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I am a Byzantine Catholic who also serves as an organist in a Roman Rite Parish. Someone (probably the parish office) has registered me as a member of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NAPM). NAPM has a special interest section called "Eastern Church Musicians." I have very little interest in NAPM because I have heard it is the organization chiefly responsible for promoting trashy music in the Roman Rite. Does anyone have any experience with the Eastern Church Musicians section? I also work with a choir in our Byzantine Mission. Would the Eastern Musicians section of NAPM provide information that would be useful in improving the music in the Divine Liturgy? Or does NAPM have a negative influence on Byzantine music? I would appreciate all the information that any of you could provide.
If you have had experiences that you don't want to post publicly, please feel free to reply by private message.
thanks,
Charles
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Charles,
The Eastern Churches section of the NAPM has held a number of sessions for cantors. They have been taught by people well qualified to teach the music of the specific Church Traditions addressed. Most of the Ruthenian tracks were organized & taught by Prof. J. Michael Thompson, who teaches at the Seminary of St. Cyril & Methodius in Pittsburgh, and also leads the Metropolitan Cantor Institute.
The NAPM does NOT have input into the Byzantine Liturgy, beyond any educational benefits which individual cantors might obtain. The Intereparchial Liturgical Commission is responsible for liturgical development for Byzanteen Catholics in the US.
Are any of the folks from your area attending the Metropolitan Cantor Institute? It is not limited to just Pittsburghers. There have been several out-of-state folks (like me) participating since its inception - the school is MOST welcoming.
Sharon
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Thanks, Sharon. I am aware of the cantor institute. As I mentioned, I am an organist with a degree in organ, but I am not really a singer. I keep hoping God will bless us with a truly good singer who could be sent to the institute - He hasn't done so, yet! We have a couple of singers whose voices could only be improved by taking them into the parking lot and shooting them  Have you noticed that the worst singers are often the loudest ones, too? Someone who actually sings well could apply the learning much better than I could. I can teach how to sing, but I can't really do it myself. Thanks, again for the NAPM information.
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God eventually provides... You're most welcome. To be quite honest the NAPM is largely irrelevant to Byzantine Catholics except for the Eastern Churches section. Sharon (who will carefully avoid mentioning that she has a really BIG voice  ) Sharon Mech, SFO Cantor, Mezzo Soprano & sinner sharon@cmhc.com Sharon
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Hi,
If you would like to get into a very good musical list subscribe to typikon@yahoogroups.com They are very authentic in their music and discussions and several to the top Byzantine composers of today are on the list.
Rose
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Sharon,
Can you post a sample syllabus for what takes place at the Metropolitan Cantor Institute? I, for one, would have no idea as to what kind of things are taught. On a sliding scale, where one end is pure vocal technique, and the other end is a purely practical "How to juggle five bookmarks in three separate books while improvising a tone to a grammatical convoluted text and still finding a free hand to pull your hair out", where would you place the instruction received at the Institute?
-- Ed Klages
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Sharon's absolutely right, you'll get a lot more out of J. Michael Thompson at a cantor's institute than the NAPM. He also helps out at one of our Ukrainian parishes in Chicago occasionally and he is one of the "Cantors Five" with Joe Roll and the brothers Galadza putting an instructional book and CD together for English settings of the Divine Liturgy in Ukrainian Catholic chant styles (Galician and Kyivan). I believe he also leads the Schola Cantorum at St. Peter's in the Loop in Chicago.
[ 07-09-2002: Message edited by: Diak ]
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A truly, truly beautiful voice, as I remember from one of the Orientale Lumen conferences, was it the first or the second? Your parish is so fortunate to have you cantoring there. Vicki Sharon (who will carefully avoid mentioning that she has a really BIG voice ) Sharon Mech, SFO Cantor, Mezzo Soprano & sinner sharon@cmhc.com Sharon[/QB][/QUOTE]
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John Member
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Charles,
I have been publishing liturgical music for use in the Byzantine liturgy for almost 20 years. This collection of music for the Divine Liturgy, Vespers and Matins (along with a few Molebens, etc.) is used in the majority of our parishes and has the official blessing of Bishop Andrew of Passaic. The most used publications are the handouts containing written arrangements of the changeable texts of the Divine Liturgy (for Sundays and feast days) and the Vesper books (for Saturday evenings and feast days). I also have a number of other projects currently in progress. I do not charge for these materials beyond the cost of printing and mailing. I would be happy to provide you (and anyone else who is interested) with a selection of the music for your consideration.
Administrator
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And a rousing "HEAR! HEAR!" for your efforts. People sing SOOOOOO much better when they have music in their hands - even folks who don't really read music. I think I speak for a lot of folks in saying that your music inserts have done more for the quality of congregational participation in many of our parishes than anything arising (yet) from "official" sources.
Ed,
If you send an email to chantermt@aol.com I'm sure that Prof. Thompson would be more than pleased to tell you what is planned for the coming term. The school has tried to strike a balance of emphases - the major areas are actual repetoire (such as Samohlasen tones, etc.) voice building (singing technique) basic music theory, and the spiritual basis of what we are doing. Each session begins with Divine Liturgy and ends with Vespers. Come join us!
Vicki, Tank ya tank ya, but I've never actually made it to Orientale Lumen yet. I once visited Registration for a couple hours, (I was visiting relatives in DC) but haven't ever attended sessions. Some day, I hope. So where HAVE we run into each other? (scratching head)
Sharon
Sharon Mech, SFO
Cantor & sinner
sharon@cmhc.com
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