Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast

Eminent chant scholar, Dr. Joseph Dyer, explains the Roman origins of Gregorian chant, the role of the Roman Schola Cantorum in the development of Roman chant, and what happened to that chant once it interacted with Franco-Gallican chant to become Gregorian chant. Join us for an episode which brings clarity to a complex history, and helps us better understand the roots of our Catholic sacred music traditions.  Follow Dr. Dyer's work at: https://um-boston.academia.edu/JosephDyer  Learn more about the summer sacred music study at St. Joseph's Seminary at: https://www.dunwoodie.edu/dunwoodie-music-classes

We venture east in this episode for a look at Russian Orthodox music that impacted the life and compositions of Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943). Dr. Richard Fountain, professor of piano at Wayland Baptist University and convert to Eastern Orthodoxy, shares with us some of his insights into Rachmaninoff's piano works and his compositions for the Divine Liturgy. Visit Dr. Fountain's webpage here: https://richardfountainpianist.com Performance credits: The Bells at St. Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Howell, NJ, rung by hand. www.nevskys.com. View the complete video of Russian bell ringing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbn_Fzcxw3o Sergei Rachamaninoff, Suite No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 5, IV. Pâques. Allegro maestoso, in G minor. (Easter): Dr. Richard Fountain, piano. Rachmaninoff, Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 (for two pianos): Dr. Richard Fountain and Dr. James Rauscher, pianos; live recording in Harral Auditorium, Wayland Baptist University, Plainview, TX on October 12, 2010. Liturgy: Rev. Fr. Pet

Join us for a guided tour through the liturgical changes of Reformation-era England through the lens of the composer Thomas Tallis. Our guest, Dr. Kerry McCarthy, offers a look at the challenges these times posed for musicians, for Catholics, and for the modern scholar studying them today.  Buy Dr. McCarthy's book here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/tallis-9780190635213?cc=us&lang=en&  Learn more about summer classes at St. Joseph's Seminary here: https://www.dunwoodie.edu/dunwoodie-music-classes

What was sacred music in America like in the mid-20th century? Dr. Francis Brancaleone, former head of the department of music at Manhattanville College, shares with us his experience as a boy being educated in the Palestrina Institute of Liturgical Music in Detroit, and his research in the history of the remarkable Pius X School of Liturgical Music at Manhattanville College in New York.  Read more from Dom Guéranger's Liturgical Year here: http://www.liturgialatina.org/lityear/ Subscribe to the CMAA's journal Sacred Music here: https://musicasacra.com/about-cmaa/membership/  Access the archives of Sacred Music here: https://musicasacra.com/journal/archives/ Access previous installments of Dr. Brancaleone's Chronicle of the Pius X School here: https://media.musicasacra.com/publications/sacredmusic/pdf/sm146-1.pdf https://media.musicasacra.com/publications/sacredmusic/pdf/sm145-1.pdf https://media.musicasacra.com/publications/sacredmusic/pdf/sm139-2.pdf Find out more about summer sacred music study at St. J

Do some aspects of the meaning in Gregorian chant seem difficult to understand? Join us as we take a look an approach to understanding the chant through understanding the music theory it's built on. Our guest today is Dr. William Mahrt of Stanford University.  A few handouts for this episode are available here: https://sacredmusicpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Table-of-Modes.pdf https://sacredmusicpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Modes.pdf https://sacredmusicpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Archetypal-Melodies.pdf Check out the brochure for the summer sacred music classes at St. Joseph's Seminary: https://www.dunwoodie.edu/documents/2021/3/Summer-2021-Brochure%2018Mar2021.pdf 

Join us for our Christmas special, highlighting chants of the Christmas midnight Mass with Dominican rite and chant expert, Fr. Innocent Smith, O.P.  Innocent Smith, O.P., is a doctoral student in Liturgical Studies at the Universität Regensburg and is an associate member of DFG Research Group Metropolität in der Vormoderne. His research interests are at the intersection of liturgy and theology, including liturgical manuscripts, scholastic theology, ecclesiology, and sacred music. He is a Roman Catholic priest and a member of Province of St. Joseph of the Order of Preachers. He is presently assigned to the Priory of St. Kajetan in Munich, Germany, where he assists at the Theatinerkirche.

Dr. Jay Hershberger joins us to share the story of his conversion to the Catholic faith by way of the Anglo-catholic tradition. We also discuss his work in developing the sacred music program at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Fargo, North Dakota.  Learn more about Dr. Hershberger here: https://www.concordiacollege.edu/directories/faculty-staff/details/dr-jay-a-hershberger/ View Dr. Hershberger's YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/jayhershberger Listen to our season 2 interview with Dr. Hershberger which paints a Catholic portrait of Franz Liszt: https://sacredmusicpodcast.com/se02-ep15-a-catholic-portrait-of-abbe-franz-liszt-with-dr-jay-hershberger

Fr. James Bradley, J.C.D., an Assistant Professor of Canon Law at The Catholic University of America and priest of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, joins us to discuss his musical upbringing in the church of England and his conversion to Catholicism. Possessing a masterful knowledge of canon law, the sacred liturgy, and sacred music, he shares his thoughts about musical gems from the Anglican patrimony in the life of the Ordinariate, as well as their use in the Ordinary and Extraordinary forms of the Roman rite.  Fr. Bradley's faculty webpage is available here: https://canonlaw.catholic.edu/faculty-and-research/faculty-profiles/bradley-james-rev/index.html More information about the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter is available here: https://ordinariate.net Information about the Spring 2021 class "State Persecution of the Church in Modernity: An Historical Study through the Lenses of Source Documents and Film" co-taught with Dr. Jacek Nowicki at St. Joseph's Seminary is avail

What is a motet? Where did this musical genre come from? What has the word "motet" meant throughout history? What can motets of the past teach us about incorporating non-obligatory texts into the sacred liturgy? How can the music and texts of motets make the other texts of the Mass, especially those of the lectionary, come to life? We explore these questions with Dr. Aaron James, the Director of Music for the Toronto Oratory of St Philip Neri, serving the music program at Holy Family Church in Toronto. He’s a graduate of the Eastman school of music, earning there both the PhD in musicology and a DMA in organ performance. He shares helpful scholarly insights which help illuminate the path for music directors as they make repertory choices. Too, we hear some recordings produced by the singers in his excellent parish music program.  The Oratory's YouTube channel is available at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRRUmJAW2o_nh74VB3ijYxQ The website for the music program of the oratory is: https://oratory-toronto.o

A brave man and heroic witness for the freedom and rights of the Church in China and Hong Kong, His Eminence, Joseph Cardinal Zen, joins us for a discussion about music while growing up in Shanghai, in his formation as a Salesian, and in seminaries in China. 

One of the most prominent composers of our time, Sir James MacMillan has written for concert hall and stage as well as for the Church. A devoted Catholic, Sir James joins us for the opening of season three to discuss transcendence, beauty, spirituality, and universality in music, particularly focusing on the ability of music to speak to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Check out Boosey & Hawkes' website for more information about Sir James and his works: https://www.boosey.com/composer/James+MacMillan.

The largest recording project in history is coming to life in an excellent new app for sacred musicians and those wishing to learn to pray and sing Gregorian chant in the Mass and Divine Office. In this episode we dive into the story of the monastery, the singing of the nuns at Notre Dame de Fidélité in Jouques, France, their sister monastery in Bénin, and the exciting new Neumz project with two of the main figures behind the project, John Anderson and Alberto Díaz-Blanco.  Check out Neumz at their website: https://neumz.com  Correction for this episode: while Andy Bloomfield spent time in the abbey of Fontgombault, it was his brother Benjamin that developed the GABC chant tools.

Is there an opportunity for improvement in your parish music program? Has there been a change in personnel, circumstances, or resources that makes growth possible? Perhaps the COVID-19 pandemic has presented possibilities for progress.  Maybe you are looking at how to introduce the proper chants into a parish Mass, improve the hymnody used, or build the choral program. How does one make changes in a prudent and positive manner? Dr. Mary Jane Ballou joins us to discuss these and related questions.  Dr. Ballou is Music Director at an Ordinariate parish in formation in Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to conducting and performing, Dr. Ballou is a regular contributor to the Sacred Music journal of the Church Music Association of America (CMAA) on the practical aspects of choir/schola training and management, and is a member of the CMAA’s group blog, The Chant Café. Dr. Mary Jane Ballou's Website  Sacred Music Journal  Chant Cafe Blog 

In our first roundtable discussion on sacred music we talk with experienced church musicians and CMAA chaplain, Fr. Robert Pasley, about fostering community in parish life through building up sacred music programs.  Charles Cole's Website: https://charlescole.com Mary Ann Carr Wilson's Website: http://www.maryanncarr.com/index.html  Church Music Association of America's Website: https://musicasacra.com 

Learn some tips and tricks to orient yourself along the journey from pianist-only, to organist-as-well. Dr. Crista Miller, Director of Music and Cathedral Organist at the Co-cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston, discusses differences in technique between the two instruments, learning to pedal, figuring out registration, and some great beginning repertoire. For more information about her summer 2020 online class at St. Joseph's Seminary, click here: https://jenniferdonelson.com/classes  To register, click here: https://www.dunwoodie.edu/dunwoodie-music-classes  For the list of repertoire Dr. Miller recommends, click here: https://sacredmusicpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Practical-Beginning-Repertoire-Collections-for-Organists.pdf  For more information about Dr. Miller, check out her bio here: https://www.sacredhearthouston.org/dr-crista-miller-1 The co-cathedral's YouTube page is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4N4fjBNP595MgpsgIiqWQw Or on SoundCloud here: https://soundcloud.com/user-5455

Are you a music director looking for ideas about what to do whilst there are restrictions on sacred music put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic? Check out this episode. It's not for the casual listener, and we don't go into any virology or epidemiology, but for the music director in search of music to sing and play when faced with limitations, we hope you'll find this helpful. For a link to all the resources mentioned in the episode and more, click here: https://sacredmusicpodcast.com/resources

What are the top five things that people don't understand when it comes to sacred music? In this first part of a two-part episode, we take time to give a substantive response to what many Catholics might not know or don't get right about music for the sacred liturgy. We look at liturgical and philosophical principles that have been fleshed out through the centuries as the Church has guided musicians in building up the treasury of sacred music, and spend some time on insights from Church documents.  For more information about the Summer 2020 online class taught by Dr. Donelson-Nowicka at St. Joseph's Seminary, "Principles of Sacred Music," click here: https://sacredmusicpodcast.com/upcoming-events. To register, or for an FAQ about sacred music study at Dunwoodie, click here: https://www.dunwoodie.edu/dunwoodie-music-classes. 

On this episode, we discuss matters of liturgical formation, both for musicians, as well as for those we serve. Dom Alcuin Reid is the founding Prior of the Monastère Saint-Benoît in the diocese of Fréjus-Toulon, France, and a liturgical scholar of international renown. His principle work, The Organic Development of the Liturgy (Ignatius Press, 2005) carries a preface by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Dom Alcuin's Address at the 2019 Sacred Music Colloquium is available here: https://sacredmusicpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Reid-Article.pdf  Monastère Saint-Benoît website: https://www.msb-lgf.org/ Monastère Saint-Benoît Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Monastere-Saint-Benoit-816333008482594/

Are you looking for an authentically Catholic curriculum and method for teaching music to children? Something that's practical, fun, and helps children to grow in love of the Church's sacred music? This bonus episode looks at the history of the development of the Ward method, its underlying educational principles, its place in Catholic education, and the experience both of those who learn to teach with the method, as well as that of children who learn music using the method. Our guest is Mr. Kevin Collins, an NYC actor and father.  More information about the July 20–24, 2020 class "Teaching Gregorian Chant to Children," taught live over Zoom through St. Joseph's Seminary is available here: https://sacredmusicpodcast.com/upcoming-events. Registration and an FAQ are available here: www.dunwoodie.edu/dunwoodie-music-classes. The printable book of litanies mentioned at the end of the episode is available here: http://jenniferdonelson.com/sacred-music-resources.

Franz Liszt, haunted by the spectre of God's grace, was never able to fully shake off his Catholic faith. Our guest, Dr. Jay Hershberger, the president of the American Liszt Society, shares with us a Catholic portrait of the pianist and composer's life, highlighting his story of conversion, his later years in fervent practice of his faith, his compositions about various Catholic topics and music for the liturgy, and even about his non-musical writings about the theological issues of the day. Dr. Alan Walker's 3-part biography of Liszt is available here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/241476/franz-liszt-volume-1-by-alan-walker/ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/184865/franz-liszt-volume-2-by-alan-walker/ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/184864/franz-liszt-volume-3-by-alan-walker/ Check out the American Liszt Society here: http://americanlisztsociety.net Dr. Hershberger's faculty page at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN is available here: https://www.concordiacollege.edu/director