...A chronological listing of the many activities in our parish.  Also be sure to check for information about other special, or regularly scheduled, items - accessible from the headlines page.     

Gloria and Agnus Dei                 

Sunday      9:30 & 11:00             

Missa “Aeterna Christi munera”                                                                                    Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Preparation of the Gifts   

                                                              Saturday 5:15 P.M.    

May the Holy Spirit’s Sword                                                                                                         Shu-Fen Wang Kho

Sunday      9:30 & 11:00              

The Eternal Dove                                                                                                                           Randall Thompson

Sunday      9:30 & 11:00              

Missa “Aeterna Christi munera”                                                                                    Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Communion

                                                              Saturday 5:15 P.M.    

Ave Maria                                                                                                                 Giulio Caccini arr. Diana Kodner

                                                              Sunday 9:30 & 11:00

Hymne à la vierge                                                                                                                                Pierre Villette

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina is perhaps the most celebrated Roman Catholic composer, especially of the sixteenth century. His works are the model for the Renaissance polyphony codified by Johann Joseph Fux from Palestrina’s body of choral music. Palestrina followed strict methods of “species counterpoint” in his music resulting in a smooth polyphony and elegance in style like no other in Roman Catholic sacred music. His music also embodies the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church such as Ego Sum Panis Vivus. The Chamber Singers are well-suited for this polyphony singing with an elegance and grace befitting this style of music. Palestrina's Missa Aeterna Christi munera isn't a parody mass (where the mass is based on an existing polyphonic composition). Instead, it is based on a plainchant hymn.

Pierre Villette (1926–1998) was born into a musical family in 1926. He studied with Maurice Durufle before attending the Paris Conservatoire. Villette's music is a product of a French musical heritage that includes Fauré and Debussy as well as Poulenc and Messiaen, and a French cultural legacy that includes Catholicism and the Order of Saint Benedict. Villette’s music drew on influences as eclectic as Gregorian Chant, medieval music, jazz (he composed an orchestral piece titled Blues), and Stravinsky. Villette's Hymne à la vierge, which is probably his best-known work, has been performed in the annual Service of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge.
Randall Thompson (April 21, 1899 – July 9, 1984) was an American composer. He attended Harvard University, became assistant professor of music and choir director at Wellesley College, and received a doctorate in music from the University of Rochester Eastman School of Music. His most popular and recognizable choral work is his anthem, Alleluia, commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky for the opening of the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood. Leonard Bernstein was one of Thompson's students at Harvard.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Villette"
Choral Music Even without the beautiful sacred space of Holy Name’s Cathedral, the Cathedral Music Ministry provides excellent choral music for week-end liturgies befitting a cathedral, albeit in the auditorium. The choral season continues in weeks to come including music by Gallus, Wolfgang Mozart, Randall Thompson, and for Mother’s Day: Hymne a la Vierge by Pierre Villette. This week’s choral ensembles include the Womens’ Schola, the Gallery Singers and the Chamber Singers.

Last October, Pope Benedict XVI discussed the “ancient treasure” of Gregorian church music. He reaffirmed his predecessor’s observations that the distinguishing traits of sacred liturgical music are “holiness, true art, and universality, or the possibility that it can be proposed to any people or type of assembly.” The Cathedral of the Holy Name therefore continues with this vision. Gregorian or Gregorian based music is present for most choral liturgical music, or, in instrumental music. In addition, the “ancient treasure” of choral music holds a large part of the repertoire for the cathedral’s liturgies.

Last updated May 9, 2008