A composer tells us his approach in composing works that are fresh and new, while reflecting the timeless principles that constitute sacred music. Listen also to his beautiful newly composed Mass. The following is an essay written by the composer Paul Jernberg. Paul has composed his Mass of St Philip Neri for the new translation [...]
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The choir at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts is busy learning a repertoire for the Mass and the Liturgy. The aim is to have a repertoire that is small enough that each piece is heard often enough by those who are not in the choir that they can become familiar and sing along. At [...]
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Over the period of the Octave of Easter, selections from The Office of Readings have shed more light on the significance of the ‘eighth day’ of creation for me. Much of the symbolism described in this piece I was already aware of (and indeed I have already written about on this site). What is new [...]
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As part of our build up to Easter during this Holy Week, here is a posting by professional chorister, Elizabeth Black, about a piece by the 17th century composer Antonio Lotti: his Crucifixion. Elizabeth sings in the choir of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC and this will be part of their Good [...]
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This is sacred music from pre-Reformation England. Sarum is old name for the town of Salisbury and it disappeared as a form of the Church’s liturgy after the Council of Trent. However, it was retained in some form as it became the basis of Anglican church music and for the Book of Common Prayer. The [...]
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We had a banquet at Thomas More College in New Hampshire before people dispersed for Thanksgiving. Before the dinner we chose to chant the first 8 verses of Psalm 114 – ‘When Isreal came out of Egypt’ in order to help us meditate on the meaning of this very American holiday.
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Frederick Stocken is a Catholic composer who composes genuinely high quality classical music that actually sounds good. There is no hint of either dissonance or minimalism in his work (which seem to be the two streams that most modern composers occupy).
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Drum, bass ‘n violins I would like to bring to your attention the music of composer George Sarah. George is a Catholic who lives in Los Angeles and since 1985 has regularly been commissioned by film and TV companies to compose scores for their programming. I won’t go through the names, but his portfolio is [...]
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The Way of Beauty is managed, maintained, and, unless otherwise stated, written by David Clayton. David is an Englishman living in New Hampshire, USA. He is an artist, teacher, published writer and broadcaster who holds a permanent post as Artist-in-Residence and Lecturer in Liberal Arts at the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts. The Way of Beauty program, which is offered at TMC, focuses on the link between Catholic culture, with a special emphasis on art, and the liturgy. David was received into the Church in London in 1993.
Photo by Michelle Widmer-Schultz
