On this feast of St Cecilia, patroness of musicians, we are very pleased to share another update from the church of the Sacred Heart in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which is marking the 5th centenary of the birth of Palestrina this year with a special series of musical events, one every month.
On August 15, the feast of the Assumption, Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Grand Rapids, Michigan, welcomed His Majesty’s Men to sing a choral meditation and Mass for the parish’s year-long Palestrina500 festival.
Highlights from the choral meditation include:- Ave Maris Stella by duFay (1397-1474)
- Salve Regina by Byrd (1540-1623)
- Sicut Cervus by Palestrina (1525-94)
- Duo Seraphim by Vittoria (1548-1611)
- And new works from composers Mark Nowakowski, Philip Moore, Nathaniel Adams, and Chad McCoy.
The Mass featured Palestrina’s Missa Regina caeli a 5, one his settings of the Alma Redemptoris and his Assumpta est Maria.
A month later on September 15th, Sacred Heart’s ensemble-in-residence Gaudete, under the direction of Jonathan Bading, sang the choral meditation and Mass for the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.
The choral meditation consisted of:
- In monte oliveti by Palestrina
- Ave verum corpus by Josquin des Prez (1455-1521)
- Ave verum corpus by Andrew Bolden (b. 1977)
- Ave maris stella by Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
- Crux Fidelis by Adrian Pool (b. 2000), a world premiere
- Stabant autem iuxta crucem by Michael Finnissy (b. 1946)
- Vexilla regis by Palestrina
- O sacrum convivium by Olivier Messiaen (1908-92)
- Lamentations of Jeremiah (Book 3, Set 2, no. 1) by Palestrina
- Totus tuus by Henryk Gorecki (1933-2010)
The Mass featured Palestrina’s Missa de Beata Virgine a 4, his setting of the sequence “Stabat Mater,” as well as his motets Panis angelicus and Pange lingua.
On October 7, Sacred Heart welcomed the Trinity Choir, a subset of the Theatre of Early Music under the direction of Daniel Taylor, from Toronto to sing a choral meditation and Mass for the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.
The choral meditation was heavily English in character, featuring music by Gibbons, Walton, Purcell, Byrd, Harris, Joubert, Poston, and Tavener, as well as two selections by Arvo Pärt to celebrate his 90th birthday: “The Deer’s Cry” and “O Weisheit.”
For Mass, they sang Palestrina’s Missa O Rex gloriae as well his 6-voice “O bone Jesu” and his “Exsultate Deo.”
For the full schedule of Palestrina500 events, go to palestrina500.org
