Plain Song for Schools

[SOP]

"It is with very great pleasure that I commend this little manual to the notice of the English-speaking Catholic public. It is something that has been wanted in connection with the recent movement to popularise Plain Chant. Here in Liverpool, and, I am told, also in Birmingham, Cardiff and Nottingham, many people have been converted to the Plain Chant movement by the simple lessons and practical demonstrations given by members of the Society of St. Gregory."

This was written in 1930.

I have seen many of these "little manuals" on shelves in choir lofts but wonder if it is time for the Society to take a lead again.

[musicus]

But I don't think the Society has ever stopped giving a lead. I can't remember a summer school where there hasn't been some sort of chant workshop and I see this year is no exception with Peter Allen CR doing his stuff.

Quite so, Nick. And the difference between the situation in 1930 and today is that our musical diet is far more varied, with good and appropriate music of all styles and genres there for the choosing.

[dmu3tem]

Mass promotion of plainchant today poses a number of structural difficulties, mainly revolving around what sort of plainchant you wish to promote. When Plainsong for Schools was published it followed the then controversial Mocquereau variety of rhythm as distinct from that promoted by Pothier through the main Vatican Typical editions. Today the situation is somewhat more complex. Partly this is due to the Gregorian Semiology promoted by Cardine and his disciples. To pull this off successfully you need to be able to read (and interpret) the staveless neums reproduced from the St Gall and other C9th-C10thMss above the c14th 4 line stave notation in the Graduale Triplex and other similar volumes. There is also a strong suspicion that plainchant methods of performance changed in the intervening centuries. Certainly, by the late Middle Ages (C14th onwards) measured methods of performance were being introduced; and these became predominant from Renaissance times up till Solesmes began its programme of research in the late C19th.

In crude over simple terms then you have a choice:

(1) Promote the earliest form of plainchant you can find - always bearing in mind that no musical mss survive from before the late C8th.

(2) Promote the form of plainchant that is most aesthetically/liturgically appropriate. Note that this involves highly subjective value judgements.

It is also worth considering the question of accompaniments. Purists say 'none at all'; but we know that in the Middle Ages instrumental accompaniments were provided; and in any case, you are more likely to get congregations to sing if they have this support. Once again this raises questions of style and authenticity. The kind of accompaniment you use shapes the way plainchant is performed - especially in its rhythmic patterning. Do we devise accompaniments in the same style as a medieval musician would? If so, which medieval period/style do we follow - note that we almost certainly would not normally have access to replicas of medieval instruments. Alternatively, do we continue to provide the anodyne 'modern-style' harmonies found in many hymnals today and, for that matter, provided by HP Allen to accompany the Plainsong for Schools booklets. These, assuredly, are not medieval and therefore seriously undermine any sense of authenticity that people might otherwise imagine is being promoted.

Finally, there is the fact that many people do not like plainchant as it stands today, although it is true that it seems to appeal to those interested in alternative lifestyles as well as traditionalists. My own feeling, for what it is worth, is that if it is to be 'sold' to the public beyond these constituencies, then it has to be upgraded or modernised. This is what musicians did throughout the Middle Ages and indeed continued to practise in the C16th, C17th, C18th and early C19th - during which time a vast amount of new plainchant was composed. In other words it has to be recreated as a 'living' organically developing musical form and a wide variety of varied local practice not merely tolerated, but promoted. In the end no amount of offical promotion will succeed without this. When all is said and done the vigorous campaign to promote one fixed ostensibly authentic version of plainchant in 1930s England was only a partial success. The key instrument used at that time - ruthless training of schoolchildren - often no longer exists as local Catholic schools frequently no longer have direct ties with parishes. More than ever before the success of any campaign to promote plainchant will depend on local 'consent' rather than authoritarian argumentative compulsion.

Thomas Muir

[docmattc]

What is really needed is not 'plainsong for schools' but 'decent liturgy for schools- and parishes'. I would love to think that the current generation of children in our schools and parishes consider singing the Eucharistic Acclamations (whether plainsong, Gathering, Israeli... OK maybe not Israeli... or Hebridean nose flute setting) to be the norm. But as we've discussed elsewhere that's not true.

Promote plainsong by all means, but first of all, promote ANY song beyond the four hymn sandwich. Of course thats exactly what SSG does, but while we can take a lead, many aren't interested in following.

[SOP]

It is interesting that all the answers assume I am promoting Plain Song - which isn't true.

Flicking through the booklet I was surprised to see SSG there in the foreword and then got to thinking how good it would be if they were out giving workshops on a 'topic'.

Baptised With Fire perhaps?

[alan29]

It's that old assumption that there should be Masses in schools. Fine, where the school population is 100% practising and a celebration of the Eucharist is the true expression of where the kids are coming from. Or where you can be sure that the school isn't the last refuge of some sort of ethnic tribalism. I have taught in inner city Catholic secondary schools all my working life, and it is puzzling when the population in the school that practises most is the Muslim pupils. Puzzling, but totally admirable. In fact in my last school we used to open a prayer room for the Muslims during Ramadan, and it was visited more in that month than the chapel was in the whole year.
So, Plainsong for Schools? perhaps not.
Alan

[contrabordun]

But in that case, why have Catholic schools? (Or was that the point you were making?)

[Claire B]

Mass promotion of plainchant today poses a number of structural difficulties, mainly revolving around what sort of plainchant you wish to promote. When Plainsong for Schools was published it followed the then controversial Mocquereau variety of rhythm as distinct from that promoted by Pothier through the main Vatican Typical editions. Today the situation is somewhat more complex. Partly this is due to the Gregorian Semiology promoted by Cardine and his disciples. To pull this off successfully you need to be able to read (and interpret) the staveless neums reproduced from the St Gall and other C9th-C10thMss above the c14th 4 line stave notation in the Graduale Triplex and other similar volumes. There is also a strong suspicion that plainchant methods of performance changed in the intervening centuries. Certainly, by the late Middle Ages (C14th onwards) measured methods of performance were being introduced; and these became predominant from Renaissance times up till Solesmes began its programme of research in the late C19th.

I have to admit that most of that paragraph made no sense whatsoever to me. Do you have a glossary or thread somewhere that would explain some of this?

I still keep a copy of my dad's Holy Ghost hymnal that he was given as a schoolboy in the 1920's at the Cardinal Vaughan school. That has hymns with four line stave and square notes, plus sol-fa beneath. I'm assuming that has some connection to the above?

(I think I've also failed in understanding how to quote from a previous post - apologies)

[musicus]

It is interesting that all the answers assume I am promoting Plain Song - which isn't true.

I think that was the natural inference we all took from the last line of your opening post...

I have seen many of these "little manuals" on shelves in choir lofts but wonder if it is time for the Society to take a lead again.

..but if you meant "In 1930 the SSG took a lead on the chant; maybe it's now time once again for it to take a lead [on other matters]", then that begs a different question.

[musicus]

(I think I've also failed in understanding how to quote from a previous post - apologies)

I have added the quote stuff for you. The simplest way is just to click the 'quote' button on the post you want to quote. You can always edit out any bits you don't want to quote.

Incidentally, you rarely need to type out all that nerdy tag stuff. For example, to italicise a phrase in your post, just highlight the appropriate words and click the 'i' button. This will put the correct tags around the phrase for you. Bold and underline work this way too.

[alan29]

I think that what dmu3tem is alluding to is that there are many different kinds of plainsong, and there is a lot of controversy among scholars about how it should be sung. To take a simple example should "Veni Sancte Spiritus" be sung with notes of equal length (as it usually is) or in a swinging 3 time, as the rhythm of the words would suggest. It is actually quite important, as the result is very different in feel. The one way giving the lovely floaty sound beloved of traditionalists (and also advocates of New Age kinds of spirituality - oops, sorry, a bit naughty there,) while the triple time version gives a much folksier result. This is a "discussion" that I believe pre-dates the publication of the Liber. In fact I think that it's publication was seen as a victory by one view among many, and it wasn't brilliantly received because of that. But it caught on because it was "usualis."
About the school thing. The title of the thread (and publication) does actually invite widening the discussion into what kind of liturgy is fitting for Catholic schools. I have already outlined my experience. For what they are worth, here are my thoughts. In the inner-cities where I have worked, values such as forgiveness, compassion and valuing each individual are almost revolutionary. (gun-crime, drugs dealing, prostitution, vendettas etc are mainly to be found in our inner cities.) In places like these our Church schools really are lights shining in the darkness, and for many children in them the experience of being forgiven (not talking confession here) and reconciled "because you are worth it," is utterly mind-blowing. There is no-one else working in this way with the young people of our country as far as I can see. I know it isn't what the schools were set up for, but I defy anyone to say that they are not putting children in touch with the gospel.
Alan

[oopsorganist]

I do not agree with you Alan, about church schools. That is what they should be. But they are not.

[musicus]

Much of this thread so far has not been on-topic - possibly because we have been unclear what the topic is - but it is interesting, so I shall let it run for now. If it becomes necessary, I will split the discussion off into one or more new threads.

[quaeritor]

..but if you meant "In 1930 the SSG took a lead on the chant; maybe it's now time once again for it to take a lead [on other matters]", then that begs a different question.

Aaaaaargh - surely "poses" or "raises" a different question? - (to "beg the question" is something quite specific and very different (I think))

[musicus]

..but if you meant "In 1930 the SSG took a lead on the chant; maybe it's now time once again for it to take a lead [on other matters]", then that begs a different question.

Aaaaaargh - surely "poses" or "raises" a different question? - (to "beg the question" is something quite specific and very different (I think))

Haha! Quite right. I meant 'raises', of course.