Quigley Preparatory Seminary - La Petit Seminaire Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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in Honorem Beatae Mariae de Mat- tias, Missa in Honorem Sanctae Clarae Assisensisg and Missa in Hon- orem Assumptionis Beatae Mariae Virginis. The choir also sings two of Pietro Yon's Masses, Missa Solemnis, and Missa Regina Pacis. Other Masses include: Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli 1 and two of Nicola Montani's Masses: Missa Festivag and Missa Solemnis, which the choir has made world famous. Yon has also written music to the sequentia of the Easter Mass, Dominica Resurrectionisn, and in setting Victimae Paschali to music, he has captured the hearts of director, chorus, and audience: it is for this reason that each Easter the choir sings this beautiful sequence. A few years before he died, Cardinal Archbishop Mundelein was visiting Rome when one day he walked into the Sistine Chapel. The choir hap- pened to be practising a new Tu Es Petrus . lt had been composed by Perosi, a celebrated composer of church music. The cardinal was so impressed that he asked the director whose it was. The director, upon tell- ing the composer's name, revealed the fact that the composition was not permitted to be sung elsewhere than in the Sistine Chapel. However, this did not discourage the cardinal from seeeking permission to use the piece: hence, he went to the Pope, At first the Pope was reluctant, but He finally gave permission to Cardinal Munde- f Dcnly in chapel Messo Cantoto Fr Wogc k reheo ses fourth yeor 'S 1

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ing that the composition was com- posed expressly for its premier per- formance to be sung at the Solemn Pontifical Mass which was said commemorating the Centennial of Holy Name Cathedral Monsignor Meter also studied Gregorian Chant completed his studies, he returned to Quigley and took up the direction and leadership ofthe Cardinal s Cathedral Chornsters from this we can under stand why the choir always sounds so flawless We can understand that since Plas Chant Cho Ca dinal s Cathedral Cho sters At the Cathedral e ery Su day Missa Solemnis he studied in France under Dom Ga yard at the famous center of Sacred Chant LAbbaye St Pierre Solesmes par Suble Besides these World fa mous places Monsignor also studied at Marialaach in Germany Montser rat in Spain and at Quarr on the lsland of Wight in England He also had a course in directing under Bruno Walter here in America When he had Monsignor has heard and played none but the best music all his life he chooses none but the best music for his choir to sing Monsignore Refice has written many beautiful Masses and most of them are in the choir s repertoire Some of them are the fol lowing MissaJubilaei Missa in Hon orem Beatae Teresiae ab lnfante Jesu Missa Regina Martyrum Missa si

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Iein to have the piece sung by the Cardinal's Cathedral Choristers. Our choir then, is the only choir in the world other than the Sistine choir which is permitted to sing Tu Es Petrus and this is but one of the unique privileges accorded to the choir One of the striking things about the choir is the fact that though the average choir boys voice lasts but about a year and a half the choir year who are acceptable, by putting them systematically among the older mem- bers of the choir: in this manner the boys gradually learn the many Masses and hymns For the most part the singing done is in four parts there fore the boys are divided into altos and sopranos As the older boys voices begin to change they are dropped and in this way the choir is constantly kept fresh As for the ten ors and bassos Monsignor has hand Fothe s stll eheo sng Mo sgno goes nst e ol in and year out stays perfect never revealing the fact that voices are changing Each year Monsignor audi tions the freshman and in the begin ning of the year he instructs those picked twenty men who are both pleasant voiced and well schooled in liturgical singing When you combine a well taught musician director a group of well I