Fifth Avenue Famous: The Extraordinary Story of Music at St. Patrick's Cathedral"Fascinating . . . not only a history of arguably the most visible Catholic church in the world, but indeed all New York's colorful church music landscape." —Scott Turkington, director, Church Music Association of America Victorian-era divas who were better paid than some corporate chairmen, the boy soprano who grew up to give Bing Crosby a run for his money, music directors who were literally killed by the job—the plot of a Broadway show or a dime-store novel? No, the unique and colorful history of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Since its inception more than 125 years ago, the Cathedral Choir has been considered the gold standard of liturgical music—an example of artistic excellence that has garnered worldwide renown. Yet behind this stately facade lies an intriguing mix of New York history, star secrets, and high-level office politics that has made the choir not only a source of prime musical entertainment but also fodder for tabloids and periodicals across the nation. In this unique and engaging book, readers are treated to a treasure trove of vibrant characters, from opera stars from around the world to the thousands of volunteer singers who brought their own hopes and dreams—and widely varying musical abilities—to the fabled choir. The Cathedral Choir provides an extraordinary and largely overlooked insight into the history of St. Patrick's and in Salvatore Basile's pitch-perfect exploration it becomes a microcosm for the larger trends, upheavals, and events that have made up the history of the city, the nation, and even the world. "Bulges with facts, anecdotes and legend, beautifully woven into a fine narrative covering the period from 1879 to 2010." —McNeil Robinson, former chair of the organ department, Manhattan School of Music |
Contents
| 23 | |
Only the Right Men Only the White List 190429 | 49 |
Professor 192943 | 93 |
The More Things Change 194370 | 141 |
Boys and Girls Together 197090 | 190 |
The Trash Twin of Fifth Avenue 199097 | 250 |
For the First Times in Cathedral History 1998 | 293 |
Other editions - View all
Fifth Avenue Famous: The Extraordinary Story of Music at St. Patrick's Cathedral Salvatore Basile,Timothy M. Dolan No preview available - 2012 |
Fifth Avenue Famous: The Extraordinary Story of Music at St. Patrick's Cathedral Salvatore Basile No preview available - 2010 |
Common terms and phrases
Alan Davis American announced Archbishop Archdiocesan asked baritone benefit boys broadcast cantor Caprio Cardinal Hayes Carnegie Hall Cathedral Choir Cathedral’s Cathedral’s music Catholic church chancel chancel choir chancel organ choir members choirmaster choral choristers chorus Christmas church music city’s composer concert conductor congregation Courboin dedication didn’t difficult Donald Dumler Easter Ensemble Father Shreenan final finally find finished first five Flannelly funeral Grady’s Gregorian chant Holy John Grady Kilgen liturgical music Men’s Choir Metropolitan Opera Midnight Mass Monsignor Monsignor Lavelle motu proprio music department music director music program musicians O’Connor office opera oratorio orchestra organist Papal visit Pascual Patrick’s Cathedral Pecher performance piece Pietro Yon played Pontiff Pope quartet radio recital recording rehearsal repertoire reported Requiem rick’s Rivetti sacred music schedule season singers singing solo soloists soprano Stephen Tharp Sunday sung tenor Ungerer’s V-E Day Vatican Vespers voices week WPIX Yankee Stadium year’s Yon’s York York’s