Chant Workshop

I went to the Chant Workshop at Lancaster Cathedral last Saturday. It was run by Nick Gale and was inspirational.

In particular his approach to rhythmic interpretation (tearing up the old rules about, for example, the quilisma) made a lot of sense.

We worked hard all day, and made considerable progress. Nick's knowledge - and his opinions - were very stimulating and really helped us all to understand better how best to sing this ancient liturgical music.

I was looking forward to hearing how the Schola - who were nearly all there - would perform the next day; but I have to say it was a bit disappointing: the Asperges, for example, proved to be an interesting mix, with some attempting to sing it the way we had learned the previous day, and others slipping back into autopilot mode. I guess it takes some time to integrate a new approach into your singing, and particularly to break old habits.

So I will look forward to the next sung Mass with interest.