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Vespers for the Blessed Virgin Mary in English, with Hildegard chants
Roman Catholic parish musicians will benefit from the included Vespers "cheat sheet", resources for antiphons, description of psalm tones and their relationship to proper antiphons, and nearly 70 sheet music files included here.

angelamrocchio
May 118 min read
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Reclaiming the music of Hildegard von Bingen, with songs in chant notation
The Liturgy is cosmic and epic, and Hildegard wanted her community to live and believe this! Hildegard was a leader, and especially a liturgist. This is why her music was so important, as a revelation of the heavenly cosmos: the heavenly Liturgy.

angelamrocchio
May 118 min read
1,081 views
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Praying with Gregorian Chant, Part III: a Liturgical gaze
The Liturgy is a point of contact between temporal and eternal, made sensibly present on earth via Gregorian chants in a myriad of ways.

angelamrocchio
Mar 2319 min read
418 views
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Praying with Gregorian Chant, Part II: Sung Speech
Gregorian chant is "sung speech": a form of music heavily shaped by the language qualities of the sacred texts it adorns.

angelamrocchio
Feb 213 min read
444 views
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Praying with Gregorian Chant, Part I: the Latin texts
Many enjoy Gregorian chant simply for its sense of peace and calm, but at its heart, these beloved melodies belong at service to the texts.

angelamrocchio
Oct 5, 202412 min read
1,000 views
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22 Early Sacred Rounds and Canons (14th-18th century)
A mix from the 14th to 18th centuries by legendary masters Dufay, Ockegham, Tallis, Palestrina, Byrd, and Telemann, and lesser-known but no

angelamrocchio
Aug 31, 20246 min read
1,667 views
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Top 5 mistakes people make when reading chant notation
If you already know the basics for sight reading chant notation, but still find it to be a struggle, this article is for you.

angelamrocchio
Aug 2, 20248 min read
1,112 views
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Gregorian Chants for the Sacred Heart
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is as old as the Christian Church. Here we see ancient melodies finding new voice in modern chants.

angelamrocchio
Jun 6, 20246 min read
809 views
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What the heck is a Sequence, and does it really matter today?
Sequence is derived from the Latin word sequor (to follow). What does it follow? The Alleluia chant. Here is where our disconnect begins.

angelamrocchio
May 24, 202417 min read
1,602 views
1 comment


Eastertide: 7 ancient choral works for modern-day choirs
Easter is more than a day; it is a whole season. Your choir will enjoy singing these 7 ancient choral works for Eastertide.

angelamrocchio
Mar 27, 20246 min read
779 views
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Vocal Care for Holy Week
Hard-learned tips and musings from this experienced (and perhaps somewhat battle-scarred) church musician and singer.

angelamrocchio
Mar 7, 20249 min read
2,218 views
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7 things that Sung Vespers can teach us about life
Praying the Psalms is at the very heart of Hebrew and Christian worship. “Seven times a day I praise you,” the psalmist wrote. The Psalms te

angelamrocchio
Jan 17, 20248 min read
634 views
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Gregorian Chant & Early Sacred Music: a layman's lexicon for the parish musician
Date of first publishing: December 28, 2023 with 103 entries Jump to Lexicon. Welcome, reader! I have always held that there are three...

angelamrocchio
Dec 28, 20233 min read
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an Advent "Ave Maria", and the mysterious origin of the Offertory Chant and its verses
The offertory chant is the most splendid of all, setting precedent for similar musical largesse later in offertory motets, organ voluntaries

angelamrocchio
Dec 21, 20237 min read
446 views
3 comments


7 things you probably didn't know about being a cantor
Most of us have been drafted (more or less willingly, some even tricked into it!) due to some degree of singing talent, given a tiny bit of

angelamrocchio
Dec 8, 202310 min read
1,315 views
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What *is* an Introit Chant? Si iniquitates (28th Sunday of Ordinary Time)
In the Christian tradition, Psalm 129 plays a pivotal role in the Office of the Dead, and just before the solemnity of Christ the King.

angelamrocchio
Oct 9, 20235 min read
729 views
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Adventide: 6 ancient choral works for modern-day choirs
This blog post is dedicated to a few musical gems of the ancient past which are suitable especially for Adventide.

angelamrocchio
Sep 15, 20236 min read
1,255 views
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5 reasons to plan a Festival of Lessons and Carols
It's going to be several more weeks before radio stations start to broadcast Christmas music, and the new choir year is only just...

angelamrocchio
Sep 7, 20233 min read
423 views
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Marcel Pérès and Saint Louis IX: Royal French chants for a Royal French saint
Image: Marcel Pérès and the Cantores Sancti Ludovici singing for Mass in February 2023 August 25th is internationally observed as the...

angelamrocchio
Aug 29, 20235 min read
429 views
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"Margarita" Sunday? The Latin language and Gregorian chant
When studying Gregorian chant in its liturgical context, we discover that many feasts are named after the chants they contain. Laetare...

angelamrocchio
Jul 29, 20233 min read
37 views
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