Taliban Catholics

Whatever.

Who goes to Mass on Sunday?

Who does stuff when it needs doing?

Who went to Hyde Park and Cofton Park? (Not me, as it goes, but quite a few people I know who then went to work or school on the Monday.)

Who turned up at Cofton Park at 4.30am and sat in the rain for 5 1/2 hours?

Who stood outside Westminster Abbey for hours on the Friday?

Who are the people buying pushchirs for the Sisters in Glasgow, coffee from the Carmelites in the US, subscribing to the Redemptorists' publications, going on the Rosary Crusade, turning up at lots of other things...?

Who isn't making a fuss about the new translation of the Mass?

Who didn't make a fuss (in a bad way,) about Cardinal Newman's Beatification?

Who is doing a whole host of other things, beavering away...?
Lots of poeple.

Marching in London

I wasn't marching yesterday. Sadly it's a bit late since one of my immediate family has recently been made redundant for the second time in two years and this time from the civil service ...

Saw the march from the train and close up by the tube station and arrived at the venue to find four policmen in the church, ready for any smashers of shop windows to arrive. At one point in the rehearsal, they all put their yellow jackets on and left, which was interesting, but it turned out the trouble, such as it was, was elsewhere. Still in the end I was pleased I didn't go to the pub after as Trafalgar Sq was sounding busy at 11pm.

What always amuses me is that you may be knee deep in police and ambulance folk, but the lady selling the Sunday papers is still there with her stall.

Rosaries

The three sisters who have joined the Ordinariate are now selling hand-made rosaries.

The Annunciation

Mass in 40 parts on R3 this am

An I Fagiolini recording as mentioned by FrZ.

Radio 3 CD Review at 9.05am and thence iPlayer for a week.

Mass in 40 parts
STRIGGIO: Ecce beatem lucem, Missa Ecco si Beato Giorno
GALILEI: Contrapunto Secondo di BM
STRIGGIO: Fuggi, spene mia, O giovenil ardire, Altr’io che queste spighe, D’ogni gratia et d’amor, O de la bella Etruria, Caro dolce ben mio, Misero ohime
ANON: Spem in alium (Sarum Plainchant)
TALLIS: Spem in alium
I Fagiolini, Robert Hollingworth (conductor)
Decca Classics 4782734 (CD + Bonus DVD)

PALESTRINA: Missa Papae Marcelli
PALESTRINA: motets
ANERIO: Christus resurgens
Odhecaton, Paolo da Col (director)
Arcana A358 (CD)

Trompe l'oeil

I'm sorry anybody was ever expected to go to that Church featured on Damian Thompson's blog.

The Ordinariate people must number some folks a dab hand with a paint brush.
and if they are being given it, or even loaned it, gift horses, mouths etc.

Time for a clever trick with the eyes. A blank canvas. They could repaint it as their favourite Cathedral. St Pauls' before the Great Fire?

Vienna valve horns

can't beat 'em.

Day with Mary brings Spring

A beautiful sunny morning for the procession this am.

May contain chicken.

Sorry Heinz,your soup does, lots and lots.

Thought I'd eat less meat just now. Got home on Thurs after orchestra, opened said tin. Ate soup. Went to bed. Got up and remembered the chicken soup.

Mind like a sieve.

Et cum spiritu tuo

Et avec votre esprit.

Just not that hard.

Personally, I'd stick with Latin, because that is the primary text from which all translations start and happily read a fairly literal translation, but I'm not one for too much wordy wordy English.

All this translation business does make you wonder to what extent the Reformation was driven by the use of the vernacular - English and German and the printing press.

In music we see a shift from melismatic text setting in imitative counterpoint sung by professional musicians to syllabic, metrical, homophonic congregational hymns. All is clear, but not necessarily very beautiful.

Random thoughts before bedtime

1. A mere couple of hundred calories stands between me and grumpiness.

2. Lent seems to coincide with stuff going wrong.

3 It's interesting how the R4 news followed the item about Anglicans joining the Ordnariate (couched pretty negatively, proving they must be doing the right thing,) with guess what? a story about bad stuff in Philadelphia. Coincidence? I think not.

4 Reluctant Sinner points out how many people manage to go to Mass today. The last time I went to Mass on Ash Wed at Westminster Cathedral, I queued for 5 mins to get into the aisle to queue to receive the ashes, whilst the Allegri Miserere was being sung. No-one seemed put off by the elitist music either. The place was rammed full of people of working age.

Ash Wednesday

Today's the day

of course, that Anglicans set on course for the Ordinariate will be leaving their churches, joining us folks for Lent, before being received into the Church for Easter. Great to have you on board.

Rach 2

A snippet here.

That's the symphony, not the piano concerto.

Not exactly sure when I shall be practising it. Oodles of notes for us horns. Want a lush romantic sound? Out come the horns. Most symphonies have that bit we don't play. Not this one.

Am spread thinly musically just now.

Accidentals - oops

We often find that pupils are vague on sharps, flats and the like.

Mr X Which notes are in a D major chord?

Pupil D

Mr X Yes, and?

Pupil F

Mr X F what?

Pupil F...sir?

St David's Day