Reviving our music

[Southern Comfort]

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?

My understanding is that the publisher of Grail IV will be GIA. That means that for congregational copies anyone with a Calamus licence will be covered. You'd have to ask them about making copies for choir use, but in practice copyright holders are not too bothered by people writing their own settings of texts and reproducing them for private use. It's when they start publishing them that things change.

The new Missal texts will be copyrighted to ICEL. Similarly, I don't think making your own copies for private use will be a problem, but any publisher who takes on your music will need to get a contract for that usage with ICEL. If that publisher is one covered by the Calamus scheme, you'll be covered for congregational copies.

The body of approved musical settings is still an open question awaiting resolution. But whatever happens, this corpus of musical settings will be in the nature of a small core repertoire of music which everyone is expected to know. It certainly won't be a list of the only things you can use.

[mcb]

By the look of this, ICEL will allow settings of their texts to be downloadable free of charge. But they will require approval from the relevant national liturgy office for each individual setting made available in that way. I think that's what the letter from ICEL in that link says.

M.

[Southern Comfort]

By the look of this, ICEL will allow settings of their texts to be downloadable free of charge. But they will require approval from the relevant national liturgy office for each individual setting made available in that way. I think that's what the letter from ICEL in that link says.

M.

Indeed it does. But what ICEL have evidently not understood is that the guys who asked the question intend to publish their settings in cyberspace, which is not subject to individual national liturgy offices since anyone in the world can download their products.

I think there's going to be a lot of internet publishing which will in practice prove impossible to police, and the people on the New Liturgical Movement website (and would you trust anyone who can't even translate that into Latin correctly?) look set to be the ones who will try to jump the gun by providing chant settings of the new texts.

The one trump card that ICEL have up their sleeve at the moment is that no one knows for sure if the text that is currently available on the US Bishops' website is actually the last word on the subject. Come 2012, things could be different. Or not.

[Nick Baty]

the copyright will be held either by The Grail, ICEL or some other body...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.

Yes it is correct as far as the ICEL translations go – however, if my information is correct, the committee you mention will be checking that the text remains faithful and hasn't been Israeli Mass-ed. They will not be judging the value of musical settings. I'm sure someone here will be able to confirm this.

On the subject of the Grail translations, I have never come across a body which is so difficult to work with. They refused to allow me to publish a setting of Psalm 83. They insisted I should use the full text, uncut and unaltered, whereas I had used the version which appears in the current lectionary for the Dedication of a Church. On that basis they gave me a big juicy no. I believe I'm not the only person to have had this experience.

[mcb]

On the subject of the Grail translations, I have never come across a body which is so difficult to work with.

The 'body' in question here being HarperCollins (owned by News Corporation, owned by Rupert Murdoch). Didn't your query get referred on to the 'bible' department at HC? Did you ever get a reply?

M.

[Nick Baty]

Never heard anything else.
Hello!
N

[docmattc]

We are way off topic now Mr Bear. I suspect that the demise of VML's choir has little to do with the complexities of copyright law. It probably has more to do with the committment-phobic nature of modern society, the many demands on folks' time and the fact that, as festivaltrumpet says, the role of music in the liturgy is undervalued, as we have discussed in other threads.

[musicus]

Quite so, doc. Thanks for dragging us back so deftly.

[VML]

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.

Getting back on topic: We saw our PP, quite a useful meeting, and some 'chores' have been passed to the parish secretary, but you are right about parish and priests' understanding of music in the liturgy.
One thing that came out is that there are actually more than 80 people (in a Mass going parish of about 300) who are involved in various work and ministries, covering readers, eucharistic ministers, youth, justice and peace, catechists etc. so something is good.
His main point is that we do not have to worry about what will happen when we can no longer do the music. Just get on with it now, and if they are really stuck, he said, they could at least have a hymn sandwich...
I said that is exactly what we do not want, and that 'the least' means a sung Alleluia, plus acclamations that are known to the parish that could if necessary be led by a cantor, if we had no organist. Also, psalms that the assembly have learnt well over the years.

As far as practices go, we are abandoning them in their present form. I am hoping to start some other kind of singing activity now the hall is free of scouts. I am not sure how it will work, but intend to list it as a singing session, singing for fun and fitness or some such thing. I will advertise it in the parish primary, which is next door. I will start with active warm ups and ubiquitous things like 'Swing Low' to encourage harmony singing without paper copies. There will be lots of varied choruses and songs. I am ambarrassed to admit how large a collection of song books of all sorts I have: lots of non copyright stuff that could be useful.

Practice before Mass has been tried with the 'other' group, but does not work well here and is not well received. I mean practice with the 'choir.' Occasionally running through some short response with the congregation is fairly regular.

The fact that our hymn books are the original Celebration and the melody /guitar books have been out of print for years is sometimes a problem, and we have bought some CFE melody books . But PP is not willing to spend any more money on new books while no-one turns up. Actually, there is plenty of stuff we could do with the resources we have with a few more committed people.

Thanks for all the support,

V

[docmattc]

His main point is that we do not have to worry about what will happen when we can no longer do the music. Just get on with it now,

In other words, stick our heads in the sand and pretend the looming crisis isn't there. Trouble with sticking your head in the sand though is that is makes it easy to be kicked up the *beep*.

and if they are really stuck, he said, they could at least have a hymn sandwich...

I've come across this clerical attitude of the hymn sandwich as the minimalist position too, and not just in clergy old enough to have inherited this from "Low Mass with Hymns" which seems to have happened and been correct in the EF. I've heard it from priests who really are young enough to know better.

[nazard]

I've come across this clerical attitude of the hymn sandwich as the minimalist position too, and not just in clergy old enough to have inherited this from "Low Mass with Hymns" which seems to have happened and been correct in the EF. I've heard it from priests who really are young enough to know better.

You have been lucky - our last pp forbade doing anything but a four hymn sandwich.