The Singing Deacon

Hello everyone, and welcome again to The Singing Deacon!

It has been some time since my last official post, and yet I am gratified that this website continues to be useful to those who serve the Church. I've checked some of the posts, and there have been hits as recently as last month!  Thank you all for continuing to use and recommend this site to Deacons who want to improve their singing at Mass!

Unless you've been hiding underneath a very large, very quiet rock for the last year, you are aware that the English Translation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal has finally (FINALLY) been approved and sent to publishers, and will be promulgated in United States parishes the First Sunday of Advent, November 27th 2011.  The new translation, among other things, features adjusted text and chants for the Priest, Deacon and Assembly.  This means that the recordings found here on The Singin Deacon will be out-of-date as of next Advent!

The National Pastoral Musicians Association and others have provided a number of internet resources for Priests, Deacons and Parishioners to learn these new chants, and I encourage you to check them out (see links below)!  Given the fine work that has already been done in this area, I felt that anything I might do would be superfluous.

I will leave The Singing Deacon website active until just after Easter 2011, for any who wish to use these resources for Easter preparation.  After that, The Singing Deacon will be a fond memory!  Thank you again for your dedication to good liturgical music and to the work of the Church! Blessings to all of you!

In Christ,

Jeanne Marie Miles (nee Kohr)

National Pastoral Musicians recordings and curricula for instructing small groups

ICEL list of recordings

The Chant Cafe

tutorial videos

Musica Sacra (the Church Music Association of America) recordings

FDLC resources

At one point in history, there were over 5,000 sequences!  Today, the Church mandates the use of only two: the Easter Sequence, Victimae paschali laudes, and the Pentecost Sequence, Veni, sancte spiritus.  Listen to discussion of some brief historical points and some musical notes about these two treasures from the Church's past!

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Practice the Easter Sequence in Latin!

Victimae paschali laudes immolent Christiani.

Agnus redemit oves: Christus innocens Patri reconciliavit peccatores.

Mors et vita duello conflixere mirando: dux vitae mortuus, regnat vivus.

Dic nobis Maria, quid vidisti in via?

Sepulcrum Christi viventis, et gloriam vidi resurgentis:

Angelicos testes, sudarium, et vestes.

Surrexit Christus spes mea: praecedet suos in Galilaeam.

[Credendum est magis soli Mariae veraci Quam Judaeorum Turbae fallaci.]

Scimus Christum surrexisse a mortuis vere: tu nobis, victor Rex, miserere. Amen. Alleluia!

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Practice t4he Pentecost Sequence in Latin!

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Veni, Sancte Spiritus, et emitte caelitus lucis tuae radium.

Veni, pater pauperum, veni, dator munerum veni, lumen cordium.

Consolator optime, dulcis hospes animae, dulce refrigerium.

In labore requies, in aestu temperies in fletu solatium.

O lux beatissima, reple cordis intima tuorum fidelium.

Sine tuo numine, nihil est in homine, nihil est innoxium.

Lava quod est sordidum, riga quod est aridum, sana quod est saucium.

Flecte quod est rigidum, fove quod est frigidum, rege quod est devium.

Da tuis fidelibus, in te confidentibus, sacrum septenarium.

Da virtutis meritum, da salutis exitum, da perenne gaudium, Amen, Alleluia.

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The Easter Dismissal is only used for a limited time: the Easter Vigil, Easter Sunday Masses, masses within the octave of Easter, and the Pentecost Masses.  You have a whole year to practice!

A new feature of your practice sessions includes three different vocal ranges - listen to all three and practice with the one that fits your voice best!

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Hello, friends!  I'm you're intrepid but under-the-weather host, Jeanne Marie Kohr!

I've been ill for about 8 days now, and despite the application of effective and medically prescribed drugs, have only a little bit of voice left to me - a voice punctuated by pathetic-sounding dry coughs.  Under the circumstances, I felt that it was better to take a break from the Exsultet, and provide you with a timely, and conveniently pre-recorded, extra bit of deacon-appropriate liturgical singing - the Proclamation of the Birth of Christ!

This particular recording of the Proclamation was made Christmas Eve 2007.  As you listen and follow along with the score below, you'll note that the Proclamation is predominantly in recto-tono chant sections, with periodic drops to a lower note (you are going down a perfect 5th, which we haven't talked about much) for dramatic cadencing.  You'll also note that if we aren't dropping a 5th, we are using a familiar step-wise cadence, one found in both the Good Friday Intercessions and the Exsultet! So, good practice, all around!

Enjoy practicing the Proclamation, in between bouts of snow shoveling and Christmas caroling!  I wish all of you a joyous and blessed feast!

Merry Christmas and Blessings in the New Year!

JM

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Fasten your seatbelts - its time to look at the Good Friday Intercessions!The Good Friday Intercessions are composed of a specific, repetitive melodic structure.  This structure contains two distinct melodic figures which are also found in the Exsultet, so listen carefully and practice often!

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This session uses recto-tono chant to enhance the General Intercessions.  For ease of practice, go get your copy of the Order of Christian Funerals - we'll use the text of the funeral intercessions for our practice, so be ready to follow along!

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This sessions begins to look at the Penitential Rite by discussing the Kyrie invocations. Practice sessions are posted in both Greek and English.

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This session studies recto-tono singing in context of the Invitations in the Roman Rite: the Sign of Peace, the Final Blessing and the Dismissal.

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