My first public effort

Seven of us arrived early for practice for the Latin Mass at Holy Spirit.

Alan had us carry out vocal exercises using the De Angelis setting for the single word Kyrie and singing it a note higher each time. He gave us a tip for high notes - to extend the throat as much as possible. It seemed to work.

The three Altar Servers were up for going it alone, so I was able to sing with the Schola. We stood at the back of the church, just inside the doors and began the Kyrie part way through the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar. We sang the Credo, the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei. The resonant acoustics in Holy Spirit made us sound very good. Even if I say so myself.

It was my first public effort and I enjoyed it. The feeling of men singing together is uplifting and the resonation inside my chest was a new experience. There were a couple of amusing moments when men arriving late, thought that we were 'the blokes standing at the back of church' and stood in line with us. Until we started to sing, when they moved away to find a place in the pews.


In other news, I've just adopted a Cardinal to pray for during the Conclave:

Gabriel Zubeir Wako, from Sudan.

Try it yourself (they have 260,000 people signed-up already).
http://adoptacardinal.org/