A member of the Institute’s faculty, Prof. Charles Weaver (Juilliard, CUNY) was recently interviewed on Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast about the topic of his upcoming summer course. Professor Weaver’s course will cover Mocquereau’s “classical Solesmes” approach to rhythm through a deep discussion of its philosophical and musical underpinnings. He will also work to contrast it with other styles of singing chant. The course, “Advanced Seminar in Gregorian Chant: Approaches to Gregorian Rhythm” will take place on the mornings of July 3 to 7. From the course description:
For students who have taken Introduction to Gregorian Chant or who sing Gregorian chant on a regular basis, this seminar explores complex issues in the study of rhythm. Beginning with the problematics of “authenticity,” oral transmission, and the relationship between notation and performance practice, this seminar will provide an overview of various approaches to rhythm in Gregorian chant, both historical and current, with an eye to developing the ability to sing chant according to several methods. Special emphasis will be placed on the approaches the writings of Doms André Mocquereau and Eugène Cardine. 1 credit or audit. Synchronous online or in-person 8 to 11:30 a.m. PDT.
We are excited to be able to begin accepting applications for our Summer 2023 sacred music courses. Even more exciting is the fact that the summer 2023 term features FREE tuition!
Our brochure is available on our website, and it features a very helpful FAQ to answer your questions about the program, course formats and delivery, room and board, etc.
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The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park is proud to announce its co-sponsorship of a November 2023 conference celebrating the work of Dr. William Mahrt. The Institute has issued a call for participation, inviting proposals for academic papers, lecture recitals, and panel discussions. Details are available on the conference website, where the call for participation can also be downloaded. The deadline for the submission of proposals is April 24, 2023.
The Musical Shape of the Liturgy: Celebrating the Life and Work of William P. Mahrt
Call for Participation
November 7–9, 2023 St. Patrick’s Seminary, Menlo Park, California
Sponsored by: The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music at St. Patrick’s Seminary The Church Music Association of America Stanford University The St. Ann Choir
Having devoted his life and scholarly activity to the study and praxis of the Roman rite and its music, the work of Dr. William Mahrt has become a touchstone for countless scholars and active church musicians. Professor Mahrt’s insights into the characteristics of the various forms of Gregorian chant have elucidated the nature of the chant as integral to the sacred liturgy, and even explicated the nature of the sacred liturgy itself. Too, his exposition of the nature of beauty and its embodiment in Catholic sacred music, liturgical gestures and symbols, and architecture has served as an important guide in the Church’s understanding of the purpose of artistic beauty in Divine worship. His work with the polyphonic masters of the Renaissance has illuminated the performances and scholarship of many choirs and students, and his devoted direction of the St. Ann Choir and Stanford Early Music Singers remains a pillar in the practice of sacred music in the United States.
On the occasion of the 150th volume of Sacred Music, which Dr. Mahrt has edited since 2006, upon the establishment of a new chair in sacred music at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park in his name, and on the occasion of the 125thanniversary of the founding of St. Patrick’s Seminary, the organizing committee announces a conference entitled “The Musical Shape of the Liturgy: Celebrating the Life and Work of William P. Mahrt.”
This two-and-a-half-day conference will feature:
Keynote addresses (William Mahrt, Joseph Dyer, Kerry McCarthy, Sr. Maria Kiely, O.S.B.)
Papers, lecture recitals, and panel discussions on topics related to the conference theme
Masses and the sung Divine Office led by the St. Ann Choir and the Schola Cantorum of St. Patrick’s Seminary
Opportunities for informal discussions over included receptions and lunches on November 7, 8, and 9
