The Schola Cantorum of Most Precious Blood of Jesus Parish was far from idle this past winter. In early December, while also preparing for the rigorous musical demands of Advent and Christmas, the choir executed a successful recording session of 17 selections of chant and newly-composed polyphony. Continuing their fruitful partnership with Catholic radio station 106.7 WAOB FM, the schola recorded notably obscure and seldom-heard chants of the Mass Ordinary – namely Credo II, Mass XIII: Stelliferi Conditor orbis, and Mass XIV: Jesu Redemptor. The recordings were delivered to WAOB to be used in their Mass, meditation, and devotional programs.
These versions of the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei chants are largely unknown, even among the dedicated Latin Mass community, due to their more challenging melodies and modality. This makes them difficult to sing along with, particularly for untrained musicians and general congregations. But not surprisingly, this project was all the more compelling and fun for the choir for that very reason. It was a great experience of discovery and learning for the singers to either conquer a difficult and minimally singable Gloria here, or perhaps uncover a surprising gem of a singable Kyrie there. In all cases, whether easily singable or difficult, the schola embraced each of these chants as a cherished part of the treasury of authentic, historical Catholic music.
Alongside these chants, John and the schola were thrilled to record brand new polyphony from their good friend Christoph Dalitz. First was a motet set to the text of Beati Mundo Corde, which is from the Communion proper chant of the feast of All Saints. More specifically, the text is taken from the Beatitudes, recited by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. The parish commissioned this piece directly from Herr Dalitz, who honored the schola by posting their recording to his YouTube page, complete with a fascinating breakdown of his compositional process for the piece.
The 3-hour recording session concluded with a polyphonic Mass, also written by Christoph Dalitz. His Missa Phrygia was originally composed without an Agnus Dei; but when Dalitz announced his new composition to his worldwide audience of subscribers, John leaped at the chance to request a final Agnus Dei movement to be added for his parish’s use. By June of 2024, the Agnus Dei was complete, and the schola made immediate use of the full Mass for the feasts of Christ the King and All Saints that year. This Mass beautifully showcases the haunting, mystic sounds of the Phrygian mode (mode 3). John was pleased to share both the Gloria and Agnus Dei movements with Herr Dalitz, who again posted them to his personal YouTube page. John and the choir deeply appreciate the continued blessing of their friendship and collaboration with Herr Dalitz, who generously shares his talents with the world.
Please enjoy these samples of the choir’s winter recording. Very special thanks to Mr. Mark Sikora for his constant audio-engineering support for the parish, and to Mr. Michael Burchill and Pittsburgh’s Aquinas Academy Catholic school for generously allowing the schola to use their facilities as an excellent recording space!
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