Music Development in the churches of the Diocese of LincolnQuarterly news

NotepaperTrinity 2011

www.lincoln.anglican.org/music

What’s going on?I’m often asked what I actually DO in this job. Here is the current answer.

TeachingNew organ-study groups are being started inWinterton and Folkingham nr Bourne this July.(Spilsby and Dunston are fledged, with theirown tutors). It is planned to start and bequeathstudy groups to local tutors all over the diocese.A short course in singing the Exsultet for theEaster Vigil was offered in Lent, and courses onSinging the Office simply and unaccompaniedare ongoing. Individuals seek coaching if re-quired. I teach organ*, piano, singing,conducting, composing/arranging .

Village ServicesA liturgical year of DIY sung services for congre-gation only is being toured around, withrehearsal, then worship. Materials, compiled byme, are supplied. Places hosting this:Donnington on Bain, Owmby, Keelby, Gt Hale,Winterton, Deeping St Nicholas, Orby,Swineshead, Nocton, Bicker… The aim is to fa-cilitate parishes in using the materials withoutme in future (reminder CDs issued) so as tobring sung worship to congregations withoutinstrumental or vocal leadership.

RSCM linkAs part of 2011’s Celebrating the Small Church,the RSCM is keen to engage with modest choirsnew to the network. 4 taster-workshops sharedbetween Eric Wayman [RSCM Chair] and myselfhave gleaned 50+ new singers so far.

Parish visitsInvitations since last June came from Dunston,Alford, Boston, Sleaford, & Bailgate Methodists(concerts), South Elkington and CorringhamDeanery (talks). and Brumby (choir and music-group teaching) and Boston again - for juniorchorister-coaching.

AdvicePeople discuss recruiting, appointment-making,repertoire, technical and policy matters with me,mostly by phone/ email but some visits andmeetings are involved.

Ladies’ ChoirThe choir launched in September 2010 at Stow(Evensong) and has presented the AdventExperience at Halton Holegate at the Bell Inn,the Lent Experience in Spilsby Theatre, Carols atDoddington Hall, an Annunciation Eucharist atStow under Will Harrison, a concert at StMargaret’s, Roughton, and contributed a short

anthem to Bishop John’s Leaving Service.Training them, arranging music, and compil-ing the Advent/Lent Experiences are part ofmy work. La Chorale, our Swedish twinned-choir, visits Lincoln from17-20 June ; see theposter on Page 2 for details of our joint events.

MaterialsMusic for the Eucharist, for Psalms, for unac-companied singing, blueprint liturgies , organstudy items and teaching materials forPlacement students are written and suppliedfrom this office. Most can be sent electroni-cally. Modest sums are charged!

PlacementsEight churches with strong musical provisionare offering to host and train teenagers for thefuture as leaders, either of bands, or as organ-ists.

Sing Out HosannaThis was recorded from 2009-10 and is avail-able for teaching 9 – 11 yr olds basic churchsinging and Christian understanding. It in-cludes words/music books and delivers both alesson and an act of worship for each week ofthe academic year by CDs. Saxilby, HaltonHolegate, Whaplode, Pinchbeck, Morton, andScampton have used it. Versions for older andyounger children are envisaged – but not justyet!www.singouthosanna.org will take you on aguided tour of the materials.

ProjectsSome plainsong enthusiasts based at SkirbeckSt Nicholas have studied the chant with meand are now ready to sing this in worship forother churches. Full translations are supplied.The group is ecumenical and numbers about12 people. The initiative came from Fr PaulNoble.

LindaThis term Linda Wass has joined MusicDevelopment on the admin side, working 6 hrsper week. Her work has speeded up my out-put majorly; I am grateful for her cheerful andaccurate co-operation.

*not to be confused with my work for the RCO/St.Giles Organ School which is independent of thediocese.

Notepaper is published four times a year with up-

dates about the Music Development work at times whenyou need them.

To contact Rosemary for further information or generalenquiries:

Rosemary FieldThe Old PalaceMinster YardLincoln, LN2 1PU

Rosemary’s work will doubtless take her out of the office justwhen you ring, so please do leave a message and don’t giveup at that point!

Direct Dial: 01522 504023Mobile: 07525 966 832Email: rosemary.field@lincoln.anglican.org

Linda WassEmail: linda.music@lincoln.anglican.org

DiaryJune18, 19 La Chorale Ladies’ Choir visit - details on the right.20 Morning only – La Chorale farewells23, 24 Office / parish visits25 9.45 Lead worship for new Churchwardens’ Training day

July1 Office2 Market Rasen 9.30 meeting, then Ladies’ Choir rehearsal 11.00, Middle Rasen5 Liturgy committee meeting, 14.30 RSCM Festival rehearsal, Caistor, 19.00 – 20.306 Organ study group starts, Winterton, 15.00 – 16.007, 8 Office9 Ladies’ Choir rehearsal 11.00, Middle Rasen15, 16 Office/parish visits21, 22 Office/parish visits23 Plainsong Vespers, 18.00, venue tbc

August Working in Lincoln weeks beginning 8th and 22nd

28 Plainsong Vespers at Skirbeck, 18.00

Reporting

The year of Celebrating the Small Church is half-way through al-ready! The very valid question “where do we go from here?” isbeing asked. Here are some ideas:

1 Start using some of the Village Service music in otherwise said Services. The Psalm-tones for example could be used very widely. The Psalm is properly part ofthe Common Worship Eucharist, so don’t feel that without Matins or Evensong the Psalm is off-limits.

2 Adopt the unaccompanied Eucharist setting (The MeonMass) for your Village Eucharist. Sections of it are in use in the Village Services and the whole thing is publishedand recorded for teaching.

3 Schedule another Village Service for the future, and acquire the whole set so that you can run one should you wish to, from the prepared materials.

The RSCM’s initiative to make contact with small choirs not nec-essarily already part of the network, has borne fruit in thatupwards of 50 singers attended the taster-workshops, and are in-tending to join the “regulars” in the Festival Service on October8th in Lincoln Minster. Additional note-learning rehearsals for thisare planned for July 5 and 7, Caistor and Horncastle respectively,and again in September (12 and 14, South and North respec-tively). It is not too late for additional singers to join, so please keepspreading the word.

Ladies’ ChoirTwo presentations for Advent and Lent are ready to go on tournow, having been used initially in secular surroundings at HaltonHolegate and Spilsby. Each presentation uses a screen with art-work, texts, and summaries, whilst Biblical and poetic readings aregiven live, together with varied, attractive music and some “props”e.g. lighting the Advent wreath etc… If you would like to host ei-ther version please let me know. The choir does not charge, butwe have to budget £200 for harpist and harp-transport for theAdvent version. If you would like us to present the AdventExperience but cannot muster the harp-costs, please let me know.

What’s on?

Come, hear, and delight in the combined forces of the ladies’

choirs from the Diocese of Lincoln and its twinned Diocese of

Härnösand, Sweden, over a summer’s weekend in June.

La Chorale and the Diocesan Ladies’ Choir

Weekend Events

Saturday 18th June Concert, 3 pmSt Peter & St Paul, Middle Rasen

Eucharist, 9.30 amLincoln Cathedral

Evensong, 6 pmSt Andrew’s, Witham on the Hill

Sunday 19th June

18th -19

th June

Can be Gloria in excelsis (Glory to God in the highest) from the Eucharist, a theological tour around therole of Jesus written to refute heresy. Often abridged for good-ish reasons, with dire results for the com-prehension of the people. It is dropped in Lent anyway!

Can be Gloria Patri, the doxology (praise-verse) Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the HolySpirit……this is applicable to the end of most things and is not dropped in Lent.

Simply, a dialogue. Not to be confused with the Gloria in excelsis, Sanctus (Holy) Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)or anything else!

Any text from the book of Psalms, howsoever set to music, or not. Often taken to mean Anglican chant inharmony; may also be unison, plainsong, responsorial, paraphrased in regular metre, or a worship-song.

A musical version of the unchanging parts of a service, usually described by the composer’s name andthe key, i.e. Bloggs in B minor, or the title, such as The Anglican Folk Mass.

Texts which belong to a set day only

Texts which happen all the time

Take a close look – no “l” before the last syllable! It means, God be praised, and is the church’s great Eastersong of triumph, hence it is banned in Lent for greater impact on its return.

With singing, usually congregational

Sung by a choir

A choir of one person! Handy for singing the tricky bits.

Like a cantor, but might be worse and more expensive.

The last verse (Kind Jesus, grant them eternal rest) of the medieval Dies Irae - a vivid description of the Dayof Judgement. This is often sung at weddings, which beggars all belief in anything. Nice tune. Tough words.

The Gabriel quotation which announced our salvation. Properly used at Advent, Annunciation (Mar 25)and perhaps if your church is St. Mary’s.

Several settings are equally well-known: do check which is required!A Eucharist prayed over the body of a dead person. Not a setting of the Passion of Jesus in Latin, nor meantfor Good Friday, the words have inspired many famous big-choir settings. If you want to do a Requiemchoose November when we “do” the departed.

Church Music Lesson

Gloria

Gloria

Responses

Psalm

Setting

Propers

Ordinary

Alleluia

Sung

Choral

Cantor

Soloist

Pie Jesu

Ave Maria

Requiem

There are some very specific names for things in church music, and it is good to get the right tag with the right thing to avoidconfusion. Here are some which are often misapplied:

Viewpoint A little of what you fancy does yougood...

This statement is seldom chal-lenged: if you don’t enjoy it,there’s no point.

Applied to worship as it often is,amazingly, this has potential tochange our perspective from of-fering God the worship which ishis right into having holy funaround the God topic. We mayenjoy things for impeccably holyreasons – this song moves her torepentance, that psalm consoleshim over the mystery of injustice– but that is personal and subjec-tive, and therefore perfect forprivate devotions. Public worshipis not a voyeur’s snoop on privateprayer; it is collective and gen-eral prayer, made incommunity and to someextent, on behalf of all.

Private devotion has takena back seat since the middleages, affecting the way publicworship is now conducted. Thechurch is trying to read us ourBible (hence the 3–yr readings cycle) lead us in prayer,feed us sacramentally, and enjoinus to witness and live the life, all inone hour a week some weeks. It’sa bit of a squash.

The rationale of public worship ishard to nail across all viewpoints,but it cannot be denied that firstlyit is our duty as believers in therisen Christ, who overtly orderedit; secondly it is a means of receiv-ing grace through word andsacrament; then fellowship, wit-ness, outreach and evangelisationall stem from that. To select mate-rials for worship with personal

enjoyment topping the list of cri-teria starts to look rather shabbyin this light. But, we are humanand the power of music and otherart-forms to move and inspire usis the prime reason for using themin worship, so there will always bethat dilemma. Another mistake isto think that we need to be firedup with tangible emotion everytime for worship to have beenreal, or our souls fed. Emotional,artistic, intellectual and spiritualresponses are very differentthings. To interpret emotionalsurges as spiritual reactions isrisky.

We need to enter woship withconfidence and humility, with anopen ear and mind, and to re-member what we are really, reallydoing. The view that if we don’tenjoy it we will go on spiritualstrike, stalk out and withdraw our“support” (as though the Churchwere a charity shop or a volunteergroup) is one which inverts theplaces of Creator and creature, aprimal mistake surely worth drop-ping by now! That said, worshipthis side of the grave will alwaysbe imperfect both in content andintention; flaws of self-seeking,even when doing good, are partof the Fall - we are condemned to

drag particles of tainted motivesalong with the pure ones. We can-not escape this; it is the curse ofhuman nature to mean well, andGod in his mercy knows that it’sthe thought that counts. Perhapswe may re-examine the thought.

To reduce the Judaeo/Christianworship heritage to a jolly rompthrough the things we enjoy mostis to mistake it for what our fore-bears did round the piano on aSunday evening – a good old de-votional sing-song of faves. Now Iam all in favour of the heartfeltdevotional sing-song; the Songs

of Praise format houses it per-fectly. But I do see where

Old Nick slips his calling-card under the vestry

door if people ab-sent themselves

from worship iftheir favouritetunes are notplayed, or arehorrid to oth-ers about it.So when youhear of petty

mutinies oversuch things you

are witnessing a power strugglelike any other, born of a world-conformed and narrow mindset.That is not to say that we have noright to deem some items inade-quate, trite, or even unfit forpurpose. That is a valid decision,all too frequently applicable.There is much dross in print andsome very unsound teaching, too.Personal opinion masqueradingas theology is dangerous, and alot of it is set to pretty feeblemusic. But mere Top-10-ism failsto save tomorrow’s treasures, anddamages yesterday’s.

‘Pink Donuts series’ photo used bythe kind permission ofpixaio.blogspot.com

Notepaper is written by RosemaryField, the Music Development Officerof the Diocese of Lincoln.

Emotional, artistic, intellectual and spiritual responses are very different things.