Chant Café

Extraordinary Faith has just recently published its video about the Church Music Association from our 2015 Pittsburgh Colloquium on YouTube. This is a very nice overview about what happens at a CMAA Colloquium, including interviews with faculty, staff and participants. Enjoy and share…

Gregorian Chant Weekend October 9-11, 2020

The Gregorian Chant Weekend is an opportunity for the faithful to sing Gregorian Chant at Holy Mass and in the Divine Office. Instruction is given through preparing to sing for the liturgy. Beginners are welcome. The weekend begins Friday, October 9th, immediately following the monastic office of Vespers (at 6pm) in the crypt of the Abbey church. It ends with a picnic after 11:00 am Mass on Sunday.

The weekend will feature:
• Compline sung Friday and Saturday night
• Mass sung Saturday and Sunday morning
• Conference on the history of Gregorian Hymns
• Instruction throughout the day (beginning at 8:30am) with a break for lunch
• Picnic after Sunday Mass

For more information, visit the Abbey website at clearcreekmonks.org or call the Abbey at (918) 772-2454.

CHANT WEEKEND FLYER

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This evening Deacon Daniel Galadza gave the first in a series of lectures on Eastern Catholic theology, and spoke about the ways in which the Byzantine liturgy includes commentary on itself, with sung elements that instruct the faithful about the meaning of the rite while it is happening.

A fine example of this is the “Cherubic Hymn”, sung as the priest begins the offertory procession called the “Great Entrance”.

We who mystically represent the Cherubim
and sing the thrice-holy Hymn
to the life-giving Trinity,
let us lay aside all earthly cares
that we may welcome the King of all,
invisibly escorted by angel hosts, alleluia.

Dr. Galadza, associated with St. Elias Ukrainian Catholic Church near Toronto, was a prime mover behind 2019’s “SingCon” practicum for Ukrainian Catholic musicians, which was also reported here at Chant Café.

The talk begins at about 15 minutes into this video, prefaced by an introduction to the Chicago-based Lumen Christi Institute, which is presenting the series; and by a prayer for the late Fr. Paul Mankowski, SJ, a scholar in biblical languages and a friend of the Institute; I remember him for his contribution to pro-life efforts during his studies in Boston, and I commend him also to your prayers.

Here are some thoughts on St. Peter Damian’s wonderful hymn tribute to his fellow monk, Pope Saint Gregory the Great.

Apostle to the English lands
Now with the angel hosts he stands.
Make haste, St. Gregory, relieve
And help the people who believe.

From riches and from wealth you turned.
The glory of the world you spurned,
That you might follow, being poor,
Prince Jesus, who was poor before.

This Christ, High Pontifex, decreed
That you would take His Church’s lead,
And learn St. Peter’s steps to tread:
The rule of all called in his stead.

You wondrously solved riddles deep:
The mystic secrets Scriptures keep,
For Truth Himself has taught you these:
The lofty sacred mysteries.

O Pontifex, our leader bright,
The Church’s honor and its light,
Through dangers let them all be brought,
The ones you carefully have taught.

The unborn Father let us praise,
And to His Son like glory raise,
And to their Equal, majesty.
All glory to the Trinity. Amen.

Translation c. Kathleen Pluth. All rights reserved.

 

The Institute for Catholic Culture, a fine adult-education program based in Virginia, is presenting a lecture soon about the state of music in the Catholic Church in the U.S. On Tuesday, September 15, the poet and translator Prof. Anthony Esolen (Magdalen College) will speak on “Music and the Corruption of Catholicism“.

Dr. Esolen has written before on music and Catholic life. His book Real Music: a Guide to the Timeless Hymns of the Church includes a demonstration CD produced by one of the admirable choirs of St. john Cantius parish in Chicago. And for a sample of Dr. Esolen’s thinking on classic hymns, here’s an article from 2018 in Crisis Magazine.

The lecture on September 15 is to be streamed with live video starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, and registration is required.

Fr. James Moore, OP, explains the principles of sacred music in a clear and eminently shareable way.