A new CD has just been released that captures the beauty and majesty of the traditional Latin Mass. High Mass Recorded Live is an inspiring collection of 14 Catholic hymns and two High Masses: Da Silva's Our Lady Queen of the Franciscan Order and the Iste Confessor of Palestrina. The music was recorded live at the First Masses of twin priests and was sung by the Mount St. Michael's Parish Choir and the Marian Sisters.
This beautiful music would have been lost if not for the foresight and dedication of Fr. Francisco Radecki, pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wayne, Michigan, and his twin brother, Fr. Dominic Radecki, pastor of Queen of Angels Church in Santa Clarita, California.
It is no small miracle that this music was preserved. The original live recording was done on an Otari four track (reel to reel) on May 29 and May 30, 1988. Two hymns, Ave Maria O Maiden O Mother and Holy God, were recorded a few months earlier at St. Joseph's Recordings Studio at Mt. St. Michael in Spokane, Washington.
The twin priests, who have a background in sound engineering, examined nearly six miles of music (twelve-2,500 foot reels) for content. Much of the music was unusable due to the deterioration of the tape, loud background noise or other defects.
Remastering the recordings was meticulous work. Each reel had to be cooked for hours in a convection oven. The tape was then listened to, with notations made regarding content on each track and the length and quality of the music.
The hymns or Masses were then spliced and put on individual reels to keep similar melodies together. To complicate matters, the tape itself has no external markings or notations. The outside was black, the inside brown, yet even this was difficult to decipher because of the age of the tape.
The result of this extensive work is a recording that allows the listener to experience the Mass as never before. Eight microphones positioned in the choir loft and two altar mikes allow you to clearly hear the liturgical melodies, the bells, prayers of the Mass and even the censor. The result is a 27 track, 64 minute CD that is one of the most beautiful collection of hymns and Masses ever assembled.
To order a copy of High Mass Recorded Live please send $15 + $5 shipping to: St. Joseph's Media, P.O. Box 186, Wayne, MI 48188, directly from the website at: http://stjosephschurch.net/hmrl.htm, or you can order from Amazon.com.