SACRED MUSIC
"Since the celebration of the liturgy takes on a more noble form when it is carried out in song, care must be taken that gatherings of the Christian faithful be associated with the singing of the various parts of the Mass, especially those found in the Ordinary." — Domus Ecclesiae III.3
MUSIC AT THE BASILICA
The Basilica Choir sings for the 10:00 a.m. Solemn Mass each Sunday from the Sunday after Labor Day through the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord (Corpus Christi). The choir prepares anthems and motets in English and Latin which are performed at the offertory and during communion and provides for the program of sacred music envisioned by the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council.
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As a Basilica, Saint Mary has a duty to promote the heritage of liturgical music which is proper to the Roman Rite. As a parish, she must do this both in a way that is supportive of the spiritual good of parishioners, and also in a way that does not feel obtrusive to their past experience. What would be considered a decision based upon “taste” has no place in the questions of what is proper to be used in the Liturgy. The larger question is how is our parish representing the corpus of the Church’s music to members and visitors?
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The Basilica Choir and organists also periodically provide for public concerts such as our annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols which is scheduled on the Third Sunday of Advent (Guadete). The Basilica Concert Series provides a series of shorter organ or choral concerts which are designed particularly for tourists and to fit with the schedule of tourism in our historic City of Natchez.
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Saint Mary has also hosted choral festivals during the summer where visiting parish choirs are able to engage in musical workshops over the course of a weekend to learn practical tips on choral singing, reading Gregorian notation, and understanding the mind of the Church for Sacred Music.
Director of Sacred Music
MATTHEW BULLER
Matthew Buller is a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana and a two-time graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio, earning a Bachelor and Master of Music, in addition to an Artist Diploma. Because of his access to numerous historically inspired instruments and the outstanding resources at Oberlin, Matthew developed a deep passion for historically informed performance. He is especially passionate about Baroque and Romantic music. Matthew has concertized extensively throughout the United States and Canada and has also performed in France. He won the 2015 Dallas Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and was a finalist in the Southwest Region of the American Guild of Organists during the same year. He has provided sacred music for parishes and Cathedrals including the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Lake Charles, Louisiana and most recently Saint Joseph Abbey and Seminary College in Covington, Louisiana. His presence in Natchez allows for the tradition of Sacred Music at the Basilica to flourish in a way envisioned by the Church in her expectation for Basilica Churches.
THE BELLS OF ST. MARY
The tower of Saint Mary Basilica houses five bronze bells, including our most historic — the Maria Alexandrina dating from 1849, which is 40 inches in diameter and over 3000 pounds.
The other four swinging bells include a 1889 Coffin Bell cast in Cincinnati, Ohio and three bells cast in 2022 by Smith Clock & Bell Company of Camby, IN.
