Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast

By Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast

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Category: Christianity

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Subscribers: 30
Reviews: 1
Episodes: 122

George S.
 May 11, 2019
This podcast is a real treasure for those who love Beauty and long for it's return to our culture. While I am very much a novice observer of music, this is so high quality that even when geared more toward pros, it's still fascinating.

Description

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/

Episode Date
SE08 EP15 - The Solar Horarium & Monastic Fast According to the Rule of St. Benedict, Plus Praying the Chant & Making Beer - with Fr. Augustine Wilmeth, OSB, Prior at the Benedictine Abbey in Norcia
Jun 29, 2026
SE08 EP14 - Conflict Resolution, Work-Life Balance, and Avoiding Burnout As a Church Musician - with Angela Rosson
Jun 22, 2026
SE08 EP13 - A Masterclass in the Magisterial Compositions and Style of Palestrina - with Thomas Neal
Jun 15, 2026
SE08 EP12 - Caring for Temples of the Holy Spirit: The Busy Church Musician's Guide to Nutrition, Health, and the Immune System - with Dr. Lizbeth Alter
Jun 12, 2026
SE08 EP11 - Learning & Living Gregorian Chant as a Monk - with Fr. Mark Bachmann, OSB, Choirmaster of Clear Creek Abbey
Jun 04, 2026
SE08 EP10 - All About Sarum: Ceremonial, Chant, Sources, and Processions from Medieval England - with Dr. Christopher Hodkinson
Apr 16, 2026
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
Apr 08, 2026
SE08 EP08 - Chant Accompaniment, Organ Building, and Fundraising for Organ Projects - with Dr. Christopher Berry
Mar 26, 2026
SE08 EP07 - Developing Great Vocal Technique for Singing Chant - with Dr. Rosemary Heredos
Mar 24, 2026
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
Mar 20, 2026
SE08 EP05 - Lenten Reflection for Church Musicians - with Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
Mar 18, 2026
SE08 EP04 - From Chant to Counterpoint: How to Improvise Polyphony - with Dr. Charles Weaver
Feb 25, 2026
SE08 EP03 - The Art of Organ Improvisation: Insights from Martin Baker
Feb 21, 2026
SE08 EP02 - From Puebla Cathedral to Today's Spanish-Speaking Pews: The Legacy of Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla - with Fernando Gil
Feb 16, 2026
SE08 EP01 - Building a Beautiful Homeschool Curriculum for Art and Music - with Elizabeth Lemme
Feb 11, 2026
SE07 EP12 - A Feast for Ear and Eye: The Alamire Manuscripts - with Dr. Emily Thelen
May 30, 2025
SE07 EP11 - A Church Musician's Guide to the History of the Pronunciation of Latin - with Dr. John Pepino
Apr 25, 2025
SE07 EP10 - Should Postludes Be Loud? And Other Organ Repertoire Questions for the Catholic Parish Organist - with Prof. Christopher Berry
Apr 23, 2025
SE07 EP09 - Meditating on the Mysteries of the Lives of Mary and Jesus: Music of Heinrich Bieber and Franz Joseph Haydn - with Fiona Hughes
Apr 14, 2025
SE07 EP08 - A Catholic Curriculum: A Model Music Program in a Classical High School - with Dr. Alexis Kutarna
Apr 09, 2025
SE07 EP07 - Is Formality Inauthentic or Insincere? Understanding Excellence in Ars Celebrandi in American Catholic Parishes - with Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
Mar 29, 2025
SE07 EP06 - The Liturgical Compositions and Eucharistic Poetry of St. Thomas Aquinas - with Fr. Innocent Smith, OP
Mar 25, 2025
SE07 EP05 - Short on Singers or Dough? Enter Concertato Motets. - with Dr. Janet Hunt
Mar 10, 2025
SE07 EP04 - When and Why Did Ut Change to Do? And Other Historical Questions about Solfège - with Dr. Charles Weaver
Mar 03, 2025
SE07 EP03 - Singing the Credo: Historical Origins and Development - with Dr. Harrison Russin
Feb 24, 2025
SE07 EP02 - How Did the Parts of the Mass Ordinary Get Arranged into Groups in the Kyriale? with Dr. Andrew Kirkman
Feb 18, 2025
SE07 EP01 - Building a Great School & Parish Sacred Music Program in a Rural Community - with Kelsey LaCour
Feb 12, 2025
SE06 EP17 - The "Viennese" Orchestral Mass and the Work of Johann Michael Haydn - with Dr. Erick Arenas
Jun 19, 2024
SE06 EP16 - Music and the Eucharistic Revival - with Bishop Earl Fernandes
Jun 19, 2024
SE06 EP15 - Medieval Irish Chant: Sources and Liturgical Practice - with Dr. Ann Buckley
Jun 06, 2024
SE06 EP14 - Liberal Arts and Fine Arts: Understanding the Trivium, Quadrivium, and the Place of Music in Catholic Education - with Mark Langley
May 28, 2024
SE06 EP13 - What is Sacred Music, & Why Does It Matter? with Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
May 21, 2024
SE06 EP12 - The Final Flowering of Late Renaissance Venetian Choral Music - with Charles Cole and the London Oratory Schola
May 14, 2024
SE06 EP11 - Sacred Music and the "Sunday Experience" - with Bishop Michael Barber, SJ
May 06, 2024
SE06 EP10 - Integrating Scholarship and Praxis in the Life of the Catholic Singer - with Dr Charles Weaver
Apr 30, 2024
SE06 EP09 - Gregorian Chant and the Art of Memory: Chant Books (Tonaries) and Florilegia - with Dr. Anna Maria Busse Berger
Apr 22, 2024
SE06 EP08 - The Sacramentality of Sound: Bells and Their Place in Catholic Life - with Fr. Christopher Gray and Carl Zimmerman
Apr 15, 2024
SE06 EP07 - Your Questions, Answered: Liturgical Q&A about Sacred Music - with Christopher Carstens
Apr 12, 2024
SE06 EP06 - 3 Warmups, 3 Motets, and 3 Polyphonic Masses Every Choir Should Learn - Choral Institute Preview - with Prof. Christopher Berry
Apr 11, 2024
SE06 EP05 - Tenebrae and the Lamentations of Jeremiah - with James Monti
Mar 13, 2024
SE06 EP04 - Fundraising for an Amazing Sacred Music Program - with Dr. Lucas Tappan
Mar 03, 2024
SE06 EP03 - Marian Chant: The Music of Lady Masses - with Dr. William Mahrt
Feb 27, 2024
SE06 EP02 - It's All Greek to Me (Until It's Latin): The Evolution of Language in the Roman Rite - with Fr. Nicholas Schneider
Feb 25, 2024
SE06 EP01 - Priests and Musicians Working Together: Salaries, Contracts, and All the Practical Stuff - with Michael Olbash
Feb 24, 2024
SE05 EP16 - Charles Tournemire as Liturgical Organist: Improviser & Composer of L'Orgue Mystique with Kevin Faulkner
Apr 27, 2023
SE05 EP15 - All about Rogation Days - with Dr. Michael Foley
Apr 25, 2023
SE05 EP14 - Sanctifying Time: The Hours of the Divine Office through the Day and through the Liturgical Year - with Dr. William Mahrt
Apr 05, 2023
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
Apr 01, 2023
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
Mar 27, 2023
SE05 EP12 - The Lives and Musical Education of Child Oblates in Medieval Monasteries - with Dr. Susan Boynton
Mar 23, 2023
SE05 EP11 - Lessons from Mary Berry on Persevering & Loving Gregorian Chant in the Midst of Trials - with Christopher Hodkinson
Mar 16, 2023
SE05 EP10 - Teaching Gregorian Chant to Young People: The Canticle Apostolate - with Mary Ann Carr Wilson
Mar 12, 2023
SE05 EP09 - Organ Improvisation, Hymn Tune Introits, and Cathedral Choir Schools - with Dr. Christoph Tietze
Mar 03, 2023
SE05 EP08 - Mocquereau's "Classical Solesmes" School of Singing Chant: Understanding the Arguments about the Rhythm of Gregorian Chant – with Prof. Charles Weaver
Feb 27, 2023
SE05 EP07 - The Impact of the Council of Trent on Composers: The Case of Juan de Esquivel - with Dr. Michael O'Connor
Feb 10, 2023
SE05 EP06 - Do College Composition Departments Prepare Composers to Write Sacred Music? The Story of a Composer's Evolution - with Dr. Frank La Rocca
Feb 06, 2023
A Bishop's Guardianship of Beauty and the Liturgy: Reflections on the Liturgical Life of the Ordinariate - with Bishop Steven J. Lopes
Feb 02, 2023
A Musical Offering: Reflections on Improvisation, Inspiration, and Harmony – with Naji Hakim
Dec 26, 2022
Understanding and Preventing Church Musician Burnout – with Dr. Kensley Behel
Dec 10, 2022
The Story of Musical Notation – with Dr. Thomas Forrest Kelly
Dec 04, 2022
Improving Catholic School Masses and Catholic Identity in Education – with Fr. Christopher Smith
Nov 30, 2022
Music of the California Missions: Understanding the Construction of a Vibrant Musical Culture - with Dr. Craig H. Russell
Jun 04, 2022
Paleography, the Semiological Approach to Singing Chant, and the Work of Dom Eugène Cardine – with Dr. Edward Schaefer
May 22, 2022
Olivier Messiaen as Musical Theologian - with Dr. Robert Sholl
May 22, 2022
The Psalms as the Basis for Christian Sung Prayer: Exploring the Four Senses of Scripture in the Divine Office - with Dr. William Mahrt
May 16, 2022
Capturing the Classical Polyphonic Sound: Historical Performance Practice for Parish Choirs - with Charles Weaver
May 12, 2022
New Jobs and Early-Career Church Musicians: Starting Off on the Right Foot - with Sam Rowe
May 08, 2022
The Beuron School of Art: The Invention of a Modern Canon for Liturgical Art - with Emily Sottile
May 06, 2022
Building Your Parish Choir's Repertoire: Great Motets and Helpful Tips - with Dr. Aaron James
May 05, 2022
Secular Music at Mass: Understanding the Use of Worldly Tunes in Renaissance Polyphony - with Dr. Andrew Kirkman
May 02, 2022
Introducing People to Sacred Music: How to Plan a Great Event - with Janet Gorbitz
Apr 27, 2022
What Does "Pastoral" Mean? Leadership and Service in Sacred Music with Archbishop Salvatore J Cordileone
Apr 21, 2022
SE03 EP14 – Historical Notation, and the Link between Meaning and Notation in Sacred Music – with Charles Weaver
May 31, 2021
SE03 EP13 – Meeting Your Spouse in Choir, Weddings, and Babies - with Theresa and Ben Volpe, Sam and Lauren Rowe, and Drs. Jacek and Jennifer Nowiccy
May 30, 2021
SE03 EP12 – Saint Juan de Ribera, Devotion to the Eucharist, and the Importance of Prayer in Liturgical and Musical Renewal – with James Monti
May 03, 2021
SE03 EP11 – The Origins of Gregorian Chant: The Roman Schola Cantorum and Old Roman Chant – with Dr. Joseph Dyer
May 02, 2021
SE03 EP10 – Sergei Rachmaninoff and the Sounds of Russian Orthodoxy – with Dr. Richard Fountain
Apr 18, 2021
SE03 EP09 - Liturgical Changes in Tudor England: Thomas Tallis' Stable Position – with Dr. Kerry McCarthy
Apr 17, 2021
SE03 EP08 – Pius X School of Liturgical Music: A Snapshot of Sacred Music Education in America – with Dr. Francis Brancaleone
Apr 10, 2021
SE03 EP07 - Modality in Gregorian Chant - with Dr. William Mahrt
Mar 27, 2021
SE03 EP06 – Dominican Chant – with Fr. Innocent Smith, O.P.
Dec 24, 2020
SE03 EP05 – Swimming the Thames and the Tiber – with Dr. Jay Hershberger
Dec 12, 2020
SE03 EP04 – Music of the Ordinariate – with Fr. James Bradley
Dec 05, 2020
SE03 EP03 – Motets – with Dr. Aaron James
Nov 29, 2020
SE03 EP02 - Growing up Catholic in China and Musical Life in the Church in China – with His Eminence Joseph Cardinal Zen
Nov 25, 2020
SE03 EP01 – Sanctity, Beauty, and Universality in Modern Sacred Music – with Sir James MacMillan
Sep 12, 2020
SE02 EP18 – 7000+ Hours of Gregorian Chant – Behind the Scenes at the Neumz Project – with John Anderson & Alberto Díaz-Blanco
Jun 30, 2020
SE02 EP19 – Where Do I Start? A Pastoral Plan for Changing a Parish Music Program - with Dr. Mary Jane Ballou
Jun 30, 2020
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
Jun 07, 2020
Bonus Episode 5 – Introduction to the Organ for Pianists – with Dr. Crista Miller
Jun 05, 2020
Bonus Episode 4 – 40+ (Mostly Free) Resources for Making Excellent Sacred Music in a Time of Restrictions
May 30, 2020
BONUS Episode 3 – The Top 5 Misconceptions about Music at Mass (Part I: nos. 1 and 2) – with Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka
May 26, 2020
SE02 EP16 – "Lord, Teach Us to Pray:" The Spiritual Fruits of Obedience in Matters Liturgical – with Dom Alcuin Reid, OSB
May 24, 2020
Bonus Episode 2 – Teaching Gregorian Chant to Children: A Look at the Ward Method
May 22, 2020
SE02 EP15 – A Catholic Portrait of Abbé Franz Liszt – with Dr. Jay Hershberger
May 17, 2020
SE02 EP14 – From Ragas to Responsories: A Hindu Becomes a Catholic Priest – with Fr. Gaurav Shroff
May 10, 2020
Bonus Episode 1 – Conducting and Group Vocal Tips for the Parish Music Director – with Dr. Timothy McDonnell
May 08, 2020
SE02 EP13 – Pope Pius X's Motu Proprio on Sacred Music – with Dr. Susan Treacy
May 04, 2020
SE02 EP12 – The Hows and Whys of Illuminated Chant Manuscripts – with Elizabeth Lemme
Apr 27, 2020
SE02 EP11 – William Byrd, English Catholic Composer and Recusant – with Dr. Kerry McCarthy
Apr 19, 2020
SE02 EP10 – Beauty, Reverence, and Whether It's All in the Eye of the Beholder - with Dr. Alice von Hildebrand
Apr 12, 2020
SE02 EP09 – The Music of Notre Dame de Paris: The Organs and Organists through the Centuries – with Olivier Latry
Apr 07, 2020
SE02 EP08 – The Pipe Organ: King of the Instruments – with Dr. Nathan Knutson
Feb 17, 2020
SE02 EP07 – St. Élisabeth of the Trinity as Musician and Spiritual Friend – with Dr. Anthony Lilles
Feb 08, 2020
SE02 EP06 – Understanding Christ in the Psalms – with Dom Benedict Andersen, OSB
Feb 03, 2020
SE02 EP05 - Musical Treasures of the Mozarabic (Hispanic) Rite – with Jim Monti
Dec 22, 2019
SE02 EP04 – The Spiritual Fruits of Singing the Mass for Both Priests and Laity - with Fr. Nathan Cromly, CSJ
Dec 05, 2019
SE02 EP03 – All About St. Cecilia, or When in Rome - with Gregory DiPippo
Nov 30, 2019
SE02 EP02 – The Worship of God: The Heart of the Mission of the Church – Part 2 with His Eminence, Robert Cardinal Sarah
Nov 13, 2019
SE02 EP01 – Sacred Music and Sacred Silence as Powerful Spiritual Medicines – with His Eminence, Robert Cardinal Sarah
Oct 15, 2019
Episode 12 – The Participation of Little Children in the Sacred Liturgy – with Dr. Timothy O'Malley
May 31, 2019
Episode 11 – Developing a Sacred Music Program, St Vincent Ferrer, NYC - with James Wetzel
May 22, 2019
Episode 10 – Teaching Sacred Music in Nigeria - with Fr. Jude Orakwe
May 14, 2019
Episode 9 - Modern Sacred Music - with Kevin Allen
May 06, 2019
Episode 8 – Evangelization and Catechesis through Music: South American Jesuit Missions and Working with Underserved Populations – with Lisa Knutson
Apr 30, 2019
Episode 7 – The Role of Sacred Art in Evangelization and Church Patronage of Art – with Dr. Elizabeth Lev
Apr 18, 2019
Episode 6 – Historical Techniques for Teaching Music to Children – with Charlie Weaver
Apr 08, 2019
Episode 5 – The Spirituality of Gregorian Chant – with Fr. Cassian Folsom, OSB
Mar 31, 2019
Episode 4 – Introduction to Gregorian Chant – with Dr William Mahrt
Mar 24, 2019
Episode 3 – The Role of Sacred Music in Catholic Education – with Charles Cole
Mar 17, 2019
Episode 2 - Beauty and Catholic Culture: a Story of Conversion – with Vida and Josh Hernandez
Mar 11, 2019
Episode 1 - An Archbishop's Reflections on Sacred Music - with Archbishop Alexander K. Sample
Feb 24, 2019