A Guide to Gregorian Chant

A new Gregorian Chant CD has been released to help average parishioners, choir directors and choir members, and music teachers and their students learn some of the basic chants of the Church.

The Diocese of Arlington has played a significant role, at the grassroots level, in the recovery of the sacred in Catholic worship. Many parishes are long acclamated to the singing of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, as called for (whether certain people believe it or not) by the Second Vatican Council. It is also increasingly common for celebrants to chant certain portions of the Mass that were heretofore spoken, even in situations with music. This would include the orations (collect, prayer over the gifts, postcommunion prayer) and the Preface Dialog.

The CD was first developed as part of a workshop for music teachers in the Arlington Diocese to assist them with teaching chant in their classrooms. Many of them have found it very helpful to have a resource that provides spoken pronunciation tracks, as well as the sung chants. The accompanying CD booklet also lists keywords (words in English that are related to the Latin words used in the chants) and the lyrics and translations of the twenty-five chants on the CD. The CD was developed by Rosemary Reninger, the music director for St Veronica Catholic Church in Chantilly, Virginia, who was also the music teacher for the parish school during its first two years.

A Guide to Gregorian Chant is designed especially for parochial schools, CCD classes, and home schooling families. Selections were tailored to specific needs, and allowing for degree of difficulty. So while the Gloria is not included, as it is not usually sung on a school day, Veni Creator Spiritus is, as preparation for the Rite of Confirmation. There are also other seasonal chants for use throughout the year. The result is an affordable resource with a proven record of success.

The CD is available at http://store.stveronica.net. The description lists the chants included on the CD, along with a sample track. While it costs $21.95 for those not in the parish boundaries, there is a 30% discount for CMAA members. To receive the discount, register to use the store and e-mail rreninger at stveronica dot net to have your membership status changed to CMAA member (otherwise, you will see the out-of-parish price). Funds from the project benefit the music program at St Veronica Catholic Church (http://www2.stveronica.net).
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