Category: Liturgical

Today, I present two improvisations 0n the same chant and text.  One of the nice things about playing two Masses on Monday is I get to have multiple chances to improvise on the same tunes.  Interestingly, this is a Marian memorial and includes an Ave Maria, an improvisation that I wasn’t totally happy with for either Mass.  But, the communions both allowed me to do some interesting impressions about flowers and fragrances.  The translation of from the book of Sirach is as follows:

Send forth flowers, as the lily, and yield a smell, and bring forth leaves in grace, and praise with canticles, and bless the Lord in his works.

It’s always interesting to compare how things turn out, especially since my mood changes from the morning, 10 AM, to the late afternoon, 5:30 PM (I’ve had coffee or now I’m almost home for dinner).

This week’s improvisation involved an excellent chant text.  “Super flumina Babylonis” means “by the waters of Babylon.”  Knowing that piece of information, I tried incorporate a water-like texture based on the chant in very quick succession before introducing the chant in shorter tones.  One of the great challenges of improvising in a liturgical setting is to somehow time the form; it’s usually some kind of two part form for the short length of time at the Monastery for the Monday Novena Masses.  When you get to the end, you’ll note the rather abrupt ending.  Sometimes it works out perfectly, sometimes it doesn’t.

The organ is back!  Finally!  So let’s celebrate with a fugue!

It took about three, four months for it to be fixed for a variety of reasons, I’m just glad to play it again.  And on a great day too – the Passionists celebrated the Sorrowful Mother and that always means good music.  I had some other, more colorful improvisations, but I felt that this one represented the most complex form while being successful.

I’m back from vacation!  Just about every summer, my family and I go back to Montana and visit my in-laws.  It’s a regular pilgrimage for us as we Western types need to see MOUNTAINS once in a while.  There’s a trailhead about 6 blocks from my in-laws home and I was up it the nearly the moment we got there.  What can I say, I see a mountain, I want to be on top of it.

Well, for more news on the organ, the motor is unfixable and I’m still stuck with the piano for now.  Hopefully the organ will be up and running before September and the return of the choir.  But in the mean time, I have this very nice improv from yesterday’s Mass.  I usually edit the film to only include the improvisation, but I thought it was rather neat that Fr. Edwin read the proper immediately as I finished.  Perfect timing for both of us.  Fr. Edwin is also a fantastic tenor and we always work well together.  I only had a Liber Usualis in front of me so the proper for Communion is from the proper for a virgin that’s not a martyr.

Also, I included me rolling up my sleeves because it’s funny and I don’t even remember doing that.

Right.  So the organ blower motor is still kaput.  Then what does one improvise without an organ, particularly since one is an organist improviser?  Well, use the grand piano of course.  Now, to make things very clear, I will not claim to be a great pianist.  But I have enjoyed doing more pianistic things while improvising in a somewhat French style.

I have to admit though, I think I have improvised better than this (and didn’t record).  But this particular improvisation is based on a unique theme.  As I work at a Passionist Monastery, they have their own propers for their own feasts.  This day is the Feast of the Precious Blood of Christ.  The readings are from the Passion narrative and focus on the spear piercing Jesus’ side.  If you look closely at the video, you might note that I’m using an old LIBER USUALIS.  It contains chants unique to St. Paul of the Cross that the new Gregorian Missal (or Romanum) does not include.

Ah, the first improvisation after France.  I generally keep my communion improvisations on the reserved side, but not this time.  After hearing and being around those Parisian organs and organists, one cannot simply go back to the status quo.  One must cut loose once in a while.  Especially for an occasion like Trinity Sunday.

While it may be the Lenten season, that hasn’t stopped me from improvising at the Monday Novena Masses at the Monastery.  This week, the Feast of St. Gabriel, one of the principle saints of the Passionists, is happening.  The Monastery celebrates it in anticipation at the Monday Novena Masses, which means I get to pull out my Libre Usualis.  Hooray!  There are some really nice chants and while I don’t have it in front of me, I know the antiphon is about the Passion of Christ.  Fitting for a Passionist Saint!

Wow!  After a weekend (3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time) of lackluster improvs, I did these for the vigil Mass on February 2nd.  One of the funky things that comes with improvising frequently is the engagement factor: somedays you’ve got it, some days you don’t.  I’m also fairly partial to these chants.  And as I do this with more frequency, the chants become much more familiar (or at the parts of the chants that I use).  Enjoy!

Ah, the Ordinary Time.  I really enjoy these particular chants.  On a rather humorous note, I did some excellent improvs (better than the ones in today’s video) all because Sr. Agatha Ozah showed up to Mass.  I told her following the Mass, “Well, I figured that since you showed up to Mass, I better show off.”  Sr. Agatha is quite the chant scholar, so she very much enjoyed hearing the chants improvised upon.  Nothing particular to note about these improvisations, except that I have a rather long reach with my hands.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted!  I had to listen to about 60 juries between Duquesne and CCAC (Community College of Allegheny County), which is A LOT.  Add to that Christmas and all that goes along with the planning and preparation (plus a little down time) has left me with not following up on posting videos.  Well, here’s something from today’s Mass.  As an interesting point about improvising, it takes a certain kind of memory to remember what textures you have done in order to bring it back later.  Much practicing is involved in that, just like anything else!