Today at Mass

Today was another one of my cantoring days at my church. I sang, in order, "Come Down O Love Divine", "The Lord's My Shepherd", "Soul of my Savior" and "Faith of Our Fathers". prior to the communion hymn I intoned the proper if the day "O Lord Our Governor, How admirable is your name in all the earth" plus a few verses and doxology. Post communion I intoned the Gregorian chant Ave Maria. I feel I was off for both chants. I started off in the wrong placement, and I just had to go with it. 9:00 in the morning is really a rotten time to be singing.

Something interesting happened after the Mass. (at least, I imagine that if your Internet name is "Vox" you might find this interesting) I went to speak to the music director in his little office and, before I said anything, he tossed me a fat old book. "Do you have any idea what this is?" he asked.

The front and back covers were missing, as were some of the last pages. Some pages were bent and others had fallen out and been stuffed back in, so it showed signs of heavy usage, once upon a time. It was a Liber Usualis. He seemed surprised that I recognised it instantly, and told him what it was. He told me I could keep it, so I now have an old Liber as part of my growing collection of old hymnals. I think I'll work something from it into some future cantoring. It would be a shame to have such a book and not use it.