The Acolyte's Tale is designed to bring to the attention of fellow Catholics interesting stories, pictures and videos, mostly in relation to liturgical affairs and Catholic music.
Wednesday, 25 December 2013
Christmas Masses &c.
Here is a short video of the Mass during the night (9.30 pm local time) at St Peter's Basilica - you can catch part of the beautiful introit Dominus dixit ad me, the Pope's homily, and the choir singing Adeste fideles with gusto. See below for the whole service. It was a beautiful Mass, Latin throughout. The Mass setting was Cum iubilo (Mass IX) - fantastic because as readers would know, the Kyrie is necessarily sung in the threefold fashion because the nine invocations are fully notated in the Kyriale (see Ordo Cantus Missae). It is also one of the most beautiful Kyrie settings. Download the order of service here.
See the whole Mass here:
At St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, it was Solemn Choral First Vespers of the Nativity (Cathedral Choir) at 5 pm, followed by a Mass for Children at 6 pm, an 8 pm Vigil Mass at which the St Mary's Singers sang the exquisite Harmoniemesse of F. J. Haydn - one of my favourite parts is the start of the Dona nobis pacem - but beware, the video starts at the loud blast of trumpets.
The Midnight Mass (Cathedral Choir) was the Charpentier Messe de Minuit - see this BBC recording of the Mass at Westminster Cathedral a few years ago.
