Thomas (Muir)
by dmu3tem
Fri Jul 14, 2006 10:46 am
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: Organists
Replies: 19
Views: 12938

ORGANISTS

Organists and other instruments Much depends on the type of organ/keyboard you have. If the Organ is electrical/digital it will usually have three built in advantages: (1) An ability to transpose the pitch up or down at will. (2) Instant response - as opposed to the delay you sometimes get with larg...
by dmu3tem
Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:24 am
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: Use of Latin
Replies: 46
Views: 57211

Use of Latin

Use of Latin seems to fall into three categories; each with their own issues: (1) Straight plainchant settings (2) Non plainchant settings using all Latin texts (3) Non plainchant settings using a mixture of English and Latin In my parish we have the ability to perform plainchant Mass ordinary setti...
by dmu3tem
Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:13 am
Forum: Sounds Off
Topic: Tips for composing and arranging music
Replies: 37
Views: 75658

tips for composing and arranging music

Dear all, Many thanks for the suggestions about improvisation. Would anyone like to share tips about specific approaches to improvisation? For example, I initially learnt my techniques in this area through the medium of 12 bar blues in a jazz band. Here each instrument repeats the 'melody'/motif or ...
by dmu3tem
Tue May 30, 2006 10:38 am
Forum: Sounds Off
Topic: Tips for composing and arranging music
Replies: 37
Views: 75658

Tips for composing and arranging music

Just to encourage more people to contribute from their own experiences, here is another suggestion from me. Plainchant accompaniment. Many people think this should not be done. However we do know that medieval musicians did so and there are occasions when you may feel your singers/congregations need...
by dmu3tem
Sat Apr 29, 2006 10:38 am
Forum: Sounds Off
Topic: Tips for composing and arranging music
Replies: 37
Views: 75658

Tips for composing and arranging music

It is surprising how often church musicians find themselves not just composing, but - more frequently - arranging or adapting music to meet local needs. Indeed, the skill applied to such activity can make or break the effect of any given performance. So why not use the Society of St Gregory Forum to...
by dmu3tem
Wed Apr 12, 2006 11:47 am
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: Liz, Byrd and Recusancy
Replies: 5
Views: 4186

Byrd

There are several detailed articles about Byrd's relationship with the government in specialist musical journals (though, offhand I cannot give precise details here). There have also been several papers on the subject at Royal Musical Society conferences. In particular, I remember a paper given last...
by dmu3tem
Sat Mar 11, 2006 11:45 am
Forum: Sounds Off
Topic: Chant based Eucharistic settings
Replies: 42
Views: 90640

Chant based eucharistic settings

Here is a personal reply to the original question from 'Organist'. If he would like to receive a free copy of my setting of the Gloria I will send him one if he leaves me a contactable address/e.mail here. If there is a way of reaching just him through this site could someone give me some instructio...
by dmu3tem
Thu Mar 02, 2006 11:48 am
Forum: Core Repertoire
Topic: Psalms
Replies: 30
Views: 61119

Psalms

Could I suggest that the central issue with psalms as part of the core repertoire is practicality. At present the main difficulty with getting psalms sung regularly at Mass stems from this; and until it is overcome in many churches the Responsorial Psalm will never become a regular reality in these ...
by dmu3tem
Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:42 am
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: Diocesan Music Committee
Replies: 18
Views: 11497

Diocesan music committees

Could I draw attention to the fact that such committees have a very long history reaching right back into the nineteenth century. The original inspiration came from the Society of St Cecilia, founded in 1867 by Franz Xavier Von Witt to promote plainchant and Renaissance polyphony. This published lis...
by dmu3tem
Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:45 am
Forum: Core Repertoire
Topic: Antiphons
Replies: 30
Views: 70017

Core Repertoire - Antiphons

Can someone explain to me - in simple terms - what Rome is proposing on this front in the Revised Instruction of the New Missal? From my reading of articles in Music and Liturgy I get the impression that Rome wants to scrap the singing of hymns at the entrance, offertory and communion. New antiphon ...
by dmu3tem
Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:29 am
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: Papageno and his amazing metrical tune
Replies: 4
Views: 3630

Papageno's melody

In the Crown of Jesus Music hymnal (c.1863) this is set to the text 'I am a faithful Catholic'. This is a classic example of Hemy's religious educational philosophy in action; since here he was primarily thinking of children. Hemy believed that the tune should be intertwined in the mind with the tex...