The St. Joseph Cappella, an all-volunteer church choir at Mother of Divine Mercy Parish - St. Joseph Church (located on Jay Street off Gratiot near Eastern Market) in Detroit, Michigan, has released its first album of sacred music entitled Liturgical Year Latin Motets. The first 12 tracks take the listener on a journey through the Catholic liturgical year, with translations and commentary on the pieces including their relation to both the Ordinary Form and Extraordinary Form Liturgical Calendars. Most of the music is a cappella, while a few pieces are accompanied by organ played by the Director of Music, Michael Semaan. The final five tracks are a Mass setting by prolific Italian composer Baldassare Galuppi (1706-1785). In addition to pieces by well-known composers such as Mozart and Palestrina, two of the tracks were written specifically for the St. Joseph Cappella by the late Thomas M. Kuras who founded the choir and served as the Director of Music at St. Joseph from 1974 - 1997.
The CD includes a 16-page color booklet full of stunning images of the architecture, stained glass windows, statutes, altars, and organ of St. Joseph Church, along with translations, commentary, and a history of St. Joseph. "The combination of sacred art and music in Liturgical Year Latin Motets is truly a feast for the soul," said Rev. Gregory Tokarski, pastor of Mother of Divine Mercy Parish. "We are blessed by the sacred music the St. Joseph Cappella presents throughout the year during Holy Mass at St. Joseph, and I am so pleased that more people now are able to hear this heavenly music. After listening, I hope they will be moved to visit and pray with us."
One may purchase the CD directly at Mother of Divine Mercy Parish or by emailing stjosephcappella@gmail.com. The recording is also available for sale from www.cdbaby.com/cd/stjosephcappella (physical CD and digital), iTunes and other major online digital retailers, local Catholic bookstores in the Detroit metro area, and more retailers to come.
St. Joseph Church is known for its musical heritage and traditional worship, and proceeds from the sale of the CD will be used to maintain a vibrant music program at St. Joseph Church. St. Joseph is one of the oldest churches in Detroit and is the only one in Detroit to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places at the “national level of significance.” Designed by German-American architect Francis G. Himpler, the church was dedicated in 1873.
The seventeen tracks on Liturgical Year Latin Motets are as follows:
1. Ave Maria - Joseph Bonnet
2. O Magnum Mysterium - Tomás Luis de Victoria
3. Scriptum est - Thomas M Kuras
4. O Bone Jesu - Marco Antonio Ingegneri
5. Sicut cervus - Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
6. Regina Coeli - Gregor Aichinger
7. Jubilate Deo - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
8. Ego Sum Pastor Bonus - Thomas M Kuras
9. Cantate Domino - Giuseppe Pitoni
10. Factus est repente - Gregor Aichinger
11. Panis Angelicus - Claudio Casciolini
12. Ave Verum - Camille Saint-Saëns
13. Missa in C: Kyrie - Baldassare Galuppi
14. Missa in C: Gloria - Baldassare Galuppi
15. Missa in C: Credo - Baldassare Galuppi
16. Missa in C: Sanctus & Benedictus - Baldassare Galuppi
17. Missa in C: Agnus Dei - Baldassare Galuppi
Mother of Divine Mercy Parish - St. Joseph Church Detroit, Michigan
www.motherofdivinemercy.com
