Singing is a required subject at Chesterton Academy — as is three years of Latin. Latin comes in handy when Chesterton students chant.
Nick Chalmers, director of choirs for Chesterton Academy of the Twin Cities, in Hopkins, and director of music at Annunciation in Minneapolis, discussed chant during an interview with Patrick Conley, host of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show, that airs at 9 p.m. April 9 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
Conley asked Chalmers for insight on teaching singing to students who might not be experienced — or not especially gifted musically. Chalmers said it’s usually difficult for a few students, but many are more capable musically than they would have known if they’d never tried it.
Nick Chalmers
How do teenagers respond when Chalmers introduces chant in class? Chalmers said at first there is some pushback, but as students get more exposed to it and realize they can do it, they appreciate that it’s not like anything else they’ve experienced. They grow to understand it as “sort of uniquely its own thing,” he said.
“I think that high school kids, more so than maybe adults, they love the history of chant,” Chalmers said. “They love that it’s solemn and prayerful.”
Chant typically refers to Gregorian chant, Chalmers said, codified around 600. It’s typically sung in Latin as a single unison melody, which he said is probably the most distinctive thing about it. There’s no harmony and it’s a capella, with no accompaniment. “It’s just voices singing one melody,” he said.
Chalmers said it is free-flowing and word-oriented. The rhythmic nature is what helps make it so solemn, he said, and so uniquely suited for prayer. “There’s a real simplicity to it and a real beauty, and it allows sort of room for the faithful to pray.”
Chesterton Academy holds daily Mass, and both a men’s and a women’s schola chant every day. “This sort of simple music is hugely ingrained in them on a daily basis for all four years that they’re there,” Chalmers said. “And then the fact that it’s student led, I think is so fantastic.”
Mid-interview, Chalmers plays a recording of four or five Chesterton senior boys signing a chant from Palm Sunday. To hear the chant and the complete interview, tune in to this episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show. It airs at 1 p.m. April 10 and 2 p.m. April 11 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Archbishop Bernard Hebda, who gives his take on the Easter season, including drive-up blessings, and with Ryan Hamilton from the Minnesota Catholic Conference, who offers insight and guidance as people await a verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial.
Listen to all of the interviews after they have aired:
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Practicing Catholic on Spotify
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