Heard on Campus
Two professors emerged from the Religious Studies building and greeted a third professor. To the third professor, one of the first two said, "Where were you? We were looking for you. You were the Lost Sheep."
The third professor replied, "Well, you've found me. Do we need to go back for the other ninety-nine?"

Since So Many Other People Did...

I took the Ok Cupid Politics test. Now, I am not very interested in politics. If I am in a room where people are talking politics, I generally sit mute in the corner, or just leave. I ask my dad (who is interested in these things) enough questions to decide how I want to vote, and that's about it.

So, I scored as Totalitarian. Economic Liberal, and Social Conservative. On the graph with the pictures of famous people, my little circle is wedged between JP2's cross and Darth Vader's helmet. Interesting choice of people to put in the same quadrant, along with Bin Ladin and Stalin--what does this say about their view of JP2?

"Drink Up, Me Hearties, Yo Ho"

That's right, today be International Talk Like A Pirate Day. For all us Land-lubbers, it's a fabulous excuse to go around saying things like "Avast," "Go Walk the Plank," and the ever-popular "Arrr, matey!" So go to their website for pictures, info, and Pirate Phrase Lists, for the pirate talk-challenged.

And apparently my Pirate Name is Dirty Jenny Cash.

Requiescant in Pace

A friend just told me that four seminarians at Mundelein were in a car accident a few days ago, and two of them have died. They were from the Diocese of Kansas City, Kansas.
May their souls, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

I had never seen it before, but one of the departed kept a blog. The most recent entry, along with comments, is here.

Update:
Amy Welborn has posted about this too, with links to relevant articles.

Prayers for Our Fellow Students

In my conducting class today, our professor told us that Gonzaga may be accepting some students from Loyola New Orleans. He also said that some faculty members have inquired about spending a semester here. I know that Loyola NO has the largest music department of any Jesuit university in the country, and we are tiny in comparison, but I hope and pray that the doors of Gonzaga's music department will be open to students and professors from our sister school in its time of crisis.

Loyola New Orleans students, faculty, and staff: you have the prayers of those at the other Jesuit universities. I wish it was in my power to offer more concrete assistance. (Actually, if you're a harp student from Loyola, I'd be happy to let you practice on my instrument if you find yourself up here.)

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore...

As Jane has already noted, the new school year is upon us, and for those of us who have studied abroad, we have to get used to being American again (without the -e and accent mark!). Not only do the professors speak in English, I also can't take the metro to school. This is partly a good thing, in that I am no longer forced to listen to bad accordion music.

However, I've not quite got it into my head that I'm not in France anymore. I still say about half of the responses during Mass in French, although I only spent nine months of my whole life saying them. While reading the choir schedule for the next few months, I discovered that we were having a performance at Lourdes, following several days of rehearsals. I, of course, instantly thought of France, forgetting that our cathedral is named Our Lady of Lourdes. Why didn't I hear about this trip before? Shouldn't we already be fundraising?

My red shoes aren't working for taking me back to France.

Batons and Back-to-School

Lizzy and I are watching that Hallmark movie about JP2. It's almost over. We think they did a pretty good job, but I'm sure wiser folks than us have reviewed it more eloquently.

Today I purchased my first conductor's baton, because I start conducting class on Wednesday. Classes start on Tuesday. That day I will have Medieval History, 18th Century Counterpoint, choir, and the Philosophy of C.S. Lewis (a 3-hour evening class). It should be interesting. Also, because our Fearless Leader (choir/schola director) is in Paris until the 6th, I'm in charge of schola rehearsal on Wednesday. This I can do; this I am not nervous about.

However, Fearless Leader is a deacon now, having been ordained in June, and he wishes to serve our first Mass of the year in that capacity, rather than as choir director. So, pray for me, because I am expected to conduct the polyphony, and will have had 2 weeks of conducting class at that point. Thankfully, I'll have the gorgeous and talented Lizzy there to help me and reassure me that I can do this, and that there is a reason why Fearless Leader trusts me, right?

Shoes and Sorbet

This morning I went to Mass at Our Lady of Knock Shrine in East Durham, NY. I sat near a stained glass window depicting St. Peter, and was pleased to note that St. Peter was wearing red shoes.

Last night, I discovered that the chef at the Freehold Inn has stumbled upon the only good use of white zinfandel: as flavoring for a sorbet. It was delicious. I offer no apologies to the white zinfandel drinkers in the crowd; it is my duty as a certified Wine Snob to proclaim to the world that white zinfandel is an abomination. Except in a sorbet.

After two weeks of a French immersion course, I can now say "Un chasseur sachant chasser sans son chien chasse bien" quite fast, and hope to be able to converse a little with Lizzy next school year. If anyone wants to learn a lot of a language in two weeks, I highly reccomend the Language Immersion Institute at the State University of New York, New Paltz. No guarantees on what languages are available, though--I originally signed up for German, which didn't go forward because only two people requested it.

Palestrina, Contemporary Liturgy, and Very Short Fingernails

Yes, I am being a copy-cat. Matt has blogged about starting work on his thesis, so I’ve decided to go ahead and blog about having started on mine, even though the topic was settled on sometime around mid-April and this is old news. If you’re not particularly interested in liturgical music, the following explanation will probably bore you.

The title given in the proposal that the music faculty approved was something like “The use of the motets of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina in contemporary liturgy.” It’s a little unwieldy, perhaps, but not as bad as some of the thesis titles I’ve read. It’s basically in three parts. Two of the parts are settled. The first: a listing of Palestrina’s motets which are based on the Proper of the Mass along with which days they belong to--both pre-V2 and post-V2, since the Propers were rearranged a little, and a short list of where the motets may be found (i.e. the three complete works editions, and possibly editions from a few major publishers which are currently in print).

Part the second: a couple of Palestrina’s many, many SATTB works arranged for a voicing more practical for a modern choir (SSATB, SAATB—there are a lot more women in the average parish choir than men) as example pieces. Nearly all of Palestrina’s Offertories, probably the most easily-employed pieces, are SATTB, and I believe this keeps them from more frequent use.

Part Three: a lot of writing, probably involving a history of how the motets were used in history, and why it is important that they continue to be used in the liturgy.

Whatever else you may say about why you like Victoria or Lasso better, etc., Palestrina is the one that everyone held up as the model of church music—to the point where he was even set down in legend as the “Savior of Church Music.” He’s tremendously important, and though those of us who sing his music regularly are in danger of thinking him a cliché, his music really is sublime.

I don’t really know if anyone will be interested in reading my thesis, but my advisor has hopes that I will be able to submit it for publication when it’s finished—if I do a decent job and don’t completely muck it up. I suspect that it is a topic of more general interest than some music theses I’ve read about. Anyone for the history of Jamaican music in London, or common medical problems of french horn players?

I’ve done some of the work on Part One already. As a surprise, my mother bought me a copy of Haberl edition of Palestrina’s Complete Works on microfilm, then sent it off to a company that copies microfilm onto CD-rom. I will soon possess what just might be the first CD-rom of the Complete Works ever (there certainly are none for sale). Muahahaha. When I get the CD, I can continue work, and should have Part One finished by the end of the summer, with hopefully some research done for Part Three. Part Three must be finished (as in, edited, revised, reviewed and ok’d by my advisor) by mid-December, because it will be shipped off along with my grad school applications. Yes, that is the sound of me biting my fingernails a la “Looney Toons,” complete with typewriter sound-effect.

I solemnly swear I am up to no good.

I admit that:

1. I pre-ordered a copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
2. I attended two midnight release parties.
3. I stayed up all night to read it.
4. I've already finished it. Yes, that means I know who the Half-Blood Prince is and how the book ends. No, I'm not telling.
5. I disagree with this article: Pope disapproves of Harry Potter. Let's pull out our Grains of Salt. They quote casual remarks made in two private letters sent before he became pope--remarks which could easily be misconstrued or misquoted. I think I might prefer to see the rest of the letter before making such a statement. Either way, it could be harmful to JK Rowling as well as our Pope. Either way, I still find it a little fishy.

Mischief managed.