This afternoon I enjoyed watching two clips at the Chant Cafe of Mgr Georg Ratzinger auditioning young boys for the famous Regensburg choir. First he tests their sense of pitch, and then their sense of distance between notes in a cluster .The look on the child's face when he realised that the cluster being played to him was part of a hymn tune he already knew, was something to behold.At the same time as all that, Mgr Ratzinger seemed aware that a boy was a natural first or second treble. That information was probably given to him beforehand, but I just adore someone who can transpose at the drop of a hat.
A commenter asked what the tune was. Answer: Lobe Den Herren (Stralsund Gesangbuch 1665) Original German words by Joachim Neander (1650-1680) English version translated by Catherine Winkworth (1827-78) And so we English, thanks to Anglican patrimony, know it as 'Praise to the Lord, the Almighty the King of Creation'. It's in the Westminster Cathedral Catholic Hymn Book,. published 1998.
Will now look for a decent English version on You Tube.
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