“Sing as if you’re ready for battle”: Gregorian chant workshop in Kelowna, BC

Text and photos courtesy of Joseph Donnelly

The Latin Mass Society of Kelowna in British Columbia, Canada, recently hosted a three-day Gregorian Chant Workshop taught by Mark Emerson Donnelly, Choir and Schola Director at Holy Family Parish in Vancouver, BC (and anthem singer for the Vancouver Canucks). The workshop took place on July 18-20 and provided an introduction to Gregorian chant, with an emphasis on singing and rehearsal technique.

Mr. Donnelly taught the fledgling schola the proper chants for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15, in preparation for their upcoming Missa Canata, or “Sung Mass,” which will be celebrated by Fr. Cerlouie Jimenez, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Kelowna, where the workshop took place. The choir also learned Mass XI (the Mass Ordinary most often used for the time after Pentecost) and the Ave Maria and Ave verum chants.

“The chant melodies go beyond what the words can express on their own. If not, then we would simply recite the text,” said Mark, who follows the Solesmes chant method, which was endorsed by St. Pius X for use by the Universal Church. Throughout the workshop, he made it clear that not only should we sing chant but we should also sing it properly and to the best of our ability. “Don’t sing chant as if you were on your deathbed; sing it as if you’re ready to go to battle!” He introduced the enthusiastic group to what he calls “The 5 Steps to Gregorian Chant Performance,” which he has used with great success over his forty years of experience with chant. (A video outlining and demonstrating The 5 Steps is in production and will be posted on the VocalArt.ca YouTube channel soon. Stay tuned!)

The 5 Steps to Gregorian Chant Performance are:

• Solfege/Solfeggio/Do-Re-Mi
• Counting
• Metering
• Phrase Expression
• Total Expression

With counting and metering, Mark especially emphasized the rhythm of the chant, which he said is often neglected. “Rhythm is what gives you the confidence to sing the chant, particularly when to start each phrase. Without a clear rhythm, your choir or congregation will always be relying on the strongest singer to begin, and thus, they will always be late, or will not sing at all!” Donnelly and Tony Serka, LMSK music director, observed that once the group understood the rhythm of the Ave Maria, they all sang out with much more confidence. According to Mark, “Rhythm is king when it comes to unity of performance!”

Mark also praised the Church Music Association of America for its online resources, particularly Mass and Vespers with Gregorian Chant, a 1957 publication that includes English translations of all the proper chants of the Mass. He would welcome a reprint of this invaluable tool.

The last day of the workshop opened with a 9:00 a.m. Ordinary Form Mass celebrated by Fr. Jimenez. The altar cross and candles were in the Benedictine arrangement. The Offertory prayers were said in silence. The Per ipsum and Pater noster were chanted in Latin. At the Offertory, the workshop attendees sang the Ave Maria. Mark and Tony, together with Matthew Palmer, another parishioner of Holy Family, sang the Ave verum at Communion. (Mr. Palmer was in Kelowna teaching Fr. Jimenez and a fellow priest how to celebrate the Extraordinary Form.)

Mark Emerson Donnelly is choir and schola director for Holy Family Parish in Vancouver, an apostolate of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Petere. He has been a professional singer and conductor for almost 40 years and has arranged and composed many hymns, motets, Masses, and secular songs.He will be teaching the professional group at the 2019 BC Sacred Music Symposium in Aldergrove in August. He is also the acclaimed anthem singer for the Vancouver Canucks who is also known for having had a little accident at a hockey game a few years ago. Mark’s compositions include Pater Noster, Ave Maria, Missa “Sicut cervus” Kyrie, and The Highwayman. Visit Mark’s website and support his work on WonderWe!

The Latin Mass Society of Kelowna is a chapter of Una Voce Canada. His Excellency Gregory J. Bittman, Bishop of Nelson, recently granted permission to the society to have a weekly Extraordinary Form Mass in response to the society’s June 2018 petition – a very speedy pastoral response considering the length of time this process usually takes. Bishop Bittman will be in choir at the society’s Sung Mass for the Assumption. The society had its first Sunday Extraordinary Form Mass on July 7 at Immaculate Conception Church. Fr. Edwin Neufeld, a diocesan priest, has been appointed to say the Masses. Fr. Ralph Oballo, FSSP, who was ordained for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter on May 24, celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving at Immaculate Conception this past June.