A suggestion for pro-life priests, liturgists, church choir directors and choristers « The Recovering Choir Director

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A suggestion for pro-life priests, liturgists, church choir directors and choristers

(Because sadly, too many are not pro-life.)

Solemnize all celebrations of the Annunciation/Incarnation from now on. Next to Easter, make it the most significant parish feast. Yes, even ahead of Christmas. The times call for it. What better way to acknowledge the sanctity of life than recalling, as a Church, the moment Our Lord took flesh?

No, it’s not a Holy Day of Obligation. However, consider that without the Annunciation, there would be no Christmas. It’s not as simple as that, but it is as simple as that. The obligation is on your hearts, not on paper. Do with it as you wish.

Those whose parishes are named after the Annunciation/Incarnation have an additional unwritten obligation, methinks.

And those who follow the Gregorian calendar have a full fourteen months to accomplish preparations for this, as Good Friday falls on March 25 this year.*

For those who want to employ chant and polyphony, here are the propers for the novus ordo Mass.

Introit: Rorate caeli desuper…Caeli enarrant
Gregorian chant: MP3 | GIF

Gradual: Tollite portas
Gregorian chant: MP3 | GIF
In Eastertide, the gradual is replaced by: Alleluia…Ave Maria

Tract: Audi, filia
Gregorian chant: MP3 | GIF
In Eastertide, the tract is replaced by: Alleluia…Virga Jesse

Communion: Ecce Virgo concipiet
Gregorian chant: MP3 | GIF
Byrd, William—SAATB: MID | PDF
Isaac, Heinrich—SATB: MID | PDF

The propers for the Traditional Latin Mass are identical to those above, with the following exceptions:

Introit: Vultum tuum deprecabuntur
Byrd, William: MID | PDF

Gradual: Diffusa est gratia
Gregorian chant: MP3 | GIF
Byrd, William—SAATB: MID | PDF—combines Gradual and Tract (Eastertide rubrics also apply)

For those parishes with the resources, Franz Biebl’s Ave Maria would be a fitting prelude or postcommunion.

*Update: Hat-tip to David Sullivan for pointing out that the Annunciation falls on April 4 this year. Also for those ambitious parishes, links to his musical suggestions may be found below. I should also add that hymn suggestions of all genres are welcome in the comments box.

Motet: Dixit Maria (may be used as prelude or postcommunion)
Hassler, Hans Leo—SATB: MID | PDF
Mass: Missa super Dixit Maria (Kyr-Glo-Cre-San-Ben-Agn)
Hassler, Hans Leo—SATB: PDF

Posted 01.22.2005
by Aristotle A. Esguerra
7 comments.
Filed under: Relevant Reading.

7 Comments

There are some hymns that make rather oblique references to respect for life, but there is also Calvert Schenk’s text “O Lord, the Giver of all life,” which is quite specifically pro-life. It can be found set to the melody ST. ANNE at number 609 in The Adoremus Hymnal.

Daniel Muller
01.22.2005 @ 3:20 pm #

I agree with the idea of celebrating the Annunciation with much solemnity, but there’s no need to wait 14 months. Because March 25 is Good Friday this year, the Annunciation is transferred to the first day not falling during Holy Week or the Easter Octave. Thus, Annunciation will be Monday, April 4 this year, both in the traditional and novus ordo calendars.

There’s a book by Saward, called “The Mysteries of March” in which he tied together the mysteries of the Annunciation and Good Friday, focussing on the possibility of their both falling on March 25.

The motet and Mass by Hassler “Dixit Maria” would also be appropriate for this feast.

David Sullivan
01.22.2005 @ 3:28 pm #

If I may offer a suggestion, the Feast of the Annunciation to the Theotokos is one of the major feasts of the Eastern Church. There is a wealth of liturgical music and hymnography connected with that feast. One excellent source of music would be that of Professor J. Michael Thompson’s Schola Cantorum of St. Peter’s in the Loop, particularly their recording, Annunciation of the Theotokos: Vespers and Matins. One may purchase that recording at this website:

http://www.light-n-life.com/shopping/order_product.asp?ProductNum=ANNU600

Bernard Brandt
01.24.2005 @ 9:58 am #

Mr. brandt, i don’t really know you, but i fell as if i do as i have read your posts here with interest, and i have been praying for your wife whom i belive you mentioned was ill (if my recollection is faulty, forgive me, but prayers are never wasted.)

in any case, How is she?

And thank you for this link.

i think a cd of this sort that came with sheetmusic would be of immense value, and find an ardent, if small market.

A stranger
01.24.2005 @ 10:34 am #

Dear stranger:

Thank you for your kind words. While I would prefer to answer them privately, I have no e-mail address to send them to. Therefore:

Thank you for your prayers for my wife, Elizabeth. She is doing about as well as she can, having completed three different courses of chemotherapy. Her surgery is scheduled for February 1st, and will most likely be a total mastectomy. Thereafter, she will be on radiation for at least a month, and Tamoxiphen for at least a year. There are hopes that on this regimen, the cancer will not recur. I ask for your prayers, and all the prayers of as many as read this, for her sake and her health.

As regards the CD suggested, one can get in touch with Professor J. Michael Thompson, most probably through the address of the Byzantine Seminary. I have found him most helpful in sending sheet music to those who request it.

Bernard Brandt
01.26.2005 @ 12:51 am #

I notice you link to a PDF file of sheet music for Parsons’ _Ave Maria_, one of my favorite pieces. The PDF (at Williams) is similar to the version I learned many years ago, though it doesn’t include the impossibly long sustain of the initial “Maria” in the bass line that you’ll find in some printed versions (including the one I learned from) — that’s an improvement, I’d say. On the other hand, it does apply the dynamics with a _very_ heavy hand; not really necessary or welcome for a choir with any experience singing this kind of music, in my opinion.

There’s a better version of this available as part of the Vox Vocal Ensemble’s Robert Parsons Project at http://www.millertheatre.com/parsons/latin.html — it is scored M/Ct/Ct/T/B rather than for modern voices but otherwise I think it’s superior both to the PDF you have and to printed sheet music I’ve seen in the past. It is also transposed from A to Ab which is probably more accurate to the original performance pitch and often necessary in any case in music written for means. Might be worth checking out!

Thor SImon
05.20.2005 @ 4:24 pm #

interesting!

james gigliotti
09.15.2005 @ 8:43 pm #

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