Outta here next weekend!

The Family (mine!) will be out of town next weekend. We're going to BrickFest 2008 at the Lego Museum in Bellaire. (No - it's not called the "Lego Museum", due to copyright issues. Instead, it's called the "Plastic Brick Museum". But we know it's really a Lego museum, right?)

Of course the primary purpose of our travel is visiting family, which we haven't done a lot of lately.

Have a great Labor Day!

On Singing Chant

Chant, as the modern world knows it, is a rather easy thing--you drone a bunch of words on a note and blah-dee-blah. Contrary to popular belief, chant is not a slow, monotonous thing that goes on forever and ever in endless boredom.
Let's start with a bit of history, shall we?
Gregorian Chant is named after Pope Gregory the Great. The actual date of invention is unknown, as some people do not ascribe Gregorian Chant to Pope Gregory at all, but with quite an amount of evidence for it, it seems unlikely that Gregorian Chant was composed by anyone other than Pope Gregory.

Chant divided into eight modes, two of which brought forth the notion of major and minor scales. The eight-tone scale we use today is based upon a different principle than chant, which is based upon a six-note pattern called a hexachord. The main notes in a hexachord are the "dominant" and "final", and depending on where the final falls in the sequence the mode can be called authentic or plagal (giving rise to a "plagal cadence"--also called the Amen Cadence for the very simple reason that it is used as an Amen frequently!).

Gregorian chant is notated most authentically in neumes, which fall upon a four-line staff with a small clef symbol notating 'do' (or 'ut'). Neumes differ from modern notes in that there is no 'half note' or 'whole note', or quarter or so on (in addition to the detail that neumes are square, instead of round). Here is a good guide for reading chant notation especially if you have no prior experience in reading chant.

Singing chant itself takes a great deal of discipline, and far more patience than one would expect. Long lines with very little time to breathe are common (we here see the roots of coloratura), and patience is necessary--most human beings need to look at chant quite intensively before they can sing it properly.
To sing chant in a stylistically correct manner, a few things are necessary. Straight-tone is preferable, but if vibrato cannot be restrained entirely then at least a minimal amount of vibrato. Singing in a bold manner--that is, with strength without being garish--is also good when one does not have a choir of five hundred monks. One's feet out to be at least shoulder width, and speaking of shoulders, when one breathes one's shoulders should not move. Not only does it look funny, it's fairly wrong as well. Most people naturally breathe upward--that is, their chest raises up when they inhale, and their shoulders move with them. When singing, one needs to breathe outward with one's stomach (not one's anatomical stomach, but the general lower abdomen area!).

Perhaps more important than breathing in chant is knowing what one is doing. That is--when you sing chant, you are singing for God. All personal gain must be thrust aside, and you cannot think of your own vocal production for the sake of it being your own vocal production. Thinking of how you sound to try to sound as beautiful as you can for God--that is admirable. But thinking about how you sound so that your Aunt Dolly will compliment you is not right. The primary goal of Gregorian Chant is to give glory to God, as all sacred music ought.

Therefore, do not sing chant for your own glory. Do not try to sound like a fabulous famous singer with the voice that gets praising reviews in the New York Times.

Sing with love, for you are singing for God.

August 31, 2008 -- 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Processional: Come Thou Almighty King (717)
Offertory: O Jesus, How Our Spirits Sing (BB 364) (Jesu Dulcis Memoria)
Communion: Qui Vult
Recessional: I Sing the Mighty Power of God (412)

Monks singing Qui Vult Venire.

Since the antiphon is short, I'm not doing recordings this week.

This is probably the last antiphon from the Graduale Romanum. It was fun while it lasted. We'll be doing English antiphons starting in Advent, and continuing through Easter Season.

If you're a choir member, and you'll be at this Mass, please let me know soon so I can schedule a practice. As far as I can tell, the choir's out of town this weekend (with the exception of my family.)

August 23, 2008 -- 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Processional: All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name (BB 741)
Preparation: Oh God Beyond All Praising (BB 548)
Communion: Antiphon
Recessional: Alleluia Sing to Jesus (BB 747)

Here's the Communion Antiphon.

Here are the monks singing the antiphon. (Go to the bottom of the page and click on De Fructu)

Here are my (slower) recordings for ease of learning:

De Fructu Phrase 1
De Fructu Phrase 2
De Fructu Phrase 3
De Fructu Phrase 4
De Fructu Phrase 5
De Fructu Phrase 6

Verse 1
Verse 2
Verse 3
Verse 4
Verse 5
Verse 6
Verse 7
Verse 8

Gloria Patri Mode VI

August 16, 2008 -- 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Processional: To Jesus Christ, Our Sovereign King (BB 739)
Preparation: Where Charity and Love Prevail (BB 415)
Communion: antiphon
Recessional: Sent Forth by God's Blessing (BB 369)

Here's the Communion Antiphon.

Here are the Brazilian Monks singing the antiphon. (You'll have to click on the Domus Mea link.)

Domus Mea phrase 1
Domus Mea Phrase 2
Domus Mea Phrase 3
Domus Mea Phrase 4
Domus Mea Phrase 5

Verse 1
Verse 2
Verse 3
Verse 4
Verse 5
Verse 6
Verse 7

August 9-10, 2008 -- 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

SATURDAY 6 p.m.:

Processional: Beautiful Savior (204)
Preparation: O Jesus How Our Spirits Sing (364) (uses Jesu Dulcis Memoria tune)
Communion: antiphon
Recessional: Holy God We Praise Thy Name (200)

SUNDAY 9 & 11 a.m.:

Processional: Beautiful Savior (204)
Preparation: All Creatures of Our God and King (550) (after the baptism)
O Jesus How Our Spirits Sing (maybe for the Mass without the baptism)
Communion: Humbly Lord We Worship You (208)
Recessional: Holy God We Praise Thy Name (200)

Sound files for August 9, 2008 -- 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The music for the Communion Antiphon, Panis..., is found here at Musica Sacra.

The Gloria Patri tones are found here.

Panis phrase 1
Panis phrase 2
Panis phrase 3
Panis phrase 4

Verse 1
Verse 2
Verse 3
Verse 4
Verse 5
Verse 6
Verse 7
Verse 8
Verse 9
Verse 10
Gloria Patri...