Fr. Anthony Ruff

#044: The Final Countdown (with Carol Browning)

Zack Stachowski, Carol Browning, and Matt Reichert

Zack Stachowski, Carol Browning, and Matt Reichert

With only one calendar week to go before Christmas, we thought we’d provide an opportunity for a little stress break. There are lots of things to be done this week and errands to be run. Today’s show, providing both conversation and musical selections, is something perfect to listen to while you fold worship aids, make those final copies, wrap your gifts, and so forth.

In place of our customary interview, today we are bringing you an audio program from the Open Your Hymnal podcast. Open Your Hymnal, cohosted by Zack Stachowski and by me, is a special project aimed at breaking open the best-loved and most-common liturgical music in the Catholic repertoire. Each episode explores one song and features conversation with the composer and, sometimes, special guests. 

We are pleased to present today our interview with composer Carol Browning about her song “Creator of the Stars of Night,” incorporating one of the best-loved melodies of the Advent season. Composer Bob Moore stops by to talk about Carol’s music, and Fr. Anthony Ruff, OSB, gives some historical background to the 1,000-year-old chant hymn at the core of this piece. Plus, you’ll hear a bunch of great additional music in the OYH Playlist.

 

SHOW NOTES

For more information about Carol Browning and her other compositions, visit her composer pages at GIA Publications, MorningStar Music, and Liturgical Press.

You can purchase a copy of the score and a copy of the song recording for "Creator of the Stars of Night” from GIA Publications. You can also purchase the other song recordings you heard in this episode: Instrumental arrangement of “Gloria from Mass of Light” (David Haas), “Silent Night" (arr. Steve Petrunak), organ recording of “Creator of the Stars of Night” (arr. John Keys), "Conditor Alma Siderum" (traditional), "Ubi Caritas" (Carol Browning), "O God, Behold Your Family Here" (Bob Moore), “Christ, Circle Round Us" (Dan Schutte), “Peace be With Those” (Carol Browning), “Carol of the Dawn” (Janet Sullivan Whitacre), “Ave Generosa” (Ola Gjielo), and “People Look East” (arr. Marty Haugen). 

You can listen to more episodes of the Open Your Hymnal podcast at www.openyourhymnal.com.

Visit NPM's digital resource library, referenced at the end of the episode. 

All content of this podcast is property of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians or its content suppliers and is protected by United States and international copyright laws. For information about the podcast and its use, please contact us.

#018: Drinking God Straight, Part II (with Fr. Anthony Ruff, OSB)

Fr. Anthony Ruff, OSB

Fr. Anthony Ruff, OSB

Today’s episode is a continuation of an earlier episode of Ministry Monday. Way back in our sixth episode, we featured an audio program produced by Saint Meinrad’s Seminary titled, “Drinking God Straight.” This program explored the evolution and status of English language chant following the Second Vatican Council, giving particular focus to the work of Fr. Columba Kelly. 

Sadly, Fr. Columba passed away earlier this month. We are celebrating his life today, not by giving extended commemorations or reflections, but by doing what he would have preferred - exploring the importance of chant in our liturgical celebrations. So, today we are brining you “Drinking God Straight, Part II.” If you haven’t listened to Episode Six yet, I’d encourage you to go back and give it a listen. There, you’ll hear from Fr. Columba himself. 

To continue the conversation, our guest is Fr. Anthony Ruff. A Benedictine monk of Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, Fr. Anthony - like Fr. Columba - is a fierce advocate for chant in the liturgy. Today, we’ll examine the misconceptions about chant, the richness that it contains, pastoral advice for implementation, and mistakes to be avoided. Whether you think you like chant, or not, or if you think your community will sing chant, or not, today is an important conversation to help expand your understanding and challenge your reservations.

 

SHOW NOTES

For more information about Fr. Anthony Ruff, OSB, visit his author page at PrayTell Blog

For more information about the life and work of Fr. Columba Kelly, OSB, visit his biography page at Saint Meinrad's Archabbey.

To order a copy of "Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship," visit the USCCB website.

Visit NPM's digital resource library, referenced at the end of the episode. 

To join us this summer at the national convention in Baltimore, Maryland, visit the 2018 NPM convention website

All content of this podcast is property of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians or its content suppliers and is protected by United States and international copyright laws. For information about the podcast and its use, please contact us.