The church of the Assumption in Nashville, Tennessee is hosting a chant workshop the weekend of November 14-16, beginning at 6pm on Friday evening, continuing on Saturday morning and lasting into the afternoon, and concluding on Sunday with the chanted Mass, and Vespers and Benediction. It will include instruction from Br. Mark Bachmann, O.S.B., choirmaster of Clear Creek Abbey in Oklahoma. The weekend will offer something for both the musical novice or those new to singing chant, as well as more advanced singers, and will include both celebrations of the Holy Mass and of the Divine Office. This event was previously announced for the last weekend of September, but has been moved to this new date due to factors outside the church’s control.
The parish would like to make this a regular feature of its calendar, as it continues to celebrate the restoration of the parish church and its reopening on Laetare Sunday earlier this year. The modest fee of $60 covers lunch and the cost of printing the book. The registration link is HERE. Please see the flyer for more details and contact information.
The church of the Assumption in Nashville, Tennessee is hosting a chant workshop the weekend of September 26-28. It will include instruction from Br. Mark Bachmann, O.S.B., choirmaster of Clear Creek Abbey in Oklahoma. The weekend will offer something for both the musical novice or those new to singing chant as well as more advanced singers and will include both celebrations of the Holy Mass and of the Divine Office.
The parish would like to make this a regular feature of our calendar, as we continue to celebrate the restoration of the parish church and its reopening on Laetare Sunday earlier this year. The modest fee of $60 covers lunch and the cost of printing the book. The registration link is HERE. Please see the flyer for more details and contact information.
Clear Creek Abbey in northwest Oklahoma (diocese of Tulsa: located at 5804 W Monastery Road in Hulbert) will once again be hosting a week-long instruction in Gregorian chant, based on the course called Laus in Ecclesia, from Monday, July 14, to Friday, July 18. The course will be offered at three different levels of instruction:
1) Gregorian initiation (Laus in Ecclesia level 1), taking the complete beginner or amateur in Gregorian chant to the level of being able to sing the chant with a certain competence.
2) Psalmody and the Divine Office (Laus in Ecclesia, level 2) building on the first degree, sharpening skills in reading notation, and rhythm, with an emphasis on the singing of the Divine Office in Gregorian chant.
3) Direction (Laus in Ecclesia, level 3), bringing all the previous levels to completion: this level is aimed primarily at directors of scholas, with a concentration on chironomy (direction) and the interpretation of bigger pieces.
Clear Creek Abbey in northwest Oklahoma (diocese of Tulsa: located at 5804 W Monastery Road in Hulbert) will be hosting a week-long instruction in Gregorian chant, based on the course called Laus in Ecclesia, from Monday, July 15, to Friday, July 19. The course will be offered at three different levels of instruction:
1) Gregorian initiation (Laus in Ecclesia level 1), taking the complete beginner or amateur in Gregorian chant to the level of being able to sing the chant with a certain competence.
2) Psalmody and the Divine Office (Laus in Ecclesia, level 2) building on the first degree, sharpening skills in reading notation, and rhythm, with an emphasis on the singing of the Divine Office in Gregorian chant.
3) Direction (Laus in Ecclesia, level 3), bringing all the previous levels to completion: this level is aimed primarily at directors of scholas, with a concentration on chironomy and the interpretation of bigger pieces and direction.
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.
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.
Cantare Amantis Est ~ Singing Is for the One Who Loves Sacred Music Workshop presented by Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka February 16-17, 2024 Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church 228 South Beach Boulevard Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church and the Classical Arts Foundation of South Mississippi invite you to join the second Sacred Music Workshop, hosted by Our Lady of the Gulf Church on the beach in downtown Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
This two-day workshop will be presented by Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka and will be a fantastic opportunity for cantors, choir members, music directors, and clergy to:
Attend talks on “Why Music in the Mass”
“The Musical Shape of the Liturgy: Chant for the Whole Congregation”
“The Ministry of the Choir”, and more.
Learn tips for becoming a proficient reader, singer, and teacher of square notes.
Share fellowship with area musicians.
Participate in sung liturgy.
From novice to expert, all will enjoy this educational, encouraging and inspiring time at Our Lady of the Gulf, and there will be opportunities for confession and prayer. There will be a special session for choir directors on Friday morning from 10 a.m. - noon. The general workshop registration opens at 3 p.m. on Friday and culminates with a sung Mass Saturday evening at 5 p.m. The registration fee ($75 for adults/$35 for students) covers all workshop materials as well as dinner on Friday, lunch on Saturday, and coffee and snacks both days.
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.
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.
For Cantors, Choir Members, Music Directors, Clergy, and Lay Musicians
Please join us September 8-9, 2023 at the Marello Retreat Center, set in the peaceful rolling hills of Granite Bay, California, for a two-day workshop which will offer participants the opportunity to delve into the timeless beauty of chant and polyphony.
Come be refreshed and renewed in your vision for and experience of the Catholic liturgy through:
• Talks about the spirituality of sacred music and Gregorian chant
•.Workshops to increase your skills to “sing and pray” the Mass
• Chanted Vespers, sung Mass, confession, and adoration
• Fellowship with area musicians
MARELLO RETREAT CENTER
6530 Wells Ave., Loomis, California
Registration, including meals: adults $75, students $50
Plan to join the weekend workshopon sacred music, to be held August 25-27 at St. Anthony of Padua Parish, located at 250 Burrin Avenue, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The workshop is targeted for beginners who wish to learn the fundamentals of Gregorian Chant, fostering a deeper appreciation of sacred music and equipping attendees with tools and knowledge to bring beautiful music to use at their parishes.
A Parish Book of Chant book will be provided for each registrant, as well as all needed materials for the workshop and lunch on Saturday, all for the very reasonable cost of CA$75.
The workshop will be led by Catherine Helferty.
Schedule of events:
Friday, August 25, 2023
1:30 pm – Registration
2:00 pm – Rehearsal for Sext
3:30 pm – Break
3:45 pm – Talk on Jubilate Deo
4:45 pm – Break
5:00 pm – Rehearsal for Mass
6:00 pm – Dinner (on your own)
Saturday, August 26, 2023
9:00 am – Rehearsal for Mass
10:15 am – Break
10:30 am – Rehearsal for Sext
11:45 am – Break
12:00 pm – Sext
12:30 pm – Lunch (provided)
1:30 pm – Rehearsal for Mass
3:00 pm – Break
Sunday, August 27, 2023
10:00 am – Rehearsal for Mass
11:00 am – Holy Mass
To register, please contact the workshop organizers at: winnipegchant@gmail.com, or by telephone at: 204-330-7174
We are very happy to share this press release about Canticle, an intensive training program for music educators, which will be held thus summer in San Diego, California, on July 16-20.
Unlock the Full Potential of Your Music Program with Sounds of Heaven: A Chant Training Intensive for Music Educators
Canticle, a wildly successful youth choir program, is excited to invite music directors, educators, and youth group leaders to their immersive conference, Sounds of Heaven. This Chant Training Intensive is designed for those looking to incorporate Gregorian chant into their music programs and build successful youth choirs.
Hosted by Mary Ann Carr Wilson and other experienced educators, the conference will be held from July 16-20 at the historic church of Our Lady of the Rosary in San Diego’s Little Italy.
Participants will have the opportunity to learn from experts in the field, meet like-minded professionals, and gain valuable tools and resources to help expand their repertoire and build a youth chant schola.
But it’s not all work and no play! The conference will include daily Continental breakfast and catered lunch, as well as a catered dinner meet and greet. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with other music professionals and bond over their shared love of sacred music.
The location couldn’t be better - just five minutes from the airport and with plenty of hotels and Airbnbs within walking distance.
Register now and get ready to experience the Sounds of Heaven! With Canticle’s method for success in working with youth choirs, attendees will have the knowledge and expertise to build a lifelong love of sacred music among the faithful. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to develop your skills, network with peers, and take your music program to new heights.
Please join us on April 14 and 15 at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Dickinson, North Dakota, for a two-day workshop on sacred music, featuring Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, Director of Sacred Music at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California.
The workshop will feature:
Talks about the Church’s vision for sacred music and praying with sacred music
Study of the Church's sacred music and liturgy
Instruction in reading and singing Gregorian chant
Sung liturgies
Opportunities for confession and prayer
Fellowship with area musicians
Cost of attendance is $40, which includes meals during the workshop. More information and registration are available at the conference website.
Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church and the Classical Arts Foundation of South Mississippi invite you to join them for their first Sacred Music Workshop, to be held at the beautiful church on the beach in downtown Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. This two-day workshop will be presented by Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, and will be a great opportunity for cantors, choir members, music directors, and clergy to attend presentations on the Church’s vision for sacred music and praying with sacred music, learn to read and sing Gregorian chant, participate in sung liturgies, and enjoy fellowship with area musicians.
There will be a special session for choir directors on Friday morning from 10 a.m. - noon. The general workshop registration opens at 3 p.m. on Friday and culminates with a sung Mass on Saturday evening at 5 p.m. The registration fee ($40) covers all workshop materials, as well as dinner on Friday, lunch on Saturday, and coffee and snacks both days.
If you would like a little extra, come a day early! On Thursday, January 26, at 7 p.m. Dr. Donelson-Nowicka will offer a free presentation titled The Role of Beauty in the Spiritual Life: Understanding and Praying with the Church’s Sacred Music. This presentation is open to all, no registration required!
The Church Music Association of America is pleased to announce the first Fall Sacred Music Workshop for Chant and Polyphony. This four-day workshop offers participants the opportunity to study chant and polyphony with outstanding directors and presenters: Dr. Horst Buchholz, Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, David Hughes, Dr. William Mahrt, and Rev. Robert Pasley. We also welcome guest speakers Maggie Gallagher, of the Benedict XVI Institute, and Fr. Samuel Weber, of St. Patrick's Seminary.
Participate in singing the beautiful liturgies with the CMAA on September 15, 16, and 17 at St. Patrick's Seminary in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, California. Join in with morning and night prayer and enjoy an evening with sung Vespers and an organ recital. Lodging will be available at Vallombrosa Retreat Center during the workshop. Full meals and lodging are available for participants. Commuter options also available. Liturgies will be at St. Patrick's Seminary.
Join us for the Southeastern Sacred Music Weekend, Friday and Saturday, July 29th and 30th, at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville, Tennessee!
Southeastern Sacred Music invites you to join us for our seventh annual workshop, to be held at Holy Ghost, Knoxville’s oldest and most traditional Catholic church.
Whether you are a singer, a choir director, an organist, or a member of the clergy, this one-and-a-half day workshop is an ideal opportunity for you to:
learn to read and sing Gregorian chant or further develop your chant skills,
gain the skills and tools to immediately improve
your parish music program, guided by the Church’s magisterial documents,
explore repertory options (many of them available
at no cost) for Mass, no matter what your parish or choir situation,
learn how to chant Vespers and start singing
Vespers in your parish, and
study special topics including sacred polyphony, the use of the organ, restoring our Catholic musical tradition, and more.
Participants from novice to expert will have the opportunity to join a chant group and a motet ensemble of their choice. Those new to chant are highly encouraged to attend. The workshop will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Friday and culminate with a sung Mass Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m.
The registration fee ($75 through May 20; $90 afterward) covers all materials as well as lunch on Saturday and coffee and snacks both days. For more information, contact Mary Weaver at 865-437-8620, or use our contact form at https://southeasternsacredmusic.com/contact/.
To register and pay for the workshop, please visit our website, https://southeasternsacredmusic.com/
The International Center for Ward Method Studies at CUA’s Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama and Art in Washington, D.C. is pleased to announce its annual summer courses. Week-long intensive courses in Gregorian Chant and the Ward Method of Music Instruction for Catholic schools, classical pedagogy for music classes grades K-8, will be offered this year from Monday, June 20 to Friday, June 24. For registration and scholarship information, contact the director via this link: https://music.catholic.edu/faculty-and-research/areas-of-research/ward-method-studies/index.html.
The International Center for Ward Method Studies at CUA’s Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama and Art in Washington, D.C. is pleased to announce that its annual summer courses will be offered in person this year. Week-long intensive courses in Gregorian Chant and the Ward Method of Music Instruction for Catholic schools, classical pedagogy for music classes grades K-8, will be held Monday, June 21 - Friday, June 25. A limited number of scholarships are available.
St Clement Parish in Ottawa, Ontario, will be holding Cantate Domino: A Weekend of Sacred Music featuring organist and chant director David Hughes, on Friday, November 22, the feast of St Cecilia, the patron of musicians, and on Saturday the 23rd, which is the parish’s patronal feast day. Please see the schedule and details below; registration (form linked here) and payment must be received in advance for participation in the chant workshop. For further information, contact ottawachant@gmail.com.
Friday, November 22nd - Feast of St Cecilia
7:30pm Vespers (1st Vespers of the Feast of St. Clement)
8:00pm Organ Recital - free will donation in support of religious vocations
Saturday, November 23rd - Feast of St Clement
10:00am High Mass
11:30am Chant Workshop ($20 lunch included OR $15 bring a bagged lunch - registration required in advance.)
5:00pm Vespers (2nd Vespers for the Feast of St. Clement)
From July 22 and 24, the newly founded St Gregory Institute of Sacred Music held its Chant and Polyphony Workshop for Parish Musicians at two different churches in suburban Pittsburgh. The workshop, attended by fifteen music directors, choristers, and students from various parts of western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, culminated in an Extraordinary Form Votive Mass of the Holy Ghost at Mary, Help of Christians Church in McKees Rocks. The Mass, offered by Fr. Alek Schrenk on the occasion of the founding of the Institute, was attended by over 100 people and featured Gregorian propers, Hassler’s Missa Secunda, and motets by Pitoni and Croce. (Our readers may remember Fr Schrenk from his contributions to our annual series on the Lenten stations in 2018.)
Here are some audio files from the concluding Mass, and below, Father’s homily.
Gradual Beata gens.
Offertory motet Cantate Domino by Giuseppe Pitoni
The Sanctus of Hassler’s Missa Secunda
The Benedictus
The Agnus Dei
The Communio Factus est repente
Today concludes the first three-day workshop offered by the newly founded St. Gregory Institute of Sacred Music. With this Votive Mass of the Holy Ghost offered in the ancient form of the Roman Rite, we implore God to send down abundant graces upon this noble project. Music is integral to our worship; it is, in fact, an act of worship itself.
Saint John Paul II, speaking on the topic of sacred music in 1988, affirmed that music in the sacred liturgy “performs a function which is noble, unique, and irreplaceable. When it is truly beautiful and inspired, it speaks to us more than all the other arts of goodness, virtue, peace; of matters holy and divine.”
If you will permit me to wax poetic for a moment, the sacred music of the Church — and especially the venerable treasury of Gregorian chant, which is the unique and organic expression of the Church’s voice at prayer — reveals to us something of the very Spirit of God. At the very beginning of time, Genesis tells us that “the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved over the waters.”
The word “spirit”, Latin “spiritus”, is also the word for “breath.” And so when Christ appears to his Apostles after the Resurrection there is an echo — or perhaps, a fulfillment — of that primal Spirit of Genesis. The Gospel of Saint John tells us that “he breathed on them; and he said to them: ‘Receive ye the Holy Ghost.’ ” Risen from the dead, Christ comes to impart this new life into his Body, the Church; and through that breath, he is creating the world anew. Just as the Spirit of God moved upon the waters, that same Spirit moves within the Church, moving her to speak “in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual canticles.” When we speak in the Church’s language and sing in the voice of her own song, it is truly the Holy Ghost who speaks through us; it is truly the Holy Ghost in whose voice we sing.
“The Paraclete, the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name; he will teach you all things.” The sacred music of the Church has much to teach us. In the psalms, we find expressions of joy, sorrow, hope, and trust; and in time, as we sing these words and meditate upon them, they became our own voice of prayer.
Like a child learning how speak, there is a certain effort involved in this process. The sober restraint, flowing cadence, and occasional exuberant and melismatic expressions of the Church’s chant are not the native musical language of anyone living today; but then again, these songs sounded just as alien to the ears of Mozart as they do to us. Perhaps they have always been so.
And I so I would like to commend the effort of those who have participated in the Institute’s workshops for the past three days. Their efforts find a fitting culmination and fulfillment here in the sacred liturgy, where all the arts and all our human efforts are crowned by the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Upon this altar, we offer to God the best of what we have, grateful that these sincere efforts are accepted and perfected by God for his glory and for our salvation.
On my own account, I would like to thank Mr. Nicholas Will for the invitation to celebrate this Mass and to be present for the inauguration of this important initiative. May the experience of these past three days bear much fruit for all who have participated in them, and through the intercession of Saint Gregory the Great, may the future of this institute be richly blessed.
On Saturday, September 7, a Gregorian Chant workshop will be held on the campus of the University of Dallas in Irving Texas, an introduction to chant notation, the proper and ordinary chants, and the musical structure of the Mass. There will be a separate track available to priests and seminarians who desire to chant the Mass according to the Roman Missal. This workshop is being facilitated by the Schola Cantorum Stellae Solae; see the poster below for more information.
Once again, the CMAA will be offering the Summer Chant Intensive at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this year from June 24-28. This course has been a valuable springboard for Catholic musicians who wanted to learn more about Gregorian chant, many of whom got their start in directing scholas and choirs because of this course, which was offered for the first time in 2008. The instructor this year will be Jeffrey Morse, who has provided us with this letter that includes more detail about the scope of the program.
“Over the years teaching chant to various groups at the Colloquium, many students had expressed their desire for more Chant instruction, particularly in subjects like the modes, but due to the time limitation of the Colloquium, it was impossible to cover these topics.
If you were one of these students wanting more, the Chant Intensive is for you! The topics of the Chant Intensive are provided on the CMAA website, but I thought that perhaps it might prove helpful to expand a bit on the course description and syllabus, which can be a bit off putting and vague as they are necessarily short and succinct.
The Chant Intensive is offered for everyone, with little or no chant experience, but particularly for those with an intermediate level of knowledge of plainchant and even for the advanced. I think all levels will find something useful in this Intensive. While no chant knowledge, or little is required for the class, some will be helpful as the basics of Chant, the reading of the square notes, the staff, etc. will be done at a fairly good pace, serving as a review for the others in the first sessions. In my experience in teaching over the years, this is fine for beginners, but if you would like to go at a much slower pace, perhaps ‘Laus in Ecclesia Level I’, offered at the same time, might be a better fit.
In the course of the week, we will explore the 8 modes in which Chant is written. Their individual qualities and sounds, using solfège (do, re, mi) to learn the modes and be able to sing them. Modal studies will also focus on examples of Chant representing every mode, the important notes in each, and how over centuries these notes have sometimes changed, as well as the psalm-tone for each mode. In the learning of the psalm-tones, or the little melodies to which the psalms are sung, we will learn how exactly the psalms are sung to each of these melodies and the rules of ‘Pointing’ accents and preparatory syllables that make it possible. Emphasis too, will be placed on how a good unified, choral tone is cultivated, as well as good basic vocal techniques helpful for those students with choirs or even for themselves! The simple and natural rhythm of Chant, from the simple syllabic chants of the Ordinary of the Mass and Gregorian hymns, to the melismatic glories of the alleluias and Graduals and everything in between will be explored thoroughly in singing through as much of the Gregorian repertoire as possible, with time spent on teaching the direction of Chant (chironomy), with students able to practice the direction techniques learned with the group.
Lastly, we will be returning to the very sources of the Chant in a basic introduction to the reading of the notation of the St Gall school (9th century) which is the earliest notation in the Western world. We will talk about how these manuscripts helped in the melodic restoration of the Chant in the late 19th and early 20th century by the monks of Solesmes, and we will discover how their amazing subtleties, not carried through in the square note notation of later centuries, can inform and finesse our interpretation of the Chant breathing freshness, light, and life into the sacred texts it serves.
A folio of the Antiphonary of Hartker, San Gallen Codex 390, with the beginning of the first repsonsory of the ecclesiastical year, Aspiciens a longe. (Click here to listen to a recording of this beautiful piece, conducted by Dr Morse.)
For those wanting a more thorough grounding and exposure to Gregorian Chant than what is possible at the Colloquium, this class is for you. I am grateful to the CMAA for offering the Chant Intensive each year, for I can think of nowhere else where such a complete education in the Chant is offered in such a concentrated fashion. With this class, it is hoped that the students will gain the confidence and skills to form and direct their own scholas or choirs, or become better directors of already existing ones, to bring this unparalleled music of the Church forward to our parishes and future generations, this music with its unique and singular ability to lift minds and hearts to God.
Looking forward to seeing old friends at the Chant Intensive and making new ones, singing with you all and passing it on! See you in Pittsburgh!”
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