SE06 EP05 - Tenebrae and the Lamentations of Jeremiah - with James Monti
Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast
Release Date: 03/13/2024
SE08 EP10 - All About Sarum: Ceremonial, Chant, Sources, and Processions from Medieval England - with Dr. Christopher Hodkinson
Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast
Sarum use or rite? Where did it come from? How was it governed? What's unique about the ceremonial? How does the chant sound? What's the deal with all the processions? Can one celebrate the Sarum rite now? Learn all about the medieval English rite in this episode with Dr. Christopher Hodkinson. More information and registration about our Spanish-language online workshops: More information and registration for the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music's Summer Chant Camp for singers ages 8–17:
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SE08 EP09 – Is Beauty a Transcendental, Why Beauty Matters, and Can We Be Wrong About Beauty? Philosophical Questions Every Church Musician Should Consider with Dr. Margaret Hughes
Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast
Join us as we tackle some of the tough questions that inform how church musicians can help their parishioners love the Church's beautiful treasury of sacred music. Dr. Margaret Hughes, a tutor at Thomas Aquinas College in Massachusetts, joins us to discuss whether beauty is something superficial and ultimately distracting from the things that really matter for the Christian, whether beauty is really a transcendental property of being, and whether it's possible to make a wrong judgment about the beauty of a piece of music. RSVP for Dr. Hughes' lecture on Thursday, April 18th here:
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SE08 EP08 - Chant Accompaniment, Organ Building, and Fundraising for Organ Projects - with Dr. Christopher Berry
Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast
Dr. Christopher Berry, Assistant Professor at the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music, joins us to discuss why we should learn to make up our own chant accompaniment, how to determine the course of an organ building project, and how to fundraise for said project. Learn more about Dr. Berry here: Learn more about summer graduate study with Dr. Berry at CISM here:
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SE08 EP07 - Developing Great Vocal Technique for Singing Chant - with Dr. Rosemary Heredos
Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast
Breath support, dynamics, tremulous notes, VIBRATO? How can we best sing the Church's chant with beauty, elegance, reverence, and good technique? Dr. Rosemary Heredos breaks it all down in the context of learning to sing through a semiological approach to chant, navigating working with different teachers, and transitioning to chant from singing opera. Learn more about Dr. Heredos's class, "Advanced Seminar in Gregorian Chant: Vocal Technique and Semiological Performance Practice," June 29 to July 3 here: Applications for non-degree-seeking students remain open until May 1st.
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SE08 EP06 - What Did American Sacred Music Sound Like in the 19th & Early 20th Centuries? A Snapshot from St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York - with Salvatore Basile
Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast
Have you ever wondered how sacred music programs in America were run and what kind of music they sang in the 19th and pre-Vatican II 20th century? Salvatore Basile, author of Fifth Avenue Famous: The Extraordinary Story of Music at St. Patrick's Cathedral, joins us to discuss how sacred music sounded in New York, especially as St. Patrick's. We discuss the impact of Pius X's motu proprio, Tra le Sollecitudini, the influence of operatic music on repertory and choice of voices, the incorporation of chant and polyphony, and the development of the music department from parochial backwater to...
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SE08 EP05 - Lenten Reflection for Church Musicians - with Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast
Join Archbishop Cordileone for a Lenten reflection especially for church musicians and those who love the Church's sacred music. The reflection is followed by the recitation of a scriptural rosary. For more information on other upcoming events at the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music, visit For access to texts to use to pray the scriptural rosary, visit:
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SE08 EP04 - From Chant to Counterpoint: How to Improvise Polyphony - with Dr. Charles Weaver
Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast
Dr. Charles joins us to bridge the gap between monophonic and polyphonic music through the practice of improvising choral music based on chant melodies. We talk about early techniques and how-to treatises from the 9th century, all the way through Baroque fauxbourdon, as well as the changes in notation that these practices prompted, and the composers in whose music one can hear training in these practices. For more information on the class Dr. Weaver is teaching on this practice of improvising polyphony on chant, "cantare super librum," July 27–31 at the Catholic Institute of Sacred...
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SE08 EP03 - The Art of Organ Improvisation: Insights from Martin Baker
Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast
Martin Baker, a distinguished choral conductor and organist, joins us to share insights on his improvisation at the organ, from his time as a young child, through his winning of the Tournemire Prize at the St. Alban's Competition and his time at Westminster Cathedral, through his current work as a concert organist and composer. To learn more and apply for the July 20-24, 2026 Organ Improvisation class Baker is offering at the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music, visit
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SE08 EP02 - From Puebla Cathedral to Today’s Spanish-Speaking Pews: The Legacy of Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla - with Fernando Gil
Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast
Learn about the musical practices, pedagogical processes, maestros de capilla, and composers of Mexico's cathedral in Puebla de los Angeles from Fernando Gil, who directed a schola cantorum there before coming to the United States. Gil, director of music at St. Peter's Cathedral in Kansas City, Kansas, takes us through the masses and villancicos from Padilla, helps us understand the context of missionary Mexico and the colonial styles, and discusses what can be applied to the pastoral context in Spanish-speaking congregations in the United States and Mexico today. To sign up for the...
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SE08 EP01 - Building a Beautiful Homeschool Curriculum for Art and Music - with Elizabeth Lemme
Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast
Join us for this inspiring season opener to discuss curriculum which imprints on the child's senses, mind, and soul a longing for the source of all beauty, God himself. Musician, artist, and homeschooling mom Elizabeth Lemme shares her criteria for evaluating the worthiness of a work of art for study, and her lists of composers and painters that make up the daily fare of her children while she teaches them at her kitchen table. Visit Mrs. Lemme's Etsy shop here: Learn more about the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music's graduate program here: "And therefore, I said, Glaucon, musical...
info_outlineGet ready for Holy Week with an episode about Tenebrae. Frequent author for Magnificat and The Wanderer, as well as multiple books available through Ignatius Press, James Monti, joins us to discuss the structure of Tenebrae, the historical origins of the particular practices surrounding Tenebrae, and the profound meaning in the Lamentations of Jeremiah.
Learn more about the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music: http://catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org/.