MUSIC NOTES

CHURCH MUSIC FROM ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN MANHATTAN





Check out this site for a choice of excellent Church music at any time:
www.saintthomaschurch.org/Stream.html

The church is 3 blocks away from St. Patrick's on Fifth Avenue, and has a great reputation for its church music.

Advent in music:
Seven antiphons worth discovering again

They are sung, one a day for seven days, at the Magnificat during vespers.
They are very ancient, and extraordinarily rich in references to the prophecies of the Messiah.
Their initials form an acrostic. Here they are in transcription, with a guide to interpretation.

ROMA, December 17, 2008 – From today until the day before Christmas Eve, at the Magnificat during vespers in the Roman rite, seven antiphons are sung, one per day, all of them beginning with an invocation to Jesus, although he is never called by name.

The antiphons are very old, going back to the time of Pope Gregory the Great, around the year 600. They are in Latin, and are inspired by the texts of the Old Testament proclaiming the Messiah.

At the beginning of each antiphon, in order, Jesus is invoked as Wisdom, Lord, Root, Key, Star, King, Emmanuel. In Latin: Sapientia, Adonai, Radix, Clavis, Oriens, Rex, Emmanuel.

Read starting from the last, the Latin initials of these words form an acrostic: "Ero cras," meaning: "I will be [there] tomorrow." It is the proclamation of the Lord who comes. The last antiphon, which completes the acrostic, is sung on December 23, and the following day, with first vespers, the feast of the Nativity begins.

These antiphons have been plucked from obscurity by, unexpectedly, La Civiltà Cattolica, the journal of the Rome Jesuits that is printed after review by the Vatican secretariat of state.

Also unusual is the place of prestige given to the article illustrating the seven antiphons, written by Fr. Maurice Gilbert, director of the Jerusalem branch of the Pontifical Biblical Institute. The article opens the pre-Christmas issue of the magazine, in the spot usually reserved for the editorial.

In the article, Fr. Gilbert illustrates the antiphons one by one. He demonstrates their extremely rich references to the texts of the Old Testament.

And he points out one special feature: the last three antiphons include some expressions that can be explained only in the light of the New Testament.

The antiphon "O Oriens" for December 21 includes a clear reference to the Canticle of Zechariah in Chapter 1 of the Gospel of Luke, the "Benedictus": "The daybreak from on high will visit us to shine on those who sit in darkness and death's shadow."

The antiphon "O Rex" for December 22 includes a reference to a passage from the hymn to Jesus in Chapter 2 of the letter of Paul to the Ephesians: "That he might create in himself one new person in place of the two [Jews and pagans]."

The antiphon "O Emmanuel" for December 23, finally, concludes with the invocation "Dominus Deus noster": an exclusively Christian invocation, because only the followers of Jesus recognize the Emmanuel as the Lord their God.

Here, then, are the complete texts of the seven antiphons, in Latin and in translation, with highlighting of the initials that form the acrostic "Ero cras," and in parentheses the main references to the Old and New Testament:


I – December 17

O SAPIENTIA, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti,
attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia:
veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

O Wisdom, who come from the mouth of the Most High (Sirach 24:5),
you extend to the ends of the earth, and order all things with power and sweetness (Wisdom 8:1):
come and teach us the way of wisdom (Proverbs 9:6).


II – December 18

O ADONAI, dux domus Israel,
qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et in Sina legem dedisti:
veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extenso.

O Lord (Exodus 6:2, Vulgate), leader of the house of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush (Exodus 3:2) and on Mount Sinai gave him the law (Exodus 20):
come and free us with your powerful arm (Exodus 15:12-13).


III – December 19

O RADIX Iesse, qui stas in signum populorum,
super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur:
veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardare.

O Root of Jesse, who stand as a sign for the peoples (Isaiah 11:10),
the kings of the earth are silent before you (Isaiah 52:15) and the nations invoke you:
come to free us, do not delay (Habakkuk 2:3).


IV – December 20

O CLAVIS David et sceptrum domus Israel,
qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit:
veni et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris et umbra mortis.

O Key of David (Isaiah 22:23), scepter of the house of Israel (Genesis 49:10),
who open and no one may shut; who shut and no one may open:
come, free from prison captive man, who lies in darkness and the shadow of death (Psalm 107: 10, 14).


V – December 21

O ORIENS, splendor lucis aeternae et sol iustitiae:
veni et illumina sedentem in tenebris et umbra mortis.

O Star who rises (Zechariah 3:8; Jeremiah 23:5), splendor of the eternal light (Wisdom 7:26) and sun of justice (Malachi 3:20):
come and enlighten those who lie in darkness and the shadow of death (Isaiah 9:1; Luke 1:79).


VI – December 22

O REX gentium et desideratus earum,
lapis angularis qui facis utraque unum:
veni et salva hominem quel de limo formasti.

O King of the nations (Jeremiah 10:7) and their desire (Haggai 2:7),
cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16), who reunite Jews and pagans into one (Ephesians 2:14):
come and save the man whom you formed from the earth (Genesis 2:7).


VII – December 23

O EMMANUEL, rex et legifer noster,
expectatio gentium et salvator earum:
veni ad salvandum nos, Dominus Deus noster.

O Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14), our king and lawgiver (Isaiah 33:22),
hope and salvation of the peoples (Genesis 49:10; John 4:42):
come to save us, O Lord our God (Isaiah 37:20).



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Sorry for the delay in posting this. Terrrible oversight on my part.

Don't say "sorry for the delay", Teresa. Why on earth would you feel this way? You owe the readers of this forum nothing. What would happen if you decide to stop posting and feeding the readers of this forum for a certain period of time? Say a week or so? We are indebted to you. Or perhaps not. It all depends on how one looks at things....

But, let me thank you for this post specifically. It has opened up another door to the fascinating, complex, and inspiring life - the ortopraxis and orthodoxy - of the Christian faith. A breath of fresh air in the stultifying, boring culture of our own time; a meeting with the evolution of a culture of faith that has its roots in the beliefs and faith of Jewsih antiquity - sublime in its own right.

Thank you. I appreciate - as ever - the energy you expend on translations from various sources.

Don't say "sorry for the delay", Teresa. Why on earth would you feel this way? You owe the readers of this forum nothing. What would happen if you decide to stop posting and feeding the readers of this forum for a certain period of time? Say a week or so? We are indebted to you. Or perhaps not. It all depends on how one looks at things....

But, let me thank you for this post specifically. It has opened up another door to the fascinating, complex, and inspiring life - the ortopraxis and orthodoxy - of the Christian faith. A breath of fresh air in the stultifying, boring culture of our own time; a meeting with the evolution of a culture of faith that has its roots in the beliefs and faith of Jewsih antiquity - sublime in its own right.

Thank you. I appreciate - as ever - the energy you expend on translations from various sources.

Better late than never. I just found these articles while lifting another one.


Lyrics for Liturgy 1:
Liturgical Song

Frances Novillo
Thinking Faith (British Jesuits' Online Journal)
Feb. 2, 2009

In the first of a two part series on Thinking Faith looking at musical traditions in the Church, Frances Novillo describes the function of liturgical song in uniting a congregation. How do the music and text of a hymn, when properly chosen, enable us to worship as a community?

The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as a combination of sacred music and words, it forms a necessary or integral part of solemn liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium 112, quoted in Catechism 1156).

The introduction of hymns to the Mass muddied the waters of liturgical music, creating slots where it seemed any texts might be sung, as long as they weren’t radically heretical. It is easy to understand what to sing and why when there is a set text provided within the Mass such as the Gloria, Gospel Acclamation or Eucharistic Acclamations, but the liturgical purpose of hymns is less well-defined. When we sing them regardless, without justification save ‘it’s what we’ve always done’, that is building a slippery slope towards singing any text (even secular) in these slots, because we have no good reason not to. To the average worshipper, a hierarchy of music and texts for singing in the Mass is not apparent (nor should it be), but to those who are choosing, an awareness of what is essential, what is optional, and why, is invaluable.

The Church provides Entrance and Communion antiphons as suggested texts for singing. These are model texts which can be replaced by other appropriate songs. So a thorough appreciation of what defines an appropriate song is necessary in order to make a judicious choice which will support the liturgy and enable the ‘fully conscious and active participation’ of ‘all the faithful’ (Sacrosanctum Concilium 14).

Liturgical song unites the congregation as one body, moving each individual participant into the worshipping life of the community. It should therefore express a common sentiment. We worship in the broad contexts of the universal Church and the communion of saints so the lyrics we sing must express these wider dimensions. In practice, we should ensure that communal sentiment predominates our texts for singing, with less emphasis on ‘me and Jesus’ and a greater focus on the whole body of Christ. A lyric may be born out of personal faith experience, but must possess wider relevance to function well as a congregational song. Nobody should be excluded. We cannot deny our particularity but we must not impose this on our congregations as if it was a universal experience. Different people need to truly relate to the text of the hymn as their own, applicable to them and expressive of their relationship with God (even in the aspirational sense). The text must enable a diverse group of individuals to be bound together as one worshipping community, while exercising caution that our expression of identity in song is welcoming and does not express a false superiority of one group over others.

The text must be comprehensible and meaningful. We are not singing merely to recall comforting memories from early childhood. Liturgical lyric does not serve the same purpose as nursery rhyme, but seeks rather to nurture mature faith. The language of well-known and even well-loved hymns may now appear archaic or exclusive. Modern scientific and technological developments have enabled us to articulate more than Biblical authors could imagine. Older hymns about creation may promote taming or domination, whereas our current concern is care for the environment. Hymns which sent many faithful soldiers out to the mission fields now appear embarrassingly racist and imperialist, and it is not common now for the word ‘man’ to be understood as meaning ‘all people’. Thus alterations or omissions become necessary, in accordance with the historical tradition of hymnody. John Wesley amended and updated the hymn-texts of Isaac Watts, and his brother Charles’s Hark! how all the welkin rings became the much more comprehensible Hark! the herald angels sing. Accessibility also extends to the melodies chosen to accompany hymn lyrics.

If the musical language seems alien, many inexperienced singers in the assembly may be reluctant to join in singing. Liturgists need to be aware of the prevailing culture: Irish and Scottish worshippers familiar with folk music may take easily to singing a modal tune such as John L. Bell’s I will always bless the Lord, but this may be less effective when introduced to worshippers whose ipods are full of hip-hop. The musical diet need not remain restricted, and can be expanded, especially with the employment of fusion styles, such as Gregorian chant sung to a trance beat, or a Taizé chant segued into Baroque organ variations. The average congregation is receptive to new musical styles when these are performed well and introduced with an enthusiastic and sincere justification. Similarly, we do not always need to sing in the vernacular: wherever Catholics worship, there is often a smattering of Hebrew, Latin, Aramaic and Greek; or it may be appropriate to sing in the language of a significant migrant group present in our parish, or in the language spoken in a country in particular need of our prayer, so that our worship might be relational and truly universal. However, where this occurs, translations into the majority language should be provided.

To carry meaning, liturgical lyrics must express with authenticity who we are and who God is. In order to distinguish a hymn text from a talent show song, or a ditty at a pub singalong, Christian theological content is essential. Thus hymn-writers look to the Bible and liturgical texts as primary sources. The Psalms offer the richest source of words to sing, since they are essentially the Bible’s hymnbook. Psalms and Biblical canticles also offer a variety of structural models for contemporary sung prayer. The Church’s selection and connection of texts in the Lectionary (between Old Testament reading, Psalm and Gospel) suggest means of linking more than one Biblical passage: the connection may take the form of a direct quotation, narrative on a single event, or development of the theme. Scripture, too, relates later passages to earlier texts, such as the prophet Isaiah quoted by Jesus in the Gospel of St. Luke (4:16-21), or the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) echoing Hannah’s song (1 Samuel 2:1 – 10).

Thus as you are attentive to each scene captured in the Lectionary at a Mass on one particular day, be aware, too, of the overall drama which connects this to previous and forthcoming Sunday or weekday readings, feasts and liturgical seasons. The carefully crafted cohesive efforts of Isaac Watts in his ‘Christianised’ psalms (such as Jesus shall reign where’er the sun) and effective lyrical connections between Scripture and contemporary life in Fred Pratt Green’s When in our music and Shirley Erena Murray’s Because you came, demonstrate how Biblical inspiration may evolve to encompass a wider viewpoint.

Not every Biblically-inspired hymn is suitable as a liturgical lyric. Some sacred texts express personal sentiment, and would be better used in devotional services than at Mass. Many of our sacred texts are honoured by followers of different religions, so Catholic hymn texts are duty-bound to reflect and reinforce the message of the Christian gospel. Biblical texts may be quoted, paraphrased or adapted to incorporate elements of reflection or relevant personal experience, but some texts appear to contain an inconsistent random collection of quotes which lack coherence and these are unsuitable. In the Music Resource Project established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference in response to Liturgiam Authenticam ‘hymns which had stitched together various scriptural texts without proper regard for theological focus were rejected’ (Jenny O’Brien in Australian publication Liturgy News, September 2008). Our songs must contain nothing contrary to the teaching of the Church, and nothing which distorts the faith, but rather remains true to the whole catechism. It is not necessary for that catechism in its completeness to be quoted nor summarised in every hymn, but the richness of the faith may be embraced through the employment of different musical and textual forms from a variety of composers.

Since words sung to music embed themselves in the memory more firmly than those merely recited, our hymns are valuable catechetical tools. They form part of an oral tradition passed on from generation to generation so that ‘my Spirit with which I endowed you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, will not leave your mouth, or the mouths of your children, or the mouths of your children’s children, says the Lord, henceforth and for ever.’ (Isaiah 59:21). Via hymns, ‘the word is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to put into practice’ (Deuteronomy 30:14). Some hymn texts tell the story of our faith in the same tradition as Psalms 105 and 106, and are creedal, reinforced by doxological form or conclusions, as demonstrated by Mrs Cecil Frances Alexander, who was inspired by the Apostles’ Creed to write hymns such as All things bright and beautiful and There is a green hill far away to explain the faith to children. Complex theological philosophies are summarised nicely in hymns such as Praise to the Holiest in the height which alludes to the second Adam concept of 1 Corinthians 15:21-22. However, they may be more referential than explanatory since they serve a different purpose from the direct proclamation of the Word or the Homily.

The liturgy guides us, indicating which texts to sing when. The meaning of the words we sing is shaped as we incorporate our singing into liturgical action. A good hymn highlights, affirms, describes, explains or alludes to the liturgical action; less effective hymns obscure, over-emphasise, create too narrow a focus or distract. So a hymn which requires the reading of many words may not appropriately accompany a procession, in which people participate more easily without carrying a hymnal, and might rather sing a simple repetitive chant from memory.

Liturgy allows for a range of expression (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4), not only praise, to be held safely within the framework of community worship. So the canon of hymnody encompasses the totality of human experience in relation to God. In this sense, liturgical lyrics serve a pastoral function, as channels through which the whole life of each worshipper may be offered to God in the liturgy. We sing of our past, present and future, in songs which give voice to our memories, experiences and aspirations. If the words we sing seem irrelevant, we are unlikely to pay heed to them in everyday life. So we start from what is known, safe and familiar, like St Paul who becomes all things to all people in order to secure their salvation (1 Corinthians 9:22), yet leads them on so that something unknown becomes known (Acts 17:23); dormant faith is awakened. For ours is a transformative belief system, and lyrics for liturgy ought to enhance, not restrict this, allowing for its power and challenge to take full effect.

Assembly liturgy calls me to celebrate myself and who I am and what I do in medio ecclesiae, in the midst of the assembly, where I experience that Christ is in me and I am in Christ. Assembly liturgy cannot be planned around the lowest common denominator. When that happens, we get into the pattern of commemorating the past, canonizing the values of our parents’ generation, and singing the good old hymns. Many of those hymns are good indeed, and many of our parents’ values are excellent. But assembly liturgy has to be something more. (Tad Guzie, ‘The Art of Assembly-ing’ in The Singing Assembly, The Pastoral Press: Washington DC, 1991, p.31)

Does this text touch the heart of worshippers and minister to them in their daily life, providing food for the journey (1 Kings 19:7)? Are these lyrics true to the faith of the Church? Does this hymn fit the liturgical purpose for which it is intended, highlighting and not obscuring liturgical action? Do these words express a sentiment which can be held in common by the whole group? Are they true to the words, imagery and revelation of the Scriptures? Is this text inclusive of the whole body of Christ, world-wide and diverse? If so, then we must ensure that such appropriate words are given suitable musical accompaniment. Historically, many settings of the Mass were composed not for public worship, but rather for concert performances. Despite the allusion of the title, Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem is not liturgical. James MacMillan is a classical composer, practising Catholic and writer of some beautiful pieces for liturgical use such as the St. Anne’s Mass, but also a man who uses liturgical texts beyond their conventional setting; his Busqueda blends poetry by the mothers of the Disappeared in South and Central America with the Latin texts of the Mass. So scrutiny of the musical form, setting and style is necessary before we approve a text for singing in liturgy. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal reminds us that clergy, choir, cantor and congregation have distinct musical roles in liturgy (GIRM95-96,102-104, 109) and inasmuch as we enable these to be properly fulfilled, we shape our liturgical identity. So we seek out music which promotes appropriate liturgical diversity, employing various forms such as dialogues, litanies, chants alongside metrical hymns with stanzas and refrains. Repetition is a common theme in Roman Catholic liturgy, allowing us to measure our personal growth as we return time and time again to the same rites, discovering new levels of understanding. Chants, litanies and similar musical forms echo this liturgical theme, although we are advised to seek clarity and simplicity in all our ritual texts, whether spoken or sung, ensuring these are ‘unencumbered by useless repetition’ (Sacrosanctum Concilium 34).

A hymn is neither poetry nor prose, but a distinct textual form. Linguistically, poetry can be described as being of its time, whereas hymns must be accessible and relevant to contemporary worshippers, regardless of when the lyrics were originally written. A text for singing demands rhythm and rhyme in order to be successfully wedded to a melody; however, unlike a poem, it need not stand alone without its music. Composing a text for singing is not an excuse for poor writing, but does allow for the addition of syllables such as ‘O’ which may feel awkward in spoken prayer. All the techniques of poetry may be incorporated into a text for singing, but these techniques ought not to appear artificial, and the truth of the prose must not be sacrificed to the tyranny of the rhyme as has unfortunately occurred in Once in Royal David’s city where Mary is rendered ‘mild’ by the need to rhyme with ‘child’, and in Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us where Jesus is described as ‘dreary’ because it rhymes with ‘weary’. Neither description is Biblically nor theologically sound. Poetic stanzas in hymnody may develop a theme in ‘bite-sized chunks’, as seen in hymns such as When I survey and Lord of all hopefulness. Communal song can offer space for individual prayer, especially when interspersed with instrumental interludes, or leading into silence. Music changes the way we engage with worship, setting a mood for prayer, which may be joyful, angry, solemn, sad, confident, shocking, calming, and so on. Music also opens the ears, the mind and the heart to be more receptive to what follows it. In liturgy, therefore, we must be aware of what precedes and follows each song, and the impact the music we choose may have on neighbouring elements of the liturgy.

Lyrics for liturgy are not dry doctrinal documents, but allow for the expression of the truths of our faith with spirit, with emotion (cf John 4:23). St Augustine recorded that ‘the tears flowed from me when I heard your hymns and canticles, for the sweet singing of your Church moved me deeply. The music surged in my ears, truth seeped into my heart, and my feelings of devotion overflowed, so that the tears streamed down … tears of gladness’ (St Augustine, Confessions IX, 6, p.190 Penguin Classics: London, 1961). Since hymnody is bound up with identity, it should not be surprising that these texts stir the emotions. But theological integrity provides counter-weight criteria by which we judge the value of a hymn beyond how it makes us feel; for ‘not every spirit is to be trusted, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God’ (1 John 4:1).

Since the process of singing and the words we sing in liturgy are so significant in expressing who we are and who God is, in binding us together as a community and in giving voice to prayer, it is imperative that liturgy is well-prepared, showing the high esteem in which it is held. We value the worshipping assembly’s past, present and future when we share with them treasures old and new (Matthew 13:52) to enhance our liturgy. Liturgists are neither museum archivists, with preservation our priority, nor are we purely innovators, but people who recognise the richness of our heritage and simultaneously embody a Word made Flesh: not a static sacred text set in stone, but a living Word which evolves through our own lives and experiences. As we are exhorted to do by the prophets (Isaiah 29:13), evangelists (Mark 7:6) and Church hierarchy (Sacrosanctum Concilium 11), so we honour God not only with our lips but in our hearts. More than words which we hear, we make our own the words we sing. These are placed on our lips, memorised and absorbed into our bodies. We internalise these texts to nourish us so that we might share them with others with integrity and conviction. Liturgical song draws us together as the body of Christ, and sends us out to build His Kingdom.

NOTES:

1: It has become common-place also to sing during the Presentation of the Gifts and at the close of Mass. Liturgical documents do not generally support this practice. Silence and instrumental music may enable better participation in the offertory rites. A final song is alien to the Roman Rite, which in fact ends as indicated in the priest’s dismissal: The Mass is ended, go … An instrumental voluntary may accompany the exit procession of the priest and servers.


Frances Novillo is Community Musician in the Camden and Kentish Town Catholic Partnership. She is a member of the Music Committee of the Diocese of Westminster Liturgy Commission. She has a passion for getting people singing in liturgy.

Lyrics for Liturgy 2:
Gregorian Chant

Ian Coleman
Thinking Faith
Feb. 5, 2009

In part two of the ‘Lyrics for Liturgy’ series, Ian Coleman looks at the history and form of Gregorian chant. What are the features of this particular genre of music that make it so ideally suited to Christian liturgy?

All liturgical music aspires to the condition of Gregorian chant. Before you file this statement away under whatever pre-conceived heading you may choose – 'liturgical purist', 'elitist reactionary', 'one of us', 'one of them' and so forth – I would like to spend some time explaining exactly what I do and do not mean by saying this. And especially what I do not mean. In actual fact, I shall be most satisfied if, by the time my readers reach the end of this piece, none of them, whatever their inclinations and orientations, feels particularly comforted by it, and all feel more than a little disconcerted.

To say 'all liturgical music aspires to the condition of Gregorian chant' is not the same as saying that the only proper liturgical music is Gregorian chant. Not at all. But neither is it the same thing as saying 'Gregorian chant belongs only in its own time.' What I have to say aims at clearing the ground, a necessary prelude to a proper consideration of what liturgical music needs to be. And Christians in the West at least should start this process by a profound examination of that great and subtle repertoire that we usually name 'Gregorian chant'. We perhaps ought to call it, like David Hiley, 'Western plainchant'[1] and thereby include what remains of the distinct music of Spanish, Milanese and 'Old Roman' traditions. But, for the moment, because it is the dominant form, 'Gregorian' will do.

This is the name applied to the ancient chant of the Western Catholic Church that has its origins in the 6th century, but which we largely know through the earliest notated manuscripts of the 9th and 10th centuries, together with certain later additions and developments. Gregorian chant probably has little or nothing to do with St Gregory the Great, whose name it bears. The title was added after the Frankish Reforms, which gave rise to these first notated manuscripts, and may indicate either a claim to authority (especially Roman authority) on their behalf, or possibly refer to the tradition that Gregory reformed and expanded: the Roman Schola Cantorum, which was, as its name suggests, one of the first training colleges for cantors and clerics to learn how to sing the liturgy. In the Gregorian repertoire, music for all the Propers (texts that vary according to the season and feast-day of the liturgical year) and the Ordinary (invariant parts, like the Kyrie and Gloria) of the Mass can be found. The Propers are part of the earliest strand, and James MacKinnon has claimed that these probably date back to the 7th century.[2] Outside of the Mass, there is also music for the Divine Office, particularly for what we now know as Morning and Evening Prayer (Lauds and Vespers).

The music is all monodic, which is to say it is melody only, with no harmony, accompaniment or rhythmic punctuation. At various times, it is true, there have been performance traditions which added drones, organum, bells or other techniques to the chant, but these have always been frowned on by purists of all ages. This is the first, and most vital normative condition of liturgical music – that it should be essentially vocal, and essentially 'univocal'. Clearly, a single vocal line enables the liturgical text to be proclaimed, invoked or re-iterated with maximum effect and maximum intelligibility, and it is striking how, as with all the spoken or recited texts of the liturgy, the Roman Rite has been the most conservative of all Christian traditions: non-Biblical texts are so rare as to be almost absent, and most of the Gregorian repertoire sets only words from the book of Psalms, or the Gospels. The exceptions to this are usually texts for specific feasts – especially feasts of Our Lady – which find no easy echo in Scripture.

At the same time, it is clear that the music of the Gregorian tradition is not merely functional or utilitarian: long, elaborate vocalisations (called 'melismas') are present, especially in the Mass-Propers, and they often have specific spiritual connotations. For instance, the long melisma that concludes the Alleluia of the chant before the Gospel at Mass prolongs the '-ia' syllable that corresponds to the Divine Name, and is deliberately elaborate, in order to convey the ineffability of that Name. The same is not true of the occurrence of 'Alleluia' at other points, either in the Mass or Divine Office, where it is more often the '-le-' syllable (Al-le-luia) which is extended. Thus, there is both a didactic and practical function to the Alelluia-as-Gospel-Acclamation: didactically, it prepares the hearer for a transcendent message, by emphasising wordlessness. Practically, it presents a challenge to the singers that is physical and musical: how to sustain and faithfully reproduce the complexities of the ornamented melody, how to prolong the Name into wordlessness, and thus prepare the sound-space for the Gospel proclamation that will follow. The melismas of the Kyrie Eleison may similarly be read as a special plea for mercy and kindness to God. By contrast, it is rare to find long melismas in some of the other mass-chants: Gloria in Excelsis Deo, for instance, or Agnus Dei.

There is also the phenomenon – unthinkable to those who believe that music should always imitate and embody a specific meaning or mood of a specific text – of the re-use of certain melodic formulae for several different texts. The 'family' of Gradual chants (the equivalent of the vernacular Responsorial Psalm) known as 'Justus ut Palma' is a case in point: here, at least a dozen different psalm-texts use the same basic melody. But there are always subtle adaptations and re-compositions, even if certain melismas do always recur. And even these melismas appear to convey a generic sense of sober exultation, which the early 9th-century commentator Amalar of Metz likened to the idea of 'sowing in tears'. For Amalar, the twin chants of Gradual and Alleluia were examples of the assembly 'sowing in tears' and then 'reaping in joy' – even if, as was certainly the case, it was a solo cantor or group of cantors who were actually singing.[3]

Finally, the music of Gregorian chant is rhythmically free and unmeasured. It is utterly unconstrained by the idea of beat, and is thus antipathetic to the sort of music which aims to entice the human heartbeat or emotional pulse, and then manipulate it – for better or worse. The rhythmic freedom of the chant was undoubtedly originally valued for its 'other-worldliness', by comparison with the more 'lascivious' music of the theatre and of the pagan festivals of late Antiquity. These were a stock hate-object of many Patristic authors, notably St Augustine and St Athanasius. There is, however, another reason for espousing unmeasured rhythm: it enables the melody to embrace any text, no matter what its prosodic structure. While the chant is only really at home in the Latin language, it has shown itself equally suited to the prose of a Gospel narrative passage, the parallelism of Psalmody and other Old Testament poetry, and the quasi-classical metrics of Ambrose, Prudentius and the other Latin hymn-writers.

Much more could (and should) be said. But, for the time being, let us draw up a balance-sheet:

1. Gregorian chant is anonymous, the product of many generations of worshipping communities, striving always after an authentic, refined and demanding musical liturgy. This contrasts with the whole subsequent history of liturgical music, with its extremes of polyphonic virtuosity and drab populism.

2. Gregorian chant has an almost puritanical attention to Scripture, and especially Psalmody as the most authentic source of liturgical texts. In its monody and its rhythmic freedom, it shows itself uniquely flexible, by contrast with the obsession with sound-energy, metrical uniformity and textual obscurity which has characterised the church music of the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

3. At the same time, Gregorian chant has forged for itself a genuine and astonishing theology of music. Based on the ideas of ineffability – that which goes beyond words, and doxology, that which is pure, unalloyed praise of the Divine – it claims for itself a status which is alongside that of the liturgical spoken text itself. Not in any way superior to the spoken word, but with liturgical and theological potencies inaccessible to it, its music 'says God' in the memorable formulation of Dom Jacques Hourlier.[4] Furthermore, it is an art of Christian music which has been constructed defiantly and consciously in opposition to the musical cultures which have surrounded it – even if, inevitably, it has also drawn on them to some extent.

So, to conclude: this is the condition of Gregorian chant. Whilst it is uniquely adapted to the Christian liturgy, it is not the only possible music. However, can one imagine something better suited to the liturgy? Can one imagine any music more capable of serving the liturgy and yet still retaining (and insisting upon) its absolute artistic integrity and excellence? Can one, above all – can anyone – show me how any other music can create its own theological and spiritual milieu, without in any sense diminishing the power and authority of the Word? This is, after all, what we have come to accept as a totally impossible and unrealisable dream. And yet it is there, before our very ears!


Ian Coleman is Chair of the Music Committee of the Diocese of Westminster’s Liturgy Commission.

[1]David Hiley, Western Plainchant: A Handbook, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1993

[2]James J. MacKinnon, The Advent Project, University of California Press, 2000

[3]Amalar of Metz: De Ecclesiasticis Officiis, II, PL CV 1122

[4]Jacques Hourlier, Entretiens sur la spiritualité du chant grégorien, Solesmes Abbey Press, 1985, p.51

In Haydn commemorative year it's _ mostly Mozart

By GEORGE JAHN
VIENNA (AP)
May 31, 2009

Mostly Mozart. Hardly Haydn.

Joseph Haydn died 200 years ago Sunday, and Austria has been officially marking the occasion with hundreds of concerts, exhibitions and other events dedicated to the music and memory of one of the country's greatest sons.

There is no doubt that Haydn was a giant. The "Father of the Symphony" was also key in developing genres such as the string quartet, the sonata and the concerto. His oratorios are the gold standard. And he was unusually prolific, leaving behind more than 100 major works and hundreds of shorter pieces.

But Haydn has it hard in a country that also gave birth to Amadeus.

Mozart was a wunderkind, a creator of more than 600 works, whose death at 35 perpetuated his fame. His genius propelled him to superstar status even before the Oscar-winning "Amadeus" in 1984 made his name a household word to even non-music lovers. He loved scatological jokes; he was impertinent, flamboyant, endearingly human.

Haydn himself idolized his younger friend's genius.

"How inimitable are Mozart's works, how profound, how musically intelligent, how extraordinarily sensitive!" he wrote. And Mozart's father, Leopold, cited Haydn as telling him: "Your son is the greatest composer I know."

Haydn is loved by those who know him. But the majority does not.

So it's tough to drum up Mozart-like enthusiasm for the man who was staidly known as "Papa Haydn;" who died at 77 after an ordered life, most of it in the countryside; whose instrumental works are unjustly considered rigid and mannered by some when compared to Mozart's, and who remains largely unknown to the non-classical world.

"Everything is Mozart here," said Ibrahim Erneten, who peddles concert tickets to tourists thronging the Austrian capital's upscale Graben pedestrian zone abutting the opera house." The tourists don't know about Haydn."

Fellow ticket-hawker Armand Djakova says only "two or three" of his 50 or so daily inquiries are about Haydn. Bewigged and brocaded in Mozart style as he stalked the next customer, Djakova said the others want to either hear Mozart or waltz king Johann Strauss.

Few are more aware of the difficulties of selling Haydn than Franz Patay, an organizer of festivities marking the bicentenary.

"If you show someone a (Haydn) bust they'll think it's Mozart," says Patay, who was also involved in the all-Austrian hoopla surrounding the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth three years ago. Patay says the Haydn budget of around euro40 million — around $56 million — was about a quarter of what was allocated to the Amadeus year.

He says trying to establish who was greater musically is like deciding on "whether green or yellow is the nicer color." But he credits Haydn for "creating formats that are still relevant today, whereas Mozart did not live long enough to have that opportunity."

Under the baton of Adam Fischer, Haydn's oratorio "The Creation" was performed Sunday at the Esterhazy Palace at Eisenstadt, the southeastern Austrian town that was home to the composer for much of his musical life. The audience filling the ornate palace concert hall — the venue for Haydn's performances — exploded into prolonged applause for Fischer and soloists Annette Dasch, Christoph Strehl and Thomas Quasthoff.

The Eisenstadt event was part of 21 performances Sunday around the globe of one of the world's greatest classical works.

The Mozart-loving Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass in St. Peter's Basilica during which Haydn's "Harmoniemesse" was played to mark the anniversary of his death. In an indication of the importance the pontiff placed on the event, the stunning Cologne Chamber Orchestra and chorus from Cologne, Germany performed, rather than the ususal Vatican choir.

Benedict, an accomplished pianist whose favorite composer is Mozart, praised Haydn as a "great musician" in his homily, saying his Harmoniemesse was a "sublime symphony to the glory of God."

But there is more to Haydn than grandeur. The man — and his music — also had a warm, humorous side.

His "Farewell Symphony" has instrumental parts ending in sequence — and was written to reinforce his musicians' complaints that Haydn's patron, Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy, was deaf to their needs for vacation time. Esterhazy got the message at the premiere performance as the musicians left the stage one by one until only Haydn was left standing.

And with Esterhazy occasionally dozing off, Haydn placed an unexpected loud chord in his "Surprise Symphony" that was meant to shake the prince out of his dreams.

A lover of wine, Haydn insisted that a part of his yearly salary be paid in it. He worshipped women — except for his wife, who used to rip up his scores and use the paper as hair curlers. Haydn was a mentor to Mozart, who credited him with teaching him how to write string quartets — and who freely used elements of the elder composer's music in his works.

And — despite his relative obscurity now compared at least to Mozart — he was BIG in his time.

Mozart died impoverished and with his musical legacy unsecured. Haydn, in contrast, dined at the table of Esterhazy — one of Europe's most powerful princes — and members of the British royal family bowed to him during his London sojourns.

As Haydn lay dying 200 years ago and Vienna was in the hands of Napoleon's armies, the emperor himself ordered that an honor guard do vigil outside. And his skull was studied after his death in attempts to ascertain the origins of musical genius, with German composer Johannes Brahms placing it on his desk for inspiration while composing.

Little of that fame is now palpable on a casual tour of the Graben shopping district.

The "Mostly Mozart" souvenir shop does brisk business in Mozart bags, Mozart CDs, Mozart marzipan and nougat sweets and Mozart tee-shirts. There are busts Mozart, Strauss and Beethoven — a German — and other non-Mozart items.
But no Haydn.

"There's no demand," explained sales associate Marjorie Francisco.

But those who know the man and his music are paying homage, in less obtrusive ways.

Bronx-born Lanny Louis says his CD shop is selling "at least five times as much" Haydn this year, compared to previous years.

"People are starting to realize that there is there is another great Austrian composer outside of Mozart."

Mary,

I looked on Amazon, eBay, and even Ignatius Press websites but there was no evidence of DVDs available for either of those concerts. There is one out from the concert in 2007 and another from 2008, both for Papa. Nothing available on the concert for George. Sorry. However, you might find parts or most of the concerts archived on various Catholic websites. In fact, I think I saw one of the concerts in parts on the New Liturgical Movement's website. Also, I'll bet some of our members videotaped the concerts.

These concerts were not shown on EWTN, which is my only source and the only station from which I can record. I wonder if they were on KTO?
Does anyone else have any information?

The Vatican concerts usually appear on DVD eventually, as I think they must be good money-spinners.

This is a neat site for church music:

www.musicasacra.com/communio

And on this page, you can find out about a sacred music colloquium soon to begin. There is also a little sound clip that is quite lovely:

www.musicasacra.com/colloquium

The Singing Irish Priests: Unlikely Celebrities

By Peter Feuerherd
St. Anthony Messenger
August, 2009

ON THE AFTERNOON before St. Patrick’s Day last March, the line snaked up West 49th Street in Manhattan, next door to the bawdy Chicago musical and across the street from where Jane Fonda was performing to stellar reviews in 33 Variations.

Many of the hundreds of people lined outside St. Malachy’s Church were adorned in green, but they were not waiting for deals on $150 Broadway tickets. This was a rare event in New York—a cultural freebie. These fans of three singing priests from Northern Ireland were not to be denied seats at a mid-afternoon concert that would be aired on EWTN.

The singing group known as The Priests includes Fathers Martin O’Hagan and Eugene O’Hagan, who are brothers, and their friend David Delargy. After the trio signed a recording contract with Sony, Father Delargy said, “Singing is very much what we do,” reported Catholic News Service (CNS). “This is bringing it to a wider audience. We are singing sacred music, continuing what we have always been doing.”

Nick Raphael, who negotiated the signing, said, “Their voices are incredible. They’re going to be wonderful global superstars,” reported CNS. It was a prophetic statement.

Instant Success

The Priests live far from a pop-star existence, despite their $1.2 million music deal. Profits they receive as recording artists from concerts around the world go to charities. They are an unlikely commercial success.

At a time when much music is distributed online and commercial recording sales have slumped, their CD, titled The Priests, has been a certified hit in Catholic and non-Catholic countries. The CD is packaged with nothing more compelling than the image of a simple cross on the cover. It was released in over 40 countries and marketed for last Christmas season.

Their Web site (www.thepriests.com) says, “The album sold over a million copies worldwide in just seven weeks, achieving platinum status in the U.K., Norway, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand and, outstandingly, the album is seven times platinum in Ireland.”

The dulcet tones of these singing clerics offer classics such as “Ave Maria” and “Panis Angelicus,” as well as Irish classics and seasonal favorites.

Father Eugene O’Hagan says, “Through the songs we sing, we can hopefully lift people’s spirits,” reported Thomson Reuters.

“Their message of faith and hope resonates with all,” says Dan Schreck, a consultant to Sony Music, The Priests’ recording company, and a young-adult ministry leader for the New York Archdiocese. “They are their best salesmen.”

Shamrocks and Purple Ribbons

When The Priests performed in New York last March, it was just weeks after Northern Ireland was wracked by the killing of British soldiers, in what some feared was a resurgence of the old sectarian battles. The trio each wore a shamrock adorned with a purple ribbon, a symbol of reconciliation in Northern Ireland. They explained the symbolism to their audience.

For the first time, the violence was roundly condemned by nearly all sectors of Northern Irish society, both in the churches and among political leaders, both Catholic and Protestant. “We are trying to isolate them [the terrorists] and say they don’t have the support of the community,” says Father Delargy.

The recent terrorism, says Father Martin O’Hagan, “sends a shiver up your spine,” as most people in Northern Ireland thought that the political violence had long since ended. He’s concerned that a new generation of young people, who have never been exposed to ongoing civil war, will begin the cycle anew, particularly as the Northern Irish economy begins to deteriorate amidst the worldwide financial crisis and as unemployment among young people fosters resentment.

The witness of The Priests extends far beyond Northern Ireland. The crowd at St. Malachy’s is filled with Irish and Irish Americans, as well as Latinos, Italians, African-Americans and others from the parish.

This church, located in the Theatre District, is known for The Actors’ Chapel (www.actorschapel.org), famous for its outreach to Broadway and the arts. Tourists and others who are unconnected to the parish also wait patiently in the midday chill for the performance to begin.

In addition to their CD, The Priests have become known through a concert they recorded at the Cathedral in Armagh, Northern Ireland. The Priests: In Concert at Armagh Cathedral is available on DVD and is replayed frequently on TV during PBS fund-raising events. (Such prime fund-raising slots are usually reserved for pop stars such as Billy Joel and Paul Simon.)

Pastoral Duties Are Priority

After the concert at St. Malachy’s in Manhattan, they chat with Irish Americans who have familial connections to their home counties. In addition, these unlikely celebrities are interviewed in a spartan rectory, patiently fielding questions they have heard many times before in their rapid rise to fame.

Father Delargy says he was warned by a friend about the perils of celebrity: “You won’t change much, but people’s perception of you will change.” And so it has.

In their recent fame as international celebrities, the trio agrees with this axiom. “We keep each other grounded,” notes Father Eugene O’Hagan.

While the brothers and Father Delargy work to keep each other humble, it is their own dedication to the priesthood that keeps them focused on their work as pastors. Each of the singers is responsible for pastoral work in the Diocese of Down and Connor. Their recording contract specifies that their singing duties will take second place to their pastoral chores.

For their New York concert on Monday, March 16, they flew together out of Northern Ireland after offering Mass in each of their churches the day before. While jet-lagged, they didn’t allow fatigue to have an impact on their sound.

After the concert, they attended New York’s massive St. Patrick’s Day Parade and then were off to an appearance in Toronto.

They returned to their parishes by the following weekend, attending to the liturgies, Confessions, counseling and other responsibilities of a typical Irish pastor.

This was a typical quick-moving schedule for the trio. A previous tour of Europe consisted of a day in Copenhagen and another day in Paris, where their sight-seeing was driving in a cab past the Eiffel Tower. Then they were back to Northern Ireland, where their pastoral duties awaited.

Instant Fame

Their fame was seemingly the result of chance, seasoned with talents that, in retrospect, cried out for international recognition.

The three priests, all in their 40s, were educated together in seminaries in Ireland and at the prestigious Irish College in Rome. At that time, their reputation as singers got them to sing at Masses for the pope. Throughout, they became famous in their small circle for singing together, both classic and popular tunes.

Father Delargy even talks about doing an album of Sting songs. And they regularly talk about the influence of U2, another Irish export to the music world.

After that flurry of small fame in the seminary world of Rome, David Delargy, Eugene O’Hagan and Martin O’Hagan were ordained and began work as pastors back home in Northern Ireland, leading happy yet obscure lives. But their talents did not remain secret.

Their record contract came about after a producer surveyed Irish Church music leaders about doing a Latin Mass recording. The names of the three priests kept coming up, and Sony decided to expand the original vision.

The company felt there was a huge potential market to be tapped in bringing out classic hymns sung in English, Spanish, Latin and German, languages that are all sung in The Priests’ debut album. The goal was to tap into the enormous Catholic market. What Sony didn’t count on, however, was how far the appeal of The Priests would extend.

Nick Raphael, managing director of Epic Records, a division of Sony, told Time magazine that The Priests may not be the next Frank Sinatra or Elvis Presley. But, he added, they do have “the potential to be one of the world’s biggest music acts because what they do is compelling and has historical relevance.”

The Priests themselves agree, arguing that it is their material—mostly soft, classic-religious hymns—that attracts their audiences, not any of their particular gifts.

The brand is not new; it’s been around 2,000 years. They see themselves as simple transmitters of a tradition awaiting rebirth for each generation.

Overwhelming Reviews

But their humility is countered by the reviews, which have been overwhelmingly positive. The Christian Science Monitor described their voices as “heavenly.”

And People magazine proclaimed that the holiday favorites on the CD would extend the spirit of the season. It was an accurate prediction.

The positive response to the CD has put The Priests into the realm of music phenomenon, akin to the recordings of Chant (1994), Gregorian chant by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos. That best-selling recording broke out of the Catholic niche into a secular world anxious for calm and serenity.

For The Priests, concert dates have piled up and their celebrity has increased. Still, they are aware, as they perform in their clerical garb, that their presence represents something far beyond three humble pastors. They witness to Catholic spirituality and the value of priesthood. The symbolism is never far away.

Per the priests’ request, their Sony contract stipulates that they will not appear with acts that may demean the Catholic faith. Yet their music ministry is about more than keeping themselves sheltered from negative purveyors of the profane. They see their witness in a more positive light as well, particularly for music lovers who may feel estranged from Catholicism and are seeking ways to connect with God.

Parish Clerics

Father Eugene O’Hagan has felt the difference in his own small parish, with some 300 members in the Church of the Sacred Heart and Church of the Holy Family in Ballyclare and Ballygowan.

Northern Ireland still struggles with the legacy of centuries of Protestant/ Catholic strife, despite a landmark peace accord. Father Eugene O’Hagan’s town is largely Protestant. He says his singing career has had a positive ecumenical impact: “They see a different image of Catholic priests, which is not a bad thing.”

Father Delargy is pastor of the Church of St. Joseph and Church of St. Peter, the Rock, in Hannahstown, a suburban and rural area outside Belfast. He says that entertainment celebrity provides an opening to Catholics who have dropped out of formal religious practice yet remain spiritual seekers.

“There are people who are not accustomed to meeting clergy,” says Father Delargy. “They come with a certain amount of baggage. A priest is expected to be remote and distant. People come with that expectation. And they don’t get that and they don’t experience it. They have to reassess.”

Father Martin O’Hagan, pastor of the Church of St. Patrick, St. Mary, in the seaside area of Cushendum, says that he sees the impact the group has in the letters they receive. He notes that one New York woman wrote to say that The Priests CD offered her a spiritual musical interlude every day on her commute, a joyous respite she has shared with her co-workers.

Reinforcing Image

Surprisingly, The Priests have achieved some of their greatest concert- and album-selling success in largely non-Catholic and highly secular Scandinavia: Their CD was number one in Norway and number three in Sweden.

Father Eugene O’Hagan says that the trio discovered in their concerts in northern Europe a hunger for the spiritual in countries which, while formally Lutheran, are places where church attendance is minuscule and people consider themselves to be largely secular.

“Sometimes, their only contact with the spiritual is with the music. That is the way people keep in touch with their spiritual side,” he says.

The Latin music they sing also sparks spiritual curiosity. Music lovers revel in the enchanting melodies. Yet often people, particularly the young, don’t have a clue to the meaning of the words. It causes them to seek out the hidden spiritual messages.

In an age where the priesthood has taken a beating through a decade of reports of sex-abuse scandals, both in Ireland and in the United States, these three humble pastors provide an opportunity for those seeking a different look at the Catholic clergy.

“Maybe Catholics feel a bit demoralized,” says Father Delargy. The story of three humble Irish priests with great talent for music resonates with many. “They have lived with a cloud for over the past 10 years. It’s a happy story. It’s a good news story. It gives people a lift.”

Vocation recruitment is not their goal, but reinforcing the image of the priesthood is definitely a by-product of their singing. Father Eugene O’Hagan notes that their music offers a tangible vocation message, providing a multidimensional view of Catholic priesthood. It is a sign, he says, to a young man that if he chooses priesthood, “I can bring my talents with me. I don’t have to pack them away somewhere.”

Hearty Singing Encouraged

The Priests have a particular expertise, both in leading liturgies and via their concerts, in addressing an age-old issue: What is the best way to get tight-lipped Catholics to sing out heartily on Sunday mornings?

They note that Irish Catholics in particular have a complicated relationship with music. Singing is common, and the pubs resonate with music. Yet Irish Catholics, much like many of their cousins across the sea in North America, are less likely to belt out hymns in church.

Part of it, they say, is due to the old Irish Protestant/Catholic divide. The Reformation Churches built much of their services around enthusiastic hymns; Catholics reacted by embracing quiet in church. The trio agree it’s time to overcome that sectarian reluctance.

Father Martin O’Hagan says that in his liturgical experience, “You keep trying, you keep singing. They do begin to join.”

Father Delargy adds that if Catholics begin to like a tune, and feel that they are not the only ones singing, hymns can be as loud and resonant in Catholic churches as they are routinely among Protestants.

Broadway Success Story

At the end of their concert at St. Malachy’s, The Priests offer their audience a musical “Irish Blessing”: “May the road rise to meet you,/May the wind be always at your back,/May the sun shine warm upon your face,/May the rains fall soft upon your fields,/And until we meet again,/May God hold you in the palm of his hand.”

The crowd at St. Malachy’s shows its appreciation with a standing ovation. On this St. Patrick’s Day Eve, The Priests are a definite Broadway hit.


Peter Feuerherd is a freelance writer/editor from Rego Park, New York, where he is also an adjunct professor of journalism at St. John’s University.

I really hope better music is on the way. The songs in our parish are mediocre at best and some that were aimed at a more youthful audience were horrible--country, Western, pop-religious. I have been tempted to walk out on occasion. Here's hoping for quality and reverence.


Church Musicians Tune Up for Changes in Liturgy

BY AMY KILEY
National Catholic Register
July 26-August 8, 2009 Issue

CHICAGO — At a gathering of Church composers and musicians recently, Msgr. Anthony Sherman asked how many people had looked at the revised order of the Mass. Almost everyone raised a hand.

Msgr. Sherman, the executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Divine Worship, might have predicted the reaction during his breakout session at the National Association of Pastoral Musicians Convention in Chicago. After all, new Mass texts require new music — and pastoral musicians are preparing to provide it.

“Given that music is integral to the celebration of liturgy, composers will have an important role to play in introducing worshippers to the revised translations of the order of Mass found in the forthcoming edition of the Roman Missal,” explained composer Steven Janco, who directs the church music and liturgy program at Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind. “Most current settings will require new music for the Gloria and new or adapted memorial acclamation settings. Only a few words of the Holy, Holy, Holy will change, so many existing settings will be adapted rather easily by composers.”

Janco has already begun revising his “Mass of the Angels and Saints” and “Mass of Redemption.” His publishers — World Library Publications and GIA Publications — have asked him for versions that use the revised order of the Mass. Starting fresh with the new translation, Janco is also composing a new setting he calls “Mass of Wisdom.”

Msgr. Sherman explained why the Gloria is garnering special attention: “When the initial translation of the Gloria was done, the Latin structure was abandoned and rearranged. In this new translation … it has been transposed to be closer to the original Latin text.” Changing that structure means the words no longer fit the music, and new musical settings are necessary.

The memorial acclamations will also require new music since three of those texts saw significant alteration in the translating process. Acclamation A, “Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again,” is pending approval as an additional proposal. Kelly Dobbs Mickus, GIA senior editor and National Association of Pastoral Musicians publicity committee chairwoman, explained: “Composers are trying to do settings, and they don’t know whether or not to set that. So, we’ve been asking them to set it, and if we need it, we need it — and if we don’t, we don’t.”

Since Marty Haugen set that acclamation in his well-known “Mass of Creation,” it is frequently used in the United States. On the other hand, it is the only memorial acclamation in the post-Vatican II Roman Missal that speaks of Jesus in the third person rather than the second. It has no counterpart in the Latin Missal.

Dobbs Mickus said other music will require revisions instead of rewrites. “We intend to try to keep the music as much like the original as possible,” she said, noting that doing so could help congregations participate more easily. “In the case of the Holy, Holy, that’s fairly easy to do. The changes are not such that they’re going to require a lot of different notes and different rhythms.”

Economics

Since most worship resources contain Mass settings, the translation process is also having a fiscal affect on the Catholic music publishing industry.

“We have had a slump in sales because of our hymnal business,” Dobbs Mickus said. She noted that hymnals are an investment — and many parishes do not want to repeat that investment when the revised Roman Missal is approved for use. That means churches are putting off purchases, but eventual implementation of the new text could mean sales down the line.

In the meantime, Dobbs Mickus said, GIA is promising to give its customers free hymnal inserts with the new text and music once the translations come into use. She said the publisher hopes that will encourage parishes to buy hymnals now.

When the revised translations of the Roman Missal are approved, music directors and liturgists will have to teach their congregations to use the new texts and music.

Msgr. Sherman said, “You’re going to have to have cards, you know, to start this … but I think about two months after we’re under way, people won’t even realize [the changes], but we’re still going to have to keep the cards because there could be a slight slip every once in a while.”

Robert Noble, director of music at St. John Nepomuk Church in Yukon, Okla., already has a plan for introducing the new text and music to his parish. “It takes my congregation about a month to comfortably learn all of the different acclamations from one setting, then a couple more months for them to really ‘own’ it. The only difference is the new text,” he said. “As far as the new chants for the dialogues, I will help my pastor learn them first. After that, the choir — then the congregation.”

Basically, he said, “We’ll learn new Mass settings in the same way we’ve learned them in the past.”

Geffen to release album featuring Benedict XVI
The Associated Press
Posted: 07/31/2009 04:55:43 AM MDT



LONDON—Pope Benedict XVI will release an album on which he sings and recites prayers to the Virgin Mary, his label said Friday.

The pontiff's as-yet-untitled album also includes eight original pieces of contemporary classical music, Geffen/Universal said.

The pope is accompanied by the Choir of the Philharmonic Academy of Rome, recorded in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. The original compositions are performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded at London's Abbey Road studios.

The album was not a Vatican initiative but was arranged with Multimedia San Paolo, an Italian Catholic media group. Proceeds will go to fund music education for underprivileged children around the world.

The album is due for release on Nov. 30.

Benedict is not the first pope to have his creative efforts captured on record. Last year tenor Placido Domingo recorded an album of poems by the late Pope John Paul II.

I saw something about that too, Mary, and was wondering if it was true. Here is another report on it with more details. I saw one or two other articles which say the same thing but also praise Papa for having perfect pitch.


Pope Benedict Can Sing Too, Will Sales Be Heavenly?

The Pope Will Sing and Chant Verses on New CD

By GLORIA RIVIERA
ABC News
July 31, 2009

Pope Benedict 16th may soon be sharing something in common with Eminem, Lady Gaga and U2.

Geffen Records, owned by Universal Music, is producing an album that will feature Pope Benedict's voice accompanied by the Choir of the Philharmonic Academy of Rome. According to the company, he will sing and recite verses including prayers to the Virgin Mary.

Geffen Records' stable of performers has included such luminaries like rapper Snoop Dogg, the exotic Lady Gaga, and raunchy rapper Eminem. The album is being produced at London's famous Abbey Road studios, where the Beatles recorded some of their most popular material.

But Pope Benedict, who recently fractured his wrist in a fall, won't be getting into the recording booth. Instead, Geffen is using pre-recorded audio tracks licensed for use by Vatican Radio in a deal with Multimedia San Paolo.

The pope's voice is accompanied by the Choir of the Philharmonic Academy of Rome. The album will also include eight original compositions performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Geffen's general manager Ricardo Fernandez said that beyond the church faithful, he hopes people who love classical music will give the album a chance. "I think it could reach people who are not Catholic, maybe not Christian," Fernandez said.

Before a papal song is available for download on iTunes, however, one very important person must sign off. "As soon as the record is completed the first thing we will do is get it to his holiness the Pope," said Fernandez. Only if the album gets the pope's blessing will it be released to the public.

The album, which is still untitled, is due for release on Nov. 30.

There is a precedent for a Pope on the music charts. Pope Benedict's predecessor, Pope John Paul II released his album ABBA PATER (no connection to the other ABBA) in 1999. He also made a music video fit for MTV. The album featured a hypnotic beat and computer-generated animation of the Pope trekking across the desert. Not always in tune, Pope John Paull II may not have had the voice of angels. He did, however, have a built in audience. The Bible does say, "worship with music."

Pope Benedict's Record to Benefit Music Education for Poor

If it does make it to the airwaves, the proceeds from Pope Benedict's album will fund music education for underprivileged children around the world.

Benedict is not the first pope to have his creative efforts captured on record. Last year tenor Placido Domingo recorded an album of poems by the late Pope John Paul II.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt-5K6UnILo&feature=related

I found this on You Tube, after searching "Abba Pater". There are several similar videos. Yes, he does sing the Pater Noster in Latin.

Somehow I can't imagine our present Holy Father doing this. He intones and chants well during liturgies and starts the Pater Noster well at the end of each General Audience, but.......... Personally I'd rather hear Benedict XVI speaking. I can listen to him for ever!

I wonder if we will ever see this in America. I am SO sick of some of the awful music at our church.


Trendy composers wail as ICEL backs plainchant for new English Mass

By Damian Thompson
The Telegraph
Last updated: August 2nd, 2009

The publisher of those toe-curling classics, the “Israeli Mass” and the “Clap-Hands Gloria”, is one of many “liturgists” worried by ICEL’s suggestion that the new (better) English Mass should be accompanied by vernacular chant based on plainsong.
As the Tablet reports, clucking sympathetically:

UK music publisher Kevin Mayhew said his firm would be commissioning many new Masses, but said worshippers would take months to learn new settings, and felt sure that favourites such as the “Clap-Hands Gloria” and the “Israeli Mass” would remain in use.

Not so fast, Kevin. First, those two works are not “favourites”. They are LOATHED, especially by young people. Second, the Congregation for Divine Worship and ICEL will now have a policy of zero tolerance for liturgical settings that monkey around with the Ordinary of the Mass (as I seem to remember the “Israeli” excrescence does).

I don’t know what the new secretary of ICEL, Fr Andrew Wadsworth, thinks of the greedy cartel of guitar-strumming copyright hawks who’ve had Catholic music sewn up for so long. But he is a classically trained musician who specialises in the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. So it’s not looking good, boys.

Amadeus, Amadeus...


Mozart’s Mysterious Death Blamed on Strep, Not Murderous Rival

By Elizabeth Lopatto

Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wasn’t killed at age 35 by his rival Antonio Salieri, according to the evidence in a study. The perpetrator was much less operatic: strep throat.

A minor streptococcus epidemic, which probably originated in a military hospital, had erupted when Mozart died in 18th century Vienna, according to research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The scientists ascertained that strep probably caused his death by analyzing the local death records for the winter of 1791 and the years before and after.

Mozart’s cause of death has been a mystery since the Austrian composer died in December 1791. An account from his sister-in-law, Sophie Haibel, indicated his body was so swollen that he couldn’t turn in bed, and he remained lucid until his final day. The symptoms are consistent with kidney failure that sometimes follows strep infections. Several works of art, including the play and film “Amadeus,” have suggested Salieri, another composer at that time, murdered Mozart out of jealousy.

“The story of Mozart being murdered, as in modern times fed by the brilliant but not always historically faithful motion picture ‘Amadeus,’ likely will never be abandoned completely,” said Richard H.C. Zegers, the study’s lead author, in an e-mail. “His cause of death is maybe ‘too common’ for such an uncommon composer.”

Film, Play

The film “Amadeus,” written by Peter Shaffer and released in 1984, won eight Academy Awards. It isn’t the only treatment of Mozart’s relationship with Salieri. Alexander Pushkin wrote the play “Mozart and Salieri,” and the composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov adapted it into an opera of the same name.

Other theories on Mozart’s death have included rheumatic fever, a disease of the immune system called Henoch-Schonlein purpura, or a parasitic infection called trichinosis, caused by undercooked pork, the authors of the study wrote.

Unless new information, such as the testimony of doctors who attended Mozart, comes to light, this may be the strongest hypothesis for the composer’s death, said Zegers, an ophthalmologist at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

There was a spike in reported deaths with swelling from fluid retention in Viennese men under the age of 40 from November 1791 through January 1792, compared with the same months a year before and a year after, the researchers found. The swelling, known as edema, can be caused by kidney disease or heart failure.

Strep was frequently fatal before the advent of antibiotics, Zegers said. Symptoms of the illness include throat pain, difficulty swallowing, fever, headache and a rash, according to the Mayo Clinic Web site.

Heart Disease

All the known symptoms of Mozart’s fatal illness are also symptoms of the inflammation of the inside lining of the heart valves. This explanation is less likely, however, because the condition, called endocarditis, isn’t an epidemic disease, the researchers wrote. It is sometimes caused by bacterial infection, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Much has been written about Mozart’s death, in part because of a fascination with famous people, Zegers said. Additionally, because Mozart and his relatives wrote many letters that have survived over the centuries, his personal habits are relatively well-known.

“For some reason, many physicians are music lovers as well, and they, naturally, have a more than average interest in medical histories,” Zegers said in his e-mail. Zegers, a fan of Mozart, named his daughter Lara Dorinde Amade after the composer.

Music from Muslim, agnostic composers in Pope album

Wed Sep 30, 2009

ROME (Reuters Life!) - A Muslim, a Catholic and an agnostic composer have contributed music to an album featuring Pope Benedict singing and reciting prayers, which is due for release in November.

Producer Vincent Messina said his choice of Nour Eddine, Stefano Mainetti and Simon Boswell -- who describes himself as "undeclared" -- reflected "our aim to produce an album that has universal appeal to all those who love beautiful music."

"I certainly didn't intend to select or hire composers on the basis of their faith," Messina told Reuters.

"These three composers, I have known them for many, many years and they are all some great film composers ... In particular with regard to the Muslim composer from Morocco, Nour Eddine, the idea came because the roots of Gregorian music somehow we share with the Arabian melodic tradition."

The "Alma Mater" album features recordings from Vatican radio of Pope Benedict singing Marian litanies and reciting passages and prayers in St Peter's Basilica or during trips abroad.

"We will be able to listen to one track in particular where he is singing the Regina Coeli along with a choir from the beginning to the end," Messina said.

"Alma Mater" also includes the backing vocals of The Choir of the Philharmonic Academy of Rome blended with modern classical recordings by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

It will be released by Geffen Records, the label that signed up Snoop Dog and Ashlee Simpson, on Nov. 23 in Europe and the United States, and on Nov. 29 in Britain.

Messina said he had yet to hear the Vatican's official reaction to the album.

"The Vatican is always very careful about communication and so you can imagine using the voice of the Holy Father and use it in a musical album," he said.