Marty Haugen at Summer School

[mcb]

Since his name was raised in another thread, I thought I'd post to express my appreciation of Marty Haugen's contribution at this year's Summer School. It was a privilege and a real pleasure to hear him speaking at length on his work and his music. His quiet wisdom - on liturgy, on music and on human nature - was a genuine inspiration, and the scope and diversity of his music makes it a remarkable treasury.

I think he made the greatest impression on me in a conversation over lunch one day, talking about the hatred that is directed towards him, by people, self-identifying as Christians and Catholics, who don't like the style of his music, or the theology they believe to be implicit in his words. (The absurdity of the latter view is that so much of MH's music is settings of the Psalms.) His good-humoured acceptance of so much rancorous malice was quietly inspiring too.

[Eastern Promise]

[moderated]

[Gedackt flute]

... His quiet wisdom - on liturgy, on music and on human nature - was a genuine inspiration, and the scope and diversity of his music makes it a remarkable treasury.

I would thoroughly recommend Marty's book: 'To serve as Jesus did'. This should be required reading for those of us involved in parish music.

[NorthernTenor]

I'm glad to hear that Marty Haugen was pleasing in person. Unfortunately, I don't know his music other than the Mass of Cremation, but it may be that his reputation labours under the weight of that poor, shallow thing (the composer of the Gathering Mass suffers a similar problem). It is understandable if some become cross, in their anguish, when this kind of thing is inflicted on them, but that is no reason for personal abuse.

[Calum Cille]

An audio recording of the revised version of the Mass of Creation (Gloria, Gospel Acclamation, Preface and Sanctus, Eucharistic Prayer II, Memorial Acclamation A, Doxology/Amen and Agnus Dei, Memorial Acclamations B & C) can be found at the following webpage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZmzLbmM ... re=related

[NorthernTenor]

That's very kind of you, CC, but I think I'll pass on that one.

[NorthernTenor]

There seems to have been a flurry of removal of Eastern Promises's comments, even as they have been more precisely (and to my eye more tellingly) aimed. I fear the moderation is evidence of a loss of self-confidence. At any rate, it rounds off the satire wonderfully.

[Gedackt flute]

I personally find the Mass of Creation very powerful. The music group I help out with has been asked by the asst. priest to sing this from Sep. thru' to Christmas in order to familiarize people with the 'new words'.

I hope this is not an imposition! (The reality is that I think many would prefer paraphrases such as Mike Anderson's Gloria etc.).

The Gathering Mass is very popular, and in my opinion is more succinct with the revised texts. This is a perhaps not in the best of taste (I agree with JQ that 'Catholics like cheesy') - however, it has been used as prayer.

Haugen's 'Go in peace, the peace of Christ, and learn the ways of God' is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. His 'Shepherd me, O God' is certainly a masterpiece and quotes from 'Orbis factor'.

OK NT - what Mass setting would you recommend!

[NorthernTenor]

Well, modesty forbids! That aside (and I'll ne happy to point you to it when Bishop Roche gets his act together, or when I tire of the inefficiency & discourtesy & publish it anyway), I've just put together a booklet of music from the missal and have been very impressed.

[HallamPhil]

Getting back to the topic I felt that Marty's contributions as musician, liturgist and human being were admirable.

It is most probably because his publishers wished to maintain his high position in their marketplace that he was urged to revise Mass of Creation (rather than any financial intention or wish to dominate the scene himself).

What the Summer School enabled us to see was the breadth of knowledge and pastoral awareness which is brought to bear in Marty's compositions and all of this delivered with a quiet humility. It was this humility which informed his invitation to me to demonstrate my own 'New Wine' setting in HIS workshop. There may be many who would model the 'clamor' of the SSG motto but not Marty.

I wish NT all the best with his compositions. Keep trying and you'll eventually succeed. Better that than seeking to obviate the required channels however awkward they may appear to you.

[NorthernTenor]

Thank you, Phil. I could publish perfectly legally now, but would rather work with the Liturgy Office than not; though the point may come when maladministration persuades me to set a contrary example.

[NorthernTenor]

The Roman Rite is not cheesy. Introducing cheesy music to it runs against its grain. The power of music to focus us inwards on our own emotions, or upwards in contemplation of the object of our worship, is deep and profound. Every generation of liturgical music has its cheese, and it is our job to root it out (whatever its utility in non-liturgical devotions).

I wonder if EP's close-to-the-bone comments on cheesyness were the straw that broke the moderational back?

[mcb]

Every generation of liturgical music has its cheese, and it is our job to root it out.

Good luck with that, NT. The editors of the Westminster Hymnal had this to say in 1912:

The collection also includes all the popular tunes in common use amongst English-speaking Catholics. Some of these tunes are good, some are indifferent, and some bad. But it has been felt that since those of the last-named class have been — for one generation at least — bound up with the pious associations of so many holy lives, this is hardly the occasion for their suppression. They have therefore been retained, although this retention cannot be justified on musical or other artistic grounds. Alternative tunes have been provided to most of them, so that they need not be used by those to whom they are distasteful.

though by the 1938 edition the items they felt exceeded the cheese threshold were banished to the appendix. Those items are quite possibly the only ones from the collection still being sung.

I wonder if EP's close-to-the-bone comments on cheesyness were the straw that broke the moderational back?

Don't be silly.

[Gedackt flute]

The power of music to focus us inwards on our own emotions, or upwards in contemplation of the object of our worship, is deep and profound.

Yes, absolutely. However, I think that this is most successfully done with music that people like - 'Eagles wings ... ' - 'One bread, one body ... ' etc.

I am not convinced that quasi-plainsong, or pseudo-polyphony will do this, although perhaps I'm getting off-topic here.

[musicus]

...perhaps I'm getting off-topic here.

Self-moderation is devoutly to be encouraged.