Good Friday

6 April 2011

Psalm 31	Father, into your hands (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Lenten (mtgf)
Adoration of the Cross	Invitation (A Gregory Murray)
	Vexilla Regis (Anton Bruckner)
	Reproaches (Peter Jones)
	O vos omnes (Victoria)
	Jesus, remember me (Taizé)
Communion	O Crux ave (Rihards Dubra)
	When I survey the wondrous cross

It was noticeable both this afternoon and the previous evening is that the congregation likes to have some something to get it vocal teeth into (if that isn't a mixed metaphor!). One of my concerns about current movements in liturgical music is that they seem to have a premise of "Catholics don't sing' so if we just give them some short phrases they might manage that. One of my basic premises is that people will sing melodies which express the words which make sense in the liturgical context.

Again not many changes this year (that will also be a factor in people singing - this is the piece we sing on Good Friday). A little more Bruckner. When doing some preparation work on the Triduum I was reminded that for Adoration of the Cross there is a balance between texts of praise and those of lament (actually the weight is towards praise). Our devotional instinct rather than our liturgical one - edges us towards lament, indeed the new rubric about the Stabat Mater being a custom in some places reinforces this. It seems to me it does need to be both and Bruckner setting was a way of redressing the balance.