13 March 2016

Palm Sunday and Easter Resources from the Schola Gregoriana Malvernensis

In a previous post I shared some examples of Lenten Tracts in a simple organum setting by Alastair J. Tocher, director of the Schola Gregoriana Malvernensis. Here are some further resources for Palm Sunday and Easter:

Palm Sunday: The Gradual (Gregorian, with simplified psalm tone verse).

Palm Sunday: The Tract (Gregorian, with alternating psalm tone and organum verses).

Easter Sunday: Gregorian/Polyphonic Gradual. Alastair has prepared a new edition of the Gradual - Haec dies - for Easter Sunday in which the Respond (the initial portion) is sung in Gregorian chant but with the Verse sung in a simple four-part setting by Cesare de Zacharia (circa.1594).
The edition is available free for liturgical use.

Easter Sunday: Gregorian/Polyphonic Alleluia. He has also prepared a new edition of the Alleluia - Pascha nostrum - for Easter Sunday in which the initial Alleluia is sung in Gregorian chant, the verse is sung to a simple psalm tone (VII), and the final Alleluia is sung in a simple four-part setting by Giuseppe Pitoni (1657-1743).
The edition is free for liturgical use.

Many thanks to Alastair for sharing these, and best wishes to all of you who are currently preparing music for the Holy Week and Easter liturgies.

04 March 2016

GCN Chant Training Weekend 2016

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The Gregorian Chant Network's annual big chant course - a three-day intensive course (Friday afternoon/evening to Sunday morning) - will take place 1st to 3rd April 2016. That is, Easter Friday to Low Sunday, the weekend after Easter itself, at Ratcliffe College, near Leicester.

It will be led by Colin Mawby, the well known composer, and Christopher Hodkinson, one of the Musical Directors of the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge. 

Each of them has an enormous experience of chant, its interpretation and performace, and having two chant teachers will enable participants to be divided for various purposes in the course of the weekend, enabling everyone to be taught in a way appropriate to their experience.

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The course has always run alongside the St Catherine's Trust Family Retreat. Apart from seeing the vast number of small children devoted to the Church ancient liturgy, which is always fun, this means that participants in the chant course have the opportunity to sing at a succession of live liturgical events with an appreciative audience. Each of the three days has a Traditional High Mass, which have a special interest because it will be the week after Easter. There is also Compline on two days, and Vespers and Benediction on the Saturday. The Retreat this year will be led by two priests of the Sons of the Holy Redeemer from Papa Stronsay, Fr Magdala F.SS.R and Fr Jean F.SS.R .

For prices see here.

The GCN's hope is that the course will be taken by enough members of a given group to make a difference to performance when they get home, and not just by an individual here and there. It is up to Chant Directors to make this happen!

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More details.
Online booking form.

Or email us: info@stcatherinestrust.org