MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time - June 22, 2008
Blessed Sacrament Church, Providence, RI

Today I attended Mass at Blessed Sacrament for the first time since the last time I filled in over there (which was Ash Wednesday). For the first time I finally got to hear the music director play - he's quite good.

Anyhoo...

Praise to the Holiest in the Height..."Billing"
- (It has been EONS since the last time I got the pleasure of hearing this hymn in a Catholic setting!)
Lord, in your great love...Alstott
- (It was also good to finally hear the Psalm of the day instead of a seasonal Psalm or some hymn to replace it - the latter is a no-no.)
Alleluia...Mode VI
For the beauty of the earth..."Dix" (with a gorgeous free accompaniment on the last verse)

This group could have been better, however:
Sanctus and Amen from Jesuits Mass...Dufford/Schutte
Christ has died, alleluia...Wise
Agnus...Olawski
You are mine...Haas

Thankfully, they recovered and closed with a keeper:
Father, we thank thee who hast planted..."Rendez a Dieu" (I love this one!)

Peace,
BMP

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Ash Wednesday, 7 PM / February 6, 2008
Blessed Sacrament Church, Providence, RI

On the most part a somewhat better lineup than what we had today. Again, the disclaimer stands - I DIDN'T PICK'EM!

These forty days of Lent, O Lord..."St. Flavian"
Yes, I shall arise...Deiss
- (still not my idea for the responsorial Psalm, though it's closer than what I've been getting)
Praise and honor to you...Masse
- (Pierre Masse is a former music director there. He's very good.)
Grant to us, O Lord...Deiss
Massive Cremation...Haugen
Keep in mind...Deiss
Jesus, remember me...Taize
This is our accepted time..."Weimar" (I really like this tune!)

Wow - seems to be Lucien Deiss day at Blessed Sacrament. We should sell some Lucien Deiss t-shirts at the doors before and after Mass. Makes for a great fundraiser for the parish. (I'd rather be playing Deiss than all that crap that one's bound to get subjected to from such hymnals as Gory and Puke and Gather Apprehensive.)

After this, I'll be laid off till after Lent. The story from the "pastoral assistant" is that they don't use the organ during Lent. They use the piano instead (one of the school teachers plays). To me, that's a bit backwards. Why would you go into a solemn season such as Lent with an instrument that's far less solemn? I guess we should be thankful that it's not the guitar.

Peace,
BMP

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

February 3, 2008 / Sunday IV
Blessed Sacrament Church, Providence, RI

The "I didn't pick these" disclaimer stands.

Faith of our fathers, living still..."St. Catherine"
Blest are they...Haas (We gotta talk here! Time to print that paragraph from the GIRM about hymns/songs not to be used in place of the Psalm and hand it to these folk!)
Alleluia...Mode VI
Be not afraid...Dufford (What the hell are they thinking?)
Jesuits Mass (Sanctus/Amen)...Schutte/Dufford (Again, what the hell are they thinking?)
Christ has died, alleluia...Wise
Agnus...Olawski
Eye has not seen...Haugen
A mighty fortress is our God..."Ein' Feste Berg" (My guess is that it's the Westendorf text in the People's Mass Book)

Top picks are the opening, alleluia, and closing. Someone wasn't thinking straight here, especially with the Mass.
Peace,
BMP

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Sunday III of Ordinary Time / January 27, 2008
Blessed Sacrament Church, Providence, RI

Normally I fill in for the 8:30 and 10:30. On 1/27/08 I only have the 8:30, but that's because the 10:30 music will be done by the parish school that day (Catholic Schools Week).

For this Mass, the usual disclaimer applies (that is, I didn't pick'em).

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty..."Lobe den Herren"
My soul is thirsting for you...della Picca
Alleluia...Mode VI
We have been told...Haas
Sanctus/Agnus...Vermulst/People's Mass
Memorial/Amen...Danish
Lord, who at your first Eucharist did pray..."Unde et memores"
How great thou art (with a barf bag by my side)..."O store Gud"

Good news on the Psalm situation for this week - I got out of the Schutte Here Me Is, Lard for both of my Masses today, albeit we landed up settling on the della Picca Ps. 63. I'd much rather do the Psalm of the day, but I'd also much rather do a seasonal Psalm than something that's not a Psalm at all (like the Schutte).

Peace,
BMP

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Sunday II of OT / January 20, 2008 (8:30/10:30)
Blessed Sacrament Church, Providence, RI

Disclaimer: I did not pick these. However, I will definitely be pushing to change one of these. See if you can guess which one and why?

Praise the Lord, O heav'ns, adore him..."Hyfrydol"
Gloria...TBD (most likely Creation)
Here I Am, Lord...Schutte
Alleluia...Mode VI
O Holy Spirit, come to us..."Tallis' Ordinal"
- (Finally I get to do Tallis' Ordinal! WOOHOO!)
Eucharist...People's/Danish
The Spirit of God...Deiss
On Jordan's bank the baptist's cry..."Winchester New"

Peace,
BMP

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ / January 13, 2008
Blessed Sacrament Church, Providence, RI

Well the good news at least for now is that I am the steady sub for the two Sunday morning Masses until Donald Dame returns. The pastoral assistant asked me last Monday if I could take those two Masses regularly, and I accepted. Obviously I'm still looking for full time work in the meantime.

Anyhoo, I just got a call from the rectory with the music list for this coming Sunday:

The Church's one foundation..."Aurelia"
Gloria wasn't mentioned, but I believe Fr. Carusi likes it sung. If such is the case, they'll probably go with Creation.
My soul is thirsting...whatever is in the 1975 People's Mass Book
- (my opinion: if you're going to use a seasonal Psalm, Psalm 72 with Lord, every nation on earth would be more appropriate, since the Baptism of the Lord is the end of Christmas season, not the beginning of Ordinary Time, but again, I didn't pick these)
Alleluia...Mode VI (YAY! No Celtic Alleluia)
There is one Lord...Deiss
Mass of Creation (exc. Agnus)...Haugen
Agnus...Olawski
Come to the water...Foley
- (wouldn't have been one of my personal picks, but I've seen and heard a lot worse titles than this)
Sent forth by God's blessing..."Ash Grove"
- (I'll do key of F for 8:30, but expect it in G for 10:30)

Peace,
BMP

SO, BRIAN?

How did things go at Blessed Sacrament?

Not bad, actually. Both Masses went over well. A couple of updates from my previous post:

1 - The Psalm 72 setting "TBA" was the one by Angelo della Picca from the 1975 People's Mass Book - I have to say it's a very good setting. His tone for the verses is Gelineau-like (one beat per bar). Of course, the antiphon has that notorious one beat pickup note that ties into the next bar (typical della Picca style of that time).

2 - I successfully got Angels we have heard on high OUT of the Alleluia slot. Unfortunately I landed up settling for the Celtics Alleluia, but at that point I'd rather do that than replacing the Alleluia with a hymn.

3 - ok, more than a couple of updates - the "either/or" at the Communion slot was settled - it was What Child is this - the better of the two choices for the day.

According to the (whoa!) pastoral assistant, there was "a lot of positive feedback". I'll take that as a good sign, especially coming from a pastoral assistant. As she left, she said to me, "We'll most likely be calling you".

At this time, it's doubtful that anything permanant will come of this. Don's an excellent organist with a very good reputation. He's due (as of now) to return by Easter. In the meantime, I'll just keep sending my resume afloat throughout the churchosphere and enjoy the ride while I can.

A real plus - one of my cantors had told me she had never heard of Gather Us In or All are Welcome.

THANK GOD!

The Aeolian-Skinner organ was fun to play, btw.
Peace,
BMP

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS (and "OK I Confess!")

Solemnity of the Epiphany - January 6, 2008
Blessed Sacrament Church, Providence, Rhode Island

OK - I did reveal a little something to a small handful of "select friends", to some by an "invite-only" message board that the entire snark team is part of, and to select others by e-mail. I'll pretty much reveal that here in the open.

I had titled the private post "Put two and two together"...



Consider two certain posts I wrote this week - here and here.

Yes, I attended Holy Mass on New Years' Day at the church pictured here - Blessed Sacrament in Providence. This particular church has had a couple of really good organists over the last decade - Donald Dame, until a nasty fall on the ice incapacitated him, and Pierre Masse, his predecessor. When I returned home from Mass last Tuesday, a local friend who also frequents our "invite-only" board sent me an e-mail, saying that he got word Blessed Sacrament is hiring.

I e-mailed my resume to the parish e-mail Tuesday afternoon, and was asked by phone yesterday to re-send my resume to the pastor's own e-mail. I did that. The phone call I got yesterday from the secretary is a sign to me that there is a position open there. Whether it is permanant or interim (interim as in "it's over once the incumbent music director is fully recovered", which must be respected at all times) is yet to be told, however. But I am obviously not withdrawing my running.

In the meantime, it did win me two Masses this Sunday as a substitute organist (8:30 and 10:30). I do have the list here. DISCLAIMER: I did NOT pick these, though a couple of these would have been on my list had I been given that privilege. There is a cantor for both Masses. Pew books are the 2008 Breaking Bread and the 1984 People's Mass Book.

We three kings of Orient are..."Kings of Orient"
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you...
- (NOTE: Setting unknown till I get there and see what the cantors have been given.)
Angels we have heard on high..."Gloria"
- (NOTE: since this was listed in place of the Alleluia I will TRY to talk the powers that be into letting me use an ACTUAL alleluia.)
The first Nowell...English carol
Mass of Creation...Haugen
- (NOTE: If I was to become music director, I fear I may have to keep this one in rotation for a little while anyways.)
It came upon a midnight clear..."Carol"
What Child is this..."Greensleeves"
- (NOTE: from my understanding the Communion will be either/or of the above.)
Silent night, holy night..."Stille Nacht"
Joy to the world, the Lord is come..."Antioch"

This may lead into something, or it may not. I'm praying hard that it does, though I am also praying for Don Dame's recovery as well from his misfortune.

And yes, the sanctuary you see at left, the same as I posted earlier this week, IS the one at Blessed Sacrament Church. You can see the organ cases on either side of the sanctuary. There are four - apparently one for each of the three manual divisions, and one for the pedal division. It IS the Aeolian Skinner that the Organ Historical Society printed a new page on after reviewing the update form I sent them. Three manuals, twenty-six stops (four of them mixtures), twenty-eight ranks. The console and choir area is not in the sanctuary or the loft, but in the south transcept, nearly out of sight of most worshippers and definitely not taking away from the actions going on in the sanctuary.

The four mixtures are a Fourniture (great), IV-VI (for you non-organists, that's four to six ranks depending on pitch), a Cornet (choir), II, TC (that's a two-rank cornet mixture, starting at "tenor C"), a Cymbale (also in the choir division), IV-V, and another Fourniture (pedal), III-IV. I also like the fact that this is the first pipe organ I've played in my 26-1/2 year career that I can recall having a 32' stop - a Contre Basson in the pedal (note on the stoplist says that the bottom octave is a Cornet).

For more info on organ stops, check out the Encyclopedia of Organ Stops. It's very comprehensive.

Pray pray pray! Please please please!
I would LOVE to bellow out the words HABEO OFFICIO!
Thank you thank you thank you!
Peace,
BMP

MY FIRST ENTRY TO THE ORGAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY PAGES

A while back, we added the Organ Historical Society to the CV Definitive Linkroll. On this site you can search the database for pipe organs that are or were in a given church.

In May 2006, I had written a post about the five (yes, only five) Aeolian-Skinner organs in all of Rhode Island. One of the churches mentioned was Blessed Sacrament in Providence, RI, home of an Aeolian Skinner built in 1968. I had done a search under Providence yesterday out of curiosity. They had listed a three-manual Austin built "before 1905".

So, via an online form that one can use to give the OHS updates on a given organ, I tipped them off about the Aeolian Skinner that is now in use. I also included this link from the Aeolian-Skinner Opus List. I got this reply from Jim Cook, who runs the OHS database:

On behalf of the OHS Database Committee, thank you for sending information through our on-line form.

During the review process, we discovered that the changes you described were extensive enough to warrant making a new entry. We therefore used the information you submitted to create this new entry and linked it to the previous one.

http://organsociety.bsc.edu/SingleOrganDetails.php?OrganID=32560

Please take time to visit the new entry and notify us if we have made any errors. I look forward to receiving future contributions from you. -- jim cook, Database Manager

On the new page, I find:
Additional notes.
Identified through on-line information from Brian Michael Page.

WOOHOO! I feel as if I just made my own page for the OHS! Humbled, yet thrilled, am I!
Peace,
BMP

PS: Incidentally, I just added the Aeolian-Skinner archive pages to the CV Definitive Linkroll. It includes a couple of interviews, a brief timeline of the company, and opus lists for Aeolian-Skinner, E.M. Skinner, E.M. Skinner and Son, and Bassett-Skinner.