It's a long, long time from May to December

Our summer has been busy and I recorded so much music that it became an obstacle to blog about the events. So here’s a quick summary of our summer.
And autumn.

We were welcomed into the Church of the Holy Rude on 27th July where we sang Vespers and Compline of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, surely the most appropriate Feast Day for the medieval building of the same dedication.
We were joined by the Schola Cantorum of St. Pancras who gave a splendid recital of polyphony. They use this inspiring image of a spiral staircase as their brand:

This was probably the first time that these verses had been prayed in that building since the 1560s.

August started with our listings in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. On the 3rd we prayed Vespers of the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ, Mgr Michael Regan was the Celebrant.

Six of us with Mgr Regan afterwards

Click any Image to Enlarge

On Sunday, we sang the parts of the Missa de Angelis at the 11.00 parish Mass in St Margaret’s in less-than-perfect circumstances. Delays meant that we didn’t have time to rehearse with the congregation. That evening we formed the schola for the 5pm Traditional Latin Mass in the Holy Spirit church. I served at the altar but the group sounded very good without me.

The next Saturday found us again in Edinburgh for Vespers of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This time Simon Nieminski had organised a choir to sing polyphony and we sang verse about. Again the Celebrant was Mgr Regan.

17th August saw our final Festival 2013 appearance, this time we prayed second vespers for the Feast of the Assumption. For some of the Psalms Simon Nieminski played versets by Jean Titelouze. Here, the organ took the place of the schola singing antiphonally. I have uploaded the Opening Versicles, the first Antiphon 'Assumpta est Maria in caelum'. Here we are before the organ verses start:




I'll upload the video when it appears on the main YouTube channel; click here to open it until then.

I travelled to Linlithgow on the 31st for a Diocesan Singing Day organised by Forth in Praise. This featured modern hymns and new Mass settings with a guitar workshop in the afternoon. Not being a guitarist, I made my excuses and left, as the News of the World used to say of its reporters. One of the hymns, Bernadette Farrell’s Bread For The World, was misprinted so as to be meaningless but we all sang along anyway:

"Lord Jesus Christ, you are the bread of life, broken to reach and heal the wounds of human pain, Where we divide your people waiting there on bended knee to wash our feet with endless care".

There’s a ‘You are’ missing before the ‘waiting’ I think. Even then, from a theological point of view, I'm not too sure that we should be telling Our Lord that He should be found kneeling before us to wash our feet.

Read about the event here: http://www.forthinpraise.co.uk/events.php#quest

1st September saw us back at Holy Spirit for the Latin Mass. We sang Adoro Te Devote as the Communion Hymn. I was able to sing this time. Fr John Emerson was the Clebrant as usual.

Two members attended the National Pilgrimage at Carfin on the 8th, there was some Chant.

October started with us singing the Kyrie and Agnus Dei at morning Mass in St Mary’s Stirling. We had arranged an open-day for anyone interested in Chant and Fr Kenneth had agreed that we could use St Mary’s and Sion House. In the event there were transport problems from Glasgow and two groups couldn’t attend, Fred gave up as well. Those who came enjoyed themselves.

6th October had us back at Holy Spirit for the TLM, while on Saturday 26th we travelled to the Preceptory of the Knights of St. John in Torphichen for Mass. The Celebrant was Fr Mark Morris, with Fr Emerson in Choir.That's my crucifix above the Altar, with the Corpus my father cast in Ireland, not long before he joined the Royal Navy.
Several Knights of Malta, and one remarkable Dame, assisted at Mass.

 Here is the day described on another blog:
 http://stuart-filioque.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/una-voce-mass-in-torphichen-scotland.html
The blogger concludes with ‘what a joy it is for one to hear Gregorian chant expertly resounding between these ancient walls for the glory of our Lord’.