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Showing posts with the label prayers

Rain, concert band and Palestrina choir of Dublin

The carpet in the studyroom at work is beginning to smell and there is evidence of water haviong seeped through the brick walls into the corridor and adult library. The tap in the kitchen would not turn off so I called a plumber ansd switched off the stopcock putting the loos out of order for an hour. The reading group was great fun with lively discussion about "A Chinese-English dictionary for lovers". Most people liked the book. At lunchtime to Battersea Park bandstand to hear the South London concert band play songs from the shows in the rain! At Mass tonight Philip, George and Brian got their server's medals at last. The Palestrina choir of St Mary's pro-cathedral Dublin sang superbly. Flor Peeters Missa Josephi and Mawby's Ave verum. On the way home we listened to the Prom - Faure Requiem and Cantique de Jean Racine. I saw Fr Seed after Mass and complimented him on his extraordinary autobiography "Nobody's child". At last I am getting to the hap...

Jean Langlais (1907-1991)

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Today we sang Psalm 121 "I will lift up my eyes unto the hills" to the chant Barry Rose composed for the Queen's Silver Jubilee service at St Paul's. Clare had asked for this - she went to school in India and the hills mean a lot to her! The readings on the weekly sheet gave the Easter Alleluia verse instead of the post-Ascension one but I maintained we must stick with what the people had in their hands even if it is "wrong". The psalm was supposed to be next week as we had no tenor apart from me but in the event all went well. Statham in D is a good setting and Tallis's "If ye love me" a favourite motet. The tenor has a lovely phrase going up to a top G and the counterpoint is a masterpiece with the alto sailing over the soprano at the end! We also sang "Our blest redeemer e'er he breathed his tender last farewell" from A & M - such a lovely sentiment! I played the Dubois Toccata and Bach "Christ is erstanden" prelu...