Gregorian Modes: Solfège, Psalm Tones, and Musical Analysis - Online Workshop Starts Sept. 15th

Unlock the timeless beauty of Gregorian chant through the key of modality, with the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music’s 9-part online workshop series, starting Monday, September 15, at 5:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. ET).

More information and registration are available here.

Whether you’re a choir member or director, this engaging Zoom-based series is designed to deepen your musical understanding and mastery of the Gregorian repertory.

I’ll begin the series with a clear, theoretical introduction to Gregorian modality, laying a strong foundation for singing the psalm tones and understanding the unique characteristics of the Gregorian repertory in each mode. Through carefully guided solfège exercises, you’ll build confidence in sight-singing, and sharpen your ear to navigate modal changes across the repertory with ease. Even if you’re new to chant notation, ease in reading will be gained through this immersion in the pitch content of the chant.

Beyond these fundamentals, you’ll also learn to design targeted warm-ups that align with the modes and musical highlights of the particular chants you’ll cover in a rehearsal, helping you make rehearsals more efficient so that the Gregorian repertory can play a greater role in the liturgies of your parish. Additionally, we’ll develop analytical skills to interpret the musical grammar and structure of the chant repertory in light of the modes, empowering you to sing and direct chants with artistry and insight, making intelligent decisions about phrasing and breath. 

This workshop is ideal for anyone passionate about growing as a musician within the Church’s treasury of sacred music.

Join us! Mondays, Sept. 15, 22, 29, Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27, Nov. 3, 10, 5:30–6:30 p.m. PT/8:30–9:30 p.m. ET.

If the hour for live instruction doesn’t work for you, or you’d like to be able to review each class, an optional add-on is available for archived access in perpetuity. Instruction is $60 for the 9 live sessions, and $10 extra ($70 total) for live instruction plus archived access.

New Chorister Program in Silicon Valley Offers Cathedral-Style Training for Ages 8-17

Join the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music’s Chorister Program

Are you looking for a positive, fun, and joyful environment for your student to pray, learn his or her Catholic faith, develop musical talents, meet great friends, and develop virtues such as patience and resiliency?

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music Chorister Program is committed to inspiring young singers through a comprehensive program that emphasizes musical excellence and spiritual growth. Our mission is to cultivate a love for sacred music, guiding young voices to reach their full potential while instilling values of discipline, teamwork, and artistic expression. The program offers top-tier training while allowing students to remain engaged in their other parish or school choirs.

Click here to learn more and register.

Open to all students ages 8–17, the Chorister Program offers weekly training in:

• The Catholic faith
• Active participation in the sacred liturgy through singing the Church’s treasury of sacred music, including Gregorian chant, sacred polyphony, hymns, responses, etc.
• Rigorous vocal training and technique
• Music theory and aural skills
• Reading musical notation (modern notation for choral music and square notes for Gregorian chant)
• Rhythm and conducting
• Improvisation and composition
• Choral singing in the great cathedral tradition

Scholarships are available to ensure accessibility for all families.

Open to singers of all experience levels. The ability to match pitch is required and will be determined in an informal audition with a faculty member once the program begins. Students needing remediation to match pitch will receive short supplemental education. 

Rehearsals are on Tuesdays at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, CA, starting at 4:15 p.m. and concluding with the singing of Vespers alongside seminarians 6:00-6:15 p.m.

Led by seminarians, a parallel program is offered for parents/guardians to engage in spiritual formation, Eucharistic adoration, and fellowship while they wait for their Choristers.

The Chorister Program is more than a music education program—it’s a calling to glorify God through the beauty of sacred music, to form virtuous young Catholics, and to build a community of joy and faith. Whether you’re a parent seeking a transformative experience for your child or someone inspired to share this opportunity with others, we invite you to join us in this mission to uplift hearts and voices for the glory of God.

More information and registration available here. Registration deadline: Friday, August 29th. 

Chant Camp in Northern California, August 4-8

Chant Camp for Singers Ages 8-17, August 4-8, at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California.

Early bird pricing through June 25th | Discounts available for multiple children from the same family.

More information and registration available here.

Discover the joy of singing the Church’s sacred music!

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music launches its choral program for young singers with an inaugural chant camp. (More information on the academic-year program forthcoming!)

A week of fun, engaging, and positive rehearsals, games, catechesis, time for prayer, and meals together; Chant Camp is a day camp for students who want to grow in their faith, learn to sing, and enjoy fellowship with other Catholics.

Add-on afternoon sessions: pipe organ, music theory, music composition

For students of all levels, from new chanters to those who have some experience chanting or singing in a Catholic choir.

Instructors: Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka & Prof. Christopher Berry

Summer Graduate-Level Sacred Music Study - Tuition-free

The May 1st application deadline is approaching for summer graduate courses in sacred music at the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music.

• Graduate-level study structured for busy schedules
• In-person, intensive course formats
• Affordable room & board
• Free tuition

Learn more and apply here.

Courses:

• Choral Institute
• Composition Seminar
• Organ Improvisation
• Introduction to Gregorian Chant
• Vocal Pedagogy – NEW
• Organ Literature – NEW
• Teaching Gregorian Chant to Children - FULL
• Advanced Seminar in Chant: Old Roman Chant - NEW
• Advanced Seminar in Gregorian Chant: Gregorian Modes and Hexachordal Solfège - NEW

Faculty:

• Prof. Christopher Berry
• Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka
• Dr. Joseph Dyer
• Dr. Frank La Rocca
• Fr. Joshua Neu
• Dr. Charles Weaver
• Dr. Christophe Tietze
• Prof. Sandra Bengochea

Courses are held on the beautiful campus of St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California from July 7 to 25, immediately following the Fons et Culmen Sacred Liturgy Summit.

Application deadline: Thursday, May 1st.

Continue Reading this Article. . .

Tenebrae: The Church’s “Office of the Dead” for Christ Crucified

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music cordially invites you to the final event of its 2024–2025 Public Lecture and Concert Series.

Tenebrae: The Church’s “Office of the Dead” for Christ Crucified

Lecture by James Monti (Dunwoodie, New York)

Saturday, April 12, 10:00 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT)

From at least as far back as the sixth century, the Church has begun her daily worship on the three days of the Easter Triduum with a unique solemnization of the Divine Office known as Tenebrae, a sung liturgy hewn from the Scriptural prophecies of the Passion, to form a veritable “Office of the Dead” in which She mourns the death of Christ. The sacred texts of this office inspired a priceless treasury of plainchant, and later, a vast corpus of polyphonic settings, particularly for the Scriptural centerpiece of Tenebrae, the Lamentations of Jeremiah. The purpose of this lecture will be to explore the history, the meaning, the music and the striking ritual actions of this profoundly moving office, which in recent years has undergone an amazing resurgence, fostered by the magnetic appeal of its compelling sights and soundscape.

The lecture is available live via Zoom. An RSVP is required, and space is limited. The lecture is available for free, but if your means allow we are grateful for a donation to support the work of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music.

RSVP here

About the Lecturer

A member of the staff of the Corrigan Memorial Library of Saint Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York, James Monti has authored several books, including A Sense of the Sacred: Roman Catholic Worship in the Middle Ages (Ignatius Press, 2012), The King’s Good Servant but God’s First: The Life and Writings of St. Thomas More (Ignatius Press, 1997), and The Week of Salvation: History and Traditions of Holy Week (Our Sunday Visitor, 1993). He is also is a columnist for The Wanderer and an essayist and Gregorian hymns translator for Magnificat.

Lecture by Dom Benedict Nivakoff, Abbot of Norcia, January 28th in Northern California

I would like to cordially invite all readers in the Bay Area/Northern California to the next event in the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music’s Public Lecture and Concert Series. 

Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 7:00 p.m., PST

Et ut musica in convivio vini (Eccl. 49, 2): Music and Wine for Monks, Musicians, and Men of Good Will

Lecture by Dom Benedict Nivakoff, OSB, Abbot of San Benedetto in Monte, Norcia, Italy

Sancta Maria Hall, St. Patrick’s Seminary 

320 Middlefield Rd., Menlo Park, California

Free Admission; Reception following the Lecture

Bringing to light the Epistle text from the July 11th feast of St. Benedict, this talk will ask and answer some important questions: How did the saint who encourages abstinence from wine and a life without laughter come to be described with a text that talks of music and wine? How can St. Benedict help the musician work with priests who seem not to understand music? How can St. Benedict help priests and seminarians to work with musicians?

The RSVP is available here. 

The lecture is not available via livestream or Zoom; in-person only.

Online Workshop Series Catholic Institute of Sacred Music: Building Programs, Chant Accompaniment, and Byrd

After wrapping up a fantastic summer of graduate courses in sacred music held on the campus of St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California, the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music is pleased to announce its Fall 2024 Online Workshop Series.

Three different topics, all well-suited to online content delivery, are announced for the Fall 2024 term, and accessible all over the world in live instruction via Zoom, or optional archived access, taught by CISM’s wonderful faculty.

Starts September 16 

Mondays, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Pacific Time (8:30-9:30 Eastern)

Online Via Zoom 

$50 for 3 topics or $20 per topic, optional $10/topic add-on for archived access 

Faculty: Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, Christopher Berry, and William Mahrt 

Registration and more information is available by clicking here.

Blueprint for Building a Parish Sacred Music Program: Foundations, Structures, Personnel, and Resources 

Topic #1 of Fall 2024 Workshop Series 

Mondays, September 16, 23, 30 – 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., PDT 

Does your parish music program need some new initiatives or a complete overhaul? Join Dr. Donelson-Nowicka as she takes participants through the outline of a strategic planning process. Discover ways of assessing your program and goals, brainstorm ideas, and set short- and long-term goals for the future. Ideal for parish music directors and pastors. 

Chant Modality at the Keyboard and Chant Accompaniment 

Topic #2 of Fall 2024 Workshop Series 

 Mondays, October 7, 14, 21 – 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., PDT 

Are you an organist who’s new to chant, or could use a refresher on how to approach chant at the keyboard? Join Professor Christopher Berry and Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka as they discuss the basics of understanding chant modality at the keyboard, as well as the rhythmic and harmonic principles behind the main schools of chant accompaniment. Registration and texture will also be addressed. 

The Cantiones Sacræ, Masses, and Gradualia of William Byrd 

Topic #3 of Fall 2024 Workshop Series 

Mondays, October 28, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., PDT and November 4, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., PST 

Join Dr. William Mahrt as he presents an overview of the most well-loved music of English Tudor composer, William Byrd.

Summer Courses at the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music - Tuition Free!

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music at St Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California, is proud to announce its second summer term. Through the sponsorship of generous donors, we are delighted to be able to offer all courses with FREE TUITION for all applicants who are accepted into the program for this summer.

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music offers a rich learning experience for parish and school musicians who want to immerse themselves in the beauty, truth, and holiness of the Church’s sacred music and liturgy. The Institute offers a daily schedule of sung liturgies on campus and opportunities for private prayer, a world-class faculty, dormitory rooms and common meals on a beautiful campus in the temperate climate of Silicon Valley, and opportunities for study, both in-person and online, in subjects that are inspiring, challenging, and practical.

Whether you’re new to sacred music or have studied music at the graduate level, our courses will assist you in unlocking the treasury of Catholic sacred music, helping you grow in your spiritual life, amplifying your knowledge of and love for Christ and the Church’s music, and strengthening the skills needed for faithful service in the Church.

Join us this summer to experience the depths of the Church’s riches, taught by experienced teachers and musicians, faithful to the Church’s magisterium and tradition.

Application deadline: Monday, May 1. Spots will fill up quickly; don’t wait to apply!

More information

FAQ & Brochure

Application (for new and returning students)

Faculty

• Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka
• Christopher Berry
• Frank La Rocca
• William Mahrt
• Edward Schaefer
• Charles Weaver

Continue Reading this Article. . .

Vox Psalmistae, Vox Ecclesiae: A Biblical-Liturgical Study of Sunday Vespers (CISM Spring 2024 Lecture)

Join the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music for the first event of our Spring 2024 Public Lecture and Concert Series, available in-person at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, or online via streaming.

Vox Psalmistae, Vox Ecclesiae: A Biblical-Liturgical Study of Sunday Vespers

Lecture by Fr. Joshua Neu, Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture and Director of Sacred Liturgy at St. Patrick’s Seminary

Friday, February 9, 2024, 7 p.m. PST

Free Admission: RSVP here.

Vespers and a reception follow the in-person event. Ample on-site parking is available (320 Middlefield Rd., Menlo Park, California). Please note that streaming of vespers following the lecture is not available.

About the Lecture

The psalms and canticles of the Divine Office represent the voices of ancient Israel from the time of the Exodus through the Second Temple period, more than 1000 years of the Divine encounter with Israel. Each psalm, whether praise or lament, history or instruction, sings of this encounter from its own particular circumstance, but in a way that opens into new readings of the psalms through the unique encounter between God and man in the Incarnation. The Church, whose liturgical prayer is one with the prayer of the Incarnate Son glorifying the Father, suggests fresh readings of the same psalms through the antiphons of the Divine Office, readings that both respect the voice of the original psalmist and simultaneously draw out meanings the psalmist may not have recognized. This study of Sunday Vespers explores the meaning of these important psalms in their original context and the renewed meaning of the same psalms when the voice of the psalmist is taken up into the voice of the Church at prayer.

About the Speaker

Fr. Joshua Neu was ordained a priest in 2015 and completed his licentiate in Sacred Scripture in 2017. He has served in variety of ministries, in parishes, campus ministry, vocations, and faith formation. After spending two years on the faculty at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, LA, he recently began serving at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, CA, as an Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture and the Director of Liturgy.

About the Series

The Public Lecture & Concert Series of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music welcomes the general public to St. Patrick's Seminary to hear from preeminent scholars about topics which have a profound impact on the Church and humanity, inviting them especially to consider the Church's wisdom on matters related to the worship of God, the spiritual life, beauty, and works of art.

We invite you to join us for these important and inspiring events.

About the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music

Founded in 2022, the mission of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music is to draw souls to Jesus Christ through the beauty of sacred music and the liturgy.

The Institute offers a substantial program of accredited, graduate-level coursework designed to help church musicians and clergy better to know and love the Church’s treasury of sacred music and her teachings on sacred music. Our goal is to equip students with the theological, philosophical, and historical knowledge, as well as the practical skills (singing, playing, conducting, composing, organizing, fundraising) necessary to build excellent sacred music programs in parishes and schools. We aim to help others revitalize the faith of Catholics and instill vitality in parish and school life through a vibrant sacred music program.

We are committed to a faithful and generous service of the Church. We cultivate fidelity, resiliency, a healthy sense of creativity, and selflessness within our student body and faculty as characteristics of our service as we labor together in the vineyard of the Lord to bring in a rich harvest.

Basics of Directing Chant, Tra le Sollecitudini Reading Group, and Introduction to Chant

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music has announced its Spring 2024 term online workshop series. Presenting timely and helpful topics, the courses are presented via Zoom, starting with instruction and following with ample time for questions and discussion. They are an affordable option for continuing education for music directors, presenting a mix of topics for seasoned musicians as well as introductory topics.

Registration and more information are available here.

CISM is especially pleased this term to welcome Dr. Mahrt as a faculty member for the directed reading group on Tra le Sollecitudini. This topic is the first of a series of in-depth reading of important ecclesiastical documents on sacred music.

Topics are $20 per topic plus an optional add-on of archived access for $10 per topic. Workshops begin at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time, starting January 29.

Chironomy Basics

Mondays, January 29 and February 5, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., PST

Would you like to develop conducting skills for Gregorian chant that help your choir sing better and discover the nuances of phrasing that make the chant beautiful? Join Dr. Donelson-Nowicka for two one-hour sessions to cover the basics of directing chant (chironomy) according to the “Old Solesmes” method developed by Dom André Mocquereau. The first session will outline the theoretical basis for the method in practice through targeted exercises which help singers and directors understand the structure of some sample chants, and then develop a physiological basis for the conducting gesture from an understanding of the architecture of the examples. The second session will cover more sophisticated gestures which elucidate for singers the musical shape of more difficult chants. Tips on structuring rehearsals to meet the demand for learning quickly to sing in the liturgy will be discussed, as well as warm-ups and teaching techniques which develop singers’ awareness of nuances in conducting.

This workshop topic is an excellent introduction to the course content of Advanced Seminar in Gregorian Chant: Conducting (Chironomy) that will be offered in the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music’s Summer 2024 Term.

Tra le Sollecitudini – Directed Reading Group

Mondays, February 19, and 26, and March 4, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., PST

Led by Drs. William Mahrt and Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, participants will make an in-depth study of this important document which was seminal for the twentieth-century renewal of sacred music and the Liturgical Movement. Starting from the history and development of the document, the nuances of each of the motu proprio’s articles will be discussed in its historical, liturgical, musical, and canonical contexts. The evolution of the legislative status of various articles will be discussed, especially in light of dubia submitted in response to the legislation, as well as the documents of Pius XII and Vatican II.

This workshop topic is an excellent introduction to the study of legislative documents on sacred music, a study which can be furthered in the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music’s Summer 2024 Term course “History and Principles of Sacred Music.”

Introduction to Chant: Spirituality, Reading, and Style

Mondays, April 8, 15, 22, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., PDT

Serving as an entry point for professional and amateur musicians alike, each session of this workshop topic will begin with a reflection on the spirituality of Gregorian chant, and what the chant can teach us about praying the sacred liturgy. Participants will then move through the basics of reading neumatic notation (square notes), prepped with some exercises which develop healthy vocal technique for singing chant. The modality and style of the chant will also be addressed.

Appropriate for new singers of chant, or those who wish to develop their teaching of new singers, this workshop topic will serve as a sort of mini-retreat for spiritual refreshment and professional development.

“The Musical Shape of the Liturgy: Celebrating the Life & Work of William P. Mahrt” – Conference in Menlo Park, California, Nov 7-9

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music cordially invites you to a timely and fitting conference celebrating the immense contributions of Dr. William Mahrt of Stanford University, who serves also as the president of the CMAA, the editor of the CMAA’s Sacred Music journal, and the publisher of NLM.

The Musical Shape of the Liturgy: Celebrating the Life and Work of William P. Mahrt

November 7–9, 2023

St. Patrick's Seminary, Menlo Park, California

More information and registration are available here.

Having devoted his life and scholarly activity to the study and praxis of the Roman rite and its music, Dr. William Mahrt has made his work a touchstone for countless scholars and active church musicians. His insights into the characteristics of the various forms of Gregorian chant have elucidated the nature of the chant as something integral to the sacred liturgy, and the nature of the sacred liturgy itself. His exposition of the nature of beauty and its embodiment in Catholic sacred music, liturgical gestures, symbols and architecture has served as an important guide in the Church’s understanding of the purpose of artistic beauty in divine worship. His work with the polyphonic masters of the Renaissance has illuminated the performances and scholarship of many choirs and students, and his devoted direction of the St. Ann Choir and Stanford Early Music Singers remains a pillar in the practice of sacred music in the United States.

On the occasion of the 150th volume of Sacred Music, which Dr. Mahrt has edited since 2006, and on the establishment of a new chair in sacred music at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park in his name, as well as the 125th anniversary of the founding of St. Patrick’s Seminary, the organizing committee is very pleased to announce a conference entitled “The Musical Shape of the Liturgy: Celebrating the Life and Work of William P. Mahrt.”

The conference is open to all, and will feature presentations and lecture recitals by nearly forty scholars from around the country, covering a wide variety of topics within the Church’s treasury of sacred music, nearly all of which Dr. Mahrt has likewise written about with his typically insightful prose and genuine love of the music.

The four keynote spekaers of the conference are:

• Dr. Joseph Dyer – “De Hierusalem exeunt reliquiæ – Music for the Dedication of the Church of Santa Prassede (Rome)”
• Sr. Maria Kiely, O.S.B. – “O quam metuendus est locus iste (Gen. 28, 17): the Spiritual Foundations of Liturgical Prayer”
• Dr. William Mahrt – “Dynamic Parallelismus Membrorum”  
• Dr. Kerry McCarthy – “Low Style and High Style in Catholic England”

The other topics are:

• Dr. Alison Altstatt – “Children in Anna von Buchwald’s Buch im Chor: Pedagogical Lessons from a Fifteenth-Century Convent”
• Dr. Erick Arenas – “Mozart’s Requiem and Eighteenth-Century Liturgical Music Aesthetics Between the Church and the Concert Hall”
• Fr. Brian T. Austin – “Music and Text in the Twelfth-Century Dulcis Iesu memoria”
• Br. Mark Bachmann, O.S.B. – “A Portrait of a Church Musician drawn from the Holy Rule of St. Benedict”
• Jacob Beaird – “Chanting the Face of God: Iconography, Arvo Pärt, and James MacMillan”
• Alex Begin – “Regional Music Team Buildling”
• Dr. Horst Buchholz – “From The Old World to The New World: How Sacred Music in the U.S.A. was Shaped by European Composers “
• Dr. Kevin Clarke – “The Pipe Organ in the Mass in Pre- and Post-Reformation England”
• Kevin Faulkner – “Fulfilling Messiaen’s Prophecy, Resurgence of Chant and the Work of Charles Tournemire”
• Duane Galles – “Canonical Aspects of Organ Care, Repair and Rebuilding”
• Br. John Glasenapp, O.S.B. –  “Authoritative Problems: The Challenge of Chant History”
• Dr. Jane Schatkin Hettrick – “Reforming Music and Liturgy in Catholic Worship around 1780 in Austria:  Prescriptions for Congregational Hymns”
• Dr. William Hettrick – “Cantus Firmi in the Sacred Works of Johann Herbeck (1831–1877)”
• Dr. Christopher Hodkinson – “The Ordo Cantus Missæ at Fifty”
• David Hughes – “Eucharistic Piety in the Earlier and Later Renaissance: The Agnus Dei in the Sixteenth Century”
• Dr. Aaron James – “On the Legacy of Morales: Musical Shapes in the Polyphonic Magnificat”
• Dr. Deborah Kauffman – “Music for the ‘Ceremonie du Sacre d’un Evesque’ at Saint-Cyr”
• Christina Kim – “The Musical Shape of Exequies”
• Dr. Ann Labounsky – “Jean Langlais: Servant of the Church”
• Bruce Ludwick – “Shaping the Liturgy through Music: A Cathedral (or Parish) Journey”
• Crista Miller – “Wonderful Splendor: A Survey of Newer Chant-based Organ Works”
• Steven Ottományi – “Native Language Isochrony and the Rhythm of the Gregorian Chant”
• Dr. John Pepino – “Louis Bouyer’s assessment of Sacrosanctum Concilium: retrieving the liturgical intent of Vatican II”
• William V. Riccio – “One Man’s History of the Revival of the Traditional Mass (1963–Present)”
• Dr. Jesse Rodin – “How Josquin Makes Chant an Engine of Invention”
• Dr. Joseph Sargent – “The Magnificats of Bernardino de Ribera (c.1520-80)”
• Roseanne Sullivan – “The Remarkable Sixty-Year Survival of Prof. Mahrt’s St. Ann Choir” 
• Dr. Christoph Tietze – “Teaching Solfège to Children through Square Notation”
• Dr. Edward Schaefer – “Chant and the Theology of the Mass”
• Dr. Charles Weaver – “Dom Mocquereau and Music Theory”
• Mary Ann Carr Wilson – “Melisma and Meditation: The Graduals of Advent”

Sung Lauds, Mass, and Vespers

Of course, the event will be anchored by the celebration of the sung liturgy, beginning with Vespers on Tuesday, and presenting Lauds, Mass, and Vespers on Wednesday and Thursday. Archbishop Cordileone will celebrate the opening (Tuesday) Vespers.

Pre-Conference

If you’re available to come early, we’ll have rehearsals on the morning and afternoon of Tuesday, Nov. 7th, to prepare the sung offices and Mass for Wednesday. Led by Dr. Mahrt and a team of other conductors (Horst Buchholz, Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, and David Hughes), singers will prepare the chants of the liturgies, as well as the Byrd Mass for Four and motets by Ciprianus (Sicut Cervus), Isaac (Beata Viscera), and De la Rue (O Salutaris). In order to sing for the liturgies, you must be present at all the rehearsals on Tuesday and select the “Sing with St. Ann Choir + friends” option at registration. 

Hospitality

The registration fee includes several meals, and hotel options are provided as a convenience to attendees to find affordable accommodations nearby. Please see the registration page for more details. 

Conference Sponsors

• The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music at St. Patrick’s Seminary
• The Church Music Association of America
• Stanford University Department of Music (Alexander Lecture)
• The St. Ann Choir
• The Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship

Registration for the event is $225. No clergy or student discounts are available, and the registration fee is non-refundable, though event insurance is available for purchase to registrants through the registration platform. The registration deadline is October 16th. 

A Very Beautiful Polyphonic Mass for the Seven Sorrows

This past Monday, I attended a supremely interesting online talk by Dr Emily Thelen, hosted by the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music as part of a recurring lecture series. Her subject was the devotion to the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin, and particularly, its emergence in the later 15th century in the Low Countries, and how it was promoted by some of the secular rulers of the area through art and music. I cannot pretend to do justice to the lecture by summarizing it; fortunately, it will soon be posted on YouTube so we can share it here. However, I can do justice to the work which was her principal subject, a manuscript by one Pierre Alamire, by posting these videos of the magnificent Mass of the Seven Sorrows which it contains, recorded by the Belgium-based Early Music ensemble Capilla Flamenca.

Alamire is a nom-de-plume, the pitch signature A and the musical notes La-Mi-Re. He was born in Nuremberg, Bavaria, ca. 1470, with the last name Imhoff or Imhove, which became van den Hove when he moved to the Dutch-speaking parts of the Low Countries in his youth. He was very talented not only as a composer, but also as a creator of beautifully illuminated musical manuscripts, which were highly sought after. As a result of his renown in this field, he traveled a good deal, which led to him serving for a time as a spy for King Henry VIII of England and Thomas Cardinal Wolsey.

The manuscript which Dr Thelen describes in her talk contains inter alia this Mass by the French composer Pierre de La Rue (1452 ca. - 1520), made at the behest of Philip I, Duke of Burgundy (1482-1506; born 1478), who was a great promotor of the devotion to the Sorrowful Mother in a period of great social and political turmoil within his domains.

The name “Capilla Flamenca”, by the way, is Spanish for “the Flemish chapel.” This refers to the fact that the Spanish Habsburg court under the Emperor Charles V and his successor was so generous in its patronage of music that it maintained two full-time choirs, a native choir, the “capilla española”, and another of musicians brought down from its possessions in the Low Countries. 

Kyrie

Gloria

Credo

Sanctus

Agnus Dei

Online Chant Workshops with the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music is pleased to present three different topics in its fall online workshop series, focusing on practical topics helpful to those who teach Gregorian chant to others, and providing offerings which music directors can use to supplement instruction for new chanters. These workshops are held via Zoom, and taught by Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, William P. Mahrt Chair of Sacred Music at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California, and Director of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music. The workshops take place on Monday evenings at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time. 

Registration for one or more of the workshops is available here. The price is $20 for each topic, $50 for all three, and $10 extra per topic for archived access following live instruction.

Gregorian Psalm Tones

Mondays, September 25 & October 2, 5:30 – 6:30 pm, PDT

Join us for two Monday evenings as Dr. Donelson-Nowicka explains how to chant the Psalms according to the Gregorian psalm tones.

You’ll study the anatomy of a psalm tone, the relationship between the tone and the mode, as well as the relationship between the tone and the antiphon. The workshop will focus on how to point the text (put the correct notes on the correct syllables) according to the required accentuation patterns and preparatory syllables. Dynamics and tempo considerations for the phrasing will also be addressed. Sessions will present the texts sung in Latin.

Techniques for Teaching Gregorian Chant to Your Parish Choir

Mondays, October 16 and 23, 5:30 – 6:30 pm, PDT

Are you looking to refresh your pedagogical techniques so that your parish choir feels confident and enthusiastic about singing Gregorian chant? Join Dr. Donelson-Nowicka as she covers different teaching techniques to start a new chant with your choir, help them feel more confident on the melodic intervals in the melody, and have a strong sense of the phrasing in the piece.

Solfège 101: Solfège Basics & How to Use It to Learn and Teach Basic Chants

Mondays, October 30, November 6, and 13, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., PDT/PST

Designed and paced for absolute beginners to solfège, and presenting teaching models for those music directors who teach chant novices, this series will cover the basics of solfège, focusing on major-mode patterns familiar to the modern ear. Attendees will learn drills for improving their ability to use the solfège syllables to sight-sing and audiate (hear the music in their minds). Exercises will be applied in easy chants within the repertoire that are accessible to new singers of chant.

Early Music and Images from the Feast of the Seven Sorrows - Online Lecture, Sept. 11

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music is proud to announce the fall term of our second Public Lecture and Concert Series. For our first event, we’re delighted to feature a brilliant and engaging young scholar, Dr. Emily Thelen, as she presents from the topic of her recent monograph, A Choirbook for the Seven Sorrows: Royal Library of Belgium MS. 215-16, part of the Leuven Library of Music in Facsimile Series.

Contemplating Our Lady of Sorrows through Sacred Art and Music

Monday, September 11 - 5:00 p.m. PDT

In the current Roman calendar, the Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin is celebrated on September 15. This date is a relatively recent change to a devotion that has its roots in the late Middle Ages. In this talk, we will hear the fascinating story of the origins of the feast, and how devotion to the Seven Sorrows grew out of a period of severe economic crisis, civil war, and famine. We will view images of the earliest surviving source of music for this feast—a beautifully illuminated manuscript containing both plainchant and polyphony—and early artistic renderings of the Virgin of Sorrows.

Please join us via Zoom for this first event of our new season; click here to RSVP. The event is free. Space is limited.

Summer 2023 Graduate Coursework with Free Tuition - Catholic Institute of Sacred Music

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music at St Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California is proud to announce its inaugural summer term, running from May 30 to August 2 of this year. Through the sponsorship of generous donors, we are delighted to be able to offer all courses with FREE TUITION for all applicants who are accepted into the program for this summer. More information and the application are available at: catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org

Download the brochure and FAQ

Graduate-level study structured for busy schedules

Online, in-person, intensive, or term-length course formats

FREE Tuition Summer 2023

The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music offers a rich learning experience for parish and school musicians who want to immerse themselves in the beauty, truth, and holiness of the Church’s sacred music and liturgy. The Institute offers a daily schedule of sung liturgies on campus and opportunities for private prayer, a world-class faculty, dormitory rooms and common meals on a beautiful campus in the temperate climate of Silicon Valley, and opportunities for study, both in-person and online, in subjects that are inspiring, challenging, and practical.

Whether you’re new to sacred music or have studied music at the graduate level, our courses will assist you in unlocking the treasury of Catholic sacred music, helping you grow in your spiritual life, amplifying your knowledge of and love for Christ and the Church’s music, and strengthening the skills needed for faithful service in the Church.

Join us this summer to experience the depths of the Church’s riches, taught by experienced teachers and musicians, faithful to the Church’s magisterium and tradition.

Summer 2023 Courses:

• History & Principles of Sacred Music - May 30 to July 30: online, asynchronous, July 31 and August 1: online, synchronous
• Latin for Church Musicians: Terminology, Grammar, & Poetry of the Psalms - Tuesday & Thursday Evenings, June 1 to July 27
• Parish Sacred Music Program Management - Wednesday Evenings, May 31 to July 12
• Introduction to Gregorian Chant - June 26 to 30
• Advanced Seminar in Gregorian Chant: Approaches to Gregorian Rhythm - Mornings, July 3 to 7
• Advanced Seminar in Gregorian Chant: Conducting (Chironomy) - Afternoons, July 3 to 7
• Teaching Gregorian Chant to Children - July 10 to 14
• Choral Institute - July 17 to 21
• Composition Seminar: Short Works for Parish Choirs - Mornings, July 17 to 21
• Organ Improvisation Seminar - July 17 to 21
• The History of the Roman Rite - July 24 to 28
• Advanced Seminar in Gregorian Chant: Chants of the Divine Office - Afternoons, July 24 to 28

Faculty:

• Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka
• Prof. Christopher Berry
• Dr. Frank La Rocca
• Dr. William Mahrt
• Fr. Nicholas Schneider
• Dr. Christoph Tietze
• Prof. Charles Weaver

The deadline to apply to the program is quickly approaching: May 1, 2023. Click here to apply. 

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