Illustration: MODERN MEDIEVALISM
First Vespers.
The Sarum Use.
Candlemas Eve.
1 February 2020.
Saint Patrick's Church,
Philadelphia.
Available on YouTube at
This Article was first published in February 2020.
You are encouraged to follow the Video with The Congregational Service Booklet, which I designed and posted HERE.
Additionally, an official Photo Album may be found at THIS LINK.
This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at,
While posting on MODERN MEDIEVALISM has been slow, the Modern Medievalist has been hard at work. Today
(12 February 2020), the Modern Medievalism Facebook page exceeded 4,000 "likes".
This has been partly due to new exposure over what many of you already know: The Sarum Vespers which were Celebrated last weekend at St Patrick’s Church in Philadelphia.
This historic occasion was attended by over 700 people, making it almost certainly the largest Sarum Use Liturgy ever offered since the Reign of Queen Mary I of England. Yours truly was the principal organiser of the event.
I'm happy to say that its success has introduced me to deeper obligations: Namely, the Foundation of a new Liturgical Institute devoted to all forms of Catholic Liturgy, but with special focus on The Medieval Uses, and those of The Religious Orders. The Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy and Music will likely demand more and more of my time; yet I hope to maintain this Blog for more casual observations, here and there.
A more detailed write-up of The Sarum Vespers will be posted on The New Liturgical Movement Blog, soon. In the meantime, I encourage you to watch the video of The Sarum Vespers (see, above). If you open the Link to YouTube, you'll find a detailed description with convenient timestamps for finding various sections of interest.
This has been partly due to new exposure over what many of you already know: The Sarum Vespers which were Celebrated last weekend at St Patrick’s Church in Philadelphia.
This historic occasion was attended by over 700 people, making it almost certainly the largest Sarum Use Liturgy ever offered since the Reign of Queen Mary I of England. Yours truly was the principal organiser of the event.
I'm happy to say that its success has introduced me to deeper obligations: Namely, the Foundation of a new Liturgical Institute devoted to all forms of Catholic Liturgy, but with special focus on The Medieval Uses, and those of The Religious Orders. The Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy and Music will likely demand more and more of my time; yet I hope to maintain this Blog for more casual observations, here and there.
A more detailed write-up of The Sarum Vespers will be posted on The New Liturgical Movement Blog, soon. In the meantime, I encourage you to watch the video of The Sarum Vespers (see, above). If you open the Link to YouTube, you'll find a detailed description with convenient timestamps for finding various sections of interest.
The Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy & Music.
E-Mail address: chantphiladelphia@gmail.com
YouTube Channel: HERE
The Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy and Music
aims to evangelise through beauty: By organising Solemn Liturgical Celebrations through the year, as well
as providing Workshops and Consultations for Parishes and other local groups in the Philadelphia Metropolitan and surrounding regions.
The Institute takes its name from Giullaume Durand (circa 1230-1296), also known as Durandus: A Mediæval French Bishop and Liturgical Author.
His important Liturgical Work was the “Rationale Divinorum Officiorum”, a Treatise on the Symbolism and Spiritual Significance of Church Architecture and Ceremonies of
The Mass and Divine Office.
The “Rationale” was among the first books
reproduced by Gutenberg or associates after
the invention of the printing press.
Wonderful! Especially wonderful is the organist Clara Gerdes, a very young musical talent, performing an opening musical example on a worthy instrument at S. Patrick’s Church, Philadelphia, of the great mystical Catholic opus of Charles Tournemire (1870-1939), who composed the vast work, “L’Orgue Mystique,” 51 suites for the entire Catholic liturgical year (mostly forgotten for the present, and not easy to play well) comprised of soaringly exquisite music based on the Gregorian themes of the Liber Usualis for each Sunday and feast day (excepting part of Advent and all of Lent, when the organ is silent of course. All the rest of the Sarum service and the interspersed organ pieces are equally transcendent and wonderful, thank you, thank you, Zephyrinus. -Note by Dante P
ReplyDeleteAn outstanding contribution from Dante P, which has enormously increased one's awareness and knowledge of Church Organ Music. A huge Thank You.
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