I have a disturbing habit of rummaging through old press cuttings just to remind myself how far we have come (or not, as the case may be) over the last twenty years or so. That is approximately when I started my collection of articles and cuttings; in those days the press was full of headlines such as "Rebel Archbishop" meaning ++ Lefebvre and also "the outlawed Mass" meaning the EF Mass.
But today I only returned in my time machine to the year 2006, just months into the reign of Pope Benedict XVI. He whom, when plain Cardinal Ratzinger, was dubbed "the only man more Catholic than the Pope".
My eyes fell on a cutting from The Daily Telegraph (the only British paper to consistently report fairly evenly on Catholic goings on over the past 25 years).
The journalist, Malcolm Moore, now the DT's man in Shanghai wrote a piece headed:
"Silence modern music in church, says Pope". Here is an introductory extract:
But today I only returned in my time machine to the year 2006, just months into the reign of Pope Benedict XVI. He whom, when plain Cardinal Ratzinger, was dubbed "the only man more Catholic than the Pope".
My eyes fell on a cutting from The Daily Telegraph (the only British paper to consistently report fairly evenly on Catholic goings on over the past 25 years).
The journalist, Malcolm Moore, now the DT's man in Shanghai wrote a piece headed:
"Silence modern music in church, says Pope". Here is an introductory extract:
The Pope has demanded an end to electric guitars and modern music in church and a return to traditional choirs.
The Catholic Church has been experimenting with new ways of holding Mass to try to attract more people. The recital of Mass set to guitars has grown in popularity in Italy; in Spain it has been set to flamenco music; and in the United States the Electric Prunes produced a "psychedelic" album called Mass in F Minor.
 |
| The guitar is an instrument of the streets and should remain there |
However, the use of guitars and tambourines has irritated the Pope, who loves classical music. "It is possible to modernise holy music," the Pope said, at a concert conducted by Domenico Bartolucci the director of music at the Sistine Chapel. "But it should not happen outside the
traditional path of Gregorian chants or sacred polyphonic choral music."
I am not particularly au fait with the goings on at new Masses these days so I'm more than happy to be corrected but, is that not a guitar I see before me, coming out of church after the 10am Mass? And, do my eyes deceive me or are those round things not tambourines? Aaaagh! not tambourines! And, yet again, some primary school aged children clutching the devil's own instrument, the recorder!!!! Help! Plus ca change methinks.
Nothing has changed. The Holy Father's "demands" are ignored by Bishops, Priests and laity alike. How can that be? They are all good Catholics aren't they?
No, they are not! Anyone who ignores the teachings of the Holy Father places his or her immortal soul in peril.
traditional path of Gregorian chants or sacred polyphonic choral music."
I am not particularly au fait with the goings on at new Masses these days so I'm more than happy to be corrected but, is that not a guitar I see before me, coming out of church after the 10am Mass? And, do my eyes deceive me or are those round things not tambourines? Aaaagh! not tambourines! And, yet again, some primary school aged children clutching the devil's own instrument, the recorder!!!! Help! Plus ca change methinks.
Nothing has changed. The Holy Father's "demands" are ignored by Bishops, Priests and laity alike. How can that be? They are all good Catholics aren't they?
No, they are not! Anyone who ignores the teachings of the Holy Father places his or her immortal soul in peril.
 |
| Das ist verboten! |
Meanwhile, those pew warmers, those parish councillors, those mindless masses, sit happily absorbing music that has not progressed much further than Kum-bay-yah.
Oh, I am being judgmental, I know but we all are obliged by an unspoken vow of obedience and it does fire me up when faced with a bland and fatuous congregation who accept willy nilly, the froth that is put in front of them.
Are they incapable of seeing that what they do is actually wrong? Not just misguided, wrong! Time they were given the Byrd!
Hello Richard, a very thorny issue. One which should, in essence, be straightforward but unfortunately isn't because of a dirth of educated liturgical musicians. I wish it generated more real interest and sadly when it does generate discussion, the product is often more heat than light!
ReplyDeleteWe should also be very careful when looking to the past (pre 1965) that we don't do so through rose-tinted glasses. Liturgical music has always posed problems - yes, Palestrina et al are fabulous but the majority of compositions of that genre of music are quite out of the range of your average parish choir (and if they were then, they most certainly are now!)
The modern problem is 'committment'. Yesteryear it was the dedicated pastime of some committed parishioners to be in the 'choir' and some very good choirs existed, singing music of average composition but nevertheless doing it very well. They practised week in, week out - nowadys even if you have a priest who's slightly interested (as rare as hen's teeth) you cannot get the volunteers. Add to the mix that there are few people who actually want to sing in a correct manner thanks to modern muisc i.e. X Factor.
I managed to get a small amateur choir together last year to sing for some EF Masses. They were excellent, some of them very inexpreienced but we just couldn't get any men. We had to pay 'semi-pros' and also for a competant organist, added on to that my two hour travel every week for the practice and it just became untenable.
The Church has always had a problem when it comes to paying a musician's wage. They say you get what you pay for and I would wager that the places where the music is really, really bad, they are liturgically uneducated, well-meaning volunteers (unpaid).
The next problem is the state of pipe organs in Catholic churches (that's if they exist) and the next problem leading on from that is the lack of COMPETANT liturgical organists.
The other problem to my mind - dare I say this - comes from 'good' non-Catholic musicians who bring with them good music but not from the Catholic tradition. They too are well-meaning but don't understand the Roman Rite (either EF or OF).
As I said a very thorny issue and one which should be discussed.
I agree,a sense of committment is the answer to successful liturgical music, combined with one or two knowledgeable choir members who can support those who are learning. Our small schola of five meets twice a week and has tackled both plainchant and polyphony. We have been blessed by a choirmaster who diligently researches appropriate pieces,writes out parts and records music onto tape so that individuals can practise at home. But, there is no doubt that in order to achieve this standard, sacrifices have had to be made.
ReplyDeleteAnother source of help can be the congregation whose words of encouragement are hugely important in the formative days of a choir. The potential for disaster is very real when the skills of singing unaccompanied polyphony are first being developed. Often, what sounded beautiful around the dining table falls apart in a wave of anxiety during the Mass!
Sadly, due to moves made by the Bishop, we are now in the unenviable position of being able to sing many propers and motets to a reasonable standard, but having little opportunity for a Missa Cantata. Still, we continue to meet twice a week in the hope that we can (in a very small way) continue to value the ancestry of Gregorian chant, Byrd, Palestrina et al.
St Gregory pray for us
St Cecilia pray for us
Reporting from Sintra, Portugal: guitars and tambourines here! My big girls, 19 and 16, opening very much their eyes in awe, refuse to join the choir in spite of the several invitations they had to do that. The 16 yo one even said to the " choir master": " I don't like this music". I was very concerned that she was not being very charitable but, in the other end, the truth has only one way!
ReplyDelete"Meanwhile, those pew warmers, those parish councillors, those mindless masses, sit happily absorbing music that has not progressed much further than Kum-bay-yah."
Yes, they praise the choir master.
I still believe they don't do that racket to disobey the Pope, it's just ignorance.
Just in case you are interested, here is a perspective from an outsider.
ReplyDeleteI am protestant, I write hymns in four-part harmony, and I play electric guitar – sometimes in church.
The music of Palestrina is superb. By the way, some of his innovations were in response to threats by the church authorities to dispense with polyphonic singing.
No-one can argue with the pope's wish for music of good quality in church. And it must be conceded that the process of shifting out the inferior from modern music necessarily has some way to go.
"It is possible to modernise holy music," the Pope said, at a concert conducted by Domenico Bartolucci the director of music at the Sistine Chapel. "But it should not happen outside the
traditional path of Gregorian chants or sacred polyphonic choral music." Oh? His meaning is not very clear, but he appears to be excluding most possibilities – including much music by James MacMillan? Interesting that the pope appears to be demanding the polyphony that the church authorities were antagonistic towards in Palestrina's day.
I don't know exactly what the pope said about electric guitars, but if he said that electric guitars should not be played in church, then I disagree. Last Sunday, I played unaccompanied electric guitar during the distribution of the communion bread and wine. I chose to play the bare melody of one of my Celtic-flavoured hymns. In our church, pipe-organ music is more common at that stage.
“Nothing has changed. The Holy Father's "demands" are ignored by Bishops, Priests and laity alike. How can that be? They are all good Catholics aren't they? No, they are not! Anyone who ignores the teachings of the Holy Father places his or her immortal soul in peril.”
Is this tongue-in-cheek?
JNMacN - not tongue in cheek in any way. The Holy Father has exprerssed his wishes most clearly. I am really sorry but the thought of guitar music (with a celtic-flavoured hymn) has me dashing for the puke pail.
ReplyDeleteDon't you understand about obedience to the Pope?
Richard Collins – clearly we are far apart in our thoughts.
ReplyDeleteRegarding musical taste: an unaccompanied melody (Celtic flavoured or not) can be beautiful and moving. If it is the sound of an electric guitar that causes you so much nausea, then perhaps you simply do not know how it can sound. Your reaction to how you imagine my music to have sounded is irrelevant.
Obedience to the pope does not concern me as a protestant. Would you agree that it is more important for me to be a good Christian than a good protestant? And more important for you to be a good Christian than a good catholic? Popes come and go. They have their different opinions. Even the apostles Peter and Paul could disagree. Is it not the case that papal infallibility is claimed only for ex-cathedra pronouncements? Are you saying that a catholic should obey the pope even if the catholic thinks that the pope is wrong? “I was only obeying orders, your honour.”
You say that the pope has expressed his wishes most clearly. Perhaps - I have not seen the full text of his remarks, but if I were trying to compose music for the mass in accordance with his wishes I would need clarification of what was quoted in the Telegraph article.
JNMacN - so sorry old chap, didn't realise you were on the wrong bus :)
ReplyDeleteWe Catholics obey the Pope whether his pronouncement is ex cathedra or not. You see, he is guided by the Holy Spirit and I am not half man enough to go against that combined force.
Guitars belong to street music, not to churches. I am sure your music is very nice, nut not in church.
Pax
JNMacN - sorry, not 'nut' but!
ReplyDeleteRichard Collins -
ReplyDelete“JNMacN - so sorry old chap, didn't realise you were on the wrong bus :)”
I refer the honourable gentleman to the first part of my first contribution.
It is not beyond me to hope that the bus will end up going in the right direction.
“We Catholics obey the Pope whether his pronouncement is ex cathedra or not.”
A bold claim.
“You see, he is guided by the Holy Spirit ...”
I assure you that the Holy Spirit does not restrict His guidance to the pope.
“... and I am not half man enough to go against that combined force.”
One day, perhaps.
“Guitars belong to street music, ...”
What a bizarre statement. Is this a little clue that music is not something you know much about?
“I am sure your music is very nice, ...”
Should you really be making a statement about music that you haven't heard?
“... but not in church.”
Should you really be making a statement about music that you haven't heard?
Richard – thanks for the hospitality of your blog. This is probably my last comment.
ReplyDeleteSome people dislike the use in church of a modern hi-tech instrument in the shape of an electric guitar. Often this dislike is well-earned. The following remarks are intended to give some perspective.
Nearly every extant pipe-organ uses electricity (to blow the air; to open/close pipes in response to the organist's playing). Of course, when first introduced, pipe-organs were modern non-traditional instruments. Sometimes it is claimed that for about two centuries pipe-organs were the most complex pieces of technology on the planet. By the way, Richard, I know just how you feel about how recorders can sound, but an organ pipe (well, not a reed one) is basically a one-note recorder...
The guitar is a modern instrument, the classical guitar in more or less its present form and the American flat-top guitar first appearing at roughly the same time in the nineteenth century, but guitars were not so much invented as developed from earlier instruments, and the family tree goes back to antiquity.
The use of stringed instruments in the worship of God pre-dates pipe-organs, Palestrina, Gregorian chants and the papacy, as we can tell from the Old Testament. The Hebrew word that we translate as 'psalm' means 'the music of stringed instruments' or 'music accompanied by stringed instruments' – note the similarity between the words 'psaltery' and 'psalter'.