The weather machinae are saying that it's...

Raining but I don't hear it at all out there. At 35 degrees, that 'chance of snow' hasn't materialised here in the Valley, anyway; who knows at higher elevations. Am following Holy Mass from Saint-Eugène for the 3rd Sunday post Epiphaniam. The schola Sanctae Caeciliae is at the moment singing the Gloria of the Mass Orbis factor. (I was up at 0300 to say Matins and Lauds, bathed, said Prime, and am now following the recorded Mass.)

The Alleluia is particularly tricky, so far as I can tell from the Liber, and the performance was splendid. Am smiling, too, because there is a new server who is... requiring prompts; so long as he doesn't swing the incense pot into the nave.

It is also the feast of Saint Timothy, Bishop (the first of Ephesus, according to Eusebius) and Martyr (Introibo, Wiki), who received two Epistles from the Apostle; Dr DiPippo at New Liturgical Movement today. Cardinal Schuster in his Liber sacramentorum:

The Roman Church, with good reason, has consecrated this day to the memory of Timothy, who, a prisoner of Caesar together with the apostle Paul, was one of the first to preach the Gospel in the corrupt Rome under the reign of the parricide Nero. His cultus was very popular in the East, especially after the Emperor Constantius had caused his relics to be brought to Constantinople. In the West, although the Fathers of the Church frequently praised the holiness and zeal of Timothy, he never became a really popular figure, and we must turn to the time of Clement VIII to find his feast included in the Roman Breviary as a semi-double. More recently Pius IX, in 1854, raised it to the rank of a double. In the Greek Calendars St Timothy, with the title of apostle, is commemorated on January 22. The Armenians celebrate the feast of the saint... and associate with him the other disciples of St Paul: Titus, Archippus, Philemon, Sosipater, Jason, and Onesimus, who are also mentioned in their calendars on the respective dates of their death... 

The Lesson is proper to the feast, being taken from the Epistle which Paul addressed from prison to Timothy himself (1 Tim 6,11-16), encouraging him to persevere in the fight for the Faith, so that he might preserve in its entirety the Gospel treasure entrusted to him....

Dearly beloved: Follow after justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, mildness. Fight the good fight of faith; lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art called, and hast confessed a good confession before many witnesses. I charge thee before God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate, a good confession; that thou keep the commandment without spot, blameless, unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, which in his times he shall show who is the Blessed and only Mighty, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who alone hath immortality, and inhabiteth light inaccessible, whom no man hath seen nor can see; to whom be honour and empire everlasting. Amen.

The sermon being completed, I will leave this. Discovered Ronald Stevenson's Passacaglia only last night. 

The antiphona ad offertorium is Dextera Domini and after the proper chant, the schola is singing the polyphonic version of Giovanni Baptista Martini OFM, who was, during much of the 18th century, a famed musician at Bologna. There are a surprising number of recordings at YouTube, including more than one of the Dextera Domini; I'm altogether unfamiliar with his work.

The Benedictines at Jouques sang a different Mass in two parts, so far as I can tell at Neumz: the introit Dominus secus mare (it was sung for Saint Andrew's feast and featured in their 'digital Advent calendar') instead of Adorate Deum, and the communion Venite post me instead of Mirabantur omnes. This is, so far as I can tell, because they are in the second of the three cycles of Sunday lessons: these were what was used yesterday at the Novus Ordo Saturday evening Latin Mass here at Saint Mary's, anyway. I suppose that if I am going to make a habit of the NO Latin Mass I ought to figure out which lessons and propers are said when, eh. I took the 4:39 pm bus downtown, which allowed me to get to church at about 1710ish or so; unfortunately, I had to take the taxi back (because I would otherwise have had to wait for the 1930 bus). I may try Lyft next Sunday; it looks to be perhaps two or three dollars cheaper.

A concert at 1000 via Zoom; I'll give it a try. Olivia Warburton, soprano, and Johan Barnoin, piano, from Paris. 

Thank you so much for buying a ticket to the 13th SUNDAY AT SIX concert live from Paris. Johan and I are excited to be performing a lovely programme of French music by composers including Fauré, Massenet, Chabrier, Debussy and Poulenc, many of whom lived through the Belle Époque era-- the golden age of French artistic creativity at the turn of the 20th century.

We shall see. Have no idea how I stumbled across Miss Warburton, none... I heard her sing something in something, I suppose, and caught his name, Finnegan Downie Dear, too, somehow. It occured to me to search my own nonsense: they both featured in some of my scribbling, back in November 2020, having performed with the GSO, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Time for Vespers from Saint-Eugène.

Am listening to Finn Dear going on about why he appreciates Chabrier chansons. Warburton does have a lovely voice. I must confess that I screwed up my wireless earbuds' connection to Zoom  and so rummaged about and found the old-fashioned wired earbuds, tsk. But realised that my wireless headphones work better, have a better sound, than they do so have ended up with them. Chabrier, Chausson, Debussy. Poulenc's Voyage à Paris. Messenger, ah, André Messenger. It was a delightful hour of listening but, it being only the second time I've used Zoom, I remained rather unsteady at the controls throughout. The children-- Miss Warburton, Messrs Barnoin and Dear, inter alii-- are experts. 

Post Vesperas. With Vespers, the feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul has begun: libénter gloriábor in infirmitátibus meis, ut inhábitet in me virtus Christi. I often wonder if the Bishops pay much heed to the living example of the Apostle Saint Paul; it is hard to imagine Mons N. or Mons A. being beaten thrice, stoned once, and thrice  shipwrecked in the service of the Holy Name.  

LDVM