Author: Arlene Oost-Zinner

Such was the subject line of an email I just got from Fr. Allan McDonald. His sense of humor never fails. But take a look at the Solemn High Mass that was celebrated on March 19th at St. Joseph’s in Macon.

We’ll be working on these this evening at rehearsal and singing them during the Veneration a week from tomorrow. They are exquisite.

Who would have thought that something as forbidding, obscure, and seemingly incomprehensible as chant notation could become accessible – and easy – in a virtual classroom? Centuries ago you would have had to travel for days, over hill and dale to some far flung, mountain top monastery to learn it. A hundred years ago, if you were fortunate enough to be able to read at all, you might have been able to get your hand on a book or two or learn something about the chant at Mass or school.

These days a handful of people are learning about the chant at Mass, and some are attending workshops and classes, but for most, and this includes the majority of parish musicians, the strange squiggles and symbols remain one of the great Catholic mysteries.

I’ve been teaching a basic course in Gregorian notation for the past couple of weeks…and things are going well! Some technical glitches can be expected…and there have been a few. The first time out my microphone wasn’t working at all. Let me be more clear: my microphone worked fine, but the software that was trying to access it could not find it. So, before the next time out, I switched computers. (The lesson learned there was: use a Mac if at all possible.) The last time out there were some echo problems, and after consulting with the software developers, we realized it is a hardware problem. It’s best if students turn their mics off locally. Otherwise the virtual classroom becomes a vast echo chamber…which, despite what it may sound like, is not the ideal acoustic for an online class dealing with chant reading specifics.

I’ve also learned that even though teaching is teaching, every venue presents its own challenges. In the case of the online classroom, even if the hardware problems are sorted out, there is still a lot of admin that a teacher has to be on top of in order to get things going and keep them going.

I have to make sure all of my slides and Youtubes are uploaded and functional. I have to be up to speed on all of the gizmos and buttons on my screen, and proficient at clicking and dragging things where I want them to be, etc. And students do, too, because they’re looking at almost the same interface as I am.

Then there are the students themselves…I almost have to take a virtual roll call to see if they are all there. And there are the differences in student personalities, just like in a physical classroom: some are chatty and want to be up front, or in this case, on air; others don’t want to be seen or heard…like those that sit in the back of a classroom. They don’t give their real names and hover somewhere in the dark…you don’t really know if they are there or not…it’s an odd feeling!



But it is terribly gratifying and teaching is, as always, a joy. I’ve gotten some great feedback so far, and I’ve scheduled more classes for the coming days and weeks. Everything from the basic course, to a second installment of the basic course, to courses on Gregorian modes.

And this can all be learned while you’re sitting at home with your cat on your lap! No coach rides or long trudges through muddy fields in hand-sewn shoes; and, imagine, tonsure haircuts are not required.

Specifics about upcoming courses can be found here.

In a recent post on the Cafe, Richard Clark is quoted:

With the excitement of the Conclave over, many musicians are understandably expressing a great deal of anxiety regarding the unknowns about Pope Francis. Perhaps this anxiety says more about us that is does about the pope. But still, we are human and the apprehension is natural

Richard has touched on an important truth. As in most instances in life, the anxiety surrounding an eventuality is usually worse than the actual thing. All that the back and forth on this forum and elsewhere has illustrated is that musicians on all sides of the fence have been in fight mode for a long time. They are ready to jump on the defensive or offensive with each small turn of events. The truth is we really have no idea of what is to come.

My own reaction to the happenings of the last weeks has been more of a nonreaction than anything else. There is certainly greater wisdom at work in the election of Pope Francis than any of us know. The Church does have other problems to attend to aside from the liturgical one.

I am not self satisfied in saying this, nor am I naive. But for some reason I am just calm. My strategy, if I needed to spell one out, is to remain focused on what I am doing. And I want to continue to do it well. The beauty in the tradition we’ve inherited is without dispute, and I’m not going to let my boat be rocked. Most of the waves we are feeling right now are based on speculation, and are coming from within our own circles.

Richard Rice’s Simple Choral Gradual, an anthology of choral propers from the 1975 ICEL Roman Missal, is now available in braille notation for directors, accompanists and choir members who need their music in braille.

Thanks to Teresa Haifley for providing the CMAA with these transcriptions. If you have any questions about the project, feel free to contact her by e-mail at username dthaifley, at the domain iowatelecom.net . And many thanks to Richard Chonak, webmaster at Musica Sacra, for seeing this project through.

As of March 2013, the CMAA has files for Lent and Holy Week. More material will be added as proofreading and correcting are completed.

I’ve got another class in reading Gregorian notation scheduled for next week – Tuesday, March 19, at 8:00pm CST. Join me!

Among the comments so far:

“This was/is a fabulous course. Thank you!”

“I have a little Gregorian chant app that I couldn’t make head nor tail of until your course. So, this was immensely helpful.”

Last week’s class went really well. Another sold out one happening tonight. Teaching online has its challenges..there is certainly a learning curve for all of us as we learn the software. It is fun to take advantage of the tools that are available…and make things instructive, interactive, and fun. How amazing is it that we find ourselves in an age when this is possible. Live instruction delivered to your own office or home…no sloshing through rain storms or spending money on gas!

Angela Manney reports on the recent St. Louis conference:

February 21, 2013 marked two momentous moments in Saint Louis: an ice storm that shut down the city, and the Musica Sacra Saint Louis conference. In spite of the fierce weather, flight cancellations, and treacherous streets, about 30 conferenciers of all ages, priests and laymen, from as far as Michigan and Arkansas, made their way to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis that weekend. The difficult traveling circumstances were rewarded by an enthusiastic faculty, and the breathtaking experience of singing within what is perhaps the most beautiful church in the entire nation.

During the weekend, conferenciers were treated to a rich diversity of workshops from faculty members Dr. Cecilia Nam, Dr. Horst Buchholz, Bruce Ludwick, Angela Manney, and Adam Wright. Topics included chant basics, chironomy, singing the funeral propers, chant and choral resources, vocal technique, and some good, down home singing of chant and polyphony. The information gathered and friendships formed well surpassed the $75 conference fee.

The highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly the archdiocesan Mass for the Chair of Saint Peter. As the strains of Statuit ei Dominus resonated in the great Cathedral, priests from across the archdiocese processed in an endless stream towards the altar. Indeed, there were as many priests as there were members of the congregation that afternoon. Communion was prayerfully administered as the schola sang Tu es Petrus from Richard Rice’s Communio with English verses, and full male voices carried the anthem Tu Es Petrus by Faure as the anthem of thanksgiving. When not singing, the schola was lifted in rapt meditation upon the immensity of the space, the hundreds of mosaics, and the homily delivered by Archbishop Carlson.

This particular feast, of course, became all the more significant with the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI just days away. Carlson reminded us of a homily by Pope Benedict XVI, delivered on the same feast in 2006: “To celebrate the Chair of Peter as we do today, means therefore, to attribute to it a strong spiritual significance, and to recognize in it a privileged sign of the love of God, our good and eternal Shepherd, who wants to gather the whole Church, and to guide her along the way of salvation.” He also quoted a sermon of Pope Saint Leo the Great: “The Church of Christ rises on the firm foundation of Peter’s faith, given to him by God the Father.”