Sequences

[organist]

Pentecost has a wonderful sequence especially the plainchant which is not that difficult to sing and lies low in the range. We commented at Mdina cathedral (see Liturgical tourism post) how high the Missa de angelis setting lay in the voice. I also love Victimae paschali but did not get to sing or play it this year! What do you use and do the people sing it?

[alan29]

Easter sequence ........ the normal hymn book translation is in the same metre as the Celtic Alleluia.
Spooky or what!

[blackthorn fairy]

We always do the Easter Sequence - Victimae pascali - beautiful plainsong with such a wide-ranging melody, sung well by the choir. As for the Pentecost Sequence, I'd love to do the plainsong but we sing it all together in the hymn version (Veni Sancte Spiritus - Samuel Webbe, in the translation by Edward Caswall). On another thread, someone commented that the hymn version was (I forget the exact words) rather stodgy and dirge-like. Well I suppose it can be if you play it like that - but it doesn't need to be. It moves if you let it, in an easy two-in-a-bar.

[VML]

We sang the Webbe version this Pentecost. We have never sung a sequence before, which is a bit daft as they clearly demand to be sung. We are a parish where we have no choir practices, (not for want of trying, and we used to manage regular practices, but two years ago I got tired of sitting at the organ on my own with no attendees,) but I sent a recording to the choir, and we sang unaccompanied. I preferred in this case to lead with voice rather than organ. It was fairly well received, with some congregational participation.

[alan29]

We always do the Easter Sequence - Victimae pascali - beautiful plainsong with such a wide-ranging melody, sung well by the choir. As for the Pentecost Sequence, I'd love to do the plainsong but we sing it all together in the hymn version (Veni Sancte Spiritus - Samuel Webbe, in the translation by Edward Caswall). On another thread, someone commented that the hymn version was (I forget the exact words) rather stodgy and dirge-like. Well I suppose it can be if you play it like that - but it doesn't need to be. It moves if you let it, in an easy two-in-a-bar.

That was me.
Now I don't hang about, believe me, but there is only so much you can do by way of breathing rhythmic life into an endless succession of crotchets that have as much to do with the joy and excitement of the sending of the Spirit as a bag of carrots.