The Cathedral of Saint Paul

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Sacred Music

NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS

DOWNTOWN CONCERT SERIES

  • The FOURTH season of the DOWNTOWN CONCERT SERIES at the Cathedral of St. Paul is live! This concert series seeks to bring the best of art and sacred music to our Cathedral as an offering to the Diocese, city, and parish.
  • These concerts feature renowned organists, choirs, and so much more. This year, we feature our first-ever Christmas concert as well as two of the US’s most awarded college choirs…both in our very own state! We also commemorate the 500th anniversary of G.P. Palestrina’s birth (in concert in October, but also in Cathedral Choir’s repertoire throughout the year).
  • Because the Cathedral Church is consecrated to God, all concerts are presented free of charge, so that all people may find a home here at St. Paul’s.
  • Please check the link above to see if you might help support our mission to bring quality organ, choral, vocal, and instrumental concerts to downtown Birmingham. The late Anna Catharine Grace’s gift of the pipe organ named in her honor is a huge part of this series. She and many other donors over the last few decades laid the foundation of our concert series. We hope you will join us in rejoicing and praying for our many benefactors near and far.
  • Our next FREE concert is on SUNDAY, MAY 10, at 4:00pm as we present James McGalliard and Daniel Renna, Organists! James and Daniel, our assistant organist and organ scholar, respectively, are a weekly presence at rehearsals and liturgies, but on the 10th, you’ll get to hear them shine individually! A varied program will cover a large part of the organ literature. Please join us! The program will be posted HERE the week of the recital.  
  • For more information, simply call (205.251.1279×107) or email (ludwick@stpaulsbhm.org) the Director of Music. We look forward to seeing you this year at these concerts and in worship!

Liturgical Music week-to-week

  • For the most current information on liturgical and sacramental schedules, check the Cathedral frontpage.
  • The 5:00pm (anticipated) Mass has hymns and a Gregorian chant ordinary led by cantor and organ.
  • The Sunday 8:30AM Mass is led by a cantor or small schola and organ. Hymns and the Gregorian ordinary are sung by all; the schola leads the Gregorian processional propers (Entrance, Offertory, and Communion) as needed.
  • The 11:00am Solemn Mass is our main musical offering, with most (and sometimes all) of the Gregorian proper represented, along with the requisite hymns and Gregorian or vernacular ordinaries. Polyphonic (choral) Mass ordinaries are sung about once a month in part or in whole. Music is led by Cathedral Choir (or Cathedral Choir staff singers during some Summer months), a semi-professional choir of 20-25 voices.
  • The Orders of Worship and Music Lists subpage is kept current so that you may see what we are preparing for upcoming weeks!

In the “Sacred Music” section you can learn about the following sub-topics (also accessible through the menus).