The University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Sacred Music Seminars
Instructor: Mark Scott
General Information about the Church Music Curriculum at UNT
These six seminars are planned to be ongoing with a variety of topics examined each term. The structure is a four-seminar course of study for choral directors and choral director/organists with two additional seminars specifically for organists. (All six seminars are recommended for organists.)
The intent is to present practical knowledge along with an historical understanding of sacred music preparing the participants to administer and direct a successful church music program. This curriculum will not compete with other classes such as choral literature, conducting and organ literature classes but will complement those studies with a substantial repertoire of realistic and practical literature from all musical periods, suitable for volunteer choirs of varying abilities.
Emphasis throughout will be concentrated on practical knowledge rather than academic knowledge. By the end of the fourth seminar (the sixth for organists), the participant will have been presented with a systematic approach to administering and directing a comprehensive church music program. However, each semester’s study is complete in itself for those unable to participate in the entire Church Music Seminar. Each seminar will include study of practical administrative aspects and specific applied musical skills. Part of the curriculum will be tailored to fit the specific configuration of each class. The 3-hour seminar meets once per week, on Fridays, 1:00-4:00 p.m. and the 2-hour seminar for organists meets on Friday from 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Auditors enrolled through the university are welcome to participate in any of these seminars.
Mark Scott, Instructor
(817)924-2687, home (817)927-8411, work (817)343-2929, cell
The University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Sacred Music Seminar I
Spring, 2005
Music in the Church - Practicum
(choral)
Applied Skills
Denominational variants in polity and musical tradition; practical repertoire for Unison, SA, SAB, SATB, 2-part mixed, etc; recruitment and methodology in working with volunteers; working with the pastor(s); working with church committees; working with the organist/accompanist; preparing an annual budget; utilizing the denominational hymnal; introduction to handbells
(This seminar will meet once each week, on Fridays, 1:00-4:00 p.m.)
Primary text: “A Musicians Guide to Church Music” - Joy E. Lawrence and John A. Ferguson
Secondary text: “The Presbyterian Hymnal” - pbsh. 1990 by Westminster/John Knox Press
Tertiary resource: Music planning aids: Thorson & Company, Bemidji, Minnesota
This course will study various model programs including site-based study and guest lecturers as resources permit; denominational variants in history, style, expectation and the function music serves in each. The class will examine high quality, practical choral repertoire, both with recorded examples and choral reading sessions including repertoire lists for different choral configurations: SATB, SAB, SA, Unison, 2-part mixed, etc. Emphasis will be on choosing music with integrity to both text and score and within the realistic ability of a volunteer choir.
This Seminar will examine the mechanics of presenting concerts as well as developing a concert series through the church; the uniqueness of a church music program as opposed to an academic music program; working with volunteers; recruitment and training of volunteer singers and music assistants; planning rehearsals for different ages; assessing the learning curve of various groups; preparing an annual budget; resources for music and equipment; sample contracts; copyright laws; networking through professional memberships; writing a curriculum vitae for a church position; the interview; the pastor(s); diplomacy in dealing with church committees; understanding denominational polity; harmony with the accompanist; working with children and youth choirs; handbells; using the denominational hymnal as a resource.
The University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Sacred Music Seminar II
Fall, 2005
Music in the Church:
GregorianChant , the Protestant Reformation and John Keble
(choral)
1. Historical
Hebrew Testament to the twentieth-century church music including the development of the Lutheran chorale; Oxford Movement and19 th century British hymnody.
2. Applied Skills
Survey of practical choral music for the volunteer choir from the pen of composers falling within the specific periods of this course’s study including polychoral music; practical renaissance choral music; practical choruses from oratorios; practical Bach and Purcell for volunteer choirs; metrical psalms; development of the chorale; 18 th and 19 th century British hymnody; creative ways to utilize a denominational hymnal
(This seminar will meet once each week, on Fridays, 1:00-4:00 p.m.)
Primary text is “The Story of Christian Music” - Andrew Wilson-Dickson
Secondary text: “The Presbyterian Hymnal” - published 1990 by Westminster/John Knox Press
A chronological survey of church music: music in the Hebrew Testament and its influence on music of the early Christian Church; Renaissance and Reformation; development of the Oratorio; influence of Heinrich Schütz and J. S. Bach; the English Restoration; music in the English Chapel Royal; development of the English hymn; music in the courts of Europe; Romantic music; Oxford Movement’s influence on church music; 19 th century revival of excellence in church music.
This seminar is designed for anyone who will be working in church music as (1) choral director or minister of music, (2) choirmaster/organist or (3) organist/accompanist. It includes recorded and printed musical examples, choral reading sessions, repertoire lists aimed at identifying quality choral music from many musical periods, easy to moderate difficulty, and of practical use with volunteer church choirs.
(1) Birth of Christian Music: Music in the Hebrew Testament; Early Church; Western Middle Ages; Monastic Tradition; Later Medieval Developments; Gregorian Chant to Polyphony;
(2) Renaissance and Reformation: Luther; Calvinist Tradition; Reformation in England; Catholic Reformation
(3) The Flowering of Christian Music: Development of the Oratorio; Music of the Lutheran Church; Heinrich Schütz; J. S. Bach; Restoration Music in England; Music of the Chapel Royal; English Congregational Music: the birth of the English Hymn;
(4) The Path Divides: Music in the Courts of Europe; Romantic Movement; Decline of the Lutheran Hymn; Church of England and the Tractarians; 19 th Century Revival
The University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Sacred Music Seminar III
Spring, 2006
Music in the Church:
The larger volunteer Choir; Hymnody in the 20 th and 21 st Centuries
(choral)
1. Historical
Eastern Traditions; African Influence; Music in North America; Development of the Gospel song; 20 th century hymnody; Music in 20 th and 21 st century Europe
2. Applied Skills
Music for the larger volunteer choir, SATB anthems of moderate difficulty including divisi; understanding the Liturgical Year; using a lectionary; efficient rehearsals for different ages; realistic expectations and responsibilities of the organist/accompanist; resources for music and equipment; assessing the learning curve of different groups; introduction to handbells
(This seminar will meet once each week, on Fridays, 1:00-4:00 p.m.)
Primary text: “The Story of Christian Music” - Andrew Wilson-Dickson
Secondary text: “A Musicians Guide to Church Music” - Joy E. Lawrence and John A. Ferguson
Tertiary resource: Music planning aids: Thorson & Company, Bemidji, Minnesota
A survey of church music, chronologically exploring the influence of Eastern Music, African music, North American church music on music in 20 th and 21 st century America, including recorded and printed examples with repertoire lists.
Creative use of the denominational hymnal in the choral program; advanced choral repertoire, specifically for larger volunteer adult SATB choirs capable of singing anthems with 5-8 part divisi, including repertoire lists, recorded examples, and reading sessions aimed at finding quality music of moderate difficulty; how to assess the appropriateness of music for each choir; learn to convey concise, easy to understand instructions to volunteer/amateur singers; how to program appropriate music: liturgically, musically and denominationally; mechanics of an efficient choral rehearsal with various configuration of voices/bells; understanding the liturgical year; planning using the liturgical year; understanding a lectionary; planning using a lectionary; preparing a budget; survey of resources for music and equipment; realistic expectations of the organist/pianist accompanist; an introduction to music writing software. The course will have site-based opportunities to visit various model programs which exist in small to large churches; guest lecturers as funds are available.
(1) Eastern Traditions: Orthodox Churches; Greek Orthodox Church; Russian Orthodox Church; Coptic and Ethiopian Churches; Divided Christianity–East and West
(2) African Traditions: Africa and the influence of Western music; The Independent Churches
(3) Music in North America: Christianity comes to the new World; Africans in America; North and South; Gospel Music: White and Black; USA and the European Classical Tradition; The Charismatic Movement
(4) Music in Twentieth-Century Europe: Roman Catholic music; Bible and the Concert Hall; Vatican II and the Liturgy; Lutheran Musical Revival; Music in Britain; The Popular Stream
The University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Sacred Music Seminar IV
Fall, 2006
Music in the Church - Practicum
(choral)
Applied Skills
Gregorian Chant; Singing the Psalms; 19 th, 20 th and 21 st century British Cathedral choral repertoire; choral music for specific liturgical occasions: Eucharist; Matins, Evensong, Compline; Contrasting Liturgical and Free Church traditions and appropriate music for each
(This seminar will meet once each week, on Fridays, 1:00-4:00 p.m.)
This seminar will study psalm singing from plainsong settings to contemporary methods of singing the psalms. Included will be Gregorian Psalms and learning to read neumismatic psalm notation; the psalm-tone modes; Anglican Chant; metrical psalmody; paraphrased psalmody; responsorial psalmody; antiphonal psalmody; Gelineau Psalmody; and various other ways to sing psalms. We will explore how Gregorian psalmody can be utilized to train any volunteer choir: children, youth and adult, to more carefully listen to each other and sing together more accurately.
The class will study, in-depth, late 19 th, 20 th and 21 st century English Cathedral choral repertoire: how the choir and the organ work together to create this unique genre. We will examine anthems and service settings by Wesley, Stainer, Wood, Ireland, Elgar, Stanford, Parry, Bairstow, Bullock, Vaughan Williams, Darke, Harris, Britten, Howells, Leighton,, Mathias, Joubert, Rutter, Tippett, Willcocks, Weir, and others.
Specific study of Choral Eucharist; Matins and Evensong services and how these liturgies influenced the composition of music from this period, specifically, the prolific number of settings of the morning (Te Deum and Jubilate) and evening (Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis) canticles. In addition to these services, we will study the office of Compline and how to incorporate it into your church music program. There will be recorded examples of music as well as reading sessions with expanded repertoire lists. Emphasis will be given to understanding the appropriate musical stylistic nuances required of this specific repertoire.
The University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Sacred Music Seminar I-ORG
Fall, 2005
Music in the Church - Practicum for Organists
(organists only)
Applied Skills
(Intermediate)
Skills specific to the choirmaster/organist; anthem accompaniment with emphasis on the British Cathedral repertoire; creative hymn playing; modulations and simple improvisation; accompanying various kinds of psalms; appropriate repertoire for weddings and funerals; purchasing an organ; networking through professional organizations
(This seminar will meet once each week, on Fridays, 4:00-6:00 p.m.)
Primary text: “Organ Literature: A Comprehensive Survey” (Vol. 1 & 2) - Corliss Richard Arnold, pbsh. The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1995
Secondary text: “A Directory of Composers for Organ” - John Henderson, pbsh. by John Henderson Publishing, Ltd., available through Organ Historical Society Catalogue
Conducting from the organ console; creative hymn playing; playing orchestral reductions; accompanying various types of psalmody including plainchant; Anglican Chant; metrical psalms; responsorial psalms; antiphonal psalms; and Gelineau psalms. creative registration; anthem accompaniment including accompanying the English Cathedral choral repertoire; planning the choral rehearsal; working relationship with a choral director; working with handbells; working with children’s choirs; simple improvisations; modulations; descants and free accompaniments; resources for music; transposition; descants and free accompaniments; understanding pipe, electronic and blended organs; guiding a church toward the purchase of an organ; introduction to music writing software; sample contracts; copyright laws; repertoire for organ and instruments; appropriate wedding and funeral repertoire; preparing the curriculum vitae; the interview; the audition; networking through professional memberships: American Guild of Organists; Organ Historical Society; The Organ Club of Gt. Britain; The American Choral Directors Association; The Texas Choral Directors Association; diplomacy and church politics.
The University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Sacred Music Seminar II-ORG
Spring, 2006
Music in the Church - Practicum for Organists
(organists only)
Applied Skills
(Advanced)
Organ service music: general and seasonal. Advanced accompanying selecting from more difficult oratorio movements with orchestral reductions for organ-only:
“Christ lag’ (Cantata 4- J.S. Bach); “Mass in G” (Schubert); “The Creation” and “Mass in d-minor” (Haydn); “Grand Mass in c-minor” and “Requiem” (Mozart); “A German Requiem” (Brahms); “Requiem” ( Faure); “St. Paul” and “Elijah” (Mendelssohn); “Dream of Gerontius” ( Elgar); “Dona Nobis Pacem” (Vaughan Williams); “Requiem” ( Durufle); “ Belshazzar’s Feast” (Walton); “Requiem” (Andrew Lloyd Webber); “ Chichester Psalms” (Bernstein); “Rejoice in the Lamb” ( Britten); “The Testament of Freedom” ( R.Thompson) and others.
Preparation for worship services making the most of limited practice (organ and conducting) time. Registration techniques to achieve a smooth crescendo and decrescendo.
(This seminar will meet once each week, on Fridays, 4:00-6:00 p.m.)
Primary text: “Organ Literature: A Comprehensive Survey” (Vol. 1 & 2) - Corliss Richard Arnold, pbsh. The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1995
Secondary text: “A Directory of Composers for Organ” - John Henderson, pbsh. by John Henderson Publishing, Ltd., available through Organ Historical Society Catalogue
Tertiary text: “All the Stops” - Craig R. Whitney, pbsh. 2003 by BBS Public Affairs,
New York, available from Organ Historical Society, ISBN 1-58646-173-8
This seminar is a continuation of the Intermediate Church Music Practicum for Organists, with more advanced study of the specialized skills necessary for the church organist as organist or as choirmaster/organist. It will include an extensive look at appropriate and practical organ music for church use including general and seasonal organ music - recorded examples as well as repertoire lists. Advanced choral repertoire to conduct-from-the-console; and conducting away from the organ or piano. We will do a thorough study of adapting the orchestral/piano reduction for organ-only accompaniment; what is necessary and what can be omitted. A study of more difficult anthem and cantata accompaniments including accompanying the solo voice; recitatives.
Making the most of the organ on which you play; the church’s organ made available for practice; making the best use of limited practice time; registration techniques to achieve smooth crescendi and decrescendi; knowing when to stay out of the organ chamber; budgeting through the church for purchase of organ music; preparation for weekly services; prioritizing music for worship services: (1) hymns, (2) service music, (3) anthem accompaniments, and last, (4) solo organ voluntaries. The importance integrating into the overall life and mission of the specific congregation.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
For information
on organ studies contact:
Dr.
Jesse Eschbach, Chair, Keyboard Division
Phone: 940-565-4094
jeschbac@music.unt.edu