Choral Music for the Season

The Trappist monk Thomas Merton wrote, “Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony.” I don’t think he had music specifically in mind, but there may not be four better words to describe the foundation of both the aesthetic and practical sides of the art of music.

Take balance, for instance. Many church musicians have shared with me their unhappiness with the frenetic pace of preparing for Holy Week and the Triduum. I hear of long rehearsals and extra rehearsals—a general feeling of being overwhelmed during this time of the Church year. It is difficult to maintain balance while overwhelmed; and it is not just the music director who suffers: the choir and other musicians are impacted by the director’s lack of balance.

Preparing adequately well in advance of Holy Week and Triduum is one of the best gifts you can give to your choir as a director. The same applies to the Advent/Christmas season. Going into these liturgies with calmness and security opens a space for all to fully engage in the beauty of the rite, without the exhaustion and anxiety brought on by additional commitments and the anxious feeling of being ill-prepared.

Balance extends into the details of the liturgy too. Consider how many words are part of the Easter Vigil, for example. Does the music you choose provide a balance to the wordiness of the readings and allow the rite to breathe? The liturgy has order, but does the music enhance the rhythm of the ritual flow or get in its way?

As you program music for Holy Week, Triduum, and Easter this year, keep in mind Merton’s four pillars of happiness: balance, order, rhythm, and harmony.

Angela Westhoff-Johnson
Managing Music Editor for OCP
and music director at St. Mary's Cathedral in Portland, Oregon

Beneath the Cross

Music by Ronald A. Matthews
Text by Genevieve Glen, OSB

This exquisite text by Benedictine Sister Genevieve Glen is beautifully balanced with the equally rich music of Ronald Matthews; the result is a perfect harmony of text and music. Fitting for Palm Sunday and Good Friday, the pain of Mother Mary is clearly depicted in the haunting choral texture created by Matthews. Musically rich and lush, “Beneath the Cross” is scored for SATB choir, but sounds fuller, as if divisi were employed. Matthews’ attractive choral style incorporates enough dissonance to portray the emotion and depth of the text without overuse of this technique. There are musical challenges in “Beneath the Cross,” but they are not unattainable by most SATB choirs. Accomplished choirs will find it approachable yet very rewarding. “Beneath the Cross” is a lovely addition to the Holy Week repertoire of any SATB choir.

Difficulty Level: Medium No Assembly Edition | SATB | a cappella
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Mandatum Novum

A Troparion for Great and Holy Thursday

by Luke Mayernik

For use during the Washing of the Feet on Holy Thursday, “Mandatum Novum” is composed in a Byzantine style and alternates between chanted psalm verses in English and a rich choral texture in the Latin antiphon. Scored for eight-part voices, it can be convincingly sung by an SATB choir by omitting the optional divisi parts. The addition of these harmonies, however, creates a very rich, lush choral sound. With six verses that alternate between the choral antiphons, “Mandatum Novum” is plenty long for any parish foot-washing ritual. Similar in structure to Allegri’s Miserere Mei, this beautiful a cappella piece can be adapted in length as needed. Taken from the Gospel of John, where Jesus explained to his apostles the significance of his washing their feet, the Latin text translates as “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Advanced choirs will find this accessible, but should devote sufficient rehearsal time to achieve the proper effect of the setting. Less skilled choirs should not rule this functional choral work out, however. Omitting the optional divisi will make “Mandatum Novum” more accessible, and therefore should be considered by SATB choirs of various skill levels.

Difficulty Level: Medium No Assembly Edition | SATB divisi | a cappella
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Are You Not Aware

by Mary Van Houten

This motet, set to the Romans 6 reading from the Easter Vigil, is the perfect selection for the Preparation of the Gifts following the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults at the Vigil. Beginning with unison women, the men join to ask, “Are you not aware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” Mary Van Houten uses just the right amount of rhythmic and dynamic variety to make this piece quite appealing. Published in the Trinitas octavo series, “Are You Not Aware” is rewarding for SATB choirs but isn’t terribly demanding. Although learning and properly executing this a cappella motet requires rehearsal time, it’s well worth it. “Are You Not Aware” will add a powerful element to your celebration of the great Easter Vigil.

Difficulty Level: Medium No Assembly Edition | SATB | Soprano Solo | a cappella
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