Members of the St. Cecilia Schola are pleased to have the opportunity to sing at special Mass on Memorial Day at our own parish, a classical Roman Rite said according to the 1962 Missal. The time is 12:10pm in the main Church. A special thank you should be given to the pastor and Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb for making this possible.

Here is our favorite simple, English Mass, to be used without accompaniment. It appears simple, and it is, but that makes it no less beautiful. It can be learned very quickly, and used any time of the year. It requires only one cantor or it can be sung by the entire choir.

We are very pleased to announce that our Sacred Music Workshop, February 1-2, 2008, in Auburn, Alabama, is taking shape. Our guest conductor is Wilko Brouwers from the Netherlands, a famous and brilliant expert in chant and polyphony who is also a master teacher and a joyful presence in the world of Catholic music. He will lead this two-day seminar that culminates in a sung liturgy on Saturday evening. This is the fifth annual conference that continues to grow year by year. You won’t want to miss this wonderful event. Please read more and join us!

Many people have written to ask what is the best introduction to chant. There are many on the market today, and some of them actually increase confusion rather than clarify. Ideally, an introductory book should explain how to read neumes, with a clear description of both rhythm and pitch, provide a bit of history about why we sing chant, and get the reader singing as soon as possible with the core repertoire for parishes — with as few unnecessary complications as possible.

Overall the best introduction available is not a new book but a newly in print book from the 1940s: Sister Mary Antonine Goodchild’s Gregorian Chant for Church and School. It is now available from the Church Music Association of America.

The National Catholic Register publishes an excellent letter that mentions the St. Cecilia Schola, and also a response that praises our efforts. Very nice.