The Aesthetics and Pedagogy of Charles Tournemire:

Chant and Improvisation in the Liturgy

October 21-23, 2012

The Church Music Association of America

in collaboration with

Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

and the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Guild of Organists

The Church Music Association of America will hold a conference exploring the legacy of Charles Tournemire as an improviser and teacher of improvisation on October 21-23, 2012 on the campus of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and at neighboring Pittsburgh churches.  The conference seeks to explore the aesthetic, liturgical, theoretical, and technical principles of Tournemire’s improvisations and teachings on improvisation, the use of Gregorian chant in organ improvisation, the role of organ improvisations in the Catholic liturgy, and pedagogical approaches to teaching organ improvisation. 

The conference will include liturgies, opportunities for the study of improvisation at the organ, discussion groups, and recital programs and papers relating to the conference theme.  Papers presented will be considered for publication in a collection of essays following the conference. 

The conference committee welcomes proposals for papers and recital programs. 

The deadline for proposals is June 1^st, 2012.  Notification of acceptance will be given by June 22^nd, 2012.

Proposals must be submitted via email to Jennifer Donelson at: jd1120@nova.edu

Please note that the conference begins on the evening of Sunday, October 21^st and submissions will be scheduled only on Monday and Tuesday, October 22^nd and 23^rd. 

For paper proposals (30 minutes plus 10 minutes for questions), please send an e-mail including:

1.      Title and Abstract (250 word maximum)

2.      Your name and affiliation

3.      Your phone number and email address

4.      Bio (250 word maximum)

For recital proposals (25 or 50 minutes in length), please send an e-mail including:

1.      Selections to be included on the program (including title, composer, and length of each selection.)  Programs incorporating improvisations must include a description of the improvisation to be played (theme[s] used, length, and, if applicable, a stylistic description.)

2.      A 100 word abstract (for lecture recitals only)

3.      Your name and affiliation, as well as the name and affiliation of each additional performer if applicable

4.      Your phone number and email address

5.      Your bio (250 word maximum)

6.      A brief bio of each performer/ensemble included in the recital program (100 word maximum)

7.      One or two recordings in mp3 format which demonstrate a recent performance.  The selections need not necessarily be recordings of the pieces proposed for the conference recital program, but they should be representative of the style of the pieces submitted for consideration (e.g. a proposal including an improvisation should include a recording of an improvisation.)  File size limit: 10 MB.

8.      Performance space requirements (instrumentation, configuration, need for music stands and chairs, etc.)

Paper topics arising from the theme include, but are not limited to:

1.      Aesthetic, liturgical, theoretical, and technical principles employed in Tournemire’s improvisations and teachings on improvisation

2.      Tournemire’s use and adaptation of Gregorian chant

3.      The works and styles of other composers that influenced Tournemire’s improvisational style

4.      The influence of Tournemire’s style and/or use of Gregorian chant on other improvisers/composers

5.      Explorations of Tournemire’s pedagogical treatises

6.      French liturgical praxis and organ-building principles that shaped Tournemire’s improvisational style and pedagogy

7.      The influence of the work of the Benedictine Monastery at Solesmes on Tournemire’s improvisations and those of other composers/improvisers from the late nineteenth century to today

8.      The influence of Tra le Sollecitudini, other early twentieth century documents, and liturgical trends on the work of Tournemire, his contemporaries, or more recent organists

9.      The relationship between L’Orgue Mystique and Tournemire’s organ improvisations

10.  The principles of chant-based improvisations in the Catholic liturgy as modeled in the work of Tournemire, and the future of chant-inspired improvisations in the Catholic liturgy

11.  The role of the organ improvisation in the Catholic liturgy

12.  Pedagogical principles and traditions of teaching organ improvisation

13.  The place of Charles Tournemire in the French symphonic and improvisational traditions

14.  The nature and qualities of sacred music in the Catholic liturgy as exhibited in Tournemire’s improvisations

Recital programs arising from the theme include, but are not limited to:

1.      Performances of transcriptions of improvisations, especially those of Tournemire

2.      Organ improvisations on Gregorian chant or related to the French symphonic tradition

3.      New compositions based on or inspired by Gregorian chant for use in the Catholic liturgy

4.      Lecture recitals

5.      Pedagogical demonstrations of current pedagogical traditions and approaches, or the incorporation of examples from relevant improvisation treatises

6.      Any combination of the above, or incorporating other complementary compositions and styles

Papers will be 30 minutes in length followed with a 10 minute period for questions. 

Recital programs may be either 25 or 50 minutes in length.  Performances will take place at the Church of the Epiphany, Heinz Chapel, or Calvary Episcopal church.  If submitting a recital program for compositions other than those for organ, recitalists must provide all performing personnel (e.g. choir, string ensemble, etc.)  No piano, musical instruments (other than organ), or sound amplification will be available for the recitals, except for a microphone for the presenter speaking during the recital if requested.  Submissions may include a venue request, but there is no guarantee that the request will be accommodated.

The official language of the conference is English.

Presenters must register for the conference ($100) and will be responsible for their own expenses.

Questions regarding the conference may be directed to Jennifer Donelson via email or phone:

-          jd1120@nova.edu

-          (954) 262-7610

The conference website is available at: www.musicasacra.com/tournemire, with lodging, travel, and meal information.  Registration will be available after the submission review process has been completed.

There have been many requests just like this one for scholarship aid this year.  The CMAA has been able to amass a large enough scholarship fund to assist twelve people in coming to the Sacred Music Colloquium this year in Salt Lake City.  There are many more people who would like to come, but do not have the funds.  And not all are bold enough to ask for help.

The registration deadline is in two weeks.  If there is some way you can make a donation to the cause, be it $10 or $500, your generosity will be much rewarded:  with renewed hope, beautiful liturgy, and a more promising future for sacred music.

Write to us if you can help, or make a donation to colloquium@musicasacra.com through Pay Pal.   No gift is too small.  All donations are tax deductible.

You can download this at this link

Below is a sneak peak at some of the morning breakouts we have to look forward to at this year’s Sacred Music Colloquium in Salt Lake City. Remember that if you register during the Octave of Easter a copy of Dr. William Mahrt’s The Musical Shape of the Liturgy will be on its way to you in the mail.

Sister Marie Agatha Ozah, HHCJ, Ph.D.:

Gregorian Chant and World Music: Tensions and Solutions for the Liturgy

Chants are some of the oldest religious music genres of the world, and their centrality in Buddhist, Hindu, Judaic, Christian and Islamic worship cannot be over emphasized. In the Christian Church alone, one can name Byzantine, Ethiopian, Anglican, and Gregorian chants, for example, as indispensable vehicles of religious worship. This lecture explores the significance and uses of chants in some world religions. It will focus specifically on Gregorian Chant in the Roman Catholic liturgy.

The traditionalism and canonicity that Gregorian Chant enjoyed for centuries was disputed by the Second Vatican Council, which encouraged the use of other forms of world music as backdrop in the liturgy. The introduction and use of world music in the liturgy has fostered the continuous decline of the use of Gregorian Chant, an issue that has become a cause of concern among sacred music scholars. The dilemma of whether or not the Roman Catholic liturgy is a common ground where tensions can be resolved persists today.

Kathleen Pluth:

Vernacular Hymns: The Good, the Bad, and the Heretical

Although sung Propers are always the best choice for the Mass, parish musicians are still often called upon to select hymns for Mass, devotions, and the Liturgy of the Hours. Choosing among the various options can be a daunting task. This lecture begins with an examination of the importance of hymns in the Church from apostolic times, preceding the Reformation by many centuries. Then, individual hymns will be sung and analysed for their usefulness in teaching and evangelization, focusing primarily upon textual and theological considerations.

Matthew Meloche:

Maintain and Strengthen Your Position and Program

This practical course will show you how to maintain and strengthen your current position and program, whether you are music director of a large parish or direct a small choir. Special emphasis will be given to changing the direction of a program, with positive advice for how to do so while keeping your leadership role secure.

See the complete list.

Today is Good Friday, and it sounds like I am jumping the gun a bit. All of us are busy with liturgies and preparations, both externally and internally, for the great season ahead. The world is waking to new hope, sunshine and bird songs. June will be here before we know it. Preparations for this year’s Sacred Music Colloquium in Salt Lake City, Utah, are in full gear. All course descriptions will be posted in the next few days, as well as a sneak previews of a thrilling repertoire and more.

And to help you celebrate Easter and prepare for the great events of the summer, we will be offering a free copy of Dr. William Mahrt’s book, The Musical Shape of the Liturgy with all new and paid registrations that come in this week; starting on Sunday, April 8, at 12:00am and ending on Sunday, April 15, at 11:59pm.

This beautiful set of images is provided to the CMAA by Lynn Johnson, a permanent deacon at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, which is hosting the Sacred Music Colloquium in June 2012. Mr. Johnson, a photographer formerly with the Salt Lake Tribune, took all the pictures.

The final Mass from a CMAA conference on Charles Tournemire.