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Today, details on the Pope’s visit to the site of the World Trade Center attacks, his arrival and departure in the US, an account of a press conference on the visit this morning with Archbishop Wuerl, and a link to this bit of good news regarding some of the music

(Fr.) Samuel Weber (O.S.B) , associate professor of early Christianity and spiritual formation at the Wake Forest University Divinity School, was invited to compose original chant settings that will be performed during the Pope’s visit to Washington, D.C., April 15 – 20.  The chants will be sung during Evening Prayer at 5:30 p.m. April 16 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception with Pope Benedict XVI presiding, and during a private mass with the Holy Father at the Apostolic Nunciature (Papal Embassy) the following morning.
“I am deeply honored to have a small part to play in the preparation of this vesper service,” says Weber.  He composed original chant melodies for the antiphons, which are scriptural verses sung before and after the Psalms and Canticles of Vespers.  Peter Latona, Basilica director of music, invited Weber to compose the chants and has created polyphonic settings based on Weber’s chants.  During the service, the antiphons will be sung by the 24-member Choir of the Basilica in plain chant before the Psalms and Canticles of Vespers, and then repeated afterward in full harmony.
Weber, a Roman Catholic priest and Benedictine monk, says the decision to use chant melodies reflects the aesthetic and tradition at the heart of prayer life in the Roman Catholic Church.  “Historically, sacred compositions were based on the chant melodies which formed the core of liturgical music.”
The Evening Prayer service is expected to be televised worldwide.

The Pope’s words during the visit will communicate much. And so will the liturgies over which he’ll be presiding, I think.
Update:
The music programmes for the NY liturgies are out –  and over at NLM, some commentors are making an excellent point about the music for the youth gathering:

St. Joseph’s Seminary – Meeting with Youth and Seminarians – April 19, 2008
Communion and Liberation, Christopher Vath, Director of Music
Richard Marrano, Organist
Christi Chiapetti, Cantor
Teng Fu, Pianist
America the Beautiful – Samuel A. Ward
Pan de Vida – Bob Hurd
Jesus, Remember Me – Jacques Berthier
One Bread, One Body – John Foley, S. J.
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name – Traditional
Ave Maria – Franz Schubert, Kelly Clarkson, American Idol Winner 2002
City of God – Daniel Schutte

First, before I get to the observation from NLM, the choice of America the Beautiful strikes me as bizarre. I’m pretty much opposed to having patriotic songs at liturgy, period (although I know this is not a Mass), but if you’re going to have one,  America the Beautiful is certainly the best choice, but it still strikes me as odd, especially if these pieces are listed in order of presentation (which they may not be.)

But back to the other point – which is, quite succinctly , why do the youth get saddled with Catholic pop music from 30 years ago? There are good elements here – I confess that I like Pan de Vida. I do. And Jesus Remember Me is the Taize chant version, which is also good.
I mean, we were rocking to City of God when I was in college, yeah, but I am at a loss to understand the implication that if we want a liturgy that will speak to and in some way express what’s up with youth (NOT that this is the purpose of liturgy, but just walk with me here), what will do it is 30-year old St. Louis Jesuits tunes. 
At least they didn’t work Awesome God into it. But that would actually make a little more sense.
Look, I’m not going to jump into the ring claiming that all young people are really yearning for solemn Gregorian chant all the time – but the fact is that this program of music strikes me as almost insulting to young people. It seems to indicate that they’re really not being attended to and that they don’t merit the gift of worshipping in a way that ties them more deeply to the bigger tradition of ancient Christian worship.
(I also understand that C & L – which seems to be involved in this event –  has a substantial repertoire, if you will, of music used for its own gatherings. I remember one rather beautiful piece I heard in the broadcast of a C & L gathering in Rome. I blogged on it at the time, got the answers to what that piece was from someone, but a quick search doesn’t turn it up, and my memory on that score is shot. )