During what was likely his last pilgrimage to the Black Madonna, the "heart of Bavaria" at Altoetting, Don Capisco paid a visit to Salzburg during the Festival Weeks in order to visit the exhibition of Mozart's church music compositions in the Cathedral Museum. (It was an excellent display, well thought out and executed, with a first cflass catalogue containing several very good articles, published by Carus in Stuttgart.)

Of particular interest to readers of this blog and to members of the CMAA in general, was a short announcement in the official "Gazette of the Archdiocese of Salzburg" which follows in English translation from the 'Verordnungsblatt der Erzdioezese Salzburg' no. 5 (5 May 2006) page 85, under the heading '53. Priestly Fraternity of St Pius X : Information." Here the text...

According to an authoritative statement from the Pontifical Commission 'Ecclesia Dei, ' the following points regarding the Priestly Fraternity of St Pius X are, from a juridical point of view, indisputable facts :

-- the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre in 1988 (here follow the four names) are excommunicated. Priests ordained within the Fraternity are suspended for lack of a valid incardination.

-- Regarding the faithful who sympathise with the SSPX, we must insist that a) we are dealing with Catholic faithful who -- provided they have performed no explicit actions -- in no way wish to leave the Roman Catholic Church; b) attending Masses celebrated by priests of the SSPX is not in itself a delict and does not bring about excommunication; c) only those of the faithful who see the SSPX as the only true church, and who make this visible externally, incur the penalty of excommunication; d) it is consequently not at all appropriate to regard as non-Catholic the children baptised in the chapels of the SSPX, and to treat their marriages to another Catholic as mixed marriages; e) when baptism by a priest of the SSPX is attested in writing and the parents of the newly baptised do not see the SSPX as the only true church, then this attestation sufficews for registration of the baptism in the Liber Baptizatorum of the parish of baptism, under the running number 0. On the basis of this registration, a baptismal certificate can be issued.

The earlier edict concerning marriage to a Catholic who was baptised in an SSPX chapel (see below) is to be applied only if the Catholic thus baptised sees in the SSPX the only true church and who makes this visible externally.

In order to prevent misunderstandings, the Archiepiscopal Chancery Office will examine each case individually.
From the Archiepiscopal Chancery, on 10 May 2006. Protocol number 579/06. (Thus far the official text.)

The background is interesting, to say the least. Several months earlier the same Chancery Office in Salzburg had published (in the Verordnungsblatt 2006, page 126) an edict according to which persons baptised by an SSPX priest were "non-Roman Catholic Christians" who, in the event of marriage to a Catholic, were to be treated as though they were entering a "mixed marriage."

The archdiocesan functionaries responsible for the official Salzburg Gazette are Chancellor Dr Hansjoerg Hofer and Vicar General Dr Johann Reissmeier. The Liber Baptizatorum is the official registry document which proves membership of the Roman Catholic church (canon 535 CJC/1983). Since this new edict was published after a communication from the Ecclesia Dei Commission, it may be regarded as the official view of the Holy See. The rather forced and clumsy reservation clause (only when baptised persons "see in the SSPX the only true Church and make this visible externally" is a "mixed marriage" judgement appropriate) should rather be regarded as an attempt to veil at least in part the embarrassing earlier statements of the Chancery.

And course one will be permitted to wonder what it will actually look like when one of the faithful "makes visible externally" his conviction that the SSPX is the only true Church...will he perhaps have to parade in front of the Cathedral in a sandwich board saying : "RC Church : NOT TRUE CHURCH"?

In any event, the Salzburg Chancery Office is not to be envied for its self-appointed task of examining "each individual case" by itself...."

We would like to draw your attention to the online publication of a new article by Peter Phillips (Tallis Scholars) that appears in the Fall 2006 issue of Sacred Music. Its title is: The Cult of the Conductor. Mr. Phillips takes on the most of the common assumptions made about choral music and says that they do not apply to sacred polyphony.

Many of the assumptions which underlie so much traditional music-making will not do for polyphony. The participating voices may be trained these days—if they are to survive the schedules the Tallis Scholars undertake they have to know how their voices work—but not in the operatic tradition of the individual above everything. Polyphony is a cooperative effort for everyone involved, and the first responsibility of the singer is to learn to blend with whoever else may be on the same line: this is not a place for the hero mentality. READ MORE

Amy Welborn has written a fine report on the liturgies for the Legatus summit in the Napa Valley last weekend. There are also some kind comments at the bottom about the Traditional Choir of St Dominic's, San Francisco, the St Cecilia Schola Cantorum, and our very own CMAA Web site.

9/23/2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Schola Cantorum San Francisco opens its new concert season with musical rarity

Schola Cantorum San Francisco (ScholaSF) is inaugurating its ninth season with a choral program featuring Spem in Alium, a rarely performed motet in 40 parts by the Renaissance composer Thomas Tallis. The performance will take place in three venues on successive nights: October 13, 8PM, at Ss. Peter and Paul, North Beach, San Francisco; October 14, 8PM, at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Berkeley; and October 15, 4PM, at the Mercy Center, Burlingame. SCSF will be joined by the Pacific Collegium, a choir based in Berkeley.

Entitled Music of the English Renaissance, the concert also includes other significant works by Tallis and William Byrd, including selections from Byrd's Great Service. ScholaSF is noted for its elegant interpretations of Renaissance polyphonic choral music, and has been praised for its luminous clarity and attention to the subtleties of the text as well as the music.

The program for the new season was announced by ScholaSF Music Director, John Renke, and Executive Director, Joe Pulichino, in a letter to its friends and benefactors. Regarding the performance of Spem in Alium, Mr. Renke said, "We are delighted to work with Pacific Collegium and Director Chris Kula. It's a rare chance for audiences to hear an extraordinary piece like this."

ScholaSF will continue its 2006-07 series with the following seasonal programs: Christmas in the City, December 8, 9, and 10; In Exitu Israel, music from the Hebrew Tanakh, March 16, 17, and 18; and Come, My Beloved, a celebration of Spring, May 11, 12, and 13.

Contact: John Renke
Schola Cantorum San Francisco
2370 Market St. #415
San Francisco, CA 94114
415-419-3500

A workshop exploring many dimensions of Gregorian chant

October 20 6:30-9:30pm
October 21 9:00am-noon, 1:00-4:00pm, plus 5:00pm Mass

St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral, Music Room
Presenter: William Mahrt, Stanford University

LITURGY:

• Pope Benedict XVI has made several strong statements of support for traditional sacred music.
  
• What the Second Vatican Council said about chant.
  
• Why Gregorian chant is the paradigm of sacred music.

PERFORMANCE:

• How to read and sing Gregorian chant.
  
• The role of memory and notation in that process.

HISTORY:

• How Gregorian chant started, how it grew, where it stands today.

The workshop will include actual singing and study of chant melodies and will conclude by participating at the Saturday 5 PM Mass at the Cathedral.

Prof. William Mahrt teaches historical musicology and the performance of Medieval and Renaissance music at Stanford University. He directs the Stanford Early music Singers, specializing in the polyphonic music of the late Medieval through the early Baroque eras and the St. Ann Choir, which sings Mass and Vespers every Sunday in Gregorian chant, with the addition of Renaissance motets. He is President of the Church Music Association of America and editor of Sacred Music. Professor Mahrt has published on music and liturgy and music and poetry, as well as on the music of Johannes Brahms.

Cost: $10.00
More information & to register: Call 329-2571 or 345-6106

Sponsored by St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral and Regina Pacis Cantorum

CLICK FOR FLYER DOWNLOAD

Schola Cantorum San Francisco will open its 2006-2007 season with a free concert this Sunday at 4:00pm at the (Anglican) Church of the Advent in the Hayes Valley section of San Francisco. The program will comprise music of Tallis and Byrd. Evensong will precede the concert at 3:00. All are welcome.

Many will recall SCSF as the resident choir of the National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi. Charity and avoidance of scandal forbid me to recount in full the events leading to the choir's separation from the Shrine, but in late 2005 the Schola incorporated as its own nonprofit corporation and now begins its first full season as an independent institution. (Full disclosure: I serve on the corporation's board of directors.) Under the direction of John Renke, SCSF's mission is to bring the music of the Roman rite, from Gregorian chant to specially commissioned works, to churches, schools, and concert halls throughout Northern California. Cathedral Music Magazine has written of the Schola: "This 12-voice mixed choir has gained international renown for both its repertoire and performance ... a pure, sectionally balanced, and pitch-perfect ensemble ... equal to the best choirs in Britain." Please pray for its continued success.

Mr. John Renke, music director of Schola Cantorum San Francisco, has passed along the following reports on Pope Benedict XVI's remarks at the Regensburg organ dedication: here and here. The second describes the Holy Father's magnificent analogy between the different pipes of the organ and the different charisms of the Church. Here is the full speech from the Vatican.

The CMAA hopes you enjoy this Tutorial on Chant Pitch, a powerpoint presentation put together by Pes.

Benedict XVI abolishes Christmas pop concert.