CHURCH MUSIC QUARTERLY JUNE 2019 THE MUSIC OF HEAVEN CONTENTS 5 EDITORIAL 38 SIMPLE WORSHIP SONGS ON THE ORGAN Miles Quick and Tom Bell provide tips for playing worship songs 6 IN ACTION on the organ. A look at a recent Strengthen 13 for Service event in Salisbury 40 CONGRATULATIONS Members’ successes and 8 WHAT’S ON RSCM awards Highlights of RSCM events across the UK, June to October 2019 42 HYMN MEDITATION Gordon Giles meditates upon 13 THE MUSIC OF Walford Davies’s God be in my head. HILDEGARD OF BINGEN Jennifer Bain looks at the music of Hildegard of Bingen and provides a 19 practical guide to using Hildegard’s 44 NEWS FROM music across the church year. PUBLISHING A look at the upcoming RSCM publication In Every Corner Sing, Book Two 19 FIVE HUNDRED YEARS OF NEGLECT Olivia Sparkhall considers the prominence of women composers 47 NOTEBOOK: from the 15th century to the NEWS AND EVENTS present day. News from the world of church music 32 24 FROM THE DIRECTOR 49 READERS’ LETTERS Hugh Morris talks about the RSCM’s new Strategic Plan. 51 OBITUARIES 26 RSCM NEWS News and reports across the RSCM’s international network 52 REVIEWS CMQ evaluates the latest church music books and CDs. 32 MY FAVOURITE HYMN Brian Kay talks to CMQ about 36 his favourite hymns and about 56 PUZZLES conducting The Really Big Chorus. 57 LOOKING TO 36 BRANCHING OUT THE FUTURE Jenny Yates, RSCM South Africa, CMQ talks to organist and conductor describes bringing sacred music Helen Smee. to some of the poorest schools on the Eastern Cape. 58 CLASSIFIED ADS 38 EDITORIAL Welcome to the June issue of CMQ. It’s been ten years since In this issue we talk to Brian Kay about the motion picture CMQ last underwent a makeover and we thought it would Amadeus, The Really Big Chorus and the beauty of Bach’s benefit from a few changes. Take a look around: not only Passions. In Looking to the Future we shine a spotlight upon does the magazine have a fresh look, it has new features, too. musicians at the start of their careers, which, in this quarter, At the front you’ll find our new In Action pages, dedicated is Helen Smee, prize winning organist and conductor. On to covering RSCM events wherever church musicians meet page 36 you will find Branching Out, an outlet for the RSCM’s to learn, play and worship. Turn over the page and you’ll global family to tell us about events and developments in find What’s On, a snapshot of events going on across the their countries. Elsewhere you’ll find From the Director, UK across a five-month period (this issue covers June to and news about forthcoming RSCM Press publications. October). The What’s On pages are grouped by event type, The puzzles page has also made a comeback, and this not region, so if you’re an organist or conductor looking for quarter contains a little music theory. help, check under ‘workshops’, while if you are looking to Our main features this issue focus upon little-known female attend one of the RSCM’s flagship festivals, take a look at composers of sacred music. In Five Hundred Years of Neglect, the ‘Area Festivals’ list. The events featured are not Olivia Sparkhall walks us through a broad survey of women exhaustive, nor do they contain every detail about each. composers from the 15th century to the present day. Then, To learn more about a particular event, or for a complete list from Jennifer Bain, we have an in-depth look at the music of what’s going on, visit our website or get in touch using the Hildegard of Bingen, including a practical guide to help you contact details provided. www.rscm.org.uk/search-events/ incorporate Hildegard’s plainchant into the liturgical year. A little further into the magazine you’ll find My Favourite We hope you enjoy reading this issue of CMQ as much Hymns, a light-hearted opportunity to talk to figures from as we enjoyed making it. the church music world about their favourite music and to share some anecdotes. CONTRIBUTORS Jennifer Bain is Professor of Brian Kay is an English broadcast- Tom Bell is Royal College of Music and of Gender and Women’s er, conductor and singer. He is Organists director for the north of Studies at Dalhousie University. principal conductor of The Really England, north Wales and the Isle Her articles and editorial projects Big Chorus and of the Burford of Man. Formerly, he was organist focus on the music of Guillaume Singers. He was the founder bass and choirmaster of St Michael, de Machaut and Hildegard of of the King’s Singers and sang Chester Square in London. Bingen, and the development of 2000 concerts worldwide with digital chant research tools. She is the group between 1968 and 1982. currently editing the Cambridge Companion to His broadcasting career has involved writing and Hildegard of Bingen. Her book, Hildegard of Bingen presenting thousands of programmes for BBC Gordon Giles is Vicar of St Mary and Musical Reception: the Modern Revival of a Radio 2, 3 and 4. Brian is a vice president of the Magdalene, Enfield and Director Medieval Composer, was published by Cambridge Royal School of Church Music. of Post-Ordination Training for the University Press in 2015. Edmonton area of the Diocese of London. He has written many books on church music and hymnody, Helen Smee is a conductor, and was one of the editorial team Olivia Sparkhall is a choral organist, accompanist and a for the new Ancient & Modern. conductor, composer and head of prize-winning graduate of the academic music at Godolphin choral conducting course at the School, Salisbury. A passionate Royal Academy of Music. Among advocate for equality, Olivia is other things, she is currently Geoff Weaver is a freelance co-director of Multitude of Voyces, director of music at St Mary, conductor, animateur and an organisation determined to Merton in London. composer with an extensive address the underrepresentation of international ministry. His women composers in church music. passion is to enable musicians to do their work more effectively Jenny Yates is a long-standing member and to ensure that they sing of the RSCM and is currently chair of the from the heart. RSCM STAFF CONTRIBUTORS: Eastern Cape Branch, South Africa. Hugh Morris, RSCM Director Helen Bent, RSCM Head of Ministerial Training THE ROYAL SCHOOL EDITOR ACCOUNTS CMQ JUNE 2019 Review materials to the OF CHURCH MUSIC Stefan Putigny T +44 (0)1722 424842 Front cover photo: Reviews Editor, Ashleigh House, Cirencester Registered Charity No. 312828 E [email protected] Karin Bolstad © 2016 Hildegard Von Bingen Road, Minchinhampton, Stroud GL6 9EL. 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London EC1Y 0TG. & Finance) Stephen Mansfield F +44 (0)845 021 8826 T +44 (0)1722 424848 Articles, letters, classified T +44 (0)20 7 776 1011 Deputy Director (Education E [email protected] E [email protected] advertisements and members’ news E [email protected] & Voluntary Networks) Rosemary Field www.rscm.org.uk/get-involved/ for the September 2019 issue Head of Publishing Tim Ruffer EDUCATION AND COURSES Australia, Canada, New Zealand, by 1 July 2019 to: T +44 (0)1722 424843 South Africa and USA Magazines Editor RSCM, E [email protected] Contact your local branch for details 19 The Close, Salisbury SP1 2EB. CHURCHOther MUSIC countries QUARTERLY See website for details JUNE 2019T +44 (0)1722 424845 www.rscm.org.uk/get-involved/5 E [email protected] IN ACTION STRENGTHEN FOR SERVICE The RSCM and its volunteers stage hundreds of events across the UK each year. This quarter, In Action takes a look at one of the Revd Helen Bent’s Strengthen for Service workshops. For other workshops taking place in your Area, see the What’s On pages in this issue of CMQ, or visit the RSCM’s website: www.rscm.org.uk/search-events/ HELEN BENT usic matters! It plays an integral part in together openly in an atmosphere of mutual respect worship to bring glory to God and to uplift and trust. Mthe congregation. We all have a view on We have a remarkably rich worship history from the use of music in worship whether we describe Judaism and the Christian church, which has been ourselves as musicians or not, whether we are served by both professional and amateur singers and worship leaders or members of the congregation. musicians across the centuries. As we trace the roots Over the past five years, Strengthen for Service of our worship back to biblical times, we see many residentials have become a well-established and resonances with the ways in which we worship today. valuable part of the RSCM ministerial education All course participants are given a timeline that programme. The course is aimed at all those, lay provides an overview of our musical heritage in the or ordained, who are involved in preparing and form of a smart wall chart.