Monthly Archives: March 2007

The CMAA is pleased to present Marie Pierik’s 1939 book The Spirit of Gregorian Chant in free download or in print.

Pierik was a scholar and chant enthusiast. Like many Catholic musicians of that generation, she was inspired by the work of Solesmes to dedicate her life to helping the world to sing as the Church intends.

She was never shy about her utter devotion to her cause. Her prose is delightfully free of pretense: it burns with the desire to communicate and explain, systematically but also warmly, why Gregorian chant is the music of the faith. This book in particular provides an overview of history, doctrine, and practice to provide a manual as powerful in her time as in ours.

Have you ever wanted to hear what Doms Pothier and Mocquereau sounded like in person? The CMAA is pleased to bring you two (mp3) recordings of the good Doms speaking about the nature of chant and the monumental work of the Solesmes workshop. Translations are available at the link. Enjoy.

There are some very important articles in the past issue of Sacred Music. Please download it and send it around. And if you aren’t a subscriber, please consider joining the CMAA.

For Holy Thursday, a responsorial version of the antiphon for the Washing of Feet: Maneant in vobis.

If you are coming to the Sacred Music Colloquium but would like more extensive training, you can stay over from June 25 to July 13, 2007, to take the long-established Gregorian Chant Practicum at The Catholic University of America, as sponsored by the Ward Center and taught by Professor Scott Turkington. The course is designed for those wishing to learn the Solesmes Method well but also for those who come to Gregorian chant for the first time (but otherwise have the ability to sing).

The text is the excellent Gregorian Chant Practicum, by Theodore Marier. Turkington is his student. This intensive 3-week, 3-hour-a-day course will secure your ability for a lifetime of singing chant. The course may be taken on a non-credit basis for $500.00 or for three graduate credits for $2100.00. For more information, or to register, write Professor Turkington.