The Recovering Choir Director

No-spin zone (sorry, Bill O’Reilly) outside brackets. [Spin zone inside brackets.]

12:33 AM Downsview Park, ‘Vocations Celebration Concert’
A Vocations Celebration concert starts at 12:33 in the morning, with a virtuoso hard rock drummer, a screeching electric guitar solo, and a synthesizer.

[Hmm. It looks like the 'animators' are hell-bent (term used deliberately) on sacrificing our sleeping hours on the altar of cacophony—the same altar, ironically, on which JPII will celebrate Mass.]

[I feel that my vocation as a church musician is seriously being dragged through the Downsview Park mud.]

[Jamey, another student delegate on the journey, quips, "Jesus has left the building." I wonder if OCP is responsible for this, too.]

[The band sounds like a poor man's version of Chicago. U2 is also parodied, probably unintentionally.]

1:33 AM Downsview Park, ‘Vocations Celebration Concert’
The concert is over. The animators end it with, “Have a peaceful night’s sleep.” [I feel like I'm in some sort of dark comedy.]

6:03 AM Downsview Park
The vigil crowd is awakened from their sleep by drizzle which develops into a steady rain which lasts for about a half hour. During the hour-long dry period following, Jamey gets breakfast for our group. We eat, change, and then prepare to duck under our tarp for more rain. The rain arrives in a torrent which lasts until just after JPII’s greeting at Mass, just after 9:30 AM.

[What a way to be awakened after a riveting Vocations Celebration Concert.]

~9:00 AM Downsview Park
We are treated to Native American tribal dance, replete with drums. [I am reminded of the Catholic martyrs whose blood was shed at the hands of said Native Americans.]

They are followed by the WYD Choir, which repeats some of the works they presented at their concert earlier in the week. [Hearing the "Hallelujah" chorus in the rain is something I hadn't experienced until this time.]

10:05 AM Downsview Park, Papal Mass
WYD Gloria—the WYD Choir cuts off the cantor’s “Receive our prayer.”

[Laughable. If JPII's mind is as sharp as people say, there is no way he would have missed that. I'm not a fan of responsorial-style Glorias—this is one illustration why they aren't used at our campus ministry.]

10:11 AM Downsview Park, Papal Mass
Psalm 112 (Jacques Berthier, “Laudate”)

Liturgical dance strikes again. Cantor inserts a pause between a verse and refrain, throwing off the timing of attentive Mass-goers who aim for “full, active and conscious participation.” [If the presentation is not predictable, it is difficult for the congregation to follow! Don't insert random silences in the middle of a responsorial psalm, or for that matter a responsorial anything.]

Marta reminds me of the dim lights, the smoke and the bar.

10:18 AM Downsview Park, Papal Mass
The powers-that-be have skipped the second reading. It should be mentioned that the preceding psalm antiphon was repeated at least five more times than necessary.

10:19 AM Downsview Park, Papal Mass
WYD Alleluia is sung. [The piano accompaniment reminds me of Billy Joel, Elton John, or other non-Christian pop pianists.]

[Musical critique: the highest note on this setting is the second F above middle C. I wonder if the congregation was taken into consideration when composing this setting. I doubt it.]

10:23 AM Downsview Park, Papal Mass
Melissa relates, “This seems to be more like a show than a Mass.” [I can't disagree. I wonder what the Orthodox are thinking.]

10:27 AM Downsview Park, Papal Mass
Our Holy Father’s homily alludes heavily to the unread second reading. [Song enters into my mind—Alanis Morrisette's "Ironic."]

11:53 AM Downsview Park, Papal Mass
Communion Procession

WYD Choir sings an Anton Bruckner motet. This is followed by a folk guitar soloist who gets a smattering of applause. The choir follows the songs with “Cum Sancto Spirito” from Vivaldi’s Gloria which garners more applause. [I was on the lookout for dropped hosts. Fortunately, I saw none.]

12:30 PM Downsview Park, Papal Mass
Recessional: WYD Theme Song (OCP)
Obviously the cantors didn’t practice enough—they forgot that verse 2 follows verse 1 immediately, without a refrain to separate the two. [Laughable.] I notice a singer/soloist wearing a bright yellow shirt with a stick-out-your-tongue-and-smiley-face on it.

Exeunt omnes.

We report, you decide. [Remember, don't read my spin, which is enclosed in brackets much like this sentence, okay? Good.]

2:56 PM Downsview Park
The St. Louis Jesuits (once described on OCP’s website as “that wonderful group of composers”) strike again! This time, it’s John Foley, SJ’s “One Bread, One Body” done in a Christian rock style. [I thank God again for my earplugs.]

3:35 PM Downsview Park
An Italian priest (”Fr. Mimo,” I think?), in Roman collar and all(!) sings techno. [The image speaks volumes. To his credit(?), he sounds like a completely legitimate techno artiste. I wonder if I should propose a techno Mass at our first liturgy committee meeting.]

I take off one earplug. It’s LOUD. I promptly put it back in my ear.

3:41 PM Downsview Park
Melissa looks at the technopriest and says to me, “He’s jiggling.”

3:43 PM Downsview Park
Fr. Mimo has left the building.

5:10 PM Downsview Park
The St. Louis Jesuits strike again! Now it’s “Be Not Afraid.”

5:11 PM Downsview Park
“On Eagle’s Wings” strikes too. Thanks, J. Michael Joncas.

8:48 PM Downsview Park, Evening Prayer
Psalm 141

Thomas Day’s “Mr. Caruso”-style cantor strikes. The cantor (I wonder if he wrote the setting) didn’t get his cues right. Liturgical dance also struck.

[I am annoyed by the fact that I know the 500-voice volunteer choir has rehearsed their music for over a year, spending time and money to attend rehearsals, yet the very contemporary psalms seem to be rehearsed the night before.]

9:05 PM Downsview Park, Evening Prayer
Canticle—Philippians 2:5-11 (Jacques Berthier)

A nun in a modified habit leads the psalm. She has a plaintive and probably untrained voice. [A nice, transparent shift from our operatic baritone.]

9:49 PM Downsview Park, Evening Prayer
Canticle—Magnificat, “Holy Is His Name” (John Michael Talbot | Birdwing Music/ASCAP)

John Michael Talbot and his guitar are in the house. He sings verse 1, and then sings the refrain repeatedly. Interspersed between the repeated refrains was a pleasant violin and flute duet. We do not hear verse 2 of his adaptation of the Magnificat text. [Okay, his playing of the guitar was pleasant, as was the aforementioned instrumental. But what is more important, Mary's words or the music?]

9:58 PM Downsview Park, Evening Prayer

A liturgical dancer raises a bowl of burning incense throughout the general intercessions.

See previous posts for instructions on how to read [or not read] this report.

8:30 AM S. Salvador do Mundo
Another “animator” [the doublespeak!] teaches the youth a little ditty:
“I command my (Insert word for a body part that contains one syllable here) to praise the Lord” (4x)
“(Insert word for a body part that contains one syllable here), praise the Lord” (4x)
[The melody reminds me of an '80s song, namely, Go West's "King of Wishful Thinking." Sacred, man.]

~11:00 AM S. Salvador do Mundo
List of music for the Mass, celebrated by Abp. Anthony Joseph Cardinal Bevilacqua of Philadelphia:
Opening: “Christ, Be Our Light” (Bernadette Farrell | OCP)
Asperges: “Rain Down” [FYI, it's raining today.]
Gloria: “Gloria” from Mass of the Angels and Saints (Steven R. Janco | GIA)
Psalm: “Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned” (Marty Haugen | GIA)
Alleluia: Missa Lumen Christi (OCP)
Offertory: “For the Beauty of the Earth” (Conrad Kocher, DIX)
Sanctus, Anamnesis, Amen: Mass of Creation (Marty Haugen | GIA)
Agnus Dei: Missa Lumen Christi (OCP)
Communion Procession: “We Are the Light of the World”
Recessional: “We Are Marching / Siyahamba” (South African | Ultryck)
Postlude: WYD Theme Song (OCP)

11:30 PM Silverthorn C.I.
Simon, friend and delegate from our campus ministry, returns from the Via Crucis re-enactment staged in downtown Toronto. I ask him how it was. He told me I would have approved of the music. I mention that I heard “O Sacred Head” (Hassler, PASSION CHORALE) on the TV report from the event. Simon replied that, in addition to that solid chorale, Salve, Regina (chant), Ave Maria (Franz Schubert), Pange lingua gloriosi (chant), Adoramus te Domine (Taizé chant), “Stay with Me” (Taizé chant), “Were you There?” (spiritual), and the Greek Trisagion were also sung. I am very much surprised.

We report, you know the deal… [...about the bracketed comments, too.]

7:25 AM Silverthorn C.I.
I woke up to alternative Christian rock.
[Comment 1: Thank God for those earplugs.]
[Comment 2: As long as it's not in church.]

8:29 AM S. Salvador do Mundo
[Four word review of lyrics to "Song of the Body of Christ" (David Haas | GIA)—Read them for yourself.]

Overheard while rehearsing “We Are the Light of the World” (Spirit and Song “jazzy” version): “Think of a bar, dim lights, and smoke…” [I casually mention to Marta and Melissa that 50 years ago that smoke would have been incense. One of them responds, "Well, now it's marijuana...."]

8:48 AM S. Salvador do Mundo
They’re playing rap on a boombox. Loudly. Directly in front of the tabernacle of our Lord. I’ve got a digital pic of this if anyone wants it.

8:55 AM S. Salvador do Mundo
Overheard: “Does anyone know the claps to this one?” [The "this one" in question is the Mike Anderson "Gloria" (OCP). It is responsorial and it is a paraphrase of the Gloria, even more so than the ICEL version. But the refrain is in Latin, albeit punctuated by rhythmic hand-clapping.]

Rehearsed: “This Little Light of Mine”
[Lucifer means "light-bearer", right? Okay, I may be a bit harsh with that—the lyrics spell out that "Jesus gave it to me." But not until verse 3. And didn't God once give light to the "light-bearer?"]

9:01 AM S. Salvador do Mundo
They’re playing Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero.” In church. [It's okay though, because his name means "Henry Churches."]

The “animator” [the WYD term for "emcee", I suppose—doublespeak is rampant] says to the attendees, “It really works if you imagine Jesus calling you ‘baby.’”

[ NO IT DOESN'T!!! ]

[When I think of Enrique Iglesias, I think of that video that he shot which also featured Anna Kournikova...not Jesus. Am I the only one who thinks that way?...]

[I feel cheap.]

11:02 AM S. Salvador do Mundo
List of music for the Mass, celebrated by a Ghanaian bishop [whose name I didn't note]:
Opening: “Christ, Be Our Light” (Bernadette Farrell | OCP)
Asperges: “Rain Down”
Gloria: “Gloria (Mike Anderson |OCP)
Psalm: “My Soul Is Thirsting” (Steve Angrisano | OCP)
Alleluia: Missa Lumen Christi (OCP)
Offertory: “Song of the Body of Christ” (David Haas | GIA)
Sanctus, Anamnesis, Amen: Mass of Creation (Marty Haugen | GIA)
Agnus Dei: Missa Lumen Christi (OCP)
Communion Procession: “We Are the Light of the World”
Recessional: “We Are Marching / Siyahamba” (South African | Ultryck)

3:06 PM Exhibition Place concert stage
I hear rap accompanied by guitar. I believe Jesse Manibusan (OCP) is responsible. [I wonder if it's in OCP's new Spirit and Song "youth" hymnal...]

3:20 PM Exhibition Place concert stage
Dan Schutte’s “Here I Am, Lord” (via Jesse) strikes again! [To his credit, he doesn't sing the verses...and it is an improvement over the rap.]

3:23 PM Exhibition Place concert stage
Jesse sings the refrain to “Immaculate Mary” once or twice. [Another improvement over the former "St. Louis Jesuit."]

3:27 PM Exhibition Place concert stage
The Monkees(?!) strike! Jesse sings “I’m a Believer.” [I suppose it could be about Mary...let me suggest it to...never mind. Oh wait, he changed the lyrics from "she" to "he."]

3:36 PM Exhibition Place concert stage
Christian rap strikes again. [Wow, looks like the high point to this little concert was the "Ave, Ave, Ave Maria..." Well, if nothing else, Jesse's earnest. Earnest...that's the term that the faculty at my alma mater Regis High School, a Jesuit institution, used to describe the music of the St. Louis Jesuits.]

~5 PM Exhibition Place concert stage
[To the Duran Duran fans out there: "Pope on film." I got a nice 2MP shot of him in the 'mobile.]

8:20 PM Molson Amphitheatre, Ontario Place
[I am looking forward to some finely crafted music after the cacophony of the afternoon. The World Youth Day Choir will perform a gala concert in honor of JPII.]

A Polish chorus sings a Kyrie by a 20th c. composer, then sings an a cappella version of Carl Orff’s “O Fortuna” (from Carmina Burana). [Impressive.]

8:45 PM Molson Amphitheatre, Ontario Place
Concert program: [I see it's loosely based on the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. Ah, simple faith!]

I. GLORIA

1. Gloria from Missa de angelis
   [Plainchant, then organum with random drones, then a tenor sax which weaves in and out of the texture. I'm not sold on the tenor sax, but the organum and drones are ethereal. Practically speaking, having a drone can make it easier for some to stay on pitch. Our ancestors in faith were not stupid.]
2. Antonio Vivaldi: Selections from Gloria: “Gloria in excelsis,” “Et in terra,” Laudamus te,” and “Cum Sancto Spirito”
3. Uwe Lieflander: Gloria from Saint Joseph’s Mass
   [Heavy (but not Wagneresque) orchestration, with a bass solo. Lieflander, the WYD conductor, composed this piece to contrast the Marian masses which, in his explanation, have a more delicate, 'feminine' texture (i.e., heavy on the violin, flute, treble voices). Satisfying end-product, I think.]

II. REQUIEM

1. Requiem aeternam
   [This chant is presented much like the Gloria in part I.
2. Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: Stabat Mater, movement 1—"Stabat mater dolorosa"
3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Selections from his Requiem: "Dies Irae," "Tuba mirum," "Lux aeterna" and "Cum Sanctis Tuis"
   [To hear a 500-voice choir sing the "Dies Irae," or any large-scale choral piece is spine-tingling. They have their music down, and it shows.]
4. Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: Selection from Elijah: “Lord God of Abraham, Issac and Israel”
5. Johannes Brahms: Selection from Ein deutsches Requiem: “Denn alles Fleisch” (English lyrics)

III. LAUDATE DOMINUM

[Unfortunately, Mr. Lieflander announced that selections 9-11 were cancelled due to "curfew restrictions"—the powers-that-be needed to close the Molson Amphitheatre before midnight. Out of enthusiasm and dread—enthusiasm for all the well-crafted music presented thus far, dread at the "music" that was to come in the following days—I spontaneously yelled, "Let them play!" Melissa was embarrassed at my lack of class.]

1. “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” (GROSSER GOTT)
   The audience was to sing two verses with the choir. Lyrics and notation were provided in the program.
2. Heinrich Schütz: “I Am the Resurrection and the Life”
3. Théodore Dubois: “Adoramus te, Christe”
4. Franz Josef Haydn: Selections from Creation: 5 “The marv’lous work,” 28 “By thee with bliss,” 14 “The heav’ns are telling”
5. Georg Friedrich Handel: Selections from Messiah 48 “The trumpet shall sound,” 13 “Worthy is the Lamb,” 43 “Thou shalt break them,” 44 “Hallelujah”

We report, you decide. [Disregard completely all comments in brackets—it's spin, spin, spin.]

12:30 AM Silverthorn C.I. evening reflection
Opening song: “O Radiant Light” (JESU DULCIS MEMORIA)
Lord’s Prayer: English-language chant (Sacramentary)

8:30 AM S. Salvador do Mundo
Rehearsed:
- “Somebody’s singing, Lord, Kumbaya.” This song is featured on one of the official WYD videos.
- Alleluia (Missa Lumen Christi | OCP)

[I'm not a schismatic, but I don't believe Lefebvre was incorrect about his concern re: the Novus Ordo. I don't doubt its validity, but I wonder about its effectiveness, especially at a Rock Mass.]

8:51 AM S. Salvador do Mundo
Congregation sings “Christ, Be Our Light” (Bernadette Farrell | OCP)

I believe my expression has been caught by the cameraman for the Rochester (NY) Democrat and Chronicle. [It's not a pleasant one.]

[According to Genesis 4:16-17, Cain built a city and named it after his son, Henoch. I wonder if, musically, we're doing something similar with our youth. No wonder Catholics with some religious and musical sensibility don't sing at or go to Mass—it can be almost unbearably puerile.]

Overheard: “We try to set a different atmosphere for liturgy.” [Indeed. I wonder if reverence is part of the equation.]

List of music for the Mass, celebrated by Abp. Charles J. Chaput of Denver, Colo.:
Opening: “Christ, Be Our Light” (Bernadette Farrell | OCP)
Asperges: “Rain Down”
Gloria: spoken
Psalm: “Loving and Forgiving” [Did not remember to note composer's name.]
Alleluia: Missa Lumen Christi (OCP)
Offertory: “Song of the Body of Christ” (David Haas | GIA)
Sanctus, Anamnesis, Amen: Mass of Creation (Marty Haugen | GIA)
Agnus Dei: Missa Lumen Christi (OCP)
Communion Procession: “We Are the Light of the World”
Recessional: “We Are Marching / Siyahamba” (South African | Ultryck)

3:30 PM St. Michael’s Cathedral, Toronto
Apparently the St. Michael Choir School event at the cathedral was a misprint. [I am mildly annoyed. At the same time, Eucharistic adoration was quite an uplifting experience. Having brought my copy of the Collegeville Hymnal, I was able to mentally sing the Eucharistic hymns in front of Him.]

9:05 PM Byzantine Vespers
[This is how we worship our Creator! My soul and artistic sensibilities are nourished by the simple beauty of the service. The vestments, icons, chants, and postures all make a unified statement: We are worshiping someone who is greater than all of us. On chant: not everyone can sing Mozart's Ave verum corpus, but they can sing simple chants with minimal instruction. Chanting the readings adds a solemnity to the ritual. Ah, the reverence.]

12:00 AM Silverthorn C.I.
Melissa and I pray our nightly rosary. I attempt to subtly chant it. It is a different way of praying. If you’re new to it, you must pay attention to what you’re saying lest you mess up the words of the prayers, as I did numerous times.

We report, you decide. [Disregard completely all comments in brackets—it's spin, spin, spin.]

9:06 AM waiting for the bus
“O, magnify the Lord / for he is worthy to be praised.
O, magnify the Lord / for he is worthy to be praised.
Hosanna! Blessed be the rock (clap clap) / Blessed be the rock of my salvation!
Hosanna! Blessed be the rock (clap clap) / Blessed be the rock of my salvation!”

9:16 AM on the bus
Group from Montreal gets onto bus. Extroverted and quite friendly, they break into song. Rhythmic clapping is heard sporadically.

9:42 AM rehearsal @ Igresa do S. Salvador do Mundo
There is an organ in the church—electronic, but an organ.

Random thought #1: “Should we sanctify the secular, or secularize the sacred?”
Random thought #2: The term “young adults” is spoken. Thought bubble appears which states, “Nooo, the correct term is adult children.”

10:43 AM rehearsal
Songs rehearsed:
“Christ, Be Our Light” (Farrell | OCP) [comment overheard: "It's a Broadway song you get to sing in Church."]
“Kyrie” from WYD Mass (OCP)
“Alleluia” from WYD Mass (OCP)
“We Are the Light of the World” (from OCP’s Spirit and Song)
“Let the River Flow” (from OCP’s Spirit and Song)
“Agnus Dei” from WYD Mass (OCP)

Songs proposed:
“This Little Light of Mine”
“Gloria” (Mike Anderson | OCP)

11:19 AM
Apologies to Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary:
Worship aids, n. an inevitable result of worship HIV. There is no known cure.

c. 12:00 PM search and rescue for part of our group
Random spontaneous songs in 3 part SAB harmony:
“Freedom Is Coming” (John Bell/Iona | GIA)
“We are Marching / Siyahamba” (South African)
“My Song is Love Unknown(!) (John Ireland | LOVE UNKNOWN)

12:56 PM Exhibition Place
French contingent sings “Resucitó” (Kiko Arguello | OCP) while passing by.

1:19 PM Exhibition Place
I give Marta (friend and cantor at our campus ministry) the Collegeville Hymnal (Liturgical Press) which I brought along, and asked her to pick a hymn that she, Melissa (my girlfriend) and I could sing in parts. We sing BROTHER JAMES’ AIR, “Panis Angelicus”, and “Sing of Mary “(PLEADING SAVIOR). As we’re singing v.2, Channel 4 in Toronto films us. The cameraman films us until we finish the song. We are complimented on our SAB harmony. Maybe we’ll make the news, I think aloud. Melissa says, “That’s frightening.”

2:00 PM Exhibition Place
Overheard:
Laywoman: “Do you do a Polka Mass?”
Priest: “No, we don’t.”
Laywoman: “Don’t start.”

[Hallelujah!!!]

4:08 PM Exhibition Place
Dan Schutte strikes again! “Here I Am, Lord,” once again, is playing.

Bought two rosewood Jerusalem rosaries. [Nice scent.]

Catholic Answers tracts—I’ve seen a few of them lying on the ground. [Do English-speaking Catholic youth really want to know what their Church teaches?]

4:25 PM Exhibition Place concert stage
I’ve heard of Low, High, Polka and Folk Masses. It looks like we’ll be treated to a solid Bubblegum Pop Mass. Drums, keyboards, and electric guitar solos are quite prominent. (Was rhythmic clapping mentioned, too?) [I am interested to experience the prayer atmosphere.]

4:37 PM same place
I just saw a “100% Catholic” belt buckle on a girl wearing tight black jeans and a tight tank top. FYI.

[Random question of the moment: "Are we supposed to raise our youth and pass on our values, or do we pander to them incessantly?"]

6:51 PM Welcome Mass, same place
The WYD Choir sang devotional music in Latin!

[I was flabbergasted and overwhelmed to tears, tears that did me good (sorry St. Augustine).] Among the pieces offered:
- John Rutter’s Irish blessing
- W. A. Mozart’s Ave verum corpus
- and a setting of the Ave Maria that did musical justice to the text.
I was quickly brought back to earth by the WYD theme song, brought to you by none other than Oregon Catholic Press.]

6:58 PM same event
People are leaving Mass early. [I guess they really need to beat the traffic, or get to dinner, or whatever. Melissa, my girlfriend, offers "to pee" as an excuse.]

7:01 PM same event
Christian Rock is our closing “hymn” genre. [I want to join the early-exiters.]

~10:30 PM on the bus back to Silverthorn C. I.
Songs heard on the bus:
- “Dona Nobis Pacem” (traditional round)
- “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” [not a traditional round]
- a song of German origin

[I'm convinced that todays non-Americans are able to sing b/c of their 90-minute soccer liturgy.]

We report, you decide. [Disregard all non-objective commentary in brackets.]

~7:00 PM DOR Mass at Silverthorn C.I.
Opening: “Christ, Be Our Light (Bernadette Farrell | OCP)
Sanctus, Mem. A, Amen, Agnus Dei: Mass of Creation (Marty Haugen | GIA)
Communion: “We Are the Light of the World (”Jazzy” arrangement from OCP’s Spirit and Song youth hymnal)
Communion Medidation: Sri Lankan hymn sung by Father Quintas

Also heard later that evening:
“Here I Am, Lord” (Dan Schutte | OCP)
“Seek Ye First” (Karen Lafferty | OCP)

[Random aside: Fire drill @ 12:30 AM. When we go outside, we discover that it is raining. Event inspired new lyrics to the 2nd half of "Here I Am, Lord:"
"Can we go back / to our classrooms? / I must dry myself and go to bed." ]