The New Texts: A Seminar for Composers

[MaryR]

Can I just clarify a couple of things? This is an event that is aimed primarily at composers, but I believe it will be of interest to anyone involved in parish music. As for repertoire, Presbyter is correct; the purpose of the afternoon session is not to showcase new and revised settings, but in the course of looking at what composers might do, the speakers will be looking at lots of new and revised settings and so there will inevitably be repertoire.

I am not a composer, but I am looking forward to learning something about the process, and the constraints that will be imposed by the guidelines. The latter will, I hope, enable me to make informed contributions at our music planning meetings. And, yes, I'm hoping that there will be one or two settings that grab me so I can look out for the published versions and take them along to the next meeting.

I'm just quoting myself so that what I posted earlier doesn't get lost in what has followed it. I hope it will encourage those of you who are not composers to think about coming.

[Nick Baty]

It will be good to hear something of what goes on. I know a lot of such things are reported in Music & Liturgy, but might it be possible to get some feedback on here?

[mcb]

The rest of us are just desperate for new music.

It's not good to be in such a rush, I think. The texts have only been available in their final form a matter of weeks. The time is right, now, for a discussion among not just composers (including those who compose, but bizarrely, claim not to ), but anyone with enough musical awareness and interest to be willing to share in the conversation.

But why on earth should we be in desperate haste for the finished products? Rome wasn't built in a day, as the saying goes, and it seems to me unreasonable to expect too much of what will be available in 2011 to be more than a stopgap. Speaking for myself, I expect new musical ideas to take shape over years, not weeks. I want the new texts to be washing around inside my head, so that I have some kind of instinctive feel for the rhythm and structure of, say, the Gloria text, before I'm going to feel in a rush to find a melody for it. Look at where we are now: not a lot of music we still use was written in 1973. We're in a better place this time round, because we have forty-odd years of experience with the vernacular liturgy, and plenty of good musical models in our present-day core repertoire, but that doesn't mean either that we have to have an entire new repertoire in place by September, or that anything published this year will automatically stand the test of time.

So all we need - for now - is some material that will do - for now. As one or two have said, what's on offer at the moment from the major US publishers isn't the last word. It would be barmy to have imagined it might be. I don't seriously expect that initial offerings from this side of the Atlantic will necessarily put an end to the need for future composing either (though I have seen some good-looking offerings circulated for comment from a number of composers - and a non-composer - which will be amply better than mere stopgap material.)

For my worshipping community I'm thinking of starting off with (i) the ICEL chants; (ii) an adapted 'old' setting of the eucharistic acclamations for which people will more or less know the tune and will get to grips with the new words; and (iii) a new setting of the Gloria. (Actually that's the order I was planning when we thought that the new texts would first appear in Advent 2011. Now we know we're starting in September, it's going to be (ii) and (iii) first.) With a Latin chant setting, as usual for us, in Lent 2012, that could well keep us busy until Easter 2012. I don't think I'm going to rush out and spend too much more of the choir music budget on 'repertoire' that happens to be available in 2011.

the event is only of interest to a few erudite souls.

Yeah, right. Anyone expecting erudition will have to leave the room when I'm speaking; or better still, just share in the conversation, and let's see where it takes us?

[HallamPhil]

mcb offers wise counsel on what could easily be a seeming minefield for some. I am really pleased that the previous post and the conversations I have already had with Martin have been extremely positive and practical. Like Martin I can only speak about the Salford seminar since I too will be engaged with that. It will continue in much same gentle exploratory manner. Both the cathedrals of Salford and Hallam dioceses have adopted a less rarified stance to the current texts, modelling what is achievable in the parishes for the most part, and I'm sure this too will continue. Congregations expect this!

There are many reasons for the fact that the earlier transition to the vernacular was not served particularly well by composers. Among these might have been the lack of support for the vernacular from musicians at that time with sophisticated skills and a willingness to involve the congregation. It took a while for the like of the St Thomas More Group and others to feel easy on their feet. It is therefore essential that musicians with these skills today apply themselves not to rearguard actions but to promoting the singing of the new texts.

As I type in my hut in Goa i never imagined that I'd be doing this sort of thing while on holiday. That's the glory of the internet I suppose!

[Nick Baty]

But why on earth should we be in desperate haste for the finished products?

Because we're being asked to sing them very soon.

I expect new musical ideas to take shape over years, not weeks.

But weeks is(are?) all we have.

but that doesn't mean either that we have to have an entire new repertoire in place by September

Well, if the people are to sing it….

that could well keep us busy until Easter 2012

Which is almost 40 weeks so, during that time we’ll get through four or five settings and, while I don’t expect them all to stand the test of time, I hope that not everything will be thrown away.

Good to see that some people are relaxed but I am absolutely up the wall – planning sheets flying all over the place.

[lesley wright]

Am I naive in thinking that all around the country there are churches (not exactly) full of people who don't give a toss (pardon my french) about what happens? The vast majority of Catholics in this country really couldn't care less about the new translations or whether the settings that they are being invited to sing have official approval or even comply vaguely with the 'correct' new translation. Whoever it was (ages ago in this thread) who suggested that all Mrs Catholic in the pew really cares about is whether her roast is getting dried up in the oven while she's at Mass on Sunday, and unless the music we provide for them speaks to them convincingly they'll stop singing (and in the case of my parish that means they'll go to Saturday night said Mass instead).... and the people who lead music in my parish on Sunday night won't stop to wonder whether they need approval if they decide to introduce a home-written setting of the new translations, they'll just go ahead and do it (I hope it has more musical worth than the last one they did, but that's a value judgement).

[Nick Baty]

The vast majority of Catholics in this country really couldn't care less about the new translations

I'm sure you're right but the reality is that they probably won't notice. So many of the changes to the people's text involve the sung parts, Gloria, Holy etc. And I suspect the music will lead them to sing "Hosts" rather than "power and might", for example.

and unless the music we provide for them speaks to them convincingly they'll stop singing (and in the case of my parish that means they'll go to Saturday night said Mass instead)

Does your parish really have a Mass with no music? That must be very rare.

the people who lead music in my parish on Sunday night won't stop to wonder whether they need approval if they decide to introduce a home-written setting of the new translations

They only need clearance if they intend sharing the music with others, either freely or commercially.

[mcb]

[I'm sure you're right but the reality is that they probably won't notice. So many of the changes to the people's text involve the sung parts, Gloria, Holy etc. And I suspect the music will lead them to sing "Hosts" rather than "power and might", for example.... Does your parish really have a Mass with no music? That must be very rare.

You're kidding, Nick! Things are a lot worse than you imagine, in a lot more places. The parish I live in (as distinct from the place where I lead the music on a Sunday) is a distressingly good example of everything that's wrong. They have a music-free mass on a Sunday, and in the principal Sunday mass they wouldn't normally think of singing the Gloria or the Sanctus. There are mountains to climb.

[docmattc]

You're kidding, Nick! Things are a lot worse than you imagine, in a lot more places.

And probably worse than that! Of the 3 Sunday Masses here, one has no music, another music only one Sunday in a month, and the third has music every week but its stuck in a time-warp. When the musicians are way, the PP reverts to 4 hymn sandwich. I've yet to discover a parish where singing happens in the week.

That said, lets keep the thread about new texts and composers.

[Nick Baty]

I hadn't realised, MCB and DocMatt. In our three churches the acclamations are sung every day of the week, led unaccompanied by the PP – usually something simple like Celtic or Inwood's Gm-ish responsorial. I do know he has occasionally not sung the Holy at funerals where the bereaved are not church-goers and would not be able to join him – I can understand him not wishing to sing solo at these events – but, even then, there's always a sung Alleluia and Amen.

[John Ainslie]

In my parish, a 250-capacity church and a 1,000+ weekend roll-call necessitates five weekend Masses, of which two are no-music, one currently hymns-Alleluia-Holy-Amen and two more-or-less fully sung. Logistics prevent more than three musical resource teams. Oh, and we have Sung Evening Prayer and Benediction every Sunday as well. Alleluia and Holy are always sung on weekdays, but then we do have a PP with a music degree.

[Nick Baty]

Good to hear! Although I might find it tricky working with quite such a musical PP. I'm happy with a PP who says: "I sing as I preach – without notes"! Actually, he is very good indeed and attends regular rehearsals. But I fear we are off topic and, on this wet and windy evening, bears and docs could be lurking! So, John, on the thread about How many planners? might you be able to tell us how, in such a busy parish, the three music teams co-ordinate common repertoire?

[presbyter]

Can I just clarify a couple of things?

With a week to go to Hammersmith, I'd love you to clarify what we participants can expect please.

Is it 50 people signed up for London?

Is Paul Inwood presenting his new Psallite Mass ?

[Nick Baty]

Do you mean, Presbyter, that there are 50 composers in London alone?

[presbyter]

Do you mean, Presbyter, that there are 50 composers in London alone?

Of liturgical music? Might be. Lots of parishes in London.