Male Chorus Music

Collegians Male Chorus – The Whiffenpoof Song Various Artists – Reader's Digest Music: In The Good Old Summertime: American Parlor Music
Orphei Drangar – Saltarelle for Male Chorus, Op. 74
Berlin Radio Chorus – Old American Songs I (version for male choir): Old American Songs I: IV. Simple Gifts (version for male choir)
Mike Sammes Male Choir – Medley: Beautiful Dreamer; Old Folks At Home (Swanee River); Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair – Reader's Digest Music: In The Good Old Summertime: American Parlor Music
Various Artists – Ich bete an die Macht der Liebe Anton Bruckner – Choral Music - Bortniansky, D. / Schubert, F. / Bruckner, A. / Bruch, M. / Mendelssohn, Felix / Silcher, F. / Rheinberger, J.G.
Slovak Philharmonic Male Chorus – In A Monastrey Garden Ronald Binge – Elizabethan Serenade: The Best Of British Light Music
Jack Halloran Male Chorus – Sweet Hour Of Prayer Various Artists – Reader's Digest Music: Amazing Grace: Hymns Of Gold Volume 1
Bela Bartok – Four Old Hungarian Folksongs / Négy régi magyar népdal Sz.50 (1910 version) - a) Rég megmondtam, bús gerlice Various Artists – Bartók: Choral Works
Bela Bartok – Four Old Hungarian Folksongs / Négy régi magyar népdal Sz.50 (1910 version) - b) Jaj istenem! kire várok Various Artists – Bartók: Choral Works
Bela Bartok – Four Old Hungarian Folksongs / Négy régi magyar népdal Sz.50 (1910 version) - c) Ángyomasszony kertje Various Artists – Bartók: Choral Works
Bela Bartok – Four Old Hungarian Folksongs / Négy régi magyar népdal Sz.50 (1910 version) - d) Béreslegény Various Artists – Bartók: Choral Works
Bela Bartok – Székely Songs / Székely dalok Sz.99 (1932) - a) Hej, de sokszor megbántottál Various Artists – Bartók: Choral Works
Bela Bartok – Székely Songs / Székely dalok Sz.99 (1932) - b) Istenem, életem Various Artists – Bartók: Choral Works
Bela Bartok – Székely Songs / Székely dalok Sz.99 (1932) - c) Vékony cérna, kemény mag Various Artists – Bartók: Choral Works
Bela Bartok – Székely Songs / Székely dalok Sz.99 (1932) - d) Kilyénfalvi közeptizbe Various Artists – Bartók: Choral Works
Bela Bartok – Székely Songs / Székely dalok Sz.99 (1932) - e) Vékony cérna, kemény mag Various Artists – Bartók: Choral Works
Bela Bartok – Székely Songs / Székely dalok Sz.99 (1932) - f) Járjad pap a táncot Various Artists – Bartók: Choral Works
Bela Bartok – From Olden Times / Elmúlt időkből Sz.104 (1935) - a) Nincs boldogtalanabb Various Artists – Bartók: Choral Works
Bela Bartok – From Olden Times / Elmúlt időkből Sz.104 (1935) - b) Egy, kettő, három, négy Various Artists – Bartók: Choral Works
Bela Bartok – From Olden Times / Elmúlt időkből Sz.104 (1935) - c) Nincsen szerencsésebb Various Artists – Bartók: Choral Works
The Mike Sammes Male Chorus – My Blue Heaven Various Artists – My Blue Heaven
Male Chorus – Don't Ask Me Not To Sing Kitty Carlisle – Roberta
Leos Janacek – Festival Chorus for Male Chorus, Baritone Solo and Piano: Festival Chorus for Male Chorus, Baritone Solo and Piano Leos Janacek – Janacek: Unknown I
Bedřich Smetana – The Three Riders. Male chorus Bedřich Smetana – Smetana: Czech Song & Choruses
Slovak Philharmonic Male Chorus – In A Persian Market Ronald Binge – Elizabethan Serenade: The Best Of British Light Music

Darkness Covered the Earth

Darkness covered the earth. It was the eclipse of the Sun. Darkness covered the human heart. It was the eclipse of the Son. It's very difficult to grope about in the darkness we can trip and stumble on something. In the darkness we trip over a thorn bush. What a terrible thing to place in somebody's path. What a terrible thing to make a crown for a king. In the darkness we trip over a rope. They tugged his hands and feet with rope to the holes and nailed the one hand securely while they were stretching the other toward the other hole and then they dragged his whole body downward until his feet reached the hole. For many centuries they used the rope to hang other innocent people. We go farther in the darkness. We stumble upon the nails. There are three nails: two short and sharp nails for the hands and a long blunt nail for the feet to tear the muscles and bruise the bones. We go farther in the darkness. We stumble upon the lance, a deadly weapon used now to test the presence of death. In Ezekiel's vision the water flowed from the side of the Temple and healed and gave life. The water and the blood flowed from the side of the New Temple to bring healing and life. We must be getting near to the Temple in the darkness for we can hear sounds in the darkness: Eli, Eli, lama sabacthani: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? The cry of the Psalmist in Psalm 22

Why so far from my call for help, from my cries of anguish? The cry of the poor man in the darkness:

My God, I call by day, but you do not answer; by night, but I have no relief.

 We must be getting near to the Temple in the darkness for we can see a faint glow. In the days of Moses the glory of  the Lord led the people of Israel with a column of fire. The shekinah, the glory of the Lord hovered over the ark of the covenant like a glow. In Ezekiel's vision the shekinah, the glory of the Lord leaves the Temple and ascends on high in the day of distress. And now the light on the Body of the new Temple seems to be growing dim and then in the moment of total darkness the body is carried in the darkness of a new tomb and the darkness is there in the tomb. A circular stone is rolled over the face of the tomb. It  symbolizes the cycle of life and death, life and death, life and death that has been with the human race since the fall. But then someone will ask the useless question, "Who will roll back the stone for us?" useless because the stone has already been rolled back with the break of the new dawn.

Faith's Beginning

Faith was always there for me.  I was born into it. I was born into the Church of St. Stanislaus. There I sat at Sunday mass or daily mass and watched old Mrs. Kwiatkowski slam her arthritic knees down on the kneeler in front of the life size crucifix at the left door of the church. I wondered what she was praying about. Years later I began to understand. On the side altar the beautiful statue of Mary the Immaculate Conception was crowned with twelve stars and stood trampling this snake. I wondered what this snake was. Years later I began to understand.On the main altar I used to kneel as an altar boy and watch and listen to the priest mumble in Latin and I would mumble back. Years later I began to understand the words and the great mystery that I was so near. And when Fr. Frank Staebell SJ (who recently passed away)taught me how to pray in the Sodality at McQuaid Jesuit High School I began to more things. When I began to pray in the Society of Jesus through the Spiritual Exercises my imagination was opened up in new ways to the Word of God.  So many brothers from those years and later years have come and gone, that I feel that there is a great cloud of witnesses to my faith, their faith, our faith and that they are praying for me still in the bosom of Abraham, the father of faith. I remember Father Thomas Lannan who gave me a great gift of faith in the Resurection, in the power of music and the beauty of art. And now I live in a world of twenty year olds who have no idea what I am talking about, who live in a world of abbreviations LOL, who don't know who Handel is or even Three Dog Night, or Nat King Cole and I feel old. And here I am kneeling at the foot of the Cross asking those mysterious questions of the heart and receiving equally mysterious answers.