The Chant Café

There is great work being done to promote quality music in Catholic parishes. The CMAA holds frequent symposia and workshops to train musicians in chant and polyphony. Corpus Christi Watershed and other groups are producing ample music of good quality, much of it free for the using. Even "less traditional" organizations and periodicals are experiencing a shift toward the sacred and orthodox. And all of this is wonderful — almost miraculous! But are we ignoring an important facet of the Catholic world? In focusing on current musicians and their training, are we overlooking the roots of the future of Catholic church music — the roots that might be (quite literally) under our feet?