Scholas in the South West

When I first created the Map of Scholas, the South West was a completely empty zone. Rather oddly the scholas I knew about all seemed to be in the middle of the country, keeping away from the East and West coasts.

But that has now changed, and I'm particularly pleased to advertise the existence of two schola in the South West singing at the Traditional Mass: one church-based one in Warminster, founded and directed by the Parish Priest, Fr Bede Rowe, and one peripatetic schola, in South Devon.

Fr Rowe's modest church of St George's in Warminster now has a Traditional Mass every Sunday evening; his (mixed) schola aims to sing at about quarterly intervals.

The South Devon Schola sings every Sunday, including at the monthly Sunday Traditional Mass at Buckfast. The great Abbey Church of Buckfast is the most remarkable example of neo-Gothic architecture, actually built on the foundations of a medieval Abbey church a century ago.

Neither has a website, but we can put readers in touch with them.

Ealing Chant Workshops

“To sing is to pray twice”
(St.Augustine of Hippo)

Gregorian Chant Workshops

Wednesdays 6.40pm-8pm

Starting up again September 8th

New Chapel, Ealing Abbey

Marchwood Cresc.London W5

contact:
Jennifer Smith, RCM
0777 625 74 72
je.ma.smith@care4free.net

No special qualifications needed, only to be able to sing in tune
And to love to sing

All welcome

Salmaire: Edinburgh Chant group

Before I started researching the Chant scene I had no idea such interesting things were going on. Having just blogged about a group at the Royal College of Music in London, here is a fascinating group in Edinburgh who I will add to the map as soon as I have a proper Internet connection!

Salmaire is a Gregorian chant study and performance group which meets every Wednesday evening at 7.30 in
St Patrick's
5, South Gray's Close
40 High Street
EDINBURGH EH1 1TQ

(This is just between the Cowgate and the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.)

Contact Alasdair Codona:
Tel 07511 201399
Contact: calumcille@yahoo.com

WEBSITE

Salmaire is a Gaelic term equivalent to the Greek ψαλτός: the word denotes one who sings ecclesiastical chant. The group learns various ancient styles of neumatic notation which are used to assign long and short durations to pitches. Chants are memorised rather than read from and musical notation is used ultimately as a reminder rather than a text to be followed in performance.

The repertoire is taught according to a 'syllabic beat' interpretation, as per other Christian chant traditions where the basic short note is half the durational value of the average syllable. Generally, proportional pitch durations are assigned to communal items to match the syllabic beat and rhythmic nuancing is mainly a solo preserve.

The singing style is Scottish and modern, rather than French and Romantic. The Gaelic harp is used to guide singing when learning chants. An ability to read music is not necessary to take part, nor is a beautiful voice. The tutor of the group is Alasdair Codona.

Now seven scholas inside the M25!

I have just added three more scholas to our list of affiliates and the map, by coincidence all of them are based in London. This brings the total in London to seven, which is very heartening.

The St Bede's Schola at Clapham Park and the Schola of the Knights' Chapel at St John's Wood (the chapel of the Order of Malta at the Hospital of SS John & Lizzie) have been on the map from the beginning; they were quickly joined by the LMS London Schola, an ad hoc group whose membership overlaps with the previous two but sings at Corpus Christi Maiden Lane and elswhere, and the choir of Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, the church of Fr Tim Finigan.

I have just added St Mary's Latin Mass Choir, which boasts a website, and two very exciting initiatives of Jennifer Smith of the Royal College of Music. One is a Chant workshop at Ealing Abbey, whose participants form a schola for special occasions at the Abbey. The other is an official 'chamber group' at the RCM itself, which is working towards singing liturgically at nearby churches.

For more information on the Ealing Workshop please email Jennifer Smith: je.ma.smith@care4free.net

There are now 28 choirs and scholas on our map, which covers England, Wales and Scotland - including the Orkney Schola. I am waiting to hear back from two more groups in the South West who should bring the total to 30; if you have a group please let us know!

As with all the groups listed on this site, if their details aren't available on the web email us and we will forward the message to the organisers and put you in touch.

More Canterbury Gregorian Music Society events!

EXTRA CHANT EVENTS – SUMMER 2010

‘The Angelus, the Ave and the Salve’ for St. Mildred

Saturday 24^th July 11.30-12.30

Greyfriars, Stour Street, Canterbury

We have been asked to run the little service commemorating St. Mildred which we did last year. It is very short, beginning with the Angelus at the traditional midday hour. This event forms part of the Parish festivities celebrating St. Mildred close to her feast day. We will have a short practice at 11.30 at Greyfriars and then sing the service. It would be most helpful if you could let me know of your intention to come along, just so I bring sufficient copies and know I will not be singing solo.

COMPLINE

Friday 6^th August and Saturday 7^th August

University of Kent at Canterbury

9pm for 9.30pm

The World Community for Christian Meditation is holding its annual seminar in Canterbury this year at Kent University. They are keen for us to provide some appropriate music during their proceedings. They have asked us to sing Compline on the Friday and Saturday evenings of their seminar. This would be exactly the same chants as St. Anselm’s Compline which we did in the Cathedral last year. I will be running a workshop at 2-3pm on the afternoon of Friday 6^th August for the Seminar participants who wish to learn the music. If anyone else wanted to join in this, I’m sure it would be possible. Other than that, we will have a quick reminder session at 9pm on the Friday and Saturday prior to the service. I have not yet got the exact location for the afternoon practice and the venue for the Compline itself. I’ll make sure I get that crucial information to those who express interest in coming along.

BOTH THESE EVENTS ARE FREE OF CHARGE

REPLY SLIP – EXTRA EVENTS (for planning purposes)

Name…………………………. email……………………………… phone…………………

Address…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Angelus □ Compline 6^th August □ Compline 7^th August □

email: h.nattrass@sir-robert-mcalpine.com

CGMS, 19 St. Peter’s Grove, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2DH

As our Committee Members, including me, are away for various holidays during July, you might experience a small delay in reply to postal or email communications.

Helen Nattrass

CANTERBURY GREGORIAN

MUSIC SOCIETY

contact@gregoriansociety.org

Chairman: Tim le Lean: 07973 484 220

Music/events: Helen Nattrass: 07803 612556

Membership: Jonathan Butchers: 07974 738324

Canterbury Gregorian Music Society event

ALLELUIAS AND GOSPEL ACCLAMATIONS

Gregorian Chant and Afternoon Tea

Saturday 31^st July 2010 13.30 – 18.00

At St. Mildred’s Priory, Minster

This will be our third visit to the Benedictine Community at Minster. Our afternoon will consist of a talk and two workshops separated by a nice afternoon tea. Mother Nikola will start the proceedings with a brief talk about the form and use of the Alleluia and Gospel Acclamation. For the first singing session we will be in one group and we will sing through simple versions of Alleluias and Gospel Acclamations, both in Latin and English. After our tea, the group will split into two. One group will be able to explore some of the more elaborate Alleluias and Gospel Acclamations. This will probably appeal to those with some experience of singing chant. The other group will rehearse selected passages to join in Vespers with the Community at 17.30. This group will be geared towards less-experienced people or beginners.

Cost £5 members, £10.00 non-members – includes music and afternoon tea.

For the avoidance of doubt, on this particular Saturday, Vespers is at 17.30 not the usual 18.00.

Timetable:

13.30 – 14.00	Arrival and registration
14.00 – 14.30	Talk by Mother Nikola: Introduction to Gospel Acclamations
14.30 – 15.30	Workshop Session 1: Singing simple Alleluias and Gospel Acclamations in Latin and English
15.30 – 16.15	Afternoon Tea and an opportunity to look round
16.15 – 17.15	Workshop Session 2: Group 1: Singing more elaborate Gospel Acclamations Group 2: Practice for singing selected passages of Vespers with the Community at 17.30 Vespers Service
17.15	Go over to chapel
17.30-18.00	Vespers

REPLY SLIP - VESPERS AT MINSTER. To reserve a place please return this form (with payment) to the address below before 23^rd July.

Name…………………………. email……………………………… phone…………………

Address…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Session 2 preference (to help us plan): Acclamations □ Vespers Practice □

Cheques (for the sum of £5 for members or £10 for non-members) should be made out to CGMS and returned with this slip to:

CGMS, 19 St. Peter’s Grove, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2DH

CANTERBURY GREGORIAN

MUSIC SOCIETY

contact@gregoriansociety.org

Chairman: Tim le Lean: 07973 484 220

Music/events: Helen Nattrass: 07803 612556

Membership: Jonathan Butchers: 07974 738324

Forthcoming Chant Training events led by Nick Gale

Contact: info@gregorianchant.org.uk

Saturday 26 June 2010: Lancaster Cathedral, Chant Workshop (General chant workshop and preparation for Usus Antiquior Mass)

Saturday 17 July 2010: Shrewsbury Cathedral, Chant Workshop (General chant workshop)

4 September 2010: Our Layde and St Michael’s Parish Centre, Abergavenny. www.olsm.org.uk

Saturday 16 October 2010, Our Lady of Lourdes, Wanstead: RSCM Chant Day (RC Diocese of Brentwood and Anglican Diocese of Chelmsford), (Gregorian Chant for Advent and Christmas).

There are two more workshops at Our Lady and St Peter, Leatherhead scheduled for the autumn and spring, one for clergy and one for laity – dates are yet to be confirmed.

See http://gregorianchant.org.uk/forthcoming/forthcoming.shtml

GCN Course at Portsmough a triumph

On Saturday 12 June 2010, a group of 50 people participated in a Gregorian Chant Workshop in St John’s Cathedral Portsmouth. The aim of the Workshop was to give a practical introduction to the Chant for those with little or no experience, as well as helping those with some ability to develop their skills at singing the Chant.

‘It was a terrific turnout,’ said organiser Neville McNally. ‘Far more people enrolled than we imagined. There was a wide range of ages too, from 11 years to 80.’ Some people had travelled great distances and had set out at 5am in order to catch trains to Portsmouth. A lady called Rose from Devon, who considered herself to be a complete beginner, said that the day was a superb experience and hopes that another Workshop will be organised soon.

The instruction was provided by 2 inspirational teachers and experienced practitioners of the Chant, Dom Cuthbert Brogan OSB, Abbot of St Michael’s Abbey Farnborough, and Christopher Hodkinson, a musicologist from Cambridge and a Director of the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge.

The day concluded with Vespers and Benediction which were sung in the Cathedral by all those who had participated in the workshop.

The event was organised in association with the Gregorian Chant Network by members of a male-voice chant choir called the Schola Gregoriana Sancti Nicolai which is based in Portsmouth.

Anyone interested in finding out about future Workshops, please email chantnetwork@gmail.com or telephone 023 92862384

Hispanic Chant performance

The Plainsong and Medieval Music Society is forwarding information about this event.

Old Hispanic Chant
Lecture Recital
The Institute of Musical Research in association with
the University of Bristol and the University of Colorado at Boulder

Emma Hornby and Rebecca Maloy
with the
Schola Cantorum of the University of Bristol

Tuesday 25 May 2010
at 6pm
Large Common Room, London House, Goodenough College, Mecklenburgh Square, WC1
Free of charge.
Advance booking via valerie.james@sas.ac.uk essential.

A John Coffin Trust event

More details of Middlesbrough Chant Workshop

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PMP Chant Forum Meeting 2009

Further to the notice of the Chant Forum meeting to take place shortly in Pluscarden, Fr Benedict Hardy has sent me this report on last year's meeting in Downside.

Chant Forum Meeting, Downside Abbey 11-14 May 2009

The “Chant Forum” is a wholly informal grouping of UK monastic musicians, gathered under the benign umbrella of the Panel of Monastic Musicians, though with its focus exclusively on Gregorian Chant. The Forum met for the fourth session of its existence at Downside Abbey in May 2009. Numbers were a bit down from previous years, for various reasons including canonical Visitations, community Retreats, poor health, and assorted other incompatible commitments. Nevertheless, the 16 booked participants were joined by several Downside monks who joined us for many or all of the sessions, and we had a truly excellent meeting, which all present very much appreciated, voting with unanimous voice for more of the same next year.

...

The main speaker at this session was Père Xavier Perrin, Choir Master, Novice Master and Prior of Kergonan Abbey of the Solesmes Congregation in Brittany. We were very fortunate indeed to have him. He has a deep knowledge and love of the Chant, and very considerable musical ability. His English is more or less fluent: well able to express his teaching points on music, liturgy and prayer, and also his rather dry humour, seldom far from the surface.

Appropriately for the Year of St. Paul, the theme Dom Xavier chose was St. Paul in Gregorian Chant. First of all, he presented Paul’s doctrine of how to pray as a key to understanding the Chant. “I will pray with the spirit, but I will pray with the mind as well” he says in 1 Corinthians 14:15. Accordingly the Chant is rooted in the word, the text, which is always primary: it is not mere sound, but always conveys clear meaning. Yet this word, this text is expressed with free musical movement. We can think of this as representing the spirit, whose depths reach far beyond earth-bound human comprehension. Dom Xavier continually returned to this idea: that in Gregorian Chant we have a perfect union of word and spirit, and this above all is why this music is so much honoured in the Church, and still so valuable for us today.

There are relatively few Pauline texts in the Gregorian corpus. In the current Graduale Romanum indeed, only 17, of which one is a 19th century “neo-Gregorian” composition, and another a mediaeval adaptation, setting Pauline words to a pre-existing melody. We were therefore able to look during these days at a good portion of the available repertoire in some detail.

Here I mention briefly just two Pauline Chants we were taken through: both given for the feast of St. Paul’s conversion on 25 January. First, the Introit, setting the text of 2 Timothy 1:12: Scio cui credidi... Originally sung on 30 June, the implicit reference to the Introit for 29 June would formerly have been more obvious. There St. Peter sang Nunc scio vere ... (Acts 12:11). It’s as if the two Apostles sing antiphonally of what each knows; though as befits their very different characters, in very different musical mood (IIIrd mode for St. Peter, Ist for St. Paul). The composer of the Pauline Introit well captures the Apostle’s confident affirmation of invincible faith, especially on that striking intonation “Scio”. The word that he chooses to draw out most of all, however, is the “in” of “in illum diem”. In this way the music points with emphasis to the future, inviting us to make our own not only Paul’s faith, but also his hope.

Then in the Gradual for 25 January we have, as was typical for Gregorian composers, a combination and adaptation of scriptural texts. We start with Galatians 2 then move on to 1 Corinthians 15: Qui operatus est Petro... Gratia Dei in me vacua non fuit... Again the composer draws attention to the contrast with Peter. As Paul boldly establishes his own Apostolic claim the music soars up triumphantly. Yet there is no hint of pride, for all is based on grace. So the word “gratia” occurs three times in this wonderful piece, which Dom Xavier presented as Paul’s own Magnificat. Here as elsewhere we were invited to pray the text as we sing it: in Paul’s name, in our own name and in the name of the whole Church.

As well as his detailed analysis of pieces, Dom Xavier also spoke to us about the earliest Chant manuscripts, especially that of St. Gall, dating from the early 10th century. Why was it written? Certainly not to be sung from as we sing from a score today. Perhaps a clue is to be found in the carved ivory box that was made to house the precious volume. The suggestion was made that this whole work of art was conceived as a cultural monument: a concrete affirmation of the importance of the texts and music which this community had received, and wished to pass on, in aural tradition. The beautifully executed signs above the words should not be understood as merely describing the series of notes to be performed. Rather they convey visually how these sacred words are enthroned by this inherited musical gesture.

Not to be omitted from this write-up was the contribution of Jennifer Smith, professor at the Royal College of Music. She conducted an ever-timely session on voice production and breath control. “Keep the breath low and the voice high!” She followed Dom Xavier in lacing her instruction with theology: when we breathe in we take in, as it were, God’s breath; we incarnate his Word in our lungs, then breathe forth his Spirit. ...

Next year’s session to be here at Pluscarden. The main speaker is to be Mr. Jaan-Eik Tulve, master interpreter of Gregorian Chant. He has a great deal of experience helping monastic Choirs around the world, including our own, and we very much look forward to welcoming him back.

Introduction to Gregorian Chant, Jarrow, 18th May

Hat-tip to Forest Murmers, where there are more incidental details.

Fr Adrian Dixon, Diocesan liturgist of the diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, will be leading an introductory session on Gregorian Chant:

Venue: St Bede's Church, Catholic Road, Jarrow, (NE32 3LX)

When: 7-9pm, on May 18th 7-9pm.

Panel of Monastic Musicians Forum

The "Panel of Monastic Musicians' Chant Forum", an offshoot of the Panel of Monastic Musicians, http://www.monasticmusicians.org/ is having a meeting at Pluscarden Abbey 4-7 May.

This is a new venture, and while the meeting is invitation only, readers will be interested to know that things are developing in the monastic world.


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International Chant Courses in Rome

A rolling programme from Scuola di Spiritualità liturgica e Canto Gregoriano "Cantantibus Organis", run by Sr. Margaret Truran of Stanbrook.

Chant Workshop at Douai April 24th

Douai Abbey, Upper Woolhampton, Reading RG7 5TQ

Led by Dr John Rowntree, Diector of the Douai Singers, the lay choir which sings at Douai Abbey

Fee (for the waged) £15

Sat 24th April, 9.45 am - 4pm

Contact: douaiabbey@aol.com

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