Oct. 25, 2019
4 min to read
St. Joseph Vaz Choir – Belo Horizonte – MG
Today, November 6, 2019, the Schola Cantorum Portal dedicates a special article about the São José Vaz Choir, which performs at the Tridentine Mass Center of the Church of Nossa do Líbano in Belo Horizonte – MG, under the direction of Maestro Gercino Júnior P. Silva. The choir participates in the Sunday Masses bringing in its repertoire the traditional sacred chant and, in a special way, the Gregorian chant. The Chapel of Our Lady of Lebanon has the assistance of Rev. Fr. Marco Antonio, incardinate of the Apostolic Administration St. John Mary Vianney.
The name of the choir is dedicated to this saint, known for his missionary work in Sri Lanka, whom St. John Paul II calls “the one who did everything in such circumstances as to make possible the development of a great salvific work of the Church in times of danger, and it is therefore right to hail him as the greatest missionary of all time in Asian territory” (1687-1711). St. Joseph Vaz devoted part of his missionary work in the territory of Goa (Portuguese-speaking) for a year, where in 1686 he founded the Oratory of St. Philip Neri with a group of clerics.
Recently the choir members joined the virtual working group of musicians of the Apostolic Administration St. John Mary Vianney. Since then discussions have been held on repertoire and agendas for the Liturgical Year with the effective participation of the choirmaster and choir members. We asked Dear Maestro Gercino, with the help of Renato Mello, for a history of the choir, which we present below:
“In August 2009, the small choir started by Maestro Fabricio began its activities in Belo Horizonte. Its purpose was to sing Gregorian chant in order to further sacralize the traditional Roman liturgy, taking into account the documents of the Holy Fathers that taught the primacy of this chant for the liturgical celebration.
Over the years, this small choir has undergone changes: some members have left while others have joined. Maestro Fabricio was unable to continue working with us, and Maestro José Carlos, from the city of Santa Luzia, took over. The intention until then was to sing exclusively Gregorian. Due to the difficulty of the rehearsals, since they were held in Santa Luzia, we opted for a new conductor, also named Fabrício, who was conductor of the choir of the Church of Lourdes.
We held several rehearsals with him and the choir continued to evolve in qualitative terms. However, the choir, made up exclusively of men, continued to restrict itself to Gregorian chant. Rehearsals with this new conductor lasted only a few months. From the beginning of the Schola Cantorum, there were three organists who helped to further embellish the liturgy and provide the necessary support for the singing. In the beginning, the organist Handel Cecílio supported the small choir that was being formed.
Later, Laís Mota took over, providing great assistance to the choir, making its harmony and support. And in 2014, João Bosco, who is currently our main organist, took on the job of being the foundation of the choir. In March 2016, Tradition in Belo Horizonte finally gained a permanent priest, since until then, the priests of the Apostolic Administration took turns with a priest from our city in the celebration of the Rite. This new priest, Fr. Paulo Sandes, came with the blessings of Bishop Rifan and began to attend to the faithful of Belo Horizonte in their spiritual needs in the traditional rites of the Church.
In mid-2016, during the offertory, two members of the Schola Cantorum and a girl sang a polyphony by Marco Frisina in three voices. At the end of the Mass, the priest went up to the choir and spoke to the three of them about the need to set up a polyphony choir for the most solemn Masses. Thus was the beginning of what would become the St. Joseph Vaz choir.
Soon after, Divine Providence brought us the conductor Gercino who began to conduct the St. Joseph Vaz Choir. Several members of the Schola Cantorum joined the new choir and, after announcements made at Mass, some girls also volunteered to join it. In December 2016, the choir made its debut at Christmas Mass.
The name St. Joseph Vaz was chosen because he was an Oratorian, since the priest who initially took over here was from the Oratory of St. Philip Neri. So, as a way of honoring the work done here by this priest and with his consent, the new choir was named after him. Today the choir has grown. New girls and boys have joined it; and under the conduct of maestro Gercino, several pieces have been added, from simpler polyphonies to more complex ones, such as Mozart’s Ave Verum. Finally, Tradition in Belo Horizonte has two choirs: the Schola Cantorum and the São José Vaz choir, with João Bosco as organist for both.”
The Schola Cantorum Portal thanks the commitment and collaboration of Renato Mello for the data collection and congratulates all the members of the St. Joseph Vaz Choir for their brilliant performance, as seen in the videos published and the audios received. May we, even more, exchange our experiences.
“Music, that is, the doctrine and art of modulating well, as an announcement of great things was granted by divine liberality to mortals endowed with a rational soul”.
Musicae Sacrae Disciplina
H.H. Pope Pius XII
