Dear Partners in Ministry,
Happy St. Gregory Day! Pope Gregory I ("Gregory the Great") made the most of his thirteen-and-a half-year papacy (Sep 3, 590–Mar 12, 604), leveraging his upbringing as the son of a Roman Senator to serve as a keen administrator; contributing so substantially to our collective theology that he is considered one of the four "Fathers of the Church"; and instituting reforms in both the Roman and Orthodox liturgies which are still in place today (e.g., the Kyrie, eleison and the Lord's Prayer being prayed after the Eucharistic Prayer). But I bring St. Gregory up today because he was principally (if not directly) responsible for standarding the many forms of chanted liturgical song present throughout the early Church into the form we know and still employ today as plainchant, or as it is often called in his honor, Gregorian chant. We celebrate St. Gregory as one of several patron saints of music and musicians, along with Saints Cecilia, Ambrose, and Hildegaard von Bingen, among others. Enjoy your feast day, music-makers!
A reminder that tomorrow's rehearsal is a Cantor Night, so most of you have the evening off. Preparation happens long before and after rehearsal, though; so, please spend 5-15 minutes each day on your repertoire, singing technique, breath control, etc. You'll be a better singer and we'll be a better choir for it!
Finally, a reminder that we begin singing acclamations from Mass of Encounter this weekend. We'll start in unison and work in harmony as the assembly settles back into this setting.
Peace be with you,
Tony Ward
MUSICAL FYI: Mastering Meter
Perhaps you've played this little optical-illusion game before. If you focus your attention on this grid of dots, there's a very good chance that you'll start to perceive these dots in groups of twos or threes (I see squares, but some see triangles or short lines). This is because the human brain really, really wants its sensory input to be organized— specifically, in groups of twos (duples) or threes (tuples). Our most important personal information is often broken down this way: phone numbers, Social Security numbers, and credit card numbers are almost always organized in threes and fours (which, of course, is a multiple of two), and when a long number or series of characters isn't subdivided, we often struggle to commit it to memory unless we do the subdividing ourselves (ever tried to memorize your car's VIN?)
Music is no different. Our ability to process, learn, and (arguably) enjoy music often relies on perceiving these duples and tuples, and this is why so much of our music is written in a defined meter, or an organized pattern of beats into measures or phrases. When you find yourself challenged by a tricky rhythm, or a time signature that doesn't quite compute this way (like 5/4 or 9/8), the best favor your brain can do for you is to let that obsessive need to organize go wild. Look and/or listen for strong or accented beats, or patterns or rhythms within a measure that seem consistent throughout the piece. There's a good chance that those beats and patterns subdivide that meter into (say it with me now) twos and threes. If it's not obvious to the eye, it might be obvious to the ear, so use both senses to help divide and conquer. Five beats can break down into two asymmetrical groupings of two or three. 9/8 time often means that the music actually moves in three strong beats per measure, each of which just happens to be three eighth-notes long. Even an unmetered piece (Gregorian chant, anyone?) can be broken down this way, making it a much easier piece to read and sing.
Here are two simple exercises you can entertain yourself with to practice the skill of subdiving meters:
1. Say your full name three or four times. As you do, listen for what you would naturally accent and gauge how these accents subdivide your name into groups of two or three syllables— AN-tho-ny, KA-thy, or Sa-BIN-i-an (the Pope who succeded Gregory).
2. Sing the Celtic Alleluia to yourself while reading it from the book (JS 264). Note that the melody is a repeating pattern of three beats, even when the rhythm isn't perfectly in line with it, and when the meter changes from 6/8 to 9/8.
Letting your brain do its thing and perceive those duple and tuple patterns is a crucial step in improving your rhythm-reading skills, and will make the work of reading music much easier with patience and practice.
CANTOR NIGHT AGENDA: SEPTEMBER 4
IN CANTOR'S FOLDERS (The rest of the choir will receive these scores next week)
- 2.013 · Psalm 98: Complete Setting (Ward)
- 2.027 · Psalm 16: You Are My Inheritance (Ward
AGENDA:
- JS 67 · Ps 90: In Every Age (Smith) Sep 7
- JS 30 · Ps 27: The Goodness of the Lord (Soper) Sep 14, Nov 2
- JS 92 · Ps 113: Blessed Be the Name of the Lord (Mayernik) Sep 21
- 2.009 · Ps 146: Praise the Lord, My Soul! (Cosas) Sep 28
- JS 71 · Ps 95: If Today You Hear His Voice (Soper) Oct 5
- 2.013 · Psalm 98: Complete Setting (Ward) Oct 12
- 2.027 · Psalm 16: You Are My Inheritance (Ward) Oct 19
- JS 829 · The Cry of the Poor (Foley) Oct 26
THIS WEEK IN LITURGY
SEPTEMBER 7 · Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
NOTE: We begin using the Mass of Encounter for all our acclamations.
READINGS: Read online at usscb.org
Lectionary for Mass: 129
2025 Workbook: p. 255
Breaking Bread 2025: p. 210
Cantors: Tony W (5:00); Marie P (9:00); Mary P (11:00)
MUSIC SELECTIONS:
- Gathering: BB 655 · 6.008 · Seek the Lord (O'Connor)
- Glory to God: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Responsorial Psalm: BB 776 · JS 67 · Ps 90: In Every Age (Smith)
- Gospel Acclamation: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Preparation of the Gifts: BB 416 · JS 640 · Christ Before Us (SUO GÁN/Whitaker)
- Eucharistic Acclamations: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Holy · When We Eat This Bread · Amen I
- Lamb of God: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Communion: BB 305 · JS 766 · Gather the People (Schutte)
- Sending Forth: BB 548 · JS 593 · Lift Up Your Hearts (O’Connor)
LOOKING AHEAD
SEPTEMBER 14 · Exaltation of the Holy Cross
READINGS: Read online at usscb.org
Lectionary for Mass: 638
2025 Workbook: p. 258
Breaking Bread 2025: p. 212
Cantors: Tony W (5:00); Marie P (9:00); Mary P (11:00)
MUSIC SELECTIONS:
- Gathering: BB 714 · JS 458 · Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (HYFRYDOL)
- Glory to God: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Responsorial Psalm: BB 748 · JS 30 · Ps 27: The Goodness of the Lord (Soper)
- Gospel Acclamation: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Preparation of the Gifts:
- 5:00 · [Bell Choir] The King of Love (arr. Moklebust)
- 9:00 · [Parish Choir] 6.010 · We Adore You, O Christ (Proulx):
- 11:00 · BB 484 · JS 732 · Only This I Want (Schutte)
- Eucharistic Acclamations: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Holy · When We Eat This Bread · Amen I
- Lamb of God: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Communion: BB 419 · JS 467 · Jesus the Lord (O’Connor)
- Sending Forth: BB 190 · JS 415 · Alleluia! Alleluia (HYMN TO JOY)
SEPTEMBER 21 · Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
READINGS: Read online at usscb.org
Lectionary for Mass: 135
2025 Workbook: p. 261
Breaking Bread 2025: p. 214
Cantors: David R (5:00); Kathy P (9:00); Anthony S (11:00)
MUSIC SELECTIONS:
- Gathering: BB 518 · JS 824 · Christ, Be Our Light (Farrell)
- Glory to God: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Responsorial Psalm: WA · JS 92 · Ps 113: Blessed Be the Name of the Lord (Mayernik)
- Gospel Acclamation: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Preparation of the Gifts: BB 329 · 3.066 · Bread for the World (Farrell)
- Eucharistic Acclamations: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Holy · When We Eat This Bread · Amen I
- Lamb of God: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
- Communion: BB 354 · JS 776 · Ubi Caritas (Hurd)
- Sending Forth: BB 620 · JS 825 · Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service (BEACH SPRING/Bayly)
RESOURCES
MUSIC SELECTIONS: Ordinary Time III (September 7–November 27, 2025)