Much of the sacred music written before 1600 has not survived. Entire libraries of music manuscripts have been destroyed by wars, fires, vandalism, or natural disasters; other manuscripts have become unreadable due to corrosive ink and deteriorating paper. Still other music manuscripts have survived only in an incomplete form, missing Read more…
Quantum potes, tantum aude:Quia major omni laude,Nec laudare sufficis (St. Thomas Aquinas, ‘Lauda Sion Salvatorem’, Sequence for the Mass of Corpus Christi) Drawing on the traditional artistry of the infiorata, a carpet of cedar, roses, chrysanthemum and fragrant herbs this year decorated the passage of the Blessed Sacrament among the people Read more…
In the month of June, the Toronto Oratory will feature two important musical premieres in its liturgies: one new composition being performed for the first time in Canada, and one newly rediscovered sixteenth-century composition sung for the first time in the modern era. On Pentecost Sunday (June 9th), the Missa Read more…
Palm Sunday Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!Lo, your king comes to you;triumphant and victorious is he,humble and riding on an ass,on a colt the foal of an ass Zechariah 9:9 Jesus is indeed making a royal claim. He wants his path and his action Read more…
Celebrations for the feast of St. Philip Neri began with First Vespers on Friday, May 24. Music for Vespers was provided by the Oratory Choir: Pangamus Nerio (William Sewell); Psalms with falsobordone by Tomás Luis de Victoria and Giaches de Wert; Magnificat primi toni (Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina); Vadam et Read more…
On May 20, 2019, seven seminarians graduated from various programs offered by St Philip’s Seminary: two in philosophy, two in fundamental theology, and three in theology proper. Professors, family and friends, and fellow students gathered to mark this important step in the formation of these seminarians for the priesthood. There Read more…
British playwright Stephen Unwin’s new play, All Our Children, had its American premiere at the Sheen Center in New York in April and May. A work of historical fiction based on the systematic murder of disabled children by the Nazi regime, it has one historical personage as a character in the play: Blessed Read more…
On Saturday, April 27th, Bishop Mario Aviles, Auxilary of the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, celebrated the 5pm Mass at Holy Family Church. A member of the Pharr Oratory prior to his ordination as bishop, as well as former Procurator General of the Oratorian Confederation, Bishop Aviles came to Toronto to baptize Read more…
On Tuesday, April 23, 2019, His Excellency Terrence Prendergast, S.J., Archbishop of Ottawa, ordained Mr. Teodor-Gheorghe Avram, S.J. to the subdiaconate at Holy Family Church. Archbishop Prendergast, a longtime friend of the Toronto Oratory, enlisted the Oratorians’ liturgical experience with the old rite to mount the ordination, as traditionally conferred, Read more…
Next Sunday, March 17th Two motets from the 1560s exemplify the tendency toward dramatic text painting in Italian sacred music of the late Renaissance: Timor et tremor by Orlandus Lassus (to be sung at Sunday Mass) and Adesto dolori meo by Giaches de Wert (to be sung at Sunday Vespers). Read more…