The music for Pope Benedict XVI's visit to New York City
may have a familiar sound to visitors from the Albany Diocese.
That's because Wm. Glenn Osborne, former director of music
at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in Albany, is arranging scores
for the orchestras that will be playing during Masses at St. Patrick's
Cathedral and Yankee Stadium.
He will also sing in the choir at the stadium.
Key position
"I'm delighted," Mr. Osborne said of his
involvement with the music for the historic visit. "It's definitely
an honor."
While some would say that participating in an event like
this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he doesn't want to limit
himself.
"I'm still young," he said. "I hope to do
more."
Keeping time
Mr. Osborne was first asked to participate in arranging
the music in January. "The time table is so quick," he said.
In addition to arranging music, he will be part of the
200-member choir singing at the Mass at Yankee Stadium. About 450 people
from the Albany Diocese will attend that liturgy.
"This will be my first time singing in the choir for
a pope," he said.
Of note
While music is an important part of all liturgical
celebrations, Mr. Osborne noted that it will be especially important at
Yankee Stadium.
"The music will definitely assist in transforming
Yankee Stadium," he said. "Having [sacred] music people are
familiar with will help remind them that this is a liturgical
experience," and not a sporting event.
Harmony
One of the challenges he faces is selecting music that
speaks to all of the worshipers present at a celebration.
"This challenge is actually one of the delights of
the job for me," he continued. "The joy of serving in a
cathedral or at the diocesan level is that there is automatically presumed
to be a diverse population; to serve this diverse population, there should
be a variety of music."
Nonetheless, he pointed out, the music has to fit the
liturgical celebration and be good music. Including a musical style just
to be diverse wouldn't be appropriate, he said.
Variety
Whether ministering in a diocese or assisting in the
planning of a papal Mass, variety is important and keeps his ministry
interesting, Mr. Osborne said.
"Having a wide range of people participating in a
liturgy gives me an opportunity to plan a wide variety of music," he
said.
"While not everyone may like every selection I make,
hopefully, some selections will lead them to a deeper understanding of
their faith, and the others will lead them to a better understanding of
their neighbor."
(One of the tasks assigned to Mr. Osborne is arranging
the Vatican Anthem. The sheet music was available on the Vatican website,
but it was difficult to read and had no parts for clarinets or bassoons.
So, he served as a "music copyist" and arranger for the piece.
Mr. Osborne's wife is Karen Dietlein Osborne, who was a staff writer for
The Evangelist. The couple moved to Florida last fall, when he became
director of liturgical music for the Diocese of Orlando.)
(04/03/08)