Sing the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Latin!
What you'll learn
- Discover 'Hours" and how they can be spaced throughout your day
- Master Psalm Tones - sing any psalm!
- Sing all the Hymns of the Little Office
- Common postures employed in singing the Office together
- Build your Latin Vocabulary
- Practice your Solfege
- Learn to read "square notes" or "neumes"
Requirements
- Awareness of Pitch (the difference between high sounds and low sounds)
- Awareness of the existence of the Latin Language
Description
People have been singing King David's Psalms for millennia. In early Christian times, monks would memorise all 150 Psalms and chant them every day. Benedict of Nursia arranged the Psalms into a schedule spread over a week. Gradually hymns and prayers were added, giving rise to what we now call the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours.
The full Office was rather onerous, so in Medieval times a smaller schedule arose, designed to be manageable for people with day jobs and families as well as being shorter to copy out and memorise. This was placed under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is venerated as the spiritual mother of all Christians, stemming from Jesus' words on the cross, entrusting her to the care of the Beloved Apostle, John.
The Gregorian Chant could date back to Jewish chant - there isn't much documentation, as the notation of chant came about later. The tunes are highly esteemed and there are even tales of the music being responsible for monks being able to live such austere lives.
Many people save time by just reciting or reading the Office, but singing parts really brings it alive. Even singing parts of it can really brighten your day.
Who this course is for:
- Fans of the Mother of God
- Christians looking for an easier version of the Divine Office
- Re-enactors interested in Medieval Devotions
- Families looking to soak their children in daily sessions of Gregorian chant
Instructor
- 4.9 Instructor Rating
- 122 Reviews
- 426 Students
- 1 Course
My formal training was in Electrical Engineering, graduating in 2001. Around that time I married and then had children, passing on to them my love of music and technical details.
The Engineering degree introduced me to an arcane typesetting system called TeX, which turned out to be useful for typing up Gregorian chant. Soon I ended up typing music for different groups and thereby learning much about Gregorian chant.
Since then I have worked to spread Gregorian chant amongst friends and family. With all the personal preferences that go into musical taste, I find Gregorian chant seems to transcend boundaries and help bring people together. The time I put into writing, teaching face to face, managing choirs, assembling books and videos will hopefully make the world a better place through music.
There is still a long way to go to bring the riches of Gregorian chant to all those who could benefit from its uplifting beauty.
I also enjoy knitting, sewing and singing and playing more ridiculous music.