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Views from the Choir Loft

Courses In The Ward Method … This Summer!

Jeff Ostrowski · April 1, 2014

690 Ward OONER OR LATER, singers (and all musicians!) must learn how to locate the “energy” of each phrase. Without a true knowledge of phrasing, vocal lines sound heavy and boring. One of the common “traps” into which amateurs fall is placing too much emphasis on the final tone, which ought to be light.

A great way to learn proper phrasing — and much else — is to accept training in the Ward method. When I studied the Ward method in Washington D.C. I especially liked how the teacher made us perform dancing motions for the musical phrases, assuring a floating, flowing, beautiful performance.

The Catholic University of America sponsors Ward training sessions during the summer:

      * *  Ward Method Brochure — Summer 2014

Here’s how to apply online, if you don’t care for USPS:

      * *  Online Application — Summer 2014

Much valuable information about the Ward Center is here:

      * *  Centre for Ward Method Studies — An Overview

They are offering Ward I, Ward II, and the Chant Practicum (formerly known as Ward IV). The one who runs the program is Fr. Robert Skeris, one of the world’s leading scholars of Gregorian chant. This year, Amy Zuberbueler (whom I recently met in San Antonio) is one of the professors. Limited scholarship assistance is available.

AT THE CONSERVATORY, WE PIANO STUDENTS had an inside joke: “OK, why don’t you sit down and play something?” You see, guest lecturers would present all kinds of theories about phrasing, agogics, technique, and so forth — some even wrote books. But there really was no need: if they simply “sat down and played something” we could quickly discern what they knew about interpretation.

The Ward Method is remarkable because it’s been tested. Time and again, thousands of children would assemble in large churches for Ward demonstrations and sing together flawlessly. A serious chant scholar, Joseph Lennards, said that no other method could even come close to such perfection. The Ward method uses the classical Solesmes method, which was based on actual singing experience, not hypothetical possibilities.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Justine Bayard Ward Method of Singing Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“However well equipped and trained a choir may be, all its good points may be obscured by an unsuitable accompaniment. In fact the organist can, in a large measure, either make or mar his choir. It must be owned, however, that the accompanist of Plainsong has to contend with many difficulties. […] The purist will still find his best enjoyment of the chant when it is sung unaccompanied, but to most a becoming accompaniment gives an added charm.”

— Benedictines of Stanbrook (1905)

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

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