Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast

Eminent chant scholar, Dr. Joseph Dyer, explains the Roman origins of Gregorian chant, the role of the Roman Schola Cantorum in the development of Roman chant, and what happened to that chant once it interacted with Franco-Gallican chant to become Gregorian chant. Join us for an episode which brings clarity to a complex history, and helps us better understand the roots of our Catholic sacred music...

We venture east in this episode for a look at Russian Orthodox music that impacted the life and compositions of Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943). Dr. Richard Fountain, professor of piano at Wayland Baptist University and convert to Eastern Orthodoxy, shares with us some of his insights into Rachmaninoff's piano works and his compositions for the Divine Liturgy. Visit Dr. Fountain's webpage here: ht...

Join us for a guided tour through the liturgical changes of Reformation-era England through the lens of the composer Thomas Tallis. Our guest, Dr. Kerry McCarthy, offers a look at the challenges these times posed for musicians, for Catholics, and for the modern scholar studying them today.  Buy Dr. McCarthy's book here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/tallis-9780190635213?cc=us&lang=en&  L...

What was sacred music in America like in the mid-20th century? Dr. Francis Brancaleone, former head of the department of music at Manhattanville College, shares with us his experience as a boy being educated in the Palestrina Institute of Liturgical Music in Detroit, and his research in the history of the remarkable Pius X School of Liturgical Music at Manhattanville College in New York.  Read mor...

Do some aspects of the meaning in Gregorian chant seem difficult to understand? Join us as we take a look an approach to understanding the chant through understanding the music theory it's built on. Our guest today is Dr. William Mahrt of Stanford University.  A few handouts for this episode are available here: https://sacredmusicpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Table-of-Modes.pdf https://sa...

Join us for our Christmas special, highlighting chants of the Christmas midnight Mass with Dominican rite and chant expert, Fr. Innocent Smith, O.P.  Innocent Smith, O.P., is a doctoral student in Liturgical Studies at the Universität Regensburg and is an associate member of DFG Research Group Metropolität in der Vormoderne. His research interests are at the intersection of liturgy and theology, i...

Dr. Jay Hershberger joins us to share the story of his conversion to the Catholic faith by way of the Anglo-catholic tradition. We also discuss his work in developing the sacred music program at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Fargo, North Dakota.  Learn more about Dr. Hershberger here: https://www.concordiacollege.edu/directories/faculty-staff/details/dr-jay-a-hershberger/ View Dr. Hershberger's You...

Fr. James Bradley, J.C.D., an Assistant Professor of Canon Law at The Catholic University of America and priest of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, joins us to discuss his musical upbringing in the church of England and his conversion to Catholicism. Possessing a masterful knowledge of canon law, the sacred liturgy, and sacred music, he shares his thoughts about musical gems fro...

What is a motet? Where did this musical genre come from? What has the word "motet" meant throughout history? What can motets of the past teach us about incorporating non-obligatory texts into the sacred liturgy? How can the music and texts of motets make the other texts of the Mass, especially those of the lectionary, come to life? We explore these questions with Dr. Aaron James, the Director of M...

A brave man and heroic witness for the freedom and rights of the Church in China and Hong Kong, His Eminence, Joseph Cardinal Zen, joins us for a discussion about music while growing up in Shanghai, in his formation as a Salesian, and in seminaries in China. 

One of the most prominent composers of our time, Sir James MacMillan has written for concert hall and stage as well as for the Church. A devoted Catholic, Sir James joins us for the opening of season three to discuss transcendence, beauty, spirituality, and universality in music, particularly focusing on the ability of music to speak to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Check out Boosey & Hawkes'...

The largest recording project in history is coming to life in an excellent new app for sacred musicians and those wishing to learn to pray and sing Gregorian chant in the Mass and Divine Office. In this episode we dive into the story of the monastery, the singing of the nuns at Notre Dame de Fidélité in Jouques, France, their sister monastery in Bénin, and the exciting new Neumz project with two o...

Is there an opportunity for improvement in your parish music program? Has there been a change in personnel, circumstances, or resources that makes growth possible? Perhaps the COVID-19 pandemic has presented possibilities for progress.  Maybe you are looking at how to introduce the proper chants into a parish Mass, improve the hymnody used, or build the choral program. How does one make changes in...

In our first roundtable discussion on sacred music we talk with experienced church musicians and CMAA chaplain, Fr. Robert Pasley, about fostering community in parish life through building up sacred music programs.  Charles Cole's Website: https://charlescole.com Mary Ann Carr Wilson's Website: http://www.maryanncarr.com/index.html  Church Music Association of America's Website: https://musicasacr...

Learn some tips and tricks to orient yourself along the journey from pianist-only, to organist-as-well. Dr. Crista Miller, Director of Music and Cathedral Organist at the Co-cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston, discusses differences in technique between the two instruments, learning to pedal, figuring out registration, and some great beginning repertoire. For more information about her summer...

Are you a music director looking for ideas about what to do whilst there are restrictions on sacred music put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic? Check out this episode. It's not for the casual listener, and we don't go into any virology or epidemiology, but for the music director in search of music to sing and play when faced with limitations, we hope you'll find this helpful. For a li...

What are the top five things that people don't understand when it comes to sacred music? In this first part of a two-part episode, we take time to give a substantive response to what many Catholics might not know or don't get right about music for the sacred liturgy. We look at liturgical and philosophical principles that have been fleshed out through the centuries as the Church has guided musicia...

On this episode, we discuss matters of liturgical formation, both for musicians, as well as for those we serve. Dom Alcuin Reid is the founding Prior of the Monastère Saint-Benoît in the diocese of Fréjus-Toulon, France, and a liturgical scholar of international renown. His principle work, The Organic Development of the Liturgy (Ignatius Press, 2005) carries a preface by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger....

Are you looking for an authentically Catholic curriculum and method for teaching music to children? Something that's practical, fun, and helps children to grow in love of the Church's sacred music? This bonus episode looks at the history of the development of the Ward method, its underlying educational principles, its place in Catholic education, and the experience both of those who learn to teach...

Franz Liszt, haunted by the spectre of God's grace, was never able to fully shake off his Catholic faith. Our guest, Dr. Jay Hershberger, the president of the American Liszt Society, shares with us a Catholic portrait of the pianist and composer's life, highlighting his story of conversion, his later years in fervent practice of his faith, his compositions about various Catholic topics and music f...

An opinion piece published in the New York Times on May 8, 2020, entitled " Christianity Gets Weird ," highlights for readers the attraction of beauty and mystery for the young, and how that attraction leads to an embrace of the Faith, even in spite of (perhaps because of!) the countercultural nature of it all. This interview with Fr. Gaurav Shroff, a priest of the archdiocese of Atlanta, is likew...

Our first-ever bonus episode—outside our normal publication schedule and a more extended conversation than our normal episodes—features a conversation with Dr. Timothy McDonnell of Catholic University in America. Looking at the near-term future of music making in the Church, our conversation presents music directors with ideas that they can implement to improve their skills in conducting, vocal pe...

Join us for an episode which sets the stage for a deeper understanding of the principles in Pope Pius X's 1903 motu proprio  Tra le Sollecitudini . We'll take a look at the musical scene in which the motu proprio appeared and the evolution of the document, as well as provide an overview of the structure and decrees of the document. Our guest is Dr. Susan Treacy, a convert to the Catholic faith, an...

How did medieval monks create illuminated manuscripts? What's behind the symbolism in all their visual elements? Why were they an important part of the monk's life and work? What do they have to do with my prayer life and understanding of sacred music now? Find out the answers to these and other questions in this episode with Mrs. Elizabeth Lemme of Pelican Printery House as she shares with us a l...

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a Catholic musician under the reigns of King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I? Are you interested in learning more about what makes Tudor era polyphony tick, or how Byrd's music evolved throughout his life? Take a deep dive on the music and life of composer William Byrd with our guest, renowned expert on these topics, Dr. Kerry McCarthy.   Read Dr. McC...