Fr. Columba Kelly

#058: Chant Clinic, Lent Edition (with Dr. Andre Heywood)

Dr. Andre Heywood

Dr. Andre Heywood

In a few weeks we will celebrate the holiest days of the year, the Triduum. No matter the musical resources you use or in which camp of the style wars your community finds itself, most of us will incorporate one or more of the chants traditionally sung during Holy Week. 

Now, today’s episode isn’t a conversation about what chants you should or shouldn’t use, or a discussion about why chant is important, though both of those are important topics. Instead, we’re providing a short “chant clinic” designed especially for those communities who might not often sing chant during the rest of the liturgical year, but who will be incorporating chant during the Triduum. How do you get your choir to shape chant melodies instead of plodding through them like a heavy march? How do you effectively lead a congregation not accustomed to chanting? What about that soloist who will be singing the Exultet?

To help us out, we’re joined once again by Dr. Andre Heywood, a master conductor, clinician, and choral scholar. In one of our most-downloaded episodes, Andre joined me back in Advent for a conversation about vocal health. Now during this Lenten season, he joins us with tactics you can start using right away to improve the quality of chant in your celebrations.

SHOW NOTES

For more information about Andre Heywood, visit The Saint John’s Boys’ Choir.

The recording of “Pange Lingua” (Fr. Ricky Manalo) is published by OCP. The recordings of “Parce Domine/Ubi Caritas” (arr. Jeremy Young) and “Jerusalem, My Destiny” (Rory Cooney) are published by GIA Publications.

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.

#006: "Drinking God Straight" (featuring Saint Meinrad's Archabbey)

"From the Bell Tower" hosts, Br. Joel and Br. Kolbe

"From the Bell Tower" hosts, Br. Joel and Br. Kolbe

As we journey through the holiest week of the year, rife with ancient traditions and rituals, our episode today focuses on one of the Church’s oldest musical traditions: chant. The prominence – or absence – of chant in American parishes has been a much-discussed topic in the decades following Vatican II. Some parishes chant in the vernacular, others in Latin. Some chant a lot, others barely at all. Regardless of your viewpoint or preference, and no matter how much chant is in your repertoire, odds are that – at some point this week – your community will experience chant at one or more of the liturgies of Triduum.

Fr. Columba Kelly, OSB

Fr. Columba Kelly, OSB

Today we bring you a short audio program from Saint Meinrad’s Seminary and School of Theology in Indiana. Titled, “Drinking God Straight,” this program describes the tradition of chant in the Church’s liturgical life, but also details the ways that chant changed and transitioned after the Second Vatican Council. Hosted by Brothers Joel and Kolbe, you’ll hear from several voices, including Fr. Columba Kelly, OSB, renowned chant scholar and teacher. 

 

SHOW NOTES

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

For more information about chant, visit the Chant Interest Section page on the NPM website. Here you'll find frequently asked questions, helpful resources, links, events, and more. 

You can listen to the "From the Bell Towers" podcast by visiting the program website at Saint Meinrad's Seminary and School of Theology. The album Gregorian Chants for Lent and Easterrecorded by the chant schola of Saint Meinrad's Archabbey, can be purchased on iTunes.

The choral recording of "Love Unknown" is published by OCP. The piano recording of "Love Unknown" was performed by Fr. Robert Koopmann, OSB, on the album Sacred Improvisations

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.