Reviving our music

[VML]

I hesitate to start a new topic, but I am in a dilemma. Our choir practices have somehow ground to a halt.
Of the last five, three times I have been on my own; tonight the member who is also sacristan came and two weeks ago she and two others were there, one of whom not only lists all the rotas, but is also main flower arranger, and a reader. Six of us are over 60 and have been the basis of the choir for 23 years. Many other members have come and gone, and we do have a number of good musicians who play on Sundays, in varying combinations and without, over the last two or three years, ever getting together for practices. Sometimes parts are tossed around online, and I hardly ever can be sure who will be there except a basic organ, guitar and flute, and sometimes the violin (with two month old son.)
So I have little incentive to do anything new. Some of the ladies who do turn up feel they know the repertoire so it is almost pointless to practise: (We are talking very loyal but non music reading.)

I know it is my fault, to a great extent, in that I have always recognised people's other obligations and ties, the fact that some are non-Catholic spouses of parishioners, doctors on call, teachers with parents' evenings and RE weekend retreats etc. Somehow we have mostly put together some pretty reasonable music for Mass.
Perhaps if I demanded the kind of dedication and regular attendance at practices that the local choral society or male voice chior expects, we might have it together better. On the other hand those groups are mostly spending a whole season preparing for a single concert. Weekly Mass is not like that.
I have tried to involve some young people, of whom I know some could be excellent singers, but they will not commit.

The only two other people in the parish who will lead, one monthly and the other in emergencies, are both already hugely committed to the parish and our schools. I wonder if I should now call it a day and let the parish find new music leaders. If there is a perception that only old people do anything are we putting off younger people from getting involved?

What has really depressed me is that this term, the local scouts and guides have been using our church hall for their gang show rehearsals, with a big group making lots of lovely music, while I cannot get a single new singer. But now the show has been and gone, so...

How do I move on? Advent and Christmas are nearly here, with Youth Sunday coming up, and PP has been running a Youth CAFE course, and intends to ask some of the 20 or so of them to do all the ministries, readers, collection, etc on that day, but he hasn't asked them yet. I asked if that included musicians, but he's left that to me. I will play for Benediction and Evening Prayer on the Sundays of Advent, and Christmas Children's Mass and Midnight will happen, but I can summon very little enthusiasm at the moment.

[dmu3tem]

Your problem certainly is not unique, and therefore I am sure you do yourself an injustice when you suggest it might be your fault. I myself face similar difficulties and I have seen the same phenomena elsewhere in different parts of the country. As you rightly say, there seem to be plenty of musicians 'out there' willing to play in pantomines, concert choirs etc but no transfer from these activities into church.

Here are some points that occur to me:

(1) I do not think the ecclesiastical authorities always make things easy for musicians. For example campaigns to promote plainchant, however worthy in themselves, may not appeal to many people. More ominously, the more prescriptive approach advocated for both music and texts in the new liturgies must have a cramping effect on local initiative. On top of that the application of copyright law to virtually all parts of the Mass must hamper initiatives in composing and arranging.

(2) Links between local churches and Catholic schools have often decayed. This used to be a major source of recruitment.

(3) There is a major shortage of skilled church musicians of all sorts; and the absence of skills is most apparant not so much amongst performers but with composers and arrangers. In particular, as I have noted elsewhere, relatively little thought has been given to the way instrumentalists can be combined with organs/keyboards and singers. In the circumstances, the organ-choir mindset one continues to see very frequently is unfortunate, as this means that an important reservoir of instrumental talent is not properly exploited.

(4) Church music at parish level is all too often associated with performers - often children - with little in the way of musical skills. As soon as children get older and become better musicians they seem to 'graduate' away from music in church. This particularly applies to instrumentalists.

Here are some possible approaches:

(1) It is essential to campaign vigorously for the cause of local music. People in a church should have reason to take pride in something that is - at least in part - unique to themselves. This is not to say that uniformity of practice/repertoire does not have its place, but the balance needs to be shifted in favour of local initiative.

(2) Do not be afraid to compose/arrange music yourself. The inate ability to do so is much more widespread than is generally realised - as common as the ability to draw! If you feel you lack the skills come along to SSG composers meetings or post up your problems on the relevant threads of this discussion forum. This skill is essential if you are going to make optimum use of the talents (often in very curious mixes) you do have. For example, as I have a bassoonist, I have had to develop techniques of writing solo 'voluntaries' for him to play accompanied by the organ. If you are a plainchant buff try your hand (as I have done) at a 'medieval style' accompaniment for combinations such as Violin, Bassoon and Organ (I used drones and parallel fourths/fifths). You should not feel that this sort of thing is 'incorrect'. You are merely doing what a medieval musician might do if faced with this situation.

(3) Due to problems with copyright you should, if you compose or arrange, wherever possible use texts you have written yourself or produced by friends/contacts. A shining example of this sort of thing is the Watermead Centre in Leicester. Another strategy is to use texts/translations that are out of copyright or in the common domain. This particularly applies to psalm texts. Get round The Grail by using translations dating from before 1937. There is a set of translations (not very good, I am afraid) by Fillion that I occasionally use.

(4) Wherever possible see if you can recruit musicians from local schools.

(5) Promote excellence in at least part of the repertoire. The point is that it stretches musicians, gives those who are skilled something they can really get their teeth into, and enables all concerned (including the congregation) to take pride in what is going on. For example, if you have a Grade VI violinist (as I sometimes do) get him/her to play a movement or two from say, an Albinoni/Corelli sonata with organ accompaniment instead of an organ voluntary. If there is a cellist, he/she can play the continuo bass line. If there are more players then explore the vast classical chamber music repertory. Note that the mantra 'everything must be done by the congregation' need not be universally applied. Obviously, they must be involved in a lot of the music that goes on, but equally certainly solo opportunities should be provided for the choir and any other specialist musicians. What incentive do they have to spend extra time on rehearsals if they do not have the chance to offer something only they can do? This should not be castigated as self-indulgent display; it is making proper use of God given gifts for the religious-aesthetic benefit of all.

(6) Those who control money and make other key decisions in your parish have to be reminded - often repeatedly - that music is not something that happens instantly 'by magic'. It requires proper application. An effective way to do this is be appealing to base human motives. Specifically, if more money is spent on music then it will be taken more seriously. Here is a simple 'shopping list' of items you might legitimately ask for:

: An up to date set of hymnals, including some fully harmonised copies for your choir.
: A decent organ/keyboard.
: If you have other electronic instruments (e.g. electric guitars), and amplifier and some speakers.
: Facilities to print off copies of new music/arrangements for your musicians together with the ability to place short extracts of new music on newsletters for the congregation. This means having free access to a large photocopier, the paper that goes with it and some contribution towards any expenses you may have setting up music/texts on your own computer/printer. Ideally the parish should pay for a Sibelius music writing programme (half price because it will be a charity).
: Annual purchase of a Calamus Licence so that you can freely use copyright material produced by at least some music publishers.

I am sure there are many other things that can be suggested, but I hope this gives a some sort of start.

[johnquinn39]

I hesitate to start a new topic, but I am in a dilemma. Our choir practices have somehow ground to a halt.

I have a not dissimilar situation in my parish. I think that the main problem with this is the Church's pursuit of liturgical apartheid.

Around ten years ago I found that after some growth and enthusiasm with singing the Mass and composing psalm settings, I was dismayed that the young people were withdrawn from rehearsals, and (after being informed that they did not like traditional hymns, Marty Haugen, Bernadette Farrell, plainsong etc.) , new groups were set up to sing CCM and 'folk' with little reguard of anything that went before.

Much of the new music introduced was, in my opinion, very poor and deriviative, whith dubious texts.

The psalm, and acclamations, once sung, were now recited (often very badly), and now there are no new choir members, and it seems that the young have opted out of taking part in the Mass altogether.

If reciting the psalm and acclamations has resulted in a deeper understanding of the Eucharist, then I am all for it, but I do not believe this to be true.

I attended a youth Mass recently, and the young congregation remained silent and seated through the event.

Is this 'active participation'?

[nazard]

You have all hit on various sore points. We have had much the same experiences you describe. Our parish is small, about a hundred, and the choir has typically been about eight strong over the years. They know only the rudiments of music, and so singing in parts is virtually impossible, although we do manage the odd round. Then, about ten years ago some parishioners, on the elderly side, set up a "folk group" to provide for the children. They sing (in the loosest possible sense) praise and worship songs, insisting that it is what the youth want. As a consequence, everyone from the congregation with a sense of pitch went elsewhere, and such children as their parents stayed in the parish now refuse to come to church.

Back in July we started a study of Gregorian Chant in the choir. It has dramatically improved attendance at rehearsals and has brought in three new members. To be fair, most of the Graduale Romanum is likely to be beyond us for the foreseeable future, but we have done signum crucis (a good start), pater noster, ave maria and gloria patri, and are working on the four marian anthems. I adapted the All Saints communion antiphon to the english text and we sang it at mass: the feedback has been good.

My own solution to the copyright text problem is to use the Douay text and update the anachronisms. Its probably not allowed, but no one has complained yet.

So far, the children have not come back except for Remembrance Day, which was terribly formal with Last Post, Reveille and solid four square hymns. Has anyone seen the Pied Piper?

[VML]

Thank you all for your replies.
I have made a move: The sacristan and I are meeting with the PP later this week to see if we can actually persuade him to put the true situation to the parish.
To a great extent, most Mass goers see things flowing smoothly on the surface, and don't perceive a need to do more than turn up and attend Mass. But the small group doing far too many jobs are aging fast and cannot go on without help.
A neighbouring parish put out a leaflet recently listing all the areas where new people are needed. I have yet to find out how much response there has been.

To be fair, we sing the ordinary, plus psalm, to which the congregation respond well, and alleluia. We have a broad spread of music, and no demarcation between organ and -all acoustic -instruments. It is really just that no new music is possible if no-one will commit to practice, and some of the sounds we make are not the best they could be. Our sax turns up more often when he has a nice bass line to play, particularly, Thomas, the line in one of my pieces that you were kind enough to play at an SSG composers' meeting. Our bassoon player is orchestral level, insisted on buying her own full music hymn book, so she plays the bass line. But she is also a scout leader...

We do not have, in the words of Dom Gregory Murray, any 'trillers or shriekers.' I do count my blessings, but there is room for progress and improvement.
I have Sibelius, my own education version. We have Calamus and CCCL licences.

I list choir practices in the bulletin, but that is not necessarily useful!
A year or so ago, I submitted a plea that included something on the lines of, 'We do not intend to stop singing just because we are getting older. We are happy to sing till we drop, but when we do drop it will be good to have others to follow on.'
But it was not accepted for the bulletin.

This forum is a great support, many thanks.

[johnquinn39]

[quote="na

Back in July we started a study of Gregorian Chant in the choir. It has dramatically improved attendance at rehearsals and has brought in three new members. To be fair, most of the Graduale Romanum is likely to be beyond us for the foreseeable future, but we have done signum crucis (a good start), pater noster, ave maria and gloria patri, and are working on the four marian anthems. I adapted the All Saints communion antiphon to the english text and we sang it at mass: the feedback has been good.

My own solution to the copyright text problem is to use the Douay text and update the anachronisms. Its probably not allowed, but no one has complained yet.

So far, the children have not come back except for Remembrance Day, which was terribly formal with Last Post, Reveille and solid four square hymns. Has anyone seen the Pied Piper?[/quote]

I'm not sure if introducing Gregorian Chant is going to be useful. Does this rather take us away from the 'Biblical Church' mandated at Vatican 2? (with translations from the original into the vernacular). The Grail psalms are, for example, very popular, and most of these have been in some way set to good music.

The Marian Anthems are very beautiful and give people a great deal of comfort, but are they something we would sing at Mass?

We sang 'What shall we pray for those who died' at Remenbrance Sunday, and this has become a firm favourite.

Perhaps education is the key. It is just not true that young people only like praise and worship songs. For example, a number of years ago, we sang Tom Lowenthal's 'Wake your power', a psalm by Fr Eugene Monaghan, and an antiphon by Stephen Dean. I was approached by a number of young people who said how much they enjoyed this music.

Would it be a good idea to teach the young some of the songs of the Church?

[docmattc]

As others have said, you are certainly not unusual in being in this situation. Commitment phobia is symptomatic of the age. Most of the congregation do indeed see things as going smoothly- we are all like elegant swans- paddling away furiously underneath to keep it appearing that way! (maybe some of us are less elegant, but I'm sure you are the epitomy of cygnine grace ) In any parish there is the 10% that do, and the 90% that let them, getting that 90% involved is a constant challenge. I think there are times when the parish has to be told bluntly that you are responsible.
A couple of years ago we were closed for reroofing we had to have Mass in the hall, this involved setting up chairs etc of a Saturday afternoon and the congregation were told that unless folk came to do it, they would be standing for Sunday Mass.

I have only one choir member younger than myself, and she's a doctor working all kinds of odd shifts. Of the rest (I'm lucky that when all present I have 21) maybe 3 are less than fifty, and a good few are over 70. We're OK at the moment, but it will only take illness in a few of the older and more able singers to really make things difficult for us. Younger potential recruits have the excuses "I can't sing" (my job to be the judge of that!) or "too busy with the kids"- the current choir members managed when their offspring were kids though. My PP will occasionally make a plea for new members to the choir, having him endorse it in this way makes a big difference. He always points out that the choir get to sit in comfy chairs rather than on pews. I think a bigger incentive would be to mention that the collection plate doesn't come our way, but curiously he never mentions that

The link with schools is certainly a problem: in my (admittedly limited) experience, there seems to be a large gap between parish repertoire and school repertoire, the latter being in something of a timewarp. But that's a different thread.

As to copyright, does the copyright on the text actually stop one writing a new melody for it, or does it merely stop one profiting from that melody without due permission? That's a different thread too.

[contrabordun]

Isn't the problem that since you can't reproduce the text, your singers will find it hard to sing the words to your beautiful new melody?...

[Peter]

In any parish there is the 10% that do, and the 90% that let them, getting that 90% involved is a constant challenge.

In mine it's more like 10% that do, 80% that let them get on with it at 10% that moan without lifting a finger to help.

As to copyright, does the copyright on the text actually stop one writing a new melody for it, or does it merely stop one profiting from that melody without due permission? That's a different thread too.

It stops you making copies, with or without your own melody, unless of course you subscribe to Calamus and/or CCL or otherwise get permission.

To get back on topic, you are certainly not alone, VML. The choir, such as it is, at my church has dwindled to five at most and rarely that many at once. It exists solely to sing the psalms and Gospel acclamations and to lead the singing of congregations hymns, especially anything new. Unfortunately, of those five the two strongest, on whom the others rely, are also key members of the instrumental group, which effectively bars us from introducing anything new (as the key players cannot simultaneously blow wind instruments and lead the singing!) except on the relatively few occasions when we have an organist. We used to have monthly practices to rehearse the psalms for the coming few weeks and learn new items but found that not everyone could make it to the practices, let alone all the Masses, so we now get together a few minutes before Mass to check that we know the psalm of the day (most of them know the Gelineau tones, as we've been using them for years, so it's mainly a case of checking how the words fit). On those (now rare) occasions when we have something new to learn, we arrange to meet about half an hour before Mass to do so.

Would this be a solution to your problem, VML? Whatever you do, please hang on in there and do what you can, adapting as necessary to suit whatever forces you've got. Knowing you from CG, and having used some of your music, I know you have a lot to offer!

(See also my comment to the thread "Antiphons and Hymns".)

[dmu3tem]

Here are some further remarks:

Styles of music: I notice that some advocate the abandonment of 'popular' 'folk' styles - sometimes in favour of plainchant. I personally feel it is a case of 'horses for courses'. What may work in one parish might not succeed in another. Overrall, it may not be a case of 'either-or', but the flexibility to switch the mix of styles to suit particular local circumstances.

In addition it is worth noting that much 'folk' music has a poor press because it is poorly performed - e.g. inadequate attention to diction and a casual 'hanging-loose' approach to arrangement and rehearsal. In many cases I have found the actual music itself is often rather good. For example I find it a shame that the 'Peruvian Gloria' has now largely been abandoned because it does not conform to the demands of 'Liturgiam Authenticam'.

Texts: There are a couple of interesting threads about the introduction of the New Missal and the new Grail Psalter. I find the prognoses here depressing and alarming. The contributions made illustrate how ecclesiastical authorities often make life more difficult for musicians due to an unhappy combination of (a) lack of clarity about key aspects (timing, the extent to which new texts will supersede old ones, copyright) (b) an apparantly blithe setting aside of the question of additional costs for individual parishes (c) the jettisoning of successful parts of the repertoire we already have (d) an overemphasis on uniformity at the expense of the virtues of local flexibility (e) the essentially slow and cumbersome nature of the whole process (f) I sometimes wonder whether an American idiom (or for that matter, a Kenyan one) will necessarily always be suitable for English conditions.

Rehearsals: I find it almost impossible to find a time at which everyone can come except during the 45 minutes before Mass, as another contributor sensibly suggested. Here we get around the problem of this disturbing the congregation before the service by holding it in a separate room in the presbytery.

More generally, we should note we are up against a number of major socialogical handicaps:

: Regular choir practices flourished in an era when people had not much else to do in their free time. Today this no longer exists due to the multitude of other things people can do - especially at weekends. Partly this is due to the motorcar revolution, enabling people to get out of their local area at will. The greater flexibility and ease with which people can take holidays (often abroad) compounds the difficulty.

: Schoolchildren seem to have a lot more on their plate than before. For example one of my violinists last week suddenly had to attend a national Hockey trial on Sunday morning, so I had to switch her to the Saturday evening service instead. I also lost my Bassoonist because he had to play with a school concert band at a local Remembrance Day service. Two weeks before my Cornet player was taken by her parents for a weekend in London because it was Half Term. These experiences are instructive because they show that parents (whatever they say) and (even Catholic) schools place a higher priority on this sort of thing than the regular Sunday/Saturday Mass. They do not accept that this is a prior engagement that can be broken in only the most exceptional circumstances.

: The break caused by children going off to university is often profound. First, if they were day pupils, then you no longer have them except (perhaps) in the holidays. Second, after leaving university they usually end up settling in another part of the country. Third, at this stage they get a job, get married, produce children of their own and spend so much time on these essential activities that there is no chance of anyone recruiting them till they reach pensionable age.

I do not think there is very much that can be done about this sort of thing; and complaining about it does not get one very far. However we should recognise these sorts of problem exist. They go far to explain the phenomena of choirs almost exclusively recruited from the over sixties; the point being that these people belong to the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s generations who lived at a time when there were not so many cars and people depended more heavily on their local institutions for out of hours entertainment/activities.

The issue then is how to make such phenomena work in one's favour. First, the motor car is a double-edged weapon. People can 'vote with their wheels'. A parish can therefore 'suck in' good musicians from elsewhere if the music attracts them. Effective music also attracts other people to the congregation and therefore in the long run gives you a larger pool from which to recruit more musicians and extract collection money to pay for more equipment. Second, we need to be 'quicker on the draw' identifying new arrivals in a parish area and inviting them to use their manifold talents. Third, the phenomenon of people 'voting with their wheels' opens the way for different churches in adjacent areas specialising in different forms of music to cater for different groups of people. It may be a mistaken strategy to have a wide mix of styles attempting to suit all tastes, especially with a small congregation (i.e. under 200). Fourth, with children we have to offer the bait to their parents that we are developing their musical talents - usually for nothing - by giving them valuable ensemble/solo experience. This is a strong argument for the idea of developing a 'progressive standard of excellence' rather than having every piece of music selected/arranged to fit the needs of the most unskilled musician. The inherent details in such a strategy are worth noting:

: Everyone likes the idea of having a new piece specially written for them. The same point applies to arrangements or new parts for pre-existing pieces - though to a lesser extent.

: The importance of giving individuals solo or solo ensemble work, not just with settings of liturgical settings, but with instrumental 'voluntaries'.

: Providing opportunities for budding composers/arrangers to show/develop their talents. With children this could be integrated with elements of the Music National Curriculum/GCSE/A Level all of which promote such facets.

: Specific voice-training for your singers.

[nazard]

Thomas,

As always, you have hit many nails on the head with this one. I too am fond of the Peruvian Gloria, but surely it is a "Goria Patri" and not a "Gloria in excelsis Deo?" Has anyone any ideas on how to use it?

Music done badly certainly does make people vote with their wheels, which means small parishes with few musicians really do have their work cut out. I support simple chant because it is possible to get it to sound presentable. I am not against folk, but I find it difficult because it is a long way from my comfort zone (the baroque) and the congregation have been so thoroughly trained in malpractice that I can't get it out of them. I look around for simple folk music that they have not heard before and that can be quite successful.

Something you have to watch with folk is that the term means whatever the speaker or the listener want it to mean. This makes it a dangerous word. It can mean songs based on early sixties pop. The people who liked such things are now in their sixties, so one way of upsetting the youth is to perform such things and tell them you are doing it for them, My children are into a fairly heavy rock (listen to the Fratellis if you want an idea of what it sounds like), as the other kids around seem to be, and they do not relate to anything I dare perform in church.

I have come to the conclusion that it wasn't a good idea to introduce pop music because it dates so quickly and becomes a division between the generations.

[docmattc]

As always, you have hit many nails on the head with this one. I too am fond of the Peruvian Gloria, but surely it is a "Gloria Patri" and not a "Gloria in excelsis Deo?" Has anyone any ideas on how to use it?

Indeed, it is not a paraphrase of the Gloria, it merely happens to contain the word 'Glory' (its not Peruvian either!) It strikes me that if you want to continue using it (and to be honest I can't say that I would), it would not be inappropriate for Trinity Sunday- it paraphrases the Gospel Acclamation of that day.

But back on topic, Thomas has very accurately highlighted many of the problems, but how does VML, or anyone else, go about fixing them?

[festivaltrumpet]

There is a further difficulty that augments the crisis in parish music. The faithful have not been catechised regarding the value of music as an integral part of liturgy. Here, as in much else, the hierarchy have been found wanting.

[Southern Comfort]

Thomas - The translations don't have anything to do with the conferences of bishops requesting permission to use them. I don't think you'll find the new Grail too American, or Kenyan, or anything else. It'll just be "Grail-ian".

[dmu3tem]

The translations don't have anything to do with the conferences of bishops requesting permission to use them

I am probably being very dim, but I do not understand this. For me - and any other composer/arranger - the key question is who holds the copyright. My understanding is that the same situation will apply to these new translations as to current ones. That is the copyright will be held either by The Grail, ICEL or some other body and if we wish to compose or arrange new musical settings for these then - if we stick to the strict letter of the law - before we make multiple copies, we have to get permission to use the text. In addition I understand that there will be published a body of approved musical settings and that any other musical settings will have to be approved by some central musical committee.

Is this correct?