REVIEWS
familiar. Te lyrical translations by Gracia Grindal and Jean Janzen offer fresh interpretations of the rich imagery of the psalms. Especially interesting are settings of two portions of Psalm 22: “My God, my God, Lord, hear my plea,” suitable for Good Friday, and “Rejoice! and listen as I tell,” with an alleluia for Easter. Tese short settings could be sung as choral preludes, at times of meditation, or even woven with a congregational antiphon during the Communion Rite. As Walker reminds us in the preface, the style of these settings is “closer to madrigal than chorale,” to be sung with “the lightness and rhythmic verve of the Renaissance.” Choirs will undoubtedly enjoy exploring this collection.
Breath of Christ. Alan Hommerding. World Library Publications, a division of GIA. 006433, $20.00.
In the introduction, Hommerding names his first goal in writing to be to “tap into the power of hymnody’s ritualization of language.” And, indeed, there is power in these texts, which are liturgical to their core and centered in the paschal mystery. Te hymn texts are first presented alone, without music, with
notes from the author. Te bulk of the book presents various musical settings of the texts, from more than 30 composers and sources, including the author. Some have been previously published, but many are new, including “A Shepherd’s Voice,” suitable especially for the Fourth Sunday of Easter; “Breath of Christ,” with separate musical settings by Karen Schneider Kirner and Lim Swee Hong, especially for Pentecost and celebrations of the Holy Spirit; “Festal Acrostic: Ascension”, a contemporary, syncopated setting by Christian Cosas; and “Martyrs Hymn”, with separate settings by Jonathan Kohrs and Robert Noble, for martyrs’ feasts and other celebrations of saints. Tis is a highly recommended collection.
About the Reviewer
Meg Matuska is director of Music Ministries at Communion of Saints Parish in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and vice chair of the NPM Board of Directors.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
