Back in the late 70's and early 80's, I remember rushing home from Summer School – and various other courses and meetings – clutching sheaves of photocopies of Alleluia Gaudete, Celtic Liturgy, Vigil Mass, Come to set us Free, We Are Your People..... They sat in our dusty choirloft next to Regnavit Dominus, the Parish Hymnal and Terry's Holy Week book while I, an enthusiastic teenager, couldn't understand why our choirmaster wasn't interested in them.
Paul Inwood, Bill Tamblyn, Chris Walker and James Walsh did so much for us. They composed, they taught, they cajoled, they encouraged. I'm not sure where we'd be without them. Sadly, their music was not promoted by the more popular publishers of the day and was only available from small imprints like Magnificat, Chiswick and Clifton. Those parishes which didn't come across them made a smooth/bumpy (delete as applicable) transition from Missa de Angelis and Ett's Haec Dies to Israeli Mass and Kum ba Yah.
Three/five thoughts/questions arise:
1) Why, 20 years on, are Communion Song III, Coventry Gloria, Celtic Liturgy etc still "new" in so many places?
2) Did my beloved Tamblyn (and co) do so much simply because there was so much to be done? Is there still?
3) Is there a second generation to receive their mantel? Or did they all do so much that there's nothing left to do but spread their word?
One of my choir ladies said recently: "When did all this start? All this music and singing? We didn't have it before Father Graeme."
Is the next Generation willing to go boldly?
SSG – The Next Generation
Moderators: Dom Perignon, Casimir
Answers on a postcard...
- It never ceases to amaze me, when I suggest a piece which I have known for years and years, and it is thought of as 'new'. However, this need not be restricted to Inwood/Farrell/Tamblyn/Walker/Walsh - I once launched into "O Thou, who at thy eucharist dist pray" (Gibbons) and was asked what this "new" stuff was.
One way round the "problem" would be to draw up a core repertoire... and then support the teaching of that in every parish. But, do we want a uniform repertoire?
What is used in parishes is determined by many things - what is in the hymnbook; the taste (or lack of it) of the person/people choosing the music - and their perception of the tastes of the assembly; the priest; the resources; the budget... - Yes, there was much to be done... However, do not forget that many of these were encouraged by the changes after Vatican II to experiment with the liturgy - which is not currently permitted. Experimentation brought a deeper understanding and also a great outpouring of creativity. As with any such outpouring, stuff has to be sifted, the "good" retained and the "bad" discarded.
Also, recall that for a while the English Bishops funded church music - through the CMA - and they do not now. I'm not sure how I often feel encouraged by our bishops, financially or otherwise!
...and yes there is still much to do, though I would argue that it is a different task now than it was then. - Sure. I think that many of those you've named, see themselves as doing exactly that through their workshops, through working with SSG Composers' Group, through working on Diocesan commissions and formation programmes...
Cynics who attend workshops might come away feeling as if the "message" has been (un)subtly supporting a "buy my latest book/CD" promotion...
Perhaps we need the equivalent of an apprentice scheme, something more direct and active?
People such as you and I, Merseysider, do work with their material, but also do write our own. I would argue that this is as much because of the encouragement we have had directly as that we have had indirectly by seeing/hearing the words and music of the generation above us. It isn't a question of spreading their word, so much as God's word; "sing a new song to the Lord" might mean something that you have just written or something really old that has never been heard by that congregation!
There is a guarded "yes" to this; guarded because it is my opinion that we are in a period of conservative reaction against the changes of Vatican II and, it is my children's generation who will either make or break the spirit of Vatican II. I'm not sure that it is up to my generation in the Church to go boldly, as such; that does/did belong to those older than I. My job is to use their material intelligently and to teach and to encourage those after me to think about what they are doing; to pass on my enthusiasm for the Liturgy and its music; to equip them to meet the tasks they will face and thus to be able to go boldly. It is no small task!merseysider wrote:Is the next Generation willing to go boldly?
Benevenio.
I think that many of those you've named, see themselves as doing exactly that through their workshops, through working with SSG Composers' Group, through working on Diocesan commissions and formation programmes...
Mm... the SSG Composers' Group no longer acts as a magnet for many well known names, though we have had the benefits of Bill Tamblyn's and Paul Inwood's presence in the last couple of years. It makes a huge difference to us having the continued support of such people, and we need more. In order to provide guidance to composers, I am increasingly turning to this Forum as a resource.
Hoping to have live debate on the Quires and Places theme at Leeds Cathedral on Saturday March 5th. Interested? PM me.
Details also on Composers pages of this website.
CG Sec
Do it live at a Composers' Group meeting!
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Merseysider
- Posts: 430
- Joined: Fri May 07, 2004 11:21 pm
Things to come...
Control is the problem isn't it? In an effort to maintain the "great tradition of Catholic music", it has been all the harder to assimilate new material, and such efforts that have tried have, almost inevitably, let through rather a lot of less-than-memorable pieces, which, while appealing to some, have been less than 'catholic' in their appeal.
But, short of some musical arbiter of what should be allowed into the "Catholic tradition", and thus to become part of it for generations yet to come, I don't know what the solution is. Music isn't always logical like arithmetic; 2+2=4, but consider the debate that surrounds a piece like O come, O come, Emmanuel - a masterpiece for some, a miserable dirge for others. As such, can it be truly called 'Catholic', or even 'catholic'?
It is a rare piece of music, and even more rare a piece of music with a lyric, that genuinely appeals to all, regardless of age or musical background. Few could quantify why they like it either - they just 'do'.
But, short of some musical arbiter of what should be allowed into the "Catholic tradition", and thus to become part of it for generations yet to come, I don't know what the solution is. Music isn't always logical like arithmetic; 2+2=4, but consider the debate that surrounds a piece like O come, O come, Emmanuel - a masterpiece for some, a miserable dirge for others. As such, can it be truly called 'Catholic', or even 'catholic'?
It is a rare piece of music, and even more rare a piece of music with a lyric, that genuinely appeals to all, regardless of age or musical background. Few could quantify why they like it either - they just 'do'.