Thanks to the Catholic Key blog, which is from the Diocese of Kansas City, here is a video of the Gregorian chant Mass setting Missa Orbis Factor. It’s one of the sort of videos that shows close ups of the score so you can see how the square notes and the text line up.
I would be happy to get to the point at my parish where we regularly sang even the simplest chant Mass settings year around.
In a search for information about how much greenery to use for my Advent wreath—information sadly not forthcoming, by the way—I found a delightful video of a boys choir singing an Advent hymn I had never heard before.
It’s highlighted on the Diocese of Washington’s blog—go read the reflection and watch the video, and see if that music doesn’t make you want to rejoice.
And quickly, now, because I really need to be getting ready for work, here’s a link to a funny article (on InsideCatholic.com) about the state of music in the Catholic church.
After confessing that he actually likes 70s-era classics like “Sons of God” and “Shout from the Highest Mountain,” the writer asks:
Is it just me, or is anybody else ready to go screaming into the night next time they hear “On Eagle’s Wings?”
Dude. It’s not just you. “On Eagle’s Wings” is number one on my mental list of church songs I don’t care if I ever sing again. I know people love the text, but somewhere out there must be a better, more singable expression of it.
I can’t say I like “Sons of God,” since I think the refrain strips the beauty of the Eucharist away entirely, somewhat like a child’s coloring book would strip away the beauty of Michaelangelo’s work on the Sistine Chapel ceiling:
Eat his BOD-y, drink his BLOOD,
And we’ll sing a song of love
But I will concede that it is, at least, singable, in a camp song sort of way.