Veni Sancte Spiritus

On the menu this week.

Last year's links here.

This year, we spent about 15 mins tweaking a few bits and everyone pretty happy they can do it fine.

How things move on in a year.

Try listening instead of checking your phone, Enda.

Remember that trip to the Vatican last year?

Les Dialogues des Carmelites by Poulenc

On BBC iPlayer for another six days.

Spoiler alert. Ends with the sisters' execution by guillotine. Listen as they sing the Salve Regina, punctuated by the metallic ching of the blade.

Not sure if the present production is a revival of this.

Blogging lite

I'm sure both my readers has wandered off to pastures greener.

Busy time of year this workwise in its own particular way. I'm aiming that all the extra work I have done teaching a new syllabus will pay dividends in the next few years as I effortlessly reach for my revision notes, recordings, youtube links and past papers.  That's the theory anyway.

And no the end of the summer term is not laid back if you are a musician because we do more concerts.

Steadily ploughing on

Repertoire additions

Easter 2011
Mass I
O filii et filiae

Easter 2012
Concordi laetitiae

Easter 2013
Exultemus et laetemur

On Sunday, I plan that we practise Regina caeli, jubila and then sing it the following week.

That's just one part of the liturgical year, mind.

Happily printing stuff off from musica sacra and Corpus Christi Watershed, practising it and singing it.

No complaints.

Just action. :-)

Exultemus et laetemur hodie

A recording here.

A little mannered for our taste, but tastefully phrased away on the last syllable of Alleluia.

Do no harm by Fiorella de Maria

After a year which has not been one of the best, it would be fair to say, I've been spending the holiday, having a holiday. Normal service will resume next week, when I have thoroughly cleaned and tidied the house. Love to do the garden too, but...

I have been indulging in past-times such as writing letters to friends with a fountain pen on proper paper, walking around, going to a concert and reading a book in a morning. Remember when you were a student and you could just sit and read and read and read?

The book in question, turned out to be Fiorella's latest novel, which I vaguely remembered was coming out and then checked and by the wonders of Kindle, there it was.

Enough preamble.

Given the, well I'm not sure which adjective quite does the job, court case from America, this might just be a good book to read now. It doesn't shy away from the grim realities of the culture of death, but you get the story and its effects on a Catholic family.

Won't give the plot away at all at all.

Suffice to say, I bought it, read half of it, had breakfast in a cafe and did not leave til I'd finished (breakfast and book.)

Ding Dong. That must be another R4 News bulletin, boringly telling us what may or may not be played on the Top 40 on Sunday. Yawn. See they can report the same thing over and over again when they want to.