The Composer as Contemplative

With Episode 24, Season 1 of "The Composer as Contemplative" is in the books! What a season it has been! We’ve covered quite a lot of ground, touching on everything from Barry Manilow and the "Copacabana" in Episode 1, to The Cure in Episode 2, Taylor Swift in Episode 9, and Depeche Mode in Episode 11. We looked at a new work that I’d written in Episode 13, and we’ve done deep dives into The History of Hymns (Episodes 3-5), the Second Vatican Council (Episodes 6-8), the composer Olivier Messiaen (Episodes 14-17), and the Ordinary of the Mass (Episodes 19-23). In a podcasting victory-lap, Episode 24 takes a tour of the most important points that we covered over this first season about the nature of liturgical music. Thank you for all of your support during this first season! Be on the lookout for Season 2 after the first of the new year.  Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

Our five-part series on the Ordinary of the Mass concludes with an in-depth look at the "Agnus Dei," or the "Lamb of God." The text both draws upon the other texts of the Ordinary and on the Scriptural image of Christ as Lamb, most prolifically placed throughout the Book of Revelation. Believe it or not, this liturgical year is drawing to a close, as we prepare for the Solemnity of Christ the King, let us meditate on the altar where the Mass takes place as Christ's throne in this world. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

The "Sanctus," with a text joining the Old and New Testaments (Isaiah 6:3 and John 12:13), is a beautiful and jubilant reminder of the heavenly presence of our liturgical celebrations. This week we continue our series on the "Ordinary of the Mass" by diving into the spiritual ramifications of the "Sanctus" text, as well as by looking at two musical settings of it: the Sanctus from the Missa Orbis Factor, and the English setting by Sir James MacMillan from his St. Anne's Mass (1985, rev. 2011). Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

Did you know that there is a long tradition of singing the Creed during the Mass? Many of us will not have had the chance to experience that in our lives yet, but it is a beautiful and solemn thing! Listen to part 3 of our series on the Ordinary of the Mass to learn more about the development of the Nicene Creed and its setting in chant. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men'" (Luke 2:13-14). Those words are transposed into the mouth of the people in the Mass, a jubilant reminder of the wonder of the Incarnation and the beauty of the Trinity. Part 2 of our series on the Ordinary of the Mass looks at how the form of the Gloria communicates its message, as well as ways in which composers simplify text-setting for longer texts. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

The Mass is a miracle every time it happens. Whether we like the priest, the homily, the music, the church or not. Christ truly becomes present in his Word and in his Body and Blood. What is the "Ordinary" of the Mass, then? Is anything about the Mass "ordinary?" Find out on this week's episode!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

Why does the organ have pride of place, at least among instruments, in the Latin Church? This week's episode leads a tour of Church history, followed by a meditation on Tradition and the ability of musical improvisation, such as Maurice Duruflé's (1902-1986) Choral Variation on the Veni Creator Spiritus, to mirror the living out of the Gospel in the everyday lives of the faithful. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

The four-part series on Olivier Messiaen concludes with a reflection on the vocation of the artist. By linking his love of nature to his faith, Messiaen, in Des Canyons aux étoiles..., presents the world as the theatre of God's creativity, and the workshop of man's sanctification. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

This week, we look at Olivier Messiaen's other great musical inspiration: nature, and specifically birdsong. Though distinct from his faith, his liturgical and religious spirit runs clearly through even the most "secular" of works, including his work for the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence, Des Canyons aux étoiles... Inspired by the colors and birdsong of Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks, Des Canyons is saturated with the desire to see God in all of creation.  Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

We continue our deep dive into the creative life of Olivier Messiaen with his Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine (1945) for female choir, strings, and percussion. This work is emblematic of his entire output, fusing orthodox theology and surrealist poetry with his frenzied and colorful music. A sonic cathedral, Trois petites liturgies is an act of prayer for the concert hall, and a beautiful example of the Eucharistic potential of art. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) was one of the most influential and highly-revered composers of the 20th century, seemingly despite the fact that he was overtly Roman Catholic and his work was very often based on Scripture. This first entry gives an overall introduction to his life, and sets the groundwork for my argument in the next episode that his creative life was fundamentally formed and in-formed by the Liturgy.  Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

An encore performance of my brand new work, this is the night! Performed and recorded on August 30, 2020 at St. Anselm's Abbey in Washington, D.C., this is the night is written for soprano, violin, and organ and is a setting of excerpts from Swiss Theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar's magnificent book Heart of the World. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

Does it matter whose words we're singing when we sing? Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

The second part of my two-part series on the four Marian Anthems takes you on a tour of Western history, featuring a 6th century legend about St. Gregory the Great and the "Regina Caeli," the amazing 1953 book by Fulton Sheen "The World's First Love," and a brief exploration of the electro-pop band Depeche Mode's 1993 album "Songs of Faith and Devotion." Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

Did you know that the "Salve Regina," or "Hail, Holy Queen" is only one of four Marian anthems chosen by the Church to be sung at the end of the Liturgy of the Hours? This episode is an introduction to the four Marian anthems, focusing on the "Salve Regina," sung during Ordinary Time, and the "Alma Redemptoris Mater," which is sung during Advent and Christmastide. As it turns out, both of these anthems were likely composed by the same man, Blessed Hermann of Reichenau, who lived from 1013-1054 and had spina bifida and other diseases that severely limited his speech and mobility. If you're looking to deepen your devotion to Our Lady, or just want to hear the amazing story of Blessed Hermann, this episode is for you!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

Taylor Swift's music is so popular because it is emotionally resonant, and her new album, folklore, is no different. We hear her stories and they make sense in our lives. They touch us and help us to know we aren't alone in the things we go through. Does Taylor Swift have something to teach us about what liturgical music is supposed to be?Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

Check your sacred music buzzword bingo card for this classic: the Antiphons! Part 3 of this three-part series on the Second Vatican Council concludes with an introduction to the Antiphons of the Mass in light of the meditation on participation in the Liturgy from Part 2 and incorporating the texts and music from the Mass for the Dead that we looked at in Part 1. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

The second episode in a three-part series on the Second Vatican Council focuses on participation. In Luke 10, Christ himself says that Mary, who sits at his feet rather than help her sister, Martha, "chose the better part." Is she doing nothing? Or is she participating in Christ's mission in some way? At concerts and plays, we sit quietly, taking in the beauty of what we experience. Are we actively participating in those performances, and, if so, what does that mean for the Mass? Should we be more like Martha or Mary in the Liturgy? Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

Why does a council of bishops from almost sixty years ago matter to us today? In what ways did it change the Church? Part 1 of a three-part series on the Second Vatican Council reflects on the state of the world after the two World Wars, with Benjamin Britten's powerful War Requiem serving as a touchstone. The people who lived through the aftermath of those great conflicts were asking the same questions about the past, and it was in this spirit that the Council was called: to adapt the seed of the Church and her teachings to the soil of the modern world. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)

The three-part series on the History of Hymns concludes with a discussion of the role of the intellectual and the emotional in our faith, facilitated by the writing of Talking Heads singer David Byrne, and leads to a startling realization about the unintended consequences of the music welcomed into the Liturgy after the Second Vatican Council. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/connermccain)