Cathedral Chant School's Chant Crash Course notes and handouts
  • AngelaRAngelaR
    Posts: 319
    On Wednesday the Cathedral Chant School finished its three-evening crash course on chant at Saint Mary's Cathedral, Peoria, IL. It was quite successful; we had more than fifteen people, including three nuns, a consecrated virgin, a deacon-to-be, a parish music director, and various other professionals and amateurs. Talks/rehearsals were two hours an evening, and covered a multitude of topics.

    SESSION ONE: Basic notation, solfege, pronunciation, chant voice, Jesu Dulcis Memoria
    SESSION TWO: More complex neumes, “musical lectio”, Ecce Virgo Concipiet, Liturgical context;
    SESSION THREE: Kyrie XI, arsis and thesis, the modes, the old Solesmes method, important Church documents, resources for the starting schola

    If anyone is interested in more, I have put together a detailed outline of my notes, and nearly all the handouts I used can be sent easily through the email.

    Cost was $20 a person (for materials), and included a Latin Mass Hymnal, and the Parish Book of Chant.
  • AngelaRAngelaR
    Posts: 319
    ...but I'll send you my electronic materials for FREE!
  • urli
    Posts: 35
    Hey! I know you! :)
  • miacoyne
    Posts: 1,805
    Angela, thank you for sending me your materials in the email. They look wonderful. You did a great work.

    All the best on your chant school. Wouldn't it be nice if all the diocese in US have its cathedral chant school? (I'll also pray that our diocese starts one too. This would be something I can bring up in our next chapter meeting.)
    Please keep posting about your chant school, and I'm looking forward to read your article in the next Sacred Music journal.
    Thanks again for all your hard work and the inspiration.
  • miacoyne
    Posts: 1,805
    Angela, I was looking at the handouts, and I see 'flat ti' (te) in the diatonic scales in solfeges, especially in Mode I ascending 'ti' and desceding 'te' (which is the natural tendency of flatted note), also in modes IV, V and VI. Could you tell me how you explain this to the audience? (use of 'te' in Gregorian chants seems quite complicated, and something I'm not sure how to explain. Would appreciate anybody's input on this.)
  • AngelaRAngelaR
    Posts: 319
    Hi Mia, as it was explained to me by Dom Saulnier in Solesmes, when the bulk of the melody is above "ti", then the note stays "ti"; but if the majority of the melody of that section is below "ti", then it flats to "te". Think of the note at "ti/te" as being affected by the melody either above or below it as an object would react to a black hole. It gravitates towards whatever is strongest.

    However, Aristotle is the person who actually put those exercises together, so it would be best to bring up the question with him. I think it's great that both "ti" and "te" are present in the scale, as it allows the choir to practice both, since both are present in the same chant often.
  • miacoyne
    Posts: 1,805
    Thanks, Angela, I didn't know that. Very interesting.

    Yeah, I see Aristotle's name under the chart, which I think is a great one with different clefs for different ranges as well as showing simple ending for each mode. I'm wondering he meant to have people sing the chart as it is. (Hopefully he reads this thread and can explain more about the chart.)
  • AngelaRAngelaR
    Posts: 319
    It has something to do with the ancients' horror of the leading tone -- too emotional. I'm not a music theory geek, so can't explain much more. Let me know if there is anything more I can do to help with your own idea of a chant school. I'd love to help if I can. :)

    And Livi, Hello to you, darling. It's been too long. Ah, the memories at Solesmes!!! Risotto and secret ceremonies, it was the life.
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,186
    Hi Mia, As far as using the chart goes, use your creativity. For me, I will sometimes have my schola sing the scale corresponding to the mode of the chant we're rehearsing. Sometimes we'll use the solfege, other times we'll sing on a vowel or a set of other syllables, and still other times we'll sing fragments of the scales. Or just the five-note "Amen" figure.

    (Attached is a PDF of the "Diatonic Scales in Solfege" sheet for those who want to know what we're talking about. Constructive criticism is welcomed!)
    Gregorian Chant School — Diatonic Scales in Solfege.pdf
    45K
  • miacoyne
    Posts: 1,805
    Hi, Aristotle, glad to hear from you. In our schola practice, I do usually have schola sing different modes in various ways. I was just wondering you have any special reason to have 'ti' in ascending and 'te' in descending in mode I and V, (I guess I'm thinking like 'melodic minor scales' where you have raised 6th and 7th scale notes in ascending and lowered those in descending scales), also use 'te' more than 'ti' in modes IV and VI. (I'm wondering your chart can be used in a way of helping the schola get used to different modes than Iam used to, especially with 'te.') Thanks.
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,186
    Mia, Part of it is to just to have people get used to those pitch progressions, since those seem to predominate; while ti may go back down to la (see any "Gaudeamus" introit), te doesn't seem to ever go up to do. (List any exceptions below if you have any that readily come to mind.)

    That said, nothing necessarily prevents anyone from singing these scales in reverse.

    I find that the scales that have helped my schola most are those of Modes III and IV.
  • MaryAnn Carr WilsonMaryAnn Carr Wilson
    Posts: 1,738
    Aristotle,
    Love the handout- and will use it asap! I have found solfegging scales very helpful with choirs I've worked with, and also have them singing modes on a single vowel for building legato.

    I also agree about the handiness of singing scales with modes III and IV. But we are phrygian-o-philes, no?

    'te doesn't seem to ever go up to do'- Mass VIII Kyrie, of dubious pedigree. :)
  • MaryAnn Carr WilsonMaryAnn Carr Wilson
    Posts: 1,738
    Angela, I would love to see your handouts, too. Glad to hear your crash course went so well, and thanks for your generosity!

    maryann @ maryanncarr dot com.
  • AngelaRAngelaR
    Posts: 319
    Coming up, Mary Ann!
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