An outstanding singer from Lionheart is pushing a chant workshop by drawing attention to its contemplative features. There’s a point here:
Chanting is a key element in the contemplative practices of many religious traditions. When chanting or listening to ancient chant, we can experience the wisdom and beauty that has nurtured countless souls and withstood the passing fashions of history.
A primary attribute of Gregorian chant, which was popularized in the Middle Ages but has Hebraic and Mediterranean roots, is its provocative, instructive texts. After meditating on such texts and completing their duties, medieval monks would convene around fires in the monastery’s warming house for comfort and the hospitality of community.
In this workshop led by Jeffrey Johnson, we create a warming house of our own, exploring Gregorian chant through meditation, reflection, discussion, singing in Latin and English, and ritual. We receive instruction to connect our body and voice, and sing chants by Hildegarde von Bingen, chants influenced by John Cassian, psalms, and new chants composed in the Gregorian style.
All are welcome to attend. No previous musical experience or specific religious background is required.
Jeffrey Johnson is an acclaimed Gregorian chant practitioner, educator, voice instructor, and theater artist. A founding member of the celebrated vocal ensemble Lionheart, he has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and on Broadway.
September 9 – 11, 2011
Rhinebeck, New York
Tuition: $295
Member Tuition: $270
Re: this guy at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, there are videos of a couple of his presentations on YouTube. (It had him chanting stuff that was in a Book of Hours that the Met had on display, so that people could see what sort of mental soundtrack someone praying the Hours back then would have had.)
Music and Ritual for the Dead Imagined in Les Belles Heures and The Mourners
Sounding Illuminations: The Music of the Manuscripts, Part 1 of 6.
I don't follow art blog stuff, alas, so I never even knew they had this exhibition much less these presentations.
In case you also have a hard time finding parts 2 to 6 of Sounding Illuminations (since they're not YouTube connected in any way) here are the other links. It's about chant in lovely Italian choir books. A lot of it is introductory stuff, but very nice. The guy even gets the audience singing and learning neumes. There's also a bit about figuring out where in the antiphoner that chopped out illuminations originally came from.
Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6.