Mastersingers USA in Central Europe – 2007

Sunday, July 8, 2007
Mass at St. Vitus Cathedral

The Cathedral of St. Vitus, dating from the 14th century, sits on the grounds of the Prague Castle.  It is the largest and most important church in the Czech Republic, and it is a place where saints, kings, princes and emperors of Bohemia have been buried.  The cathedral stands elevated above the city in a way that makes it the most dominant feature of the Prague skyline.  Its attraction for the visitor is magnetic, and crowds of tourists line up by the thousands to have a look inside.  And the inside is truly spectacular, with its vast space and the royal mausoleum in the unusual position at the front of the church just a few feet short of the steps leading to the altar.

Various views of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague (sources: JD Vogt & Gwilym Owen)

Singing high mass on Sunday, July 8 in this cathedral was to be the final performance of our tour.  Mastersingers USA has sung in many of the great cathedrals of Europe, but it is always a thrill, and this was certainly one of those great cathedrals.  We arrived nearly an hour early and sat through most of the previous mass, though it impossible to hear from the back of the structure where we sat and waited.

Shortly after 9 a.m. the previous mass was finished, and we positioned ourselves off to the right of the altar, and had just a brief time to rehearse to get the feeling of the "space."  During the course of the mass, we sang all of the De Kerle "Missa Regina Coeli," as well as "Locus Iste" and "O Bone Jesu."  We did some of our best singing of the tour here, and from the comments of those listening farther back in the church, the effect was extraordinary.  We had a few minutes for a group picture afterwards, and with that, our 8th and final "concert" in 9 days was complete.  We went our different ways for a late morning and afternoon of sightseeing.

Waiting for the conclusion of the previous mass (source: JD Vogt)	Final group picture after the mass (source: JD Vogt)