New Mass text and music

[dmu3tem]

Picking up on Nick Baty's comments and returning to the question of whether the introduction of a new liturgy will trigger a 1970s style explosion of new religious music within the English Catholic church.

First, plainchant. Yes, at least since 1903 the Vatican has always asserted the primacy of plainchant, even in Sacrosanctum Consilium. What then is new? This is difficult to assess, as objective statistical evidence is hard to come by. I can therefore only go by what I sense from anecdotal evidence I have encountered. Others may have very different evidence pointing in different directions.

For what it is worth, then, my sense is that the plainchant enthusiasts are on the march. The writings of Damian Thompson are not unique, they are symptomatic of a much greater degree of confidence among such people. They feel they might 'win' the debate and see a return to more 'traditional' standards. What is more they appear to have a more sympathetic audience within the Vatican and in other high places. For instance since 2002 there have been several documents coming from the Vatican all emphasising the importance of plainchant. More importantly these have been give high profile reports in the Catholic Press (especially The Catholic Herald and, of course, The Tablet, whose article triggered this whole thread). I also notice that in several monastic communities that in the 1970s were laboratories for new music for the Office, there has been a perceptible shift back towards plainchant. I also notice the same sort of thing happening in some (though not all) Cathedral establishments (a classic example is Southwark cathedral).

Next, setting plainchant issues to one side, it is useful to pick out the factors that led to the great outpouring of new music in the 1970s triggered by the introduction of the present liturgy and see whether they will operate in the same way now:

[1] From the 1920s onwards English Catholicism has moved out of its industrial (and especially Northern) heartlands into the suburbs of the South. This has coincided with a tilt away from a (partially Irish) proletariat to an upwardly mobile and better educated Catholic middle class. Such people by definition are less likely to 'toe the party line' laid down by high ecclesiastics. It is these people who (despite the conservative examples set by high profile figures such as Evelyn Waugh) spearheaded the liturgical-musical revolution at grass roots level. Note too, the character of church buildings in such suburban areas - small, modern style, plain churches with no sense of Victorian Gothic mystery generating an ambiance suited to a vernacular liturgy and its associated music.

Will these people resist a shift back towards a more traditional liturgy and its associated music? The answer is uncertain. However a revealing pointer is the fact that elements in the present teenage population and those in their 20s appear to be showing more interest in plainchant and other traditional religious-musical cultures than their forbears (my generation) did in the 1970s. If this is so, then there is less likely of an upsurge in new music writing to coincide with the new liturgy. The question then, is how dominant among the young will these conservative orientated elements turn out to be

[2] The musical revolution in English education from the 1960s onwards. In essence this involved a shift from singers (supporting choirs) to instrumentalists (especially Guitars, Flutes and Clarinets). Note how in the 1970s 'Folk Groups' using such resources superseded choirs in many churches. The new instrumental-vocal balance forced the introduction of new music. Is this being maintained? My sense is that momentum in these directions has been lost. In particular there do not appear to be so many guitarists, clarinetists or flautists around (although there are still quite a few). Conversely I sense a growing interest among younger people in singing. If this analysis is correct we are likely to see a shift back to an older more chorally dominated repertoire at the expense of new composition.

[3] In the 1970s the widespread introduction of the Gestedner and Photocopier allowed local churches to produce their own music in quick time. In the process this drove a coach and horses through copyright restrictions. Now I notice that people pay much greater attention to copyright. So, despite the introduction of music processing on computers, a brake is now being applied to new compositions. This especially applies to religious music because you have a double copyright - that pertaining to the music, and that to the text. With the new liturgy it may be reinforced by the committee to be set up by the Bishops Conference to vet all new compositions. Present indications are that their remit will only apply to enforcing an exact adherence to the text; but this is by no means certain as yet.

[4] Much of the output of new music in the 1970s came out through new publishing companies (Kevin Mayhew et al). They noted that existing publishers (Cary and Co) were not responding to the new situation and they moved in quickly to fill a gap in the market. There were also several 'one man bands' - individuals who used the photocopier to publish music on their own account (Philip Duffy at Liverpool Cathedral was a good example). The present situation is different. The publishing companies of the 1970s have now become 'mature' organisations. They have an established catalogue of works and therefore are more likely to behave like Carys did in the 1960s and 1970s - they will produce a limited number of new works by established and in-house figures but have little time for unknown outsiders. The thousand dollar question then is whether new individuals will come forward to 'fill the gap' now in the same way as happened in the 1970s. Here though a restriction will be the greater respect accorded to copyright.

[monty]

Very good post Thomas.

IIRC back in the 70s there were many more bodies in our churches than there are today. I am not sure that nowadays the Sunday Obligation is the only reason the majority of church goers attend Mass. Good thing/bad thing? That could mean the people who do attend are more willing to be involved but there are just not as many of them as in the past.

One thing about local compositions churned out via photocopiers is that they could be viewed as being divisive. Instead of being one universal church where you feel at home no matter where in the world you go to Mass, the music can actually make you feel isolated if every parish does its own thing. Latin and plainchant is universal. School lessons on religion before 2nd Vatican Council stressed this - they didn't mention that local accents would make the Latin sound foreign but that is something else.

Part of me can find plainchant extremely boring and irritating if not done well. To see someone beating it to a strict beat is irritating, it doesn't ebb and flow and is not a collective sound influenced by breathing as much as anything else. I dislike long plainchant pieces like the Gloria and Credo if everyone does everything from beginning to end - zzzzzzz. But it is glorious to be at a big event when everyone joins in with the plainchant and as much as people dislike it, Missa De Angelis does the job for me. It is what I grew up with and would be the fallback if the choir numbers were down, it was old reliable and always suitable.

I like the idea that new compositions would be vetted and approved by a body set up for that purpose. Of course some will be disappointed and disagree if their music was not accepted and I don't know how that issue would be resolved.

Mmmm, a thought provoking post Thomas.

[johnquinn39]

My 2 penn'orth / 5 cents.

When the new texts arrive, would it be a good idea to look at what has been written since the 70's, look at what has been successful and use these as models for the new settings. (Perhaps some of these could be adapted)?

Also, do we need to pay composers? - The ability to compose is a rare gift, and I think in the recent past we have had an over-representation of a small number of familiar names who simply do not have the resourse to keep supplying music up and down the country both sides of the pond.

'I like the idea that new compositions would be vetted and approved by a body set up for that purpose.' - Monty

So do I. But could this body be used in addition as a mechanism to recognise the classics that we already have?

I think there will always be people composing for the liturgy - but maybe this will happen outside the RC Church. If their stuff is good, I think it will find its way into the Mass.

Personally, I am always on the lookout for a good tune. If more plainsong can be used - so be it!

Finally, whatever your views, whatever the legislation, people will not sing it if it is not their song.

[docmattc]

Finally, whatever your views, whatever the legislation, people will not sing it if it is not their song.

Never a truer word spoken!

[Nick Baty]

Abso-bleeping-lutely!