This is my first video recorded at the Cathedral of Mary, Our Queen in Baltimore. There are two identical consoles for the organ at the cathedral and pipes at each end of the building. This excerpt from my Suite in French Classical Style on Vexilla Regis was recorded from the console in the sanctuary using only pipes from the gallery. Watch carefully to notice the delay between my fingers and the audio!
Gaudete in Domino semper:
iterum dico, gaudete.
Rejoice in the Lord always,
and again I say rejoice.
This musical setting of text from the introit for the third Sunday of Advent is written for unaccompanied SATB choir. The lyrics use both Latin and English phrases from the introit. The music alternates between short unison chant sections and longer polyphonic sections based on ideas found in the original Gregorian chant.
Ad te levavi animam meam:
Deus meus in te confido.
Non erubescam.
To You, I lift up my soul.
I trust in you.
This musical setting of text from the introit for the first Sunday of Advent is written for unaccompanied SATB choir. The lyrics use both Latin and English phrases from the introit. The music alternates between short unison chant sections and longer polyphonic sections based on ideas found in the original Gregorian chant.
Written by Venantius Fortunatus (530-609), Vexilla Regis is one of the great chant hymns of the church. Appropriately sung at vespers from Passion Sunday until Holy Thursday, on the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross and even on Good Friday, the hymn was originally written to celebrate the arrival of a large relic of the True Cross in Poitiers, France.
In the French Classical tradition when singing hymns, the organ alternated verses with the choir. Having always enjoyed the sounds of the French Classical organs, when I had the opportunity to play a recital at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Albany, NY on Palm Sunday, I decided to write a suite for organ on this great hymn of the cross. The suite contains six movements and uses traditional tonal language and registrations of the period.
Vexilla Regis
Regina caeli laetare, Alleluia,
Quia quem meruisti portare. Alleluia,
Resurrexit sicut dixit, Alleluia.
Ora pro nobis Deum. Alleluia.
Intended for use during the Easter Season, this is the second Marian antiphon I set for SSAATTBB choir. The traditional chant melody is cast in a modern tonal language. A piano reduction of the SSAATTBB piece provided in the score for rehearsals. The audio below was generated by the Finale music notation program.
Ave Regina caelorum,
Ave Domina angelorum,
Salve radix, salve porta,
Ex qua mundo lux est orta.Gaude Virgo gloriosa,
Super omnes speciosa;
Vale, o valde decora,
Et pro nobis Christum exora.
Intended for use during the Lenten Season, this is the third of the four Marian antiphons I set for SSAATTBB choir. The traditional chant melody is cast in a modern tonal language. A piano reduction of the SSAATTBB piece provided in the score for rehearsals. The audio below was generated by the Finale music notation program.
Alma Redemptoris Mater,
Quae pervia caeli porta manes,
Et stella maris, succurre cadenti,
Surgere qui curat, populo:
Tu quae genuisti, natura mirante,
tuum sanctum Genitorem,
Virgo prius ac posterius,
Gabrielis ab ore, sumens illud Ave,
peccatorum miserere.
Intended for use during the season of Advent, this is the fourth Marian antiphon I set for SSAATTBB choir. The traditional chant melody is cast in a modern tonal language. A piano reduction of the SSAATTBB piece provided in the score for rehearsals. The audio below was generated by the Finale music notation program.
There are four seasonal antiphons to the Blessed Virgin Mary used in the Catholic Church. When I was given the opportunity to write a new piece for the choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe, these antiphon texts and chants seemed ideal material to work with. I started with the most well-known Salve Regina. I was so pleased with how it turned out that I decided to write settings for all four of the Marian Antiphons. Check them out on the pages below:
Written for Bill Picher and the professional choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe in Orlando, FL, this setting of Salve Regina presents the traditional chant melody in a modern tonal language. While intended to be performed a cappella, there is a reduction of the SSAATTBB piece provided in the score for rehearsals. As the most popular and well-known Marian antiphon, this is the first of a set of four Marian antiphons that I composed.
The Basilica Choir included the piece on its most recent album “A Cappella Magic” which is available here or as a download from iTunes! You can now also hear the piece on Spotify.