PORTLAND, Ore.—OCP has announced the release of Blessed Be the Name of the Lord/Bendito Sea el Nombre del Señor, the first fully bilingual album from veteran Catholic composer Lourdes Montgomery. Persevering through the challenges of writing verbatim, bilingual psalm settings, this new collection succeeds in wedding the sacred texts of the Lectionary with a contemporary, Latin sound.
“Today, acknowledging the ever-changing face of the Catholic Church, we are delighted with this new collection of bilingual (English/Spanish) responsorial psalms to help communities come together in worship,” said OCP’s Music Development Specialist, Estela García-López.
With psalms for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Palm Sunday, the Easter season, Ordinary Time and more, the collection features a multitude of styles that demonstrate Lourdes’ extensive musical repertoire. From salsa rhythms, a joyous paso doble-style piece to rock-influenced sound, the instrumentation features brass, flute, drums, piano and acoustic and electric guitar as well as a variety of typical Latin instruments like bongos, cowbell, castanets and timbales.
“This album is unique because it contains psalms that utilize all the words in the Lectionary without adding or deleting anything,” explained Lourdes Montgomery. “I knew that writing these bilingual psalms would be useful not only to myself but to other music directors—especially those in integrated, bilingual, English and Spanish parishes. It’s incredibly rewarding to compose music that enriches the Mass and deepens a connection with the liturgy.”
To learn more about Blessed Be the Name of the Lord/Bendito Sea el Nombre del Señor or to purchase the collection, please visit: ocp.org/BlessedBetheLord. For interview or other media requests please contact Kelcee Marcum, 503.460.5358, [email protected].
About OCP
OCP, a not-for-profit publisher of liturgical music and worship resources based in Portland, Oregon, has been in operation for more than 90 years. Worship programs produced by OCP are used in over two-thirds of Catholic churches in the United States and are distributed worldwide. Find OCP on Facebook at Facebook.com/OCPmusic.
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