Soundboard No. 22

SOUNDBOARD A Magazine for Church Musicians Number 22 !!! November 2010 Looking to the future The Committee seeks to identify and busy seasons of Advent and Two events since the end of summer respond to the needs and demands Christmas approach, we wish you all have given the Church Music of church music here in Dublin and the best with your music ministry, Committee good cause to celebrate. Glendalough, and the nature of these and look forward to a prosperous Firstly, we were delighted to will necessarily change over time. and musically fulfilling 2011 for us welcome six new students to the Just as we keep our training all! ! Archbishop's Certificate Course in schemes under review, so too are we Church Music, bringing the total aware of the need to continue to offer number of current students across relevant resources, support and the three years to fourteen. Their events. To that end, two days after arrival was marked on 9 September welcoming the students, the with Choral Evensong and a Committee met for a 'brainstorming WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE reception at Christ Church breakfast' — the second of our Cathedral during which our 'events' — followed by a morning of The Role of Music in Liturgy chairperson, Archdeacon Ricky lively discussion (admirably led by Edgar Swann’s Living Worship talk Rountree, wished them well in their Ruth Handy). This left us in a much The Wesley Family studies and thanked them for their clearer position about the shape that David McConnell writes dedication and the hours of hard our work should take in the future. work they will devote in the coming You will see the fruits of this in the A Nonagenarian Remembers months! coming months. Maedhbh Abayawicrama talks to In the two decades since its We realise that to be truly effective Janet Ashe inception this course has trained we have first to understand exactly over 60 church musicians in the who we are serving and why; Worship with the Spirit three key disciplines of organ- therefore, we propose to invite every Geoff Weaver in Romania playing, choral leadership and parish in the united dioceses to help Seventy Years of Sunday Half- liturgical practice, and thanks to us undertake a 'music audit', in Hour much hard work by many people which they will describe their music Randal Henly reports (not least the students themselves, activities and identify areas of and their tutors) it has developed limitation and opportunity (which Music Technology into a balanced and comprehensive can often be the same!). This is sure Philip Good writes about music course which is a benchmark for to be a thought-provoking and notation programs similar schemes elsewhere. Those worthwhile exercise for each parish who complete the course are able to and its musicians; combined, the The Organs of Former Churches provide and develop music of a high results will be even more powerful St Mary’s, Mary Street, Dublin standard in their own parishes, because they will enable us to serve thereby enlivening musical worship you even more effectively. Other Church Music in Kilternan across the diocese. future work will focus on the 'next Ann Keary writes generation' of church musicians and Last year we revised the organ- on working with other organisations Do You Know Your Music playing syllabus to cover a wider whose interests chime with our own, 24 questions to test your and more relevant range of in the belief that together we can knowledge disciplines, and this year's choral provide a more relevant and powerful training element has been more service. Maynooth 2010 Summer School comprehensive than ever before, Fran Scott reports largely due to the admirable work of So, this is an exciting time for the tutors Ite O'Donovan and Peter church music in the dioceses of Unlikely Bedfellows Parshall. Dublin and Glendalough. As always Michael Johnston points to we acknowledge and commend the similaritie between two different The 'Living Worship' lecture series, great work that is done by those who traditions held in January each year, forms a make music, Sunday by Sunday, for part of the course but its content is the further glorification of God. We Organ Recital Programmes relevant to a far wider audience; warmly encourage you all to take full Some reflections from the Editor those of all musical and religious advantage of the services and dispositions (and none) will find opportunities we provide: we are Notes & News much food for thought. The 2011 your resource and want to serve you. Details of the forthcoming Living series, which begins on Saturday 15 Worship course and a miscellany January, is — as ever — open to all. Keep in touch with us by email and of other items here We warmly invite you to visit our in person; write an article or letter website to find out a little more about for Soundboard; let us know what is what has become one of our most happening in your church. As the successful projects. received the sacrament, we are strengthened to go out and proclaim The Role of Music in Liturgy the good news of the Gospel in communion with our Lord. All our senses are involved as we experience and act out this drama and I believe Each year, as part of Christ) with our that music has a particularly the Living Worship modern Eucharist will important role to play. series of lectures, we demonstrate a much aim to include one more radical USING THE MUSIC session on the role of departure than a For many years, I preferred worship music in liturgy, to simple modernisation to begin with a hymn of procession enable church of language. In which set the tone of the season or musicians to develop contrast, Morning the theme of the day. I now prefer a their understanding of Prayer and Evening quieter opening that includes a the place and Prayer changed little, liturgical greeting, a sentence of meaning of music aside from more Scripture and an introduction to the within worship. Last modern language and liturgy of the day, only then followed February we were new forms of by a hymn. In my opinion, the pleased to welcome confession and Collect for Purity leads naturally into Archdeacon Edgar Swann to discuss absolution. There also is a wider the penitential section, which in the topic. This is a condensed selection of Canticles, including turn is followed by the Gloria in version of his talk, which we hope versions in metrical form. Excelsis. will provide food for thought to all involved in worship. Worship The Ministry of the Word It is worth considering what we I believe that the Revised Common The Book of Common Prayer, actually do in our worship and why. Lectionary (RCL), which provides including the Canticles and Psalms, We meet in God's name primarily to three readings and a psalm, is was part of my upbringing. It give Him praise. We celebrate the designed to be an integral unit and provided me with a good weekly great acts of salvation as we read the should be adhered to. The Gospel liturgical basis for worship. The Scriptures, just as the Jews read the readings follow the liturgical year BCP had not changed in any real Torah. In telling our story and re- and reflect the story of our way since the version published in enacting that story week by week as redemption from Advent Sunday 1662 (itself based on Archbishop a community. we respond to what until Ascension. During the Sundays Cranmer's work a century earlier). I God is doing for us, through Jesus after Trinity ('Ordinary Time') the also grew up with Church Hymnal Christ. Gospel readings focus on the which, of course, is still alive and teachings of Jesus. well today. My sense of how worship Structure can be enriched by music was There is a basic structure to all our The RCL follows a three-year cycle. instilled by my membership of a acts of worship. In year A the Gospel readings are church choir. All of these helped me • The Gathering of God's People from Matthew; in year B they are to develop an understanding of the • Proclaiming and Receiving the from the Gospel according to Mark Church's year. Word and in year C, from the Gospel At that time Morning Prayer and • The Prayers of the People according to Luke. St John's Gospel Evening Prayer were the norm for • Celebrating at the Lord's Table - is used at festivals. During the Sunday worship. Holy Communion when there is Holy Communion Sundays after Trinity, there is an was celebrated either early in the • Going Out as God's People option to read the Old Testament morning or following the main either semi-continuously over three morning service. Thus, mainstream A Service of the Word years, or 'paired'; that is, linked Anglican worship for most people This was designed to allow freer thematically with the New was associated primarily with an forms of worship within a liturgical Testament readings that follow. The amalgamation of the monastic structure, using basic guidelines. Psalm is a reflection and response to offices, which originally were The BCP provides a template and the Old Testament reading. designed for a daily round of prayer. helpful guidelines. A booklet using The concept of Parish Communion four basic services of the word is The Gradual Hymn was limited to places that would also available. Different credal This has become standard in most have been considered 'high church'. formulae may be used: for instance, parishes and seems to be a the question-and-answer version in peculiarly Anglican phenomenon.

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