Summer field trip: Last week the University of St. Thomas sent me to a secluded place in woods of New Hampshire, where they give us a box (literally) of books to read then discuss (mostly 4th century church theologians and mystics: Augustine, St. Athanasius, St. Basil, etc). One book was completely in original Greek (eeek). I work at positively the wildest most mediaeval place in world now, which is not a complaint. There is a wealthy blessed Catholic donor who supports the entire thing. God bless his money.
On Wednesday we had a “day off” from the intense reading schedule. A most awesome fellow from Wyoming Catholic College choir came to teach and play for us a sweeping history of church liturgical music from 800 – 1500 ish. Amazing. There was a period in which entire masses were set to the tune of popular songs. E.g, “The saga of the one armed man” a bizzare song which was all the rage in bars across italy, so you have (and he played them for us) these Kyrie’s chanted to tune of another song. My favorite period was during the so-called Musical Big-Bang when polyphony (many voices singing harmony. Think John, Paul and George in “Shake it up Baby” early Beatles) was rediscovered. A composer called Guillaume de Machaut, who was one of the 1st to be allowed to use polyphony in mass (available from iTunes), instead of Gregorian where all singers keep same voice. He takes the mutiple-voice liberation to such exuberant extremes it’s almost comical. But beautiful.
