

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

Sep 12, 2020 • 45min
SE03 EP01 – Sanctity, Beauty, and Universality in Modern Sacred Music – with Sir James MacMillan
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' website for more information about Sir James and his works: https://www.boosey.com/composer/James+MacMillan.

Jun 30, 2020 • 23min
SE02 EP18 – 7000+ Hours of Gregorian Chant – Behind the Scenes at the Neumz Project – with John Anderson & Alberto Díaz-Blanco
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 of the main figures behind the project, John Anderson and Alberto Díaz-Blanco. Check out Neumz at their website: https://neumz.com Correction for this episode: while Andy Bloomfield spent time in the abbey of Fontgombault, it was his brother Benjamin that developed the GABC chant tools.

Jun 30, 2020 • 33min
SE02 EP19 – Where Do I Start? A Pastoral Plan for Changing a Parish Music Program - with Dr. Mary Jane Ballou
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 a prudent and positive manner? Dr. Mary Jane Ballou joins us to discuss these and related questions. Dr. Ballou is Music Director at an Ordinariate parish in formation in Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to conducting and performing, Dr. Ballou is a regular contributor to the Sacred Music journal of the Church Music Association of America (CMAA) on the practical aspects of choir/schola training and management, and is a member of the CMAA’s group blog, The Chant Café. Dr. Mary Jane Ballou's Website Sacred Music Journal Chant Cafe Blog

Jun 7, 2020 • 26min
SE02 EP17 – Sacred Music as a Vital Part of Parish Life and Fellowship – Roundtable with Mary Ann Carr Wilson, Charles Cole, and Fr. Robert Pasley
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://musicasacra.com

Jun 5, 2020 • 33min
Bonus Episode 5 – Introduction to the Organ for Pianists – with Dr. Crista Miller
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 2020 online class at St. Joseph's Seminary, click here: https://jenniferdonelson.com/classes To register, click here: https://www.dunwoodie.edu/dunwoodie-music-classes For the list of repertoire Dr. Miller recommends, click here: https://sacredmusicpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Practical-Beginning-Repertoire-Collections-for-Organists.pdf For more information about Dr. Miller, check out her bio here: https://www.sacredhearthouston.org/dr-crista-miller-1 The co-cathedral's YouTube page is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4N4fjBNP595MgpsgIiqWQw Or on SoundCloud here: https://soundcloud.com/user-545548420 Dr. Crista Miller's personal SoundCloud page has some great recordings and interviews she's given: https://soundcloud.com/cordenuit8

May 30, 2020 • 18min
Bonus Episode 4 – 40+ (Mostly Free) Resources for Making Excellent Sacred Music in a Time of Restrictions
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 link to all the resources mentioned in the episode and more, click here: https://sacredmusicpodcast.com/resources

May 26, 2020 • 35min
BONUS Episode 3 – The Top 5 Misconceptions about Music at Mass (Part I: nos. 1 and 2) – with Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka
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 musicians in building up the treasury of sacred music, and spend some time on insights from Church documents. For more information about the Summer 2020 online class taught by Dr. Donelson-Nowicka at St. Joseph's Seminary, "Principles of Sacred Music," click here: https://sacredmusicpodcast.com/upcoming-events. To register, or for an FAQ about sacred music study at Dunwoodie, click here: https://www.dunwoodie.edu/dunwoodie-music-classes.

May 24, 2020 • 29min
SE02 EP16 – “Lord, Teach Us to Pray:” The Spiritual Fruits of Obedience in Matters Liturgical – with Dom Alcuin Reid, OSB
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. Dom Alcuin's Address at the 2019 Sacred Music Colloquium is available here: https://sacredmusicpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Reid-Article.pdf Monastère Saint-Benoît website: https://www.msb-lgf.org/ Monastère Saint-Benoît Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Monastere-Saint-Benoit-816333008482594/

May 22, 2020 • 37min
Bonus Episode 2 – Teaching Gregorian Chant to Children: A Look at the Ward Method
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 with the method, as well as that of children who learn music using the method. Our guest is Mr. Kevin Collins, an NYC actor and father. More information about the July 20–24, 2020 class "Teaching Gregorian Chant to Children," taught live over Zoom through St. Joseph's Seminary is available here: https://sacredmusicpodcast.com/upcoming-events. Registration and an FAQ are available here: www.dunwoodie.edu/dunwoodie-music-classes. The printable book of litanies mentioned at the end of the episode is available here: http://jenniferdonelson.com/sacred-music-resources.

May 17, 2020 • 34min
SE02 EP15 – A Catholic Portrait of Abbé Franz Liszt – with Dr. Jay Hershberger
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 for the liturgy, and even about his non-musical writings about the theological issues of the day. Dr. Alan Walker's 3-part biography of Liszt is available here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/241476/franz-liszt-volume-1-by-alan-walker/ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/184865/franz-liszt-volume-2-by-alan-walker/ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/184864/franz-liszt-volume-3-by-alan-walker/ Check out the American Liszt Society here: http://americanlisztsociety.net Dr. Hershberger's faculty page at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN is available here: https://www.concordiacollege.edu/directories/faculty-staff/details/dr-jay-a-hershberger/