OU HAVE SEARCHED ME, LORD was featured on SIRIUS XM 129 Radio, The Catholic Channel. The program’s host Dr. Jennifer Pascual (Director of Music, St. Patrick’s Cathedral) said, “I could listen to that all day!” A setting of the Psalm 139, you can listen below to a recording by the astounding mezzo-soprano, M. Katherine Dulweber Lehr. You may purchase a Digital…
Author: Richard J. Clark
Ave Maria | SSAT or TTBB
HIS SETTING OF AVE MARIA has been performed around the world, most notably by The American Boychoir, conducted by Fernando Malvar-Ruiz You may purchase a Digital PDF of the score. ($49.00) • Contact us at RJC AT rjcceciliamusic DOT com to order the score. You will be invoiced via Paypal. Upon receipt of payment, you will…
All Souls | Requiem for Trumpet and Organ
equiem pour une américaine à Paris is a seven-movement work composed for trumpet and organ, it is reminiscent of an early Twentieth Century French Romantic style. Although quite faithful to many of the Gregorian Chants, this is not a liturgical work, but a concert work. It would be difficult to match the music to the…
The Death of a Parish | A Promise of New Life?
MONG THE MOST PAINFUL spiritual experiences many Catholics suffer is the closure of their parish. This pain is especially acute for those who have invested years or decades of their lives in their community. Some even have generations of family history tied up in a parish. So devastating is the loss that for many the…
Beauty and Liturgy | Pope Saint John Paul II’s Letter to Artists
OPE SAINT JOHN PAUL II’s Letter to Artists (1999) is an inspired document worth reading and rereading. In it he outlines the relationship between art and faith – between beauty, goodness, and truth as well as our responsibility to an “artistic vocation in the service of beauty.” (Letter of His Holiness Pope John Paul II…
Ascent to Freedom
True freedom does not rise from the capacity to fulfill all desires. Freedom is captivity, followed by battle, followed by faith, followed by wisdom and compassion as seen through the eyes of love. Of this struggle, true liberation is born. The Boston Music Intelligencer writes: “… Its five movements are quite accessible, sometimes displaying a…
The Thoughts of His Heart
HAVE LONG BEEN FASCINATED with the text of the Introit for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Cogitationes, Ps. 33 (32): 11, 19: “The thoughts of his heart stand from generation to generation: that he might deliver their souls from death, and nourish them in times of famine.” Digital PDF copy ($8.95 comes…
English Setting of Veni, Sancte Spiritus | Pentecost Sequence
ENI, SANCTE SPIRITUS, the Sequence for Pentecost Sunday is one of the great jewels of the Roman Rite. The Gregorian Chant is exquisite. The text alone is a treasure—short, simple, profound, and transcendent. The text reminds us of the Holy Spirit’s protection and comfort. The text reminds us of God’s infinite mercy and forgiveness. We…
Mass in Honor of Pope Saint John Paul II on “Sounds from the Spires” and the Youth-Based Chant Movement
Follow @RichardJaClark ASS IN HONOR of Pope Saint John Paul II” was recently featured on “Sounds from the Spires” on SIRIUS XM 129 Radio, The Catholic Channel. I had the opportunity to speak with the program’s host, Dr. Jennifer Pascual, Director of Music for Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. In addition, special guest,…
Mass in Honor of Pope Saint John Paul II
Follow @RichardJaClark VER SINCE MY WIFE was expecting our third child, I began composing this mass setting in thanksgiving to God for my son, Sean Paul to whom it is dedicated. While composed in a chant style, each melody is reminiscent of a simple lullaby. (The Sanctus is perhaps the best example.) Like chant, when…