The Recovering Choir Director

The good folks over at Envoy Encore have posted some haiku, some of novel form (read: not conforming to the 5-7-5). Inspired by their example, I have come up with some myself.

The Church Is Not a Museum

Chant, trapped on CDs
while at Mass, people endure
OCP claptrap.

An apologia for the Choral Public Domain Library

An arm and a leg
for modern “sacred music”?
No thanks—Byrd is free!

Musical Springtime

Gregorian Chant
and sacred polyphony:
Asked for, but not sung.

Musical Springtime II

In the choir loft
stands the pipe organ, ignored.
And up front? Guitars!

Mea Maxima Culpa

Again, hindered is
sacred music’s revival
by my polemics.

Haiku memo to ICEL from a first-year Latin student

For you and for all.
“Pro vobis et pro multis.”
Hey, wait a minute!

Orientale Musica

From the East, we hear
the sounds of Byzantine Chant.
“Alliluiya!”

And finally, a tanka:

A Reason to Hope

If Latin’s a rock
and ICELese is the sand,
it’s quite clear to me:
Palestrina will stand, long
after Haugen’s washed away.

More are available in the comments section of the Envoy post. Dale Price has contributed some gems there.