CISM has teamed up with the Veterum Sapientia Institute on a course for our grad students to learn the Latin lexicon and grammar of the psalter, better to help them pray and teach, and pass their exit exams! Anyone is able to sign up for this class, which will be taught by a true magister of Latin, and font of knowledge about the liturgical appointment and use of the Psalms. There are 10 sessions in total, 5 before Christmas and 5 after, on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. Pacific / 7 p.m. Eastern.
Here’s the course description:
Our Latin for Musicians courses are designed for those who want to deepen their understanding and appreciation of the Catholic Church’s great patrimony of sacred music, by learning the language in which so much of that patrimony is enshrined. The series is divided into three parts, of ten sessions each. The teacher will explain the features of Latin grammar and rehearse a broad selection of the vocabulary most commonly used in the sacred texts, with special attention to the particular grammar of the Vulgate and the many musical texts which are drawn from it. Each aspect of the language will be illustrated by several examples taken from the chants of the Mass and Divine Office. By the end of the 3-part class, students should be able to understand the text of a good portion of the chant and polyphonic repertoire with the help of a dictionary.