Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast
Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast
You’ve got questions about sacred music? Here’s your chance to learn what the Church teaches and envisions for music in the sacred liturgy.
Welcome to Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast with your host Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka. We address topics of interest both to priests and liturgical musicians, as well as a general audience of Catholics interested in learning more about the Catholic Church’s teachings and treasury of sacred music. Our topics range from discussion of Church documents on sacred music, to the music of certain composers or eras, Gregorian chant, the role of music in Catholic education, and techniques for directing a better choir rehearsal. We’ll interview bishops, priests, music directors, composers, teachers, philosophers, and theologians. We’ll talk to people who found a home in the Catholic Church because they heard the call of Christ in the Church’s sacred music. We’ll ask questions about how really great music programs are doing their work. We’ll introduce you to Catholics who love their faith and, through sacred music, offer all their efforts for his glory and the sanctification of all who hear them.
We aim for our podcast to be thoughtful, encouraging, and informative. We hope, too, that it will inspire and motivate you to work for the renewal of authentic beauty in sacred music—whether you’re a working church musician or an average Catholic in the pews wondering what’s going on. With the prayers of our patronesses, Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom and Saint Elisabeth of the Trinity, we hope to help draw souls to Christ through the beauty of the Church’s sacred music.
Square Notes is the official podcast of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music. http://catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org/
Welcome to Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast with your host Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka. We address topics of interest both to priests and liturgical musicians, as well as a general audience of Catholics interested in learning more about the Catholic Church’s teachings and treasury of sacred music. Our topics range from discussion of Church documents on sacred music, to the music of certain composers or eras, Gregorian chant, the role of music in Catholic education, and techniques for directing a better choir rehearsal. We’ll interview bishops, priests, music directors, composers, teachers, philosophers, and theologians. We’ll talk to people who found a home in the Catholic Church because they heard the call of Christ in the Church’s sacred music. We’ll ask questions about how really great music programs are doing their work. We’ll introduce you to Catholics who love their faith and, through sacred music, offer all their efforts for his glory and the sanctification of all who hear them.
We aim for our podcast to be thoughtful, encouraging, and informative. We hope, too, that it will inspire and motivate you to work for the renewal of authentic beauty in sacred music—whether you’re a working church musician or an average Catholic in the pews wondering what’s going on. With the prayers of our patronesses, Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom and Saint Elisabeth of the Trinity, we hope to help draw souls to Christ through the beauty of the Church’s sacred music.
Square Notes is the official podcast of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music. http://catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org/
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 25, 2023 • 24min
SE05 EP15 - All about Rogation Days - with Dr. Michael Foley
Coming to you on April 25th, the Major Rogation Day, we're joined on this episode by Dr. Michael Foley, professor of patristics at Baylor University, to look at the origins of Rogation Days, as well as their meaning, liturgical and paraliturgical observances, and significance in our lives today. Check out Dr. Foley's books here: https://michaelpfoley.info/my-writings Learn more about the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music's summer course, "History of the Roman Rite," July 24 to 28 here: https://catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org/
Apr 5, 2023 • 46min
SE05 EP14 - Sanctifying Time: The Hours of the Divine Office through the Day and through the Liturgical Year - with Dr. William Mahrt
In the midst of Holy Week, we invite you to join Dr. William Mahrt (Stanford) for a tour in time through the lens of the Divine Office. We discuss theological thoughts on time by St. Augustine, natural vs. supernatural senses of time, the structure of the Divine Office throughout the course of one day, and the different intersecting cycles which make up the liturgical year. To learn more about this topic, check out Dr. Mahrt's summer 2023 advanced seminar on Chants of the Divine Office: https://catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org/.
Apr 1, 2023 • 52min
SE05 EP13 - Becoming a Sacrifice of Praise: Advice for Choral Directors for Pursuing Musical Excellence & Developing a Polyphonic Repertoire in Parish Choirs - with Christopher Berry
Looking for fresh ideas about how to take your parish choir to the next level, developing a repertoire of well-prepared polyphonic motets and ordinaries, helping your singers develop their technique and musicianship, and integrate it all into the bigger spiritual picture of the offering of one's very self united to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross? Prof. Christopher Berry of St. Stanislaus Oratory in Milwaukee tackles all these topics, with advice about warm-ups, how to get through a bunch of repertoire with limited rehearsal time, and which motets and masses to start with. To learn more about or apply for this summer's Choral Institute at the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music, please visit: https://catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org/.
Mar 27, 2023 • 52min
SE05 Bonus 1 - The Role of Beauty and the Church's Sacred Music in the Spiritual Life, Intro to the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music - with Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka
We've combined two episodes here of another podcast, A Culture of Beauty with host Sequoia Sierra, in which our host, Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka was interviewed. She's talks a little bit about her experience of growing up Catholic and discovering the Church's teachings on music later in life, discusses some key concepts about that teaching and about beauty that she finds effective in helping other Catholics see the role of these things in the spiritual life, and gives an overview of the mission and offerings of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music. Learn more about the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music here: https://catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org/
Mar 23, 2023 • 42min
SE05 EP12 - The Lives and Musical Education of Child Oblates in Medieval Monasteries - with Dr. Susan Boynton
The medieval practice of the giving of children as oblates to monasteries affords valuable insights into education during the Middle Ages, as well as into the development of pedagogical techniques for teaching the liturgy, Latin, and sacred music to children. Join us for an episode in which Dr. Susan Boynton, Professor of Historical Musicology and Director of Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Columbia University, helps us understand the lives and place of children in medieval monasteries, what they sang in liturgies, and how they learned to sing this repertoire. The conversation also develops into a look at the training of children in cathedral schools. For more information about Dr. Boynton, see: https://music.columbia.edu/bios/susan-boynton To buy the book Young Choristers, 650–1700, a book co-edited by Dr. Boynton, visit: https://boydellandbrewer.com/9781843834137/young-choristers-650-1700/ For more information about the History and Principles of Sacred Music course being offered this summer at the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music, please visit: https://catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org/
Mar 16, 2023 • 43min
SE05 EP11 - Lessons from Mary Berry on Persevering & Loving Gregorian Chant in the Midst of Trials - with Christopher Hodkinson
The remarkable life and work of Mary Berry is inspirational, especially for those experiencing trials or hardships as they work to promote the Church's own vision for Her sacred music. She offers lessons in persevering in one's vocation in the face of challenging circumstances, and the holiness that can and ought to flow from a life of scholarship, singing, and teaching of Gregorian chant. This interview with a former director of Mary's ensemble, the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge, shares with us some of these lessons we can take away from her life's story and legacy. To learn more about the course History and Principles of Sacred Music offered this summer at the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music at St. Patrick's Seminary, please visit: https://catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org/
Mar 12, 2023 • 40min
SE05 EP10 - Teaching Gregorian Chant to Young People: The Canticle Apostolate - with Mary Ann Carr Wilson
Maybe you've thought about hosting a Chant Camp at your parish, or you're looking for ways to keep your young singers engaged as they grow up in the children's choir. The work of Mary Ann Carr Wilson and her apostolate Canticle is inspiring in the way it models catechesis through teaching chant, musical development, and the cultivation of student leaders. Join Mrs. Wilson for an episode in which she shares the story of her own learning and her work in teaching the Church's music to young people in San Diego. Learn more about Canticle here: https://canticle.net/ Check out the summer courses of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music here: https://catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org/ Sign up for a spot in the free information session about the Ward method here: http://wardmethod.eventbrite.com
Mar 3, 2023 • 28min
SE05 EP09 - Organ Improvisation, Hymn Tune Introits, and Cathedral Choir Schools - with Dr. Christoph Tietze
The long and impressive career of Dr. Christoph Tietze, Director of Music at St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco, makes for an interview that covers a lot of ground, including helpful tips for improving one's improvisation skills, steps to take if you're thinking about building a choir school, and an overview of his project on creating a collection of introits for congregational singing. To learn more about Dr. Tietze and his work at the cathedral, visit: https://smcsf.org/ Find out more about the St. Mary’s Cathedral Choir School at St. Brigid School here: https://sfchoirschool.org If you're interested in Dr. Tietze's Organ Improvisation Seminar this summer with the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music, you can learn more here: https://catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org/
Feb 27, 2023 • 42min
SE05 EP08 - Mocquereau’s “Classical Solesmes” School of Singing Chant: Understanding the Arguments about the Rhythm of Gregorian Chant – with Prof. Charles Weaver
Questions about how to sing Gregorian chant can get a little thorny when people who love the chant and have a lot of experience singing it get together. For a newcomer to chant, these questions can seem irrelevant or overwhelming, especially when it's not clear what people are so passionately discussing. In this interview with Prof. Charles Weaver (Juilliard), we break down the basics of one of the main school of chant performance practice, the "classical Solesmes" school established by Dom André Mocquereau. We look at the big questions Mocquereau was trying to answer, the role of the text and accents in the "classical Solesmes" school, and understanding the 2's and 3's within the context of the overall structure of a piece of chant, what Mocquereau calls the "greater rhythm." To learn more about Prof. Weaver’s work, please visit: https://www.juilliard.edu/music/faculty/weaver-charles To apply for Prof. Weaver's summer course at the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music, visit the Institute's website at: https://catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org/
Feb 10, 2023 • 37min
SE05 EP07 - The Impact of the Council of Trent on Composers: The Case of Juan de Esquivel - with Dr. Michael O'Connor
What was it like for a Renaissance-era composer to navigate the liturgical changes of an ecumenical council, and to have a theological outlook on Our Lady's Immaculate Conception (later vindicated as the Church's own view) that was different from that of his episcopal employer? We look at these questions, and hear about the adventurous and interesting life of lesser-known composer Juan de Esquivel in this episode with Dr. Michael O'Connor. Learn more about Dr. O'Connor here: https://www.pba.edu/directory/o-connor-michael.html Read some of Dr. O'Connor's articles here: https://pba.academia.edu/MichaelOConnor Check out summer classes at the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music here: https://catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org/
