Archbishop s Certificate in Church Music Examination Results

Transcription

1 SOUNDBOARD SUMMER SOUNDBOARD CHURCH MUSIC AND MUSICIANS THE MAGAZINE OF CHURCH MUSIC DUBLIN Giving worship a vibrant voice through music ISSUE 35 SUMMER 2016 Above: Members of the Ballinteer Gospel Choir performing at the Songs of Praise held in Christ Church, Taney on Sunday 17th April, which was attended by almost 400 people. New syllabus for church music training From next September, Church Music Dublin will offer a revised three-year course leading to the Archbishop of Dublin s Certificate in Church Music (ACCM). The most significant aspect of the revision is a much stronger emphasis on accompanying hymns and worship songs. This recognises that this skill is the most important part of a parish organist s ministry. To allow time to prepare the increased number of hymns, fewer organ repertoire pieces will be required for the end-of-year examination. Other aspects of the new syllabus include the introduction of straightforward transposition and simple improvisation in years 2 and 3. Students will also take occasional modules in liturgy, and training sessions in getting people to sing. For a short period every year, each student is assigned to a church, under the mentorship of the resident organist. Detailed information about the three-year ACCM course and the one-year Foundation Course are available on or from Hon. Secretary, Jacqueline Mullen at honsec@churchmusicdublin.org. This year, applications for these courses will be accepted up to 15th July. Archbishop s Certificate in Church Music Examination Results Janet Armstrong (Newcastle), Year 2: Honours; Thomas Maxwell (Taney), Year 2: Distinction; Jonathan Stanley (Bray), Year 2: Distinction; Christopher May (St Bartholomew s), Year 1: Honours

2 2 S O U N D B O A R D S U M M E R ICMA Summer School 2016 The Irish Church Music Association in association with Church Music Dublin will hold its 47th annual Summer School from Wednesday 6th July to Saturday 9th July 2016 in St Patrick's College, Maynooth, Co. Kildare. This year s theme is God Full of Mercy. One of the presenters will be Tony Alonso, one of the most prominent voices in contemporary liturgical music. Please see irishchurchmusicassociation.com for further details. Above: John Rowden, who recently marked fifty years as organist of Clontarf Parish Church, with the Rev d Lesley Robinson, Rector. Photo: dublin.anglican.org Share Soundboard Once you have finished reading your copy of Soundboard, perhaps you might like to share it with clergy or other church musicians, or perhaps with your choir members. Additional copies can be provided if you would like to leave a few copies in the choir pews. Photos and feedback For future issues, we need good images of people singing, chatting, enjoying themselves images that reflect the singing church in action. We are particularly interested to hear about new projects and events, and we are happy to offer publicity for any new endeavours in church music. We are always very happy to receive constructive feedback on the content of Soundboard. Please send photographs, news items, articles and feedback via to soundboard@churchmusicdublin.org. Simplified hymn accompaniments This issue s hymn accompaniment is Repton, to which the hymn Dear Lord and Father of mankind is sung (no. 549 in Church Hymnal). Many other simplified accompaniments are available on our website at These are a useful resource for organists who find the harmonisations in Church Hymnal challenging to play fluently. If you require a specific tune not yet available, please let us know. Theo Saunders, RIP We record with great sadness the death on 12th January 2016 of Theo Saunders, former organist and director of the choristers at St Patrick s Cathedral, Armagh. An appreciation of Theo s life and work is carried in the March edition of the RSCM magazine, Church Music Quarterly.

3 S O U N D B O A R D S U M M E R Parish Church Plainsong David O Shea discusses the benefits of introducing plainsong to parish choirs Having spent my formative years as a church musician playing mostly in the Presbyterian tradition, my early exposure to plainsong was limited, and it is only in the last few years that I have developed an appreciation for this subtle and highly devotional style of liturgical music. On several visits to Glenstal Abbey I have attended Compline and have always been enthralled by this simple yet powerfully atmospheric service. While a member of Selwyn College Chapel Choir in Cambridge, I had the opportunity to sing at occasional services of Choral Compline: the chapel was always full for these late-night candlelit services, which were enormously popular with students at the college. Selling plainsong to a parish choir is not easy, as it is a language entirely removed from the experience of someone whose taste has been formed by the musical diet of the average Church of Ireland parish. However, like my own experience, the understated devotional character of the music has grown gradually on members of my parish. Last summer, following discussions with the Rector, we established a weekly service of Choral Compline on Fridays at 6.30pm at Sandford Parish Church, sung entirely to plainsong by unaccompanied voices. Useful starting points for introducing plainsong to your parish choir include David McConnell s excellent piece in Soundboard of March 2006 ( plainsong), and the RSCM Guide to Plainchant, published in In parishes where Anglican chant is used, it might be a good idea occasionally to sing a psalm to a plainsong tone (perhaps for services of a penitential character): as a transitional device, the psalm could be pointed in a similar manner to glican chant. This was the method followed by Thomas Helmore, one of the leading lights of the choral revival in the Church of England, whose volume The Psalter Noted was an early attempt to reintroduce plainsong psalmody. Its successor volume, A Manual of Plainsong (edited by H. B. Briggs and W. H. Frere, revised by J. H. Arnold, and reprinted in an inexpensive edition by Novello) contains much useful information, as well as a complete set of psalms and canticles in traditional language with corresponding plainsong tones. The key to effective performance of plainsong is precision of diction, evenness of tone and fluency of delivery. The difficulty of ensuring these three aspects in your choir s singing should not be underestimated, and may prove a little challenging even to quite experienced singers. Earlier this year I taught a plainsong hymn to the choir of Kildare Cathedral, and the transformation of it from the first rehearsal to the service was really remarkable: rhythmic stodginess and blurs of intonation had given way to a compelling sense of flow and a pristine unison sound. Aside from its devotional character, plainsong is also a style that can be sung very effectively by small forces. Why not try teaching hymn 425 in Church Hymnal to your parish choir (to the first tune) and sing it either unaccompanied or with a quiet and unobtrusive organ accompaniment during the distribution of holy communion? doshea3@gmail.com Potboilers, Pastiches and Party Pieces This new CD recording of the fine organ of St Bartholomew s Church, Ballsbridge features organists David Adams, David Grealy, Simon Harden, Andrew Johnstone, Patrice Keegan, David Leigh, Carole O Connor, David O Shea and Tristan Russcher, and has been produced by Andrew Johnstone, with recording engineer Brian McIvor and project manager Richard Bannister. The recording features an eclectic mix of unusual organ music, with enlightening and entertaining sleeve notes. The contributing organists gave of their time free of charge, and all profits will go towards the St Bartholomew s restoration appeal. The CD is priced at 15 and is available online at

4 4 S O U N D B O A R D S U M M E R Contemporary Music Jack Kinkead discusses the place of contemporary music in our church services Contemporary worship music is often viewed in two ways by members of the church: as the salvation of the modern church; or, with suspicion and scepticism. Neither approach is particularly helpful. To dismiss contemporary church music out of hand means we deny ourselves the opportunity to engage in worship in different ways. To think of contemporary music as the solution to all our problems is to give ourselves false hope. But what do we mean by contemporary? Contemporary worship music generally means a style, influenced by pop music, which has been around for about the past forty years. Using music which has been around for a while is fine, but it is important that we are aware of when it was written. Some of my favourite worship songs from my childhood are now at least twenty years old! We make a mistake when we compartmentalise ourselves and divide into camps contemporary worship versus traditional worship. We have never before had easier access to such a variety of worship resources as we do now, so let s use them. But we must use them intelligently. First of all, we must remember that music is part of worship, and is there to facilitate our worship of the Almighty. Music in worship should be chosen because it is suitable not only because it has a good tune. Second, we must not make assumptions regarding our target audience. In Wicklow, the worship band s biggest fan is in her late 80s. A variety of worship styles will aid worship for all people in church it is not a siren call for young people! Above: Members of the Wicklow Parish worship band performing at a service broadcast on RTÉ One on 7th February. Third, we must be practical. If there are instrumental players in our congregations who are willing to form a worship group, great. In Wicklow, we have a guitar, bass, drum-kit and piano. But a good organist/pianist can bring life to a worship song on their own. Piano and guitar is also a good combination, and other instruments can be added if available. Fourth, we must give the congregation a chance. Contemporary worship songs generally have a simple tune, which is easy to pick up. Certainly initially, it is wise to avoid songs that are more complex, or which are hard to navigate due to complicated repeats. Whenever we introduce a new song or hymn to our congregation, the organist or band plays through it once first. Fifth, we must strike a balance. Contemporary music and traditional music complement each other. Remember that change is good. The Gospel message is fresh, exciting, liberating and forwardlooking, and as Christians we are to be all these things too. The music we use in church services helps us in our worship of the divine. We are formed by the past, but not bound to it. Christianity is for every generation, because it does not need to be relevant: it is timeless. When we add to the rich heritage of music that we already have, it only makes it easier to communicate this message in our place and time. The Rev d Jack Kinkead is Priest-in-Charge of Wicklow and Killiskey parishes. kinkeadj@gmail.com Monastic Musicians Monastic Musicians is an association of monks and nuns who are responsible for the music in their communities, together with others interested in the music used in religious houses. MM publishes a newsletter, organises occasional courses and holds an annual residential meeting. Last year, the meeting took place at Sarum College, inside the walled close of Salisbury Cathedral. The venue for this year s meeting, from 19th to 23rd September, is the beautiful setting of Ampleforth Abbey, 35km north of York. Time will be spent at discussions, workshops, local trips, and preparing music for the offices and Eucharists. There will be a number of guest speakers, including Peter Moger, liturgist and Precentor of York Minster, and John Rowntree, Director of Music at Douai Abbey, Berkshire. All in all, a musical and spiritual shot in the arm in a relaxing and congenial environment. David McConnell can supply further information. davidmcconnell@eircom.net

5 S O U N D B O A R D S U M M E R Above: Wing and a Prayer at a recent service in St Andrew s. Left to right: Colina McGarry, Ashleigh Chubb, Gill McAllister, Emma McAllister, Rebecca Pasley, Gordon White (Guitar), Trish Pasley (Bass), James Pasley (Piano). Accompanying Worship Songs James Pasley writes about a recent workshop with organist Gerard Brooks Sometimes a music lesson does more than just teach you a few new techniques sometimes it changes your perception of how music should be played. That s what happened at the recent training day led by Gerard Brooks at Sandford Church. The day was advertised as a practical workshop on service accompaniment, with an emphasis on worship songs. I had eagerly anticipated this event. I ve been an organist since my teenage years and feel strongly that contemporary worship songs should be included in services. However, like many, I struggle to play them effectively on the organ and I was in the habit of switching to piano not a satisfactory solution. So, some years ago, in consultation with Rector, I set up a church band. We called ourselves Wing and a Prayer. I had never played in a band before and had much to learn. Luckily, others had years of experience, though not in a church setting. Making worship songs work is a group effort, and the experienced players shared tips and tricks. Collaboration is vital. For example, infrequent chord changes allow space for rhythm guitar. Simple arrangements make it possible to improvise. The band shouldn t overpower the singers, so some musicians will hold back during the singing and then play in the gaps between lines and between verses. It can be helpful to have a song with a few extra beats where no one is singing. The line-up of each band differs and I learned to treat the sheet music as just a starting point. Each band must arrange the music for the available instruments. Many worship songs have a small number of verses, so repeats may be necessary. Repetition of words requires the musicians to do something different, to avoid monotony. As an organist, I had never rearranged hymns, but as a band member it is a different matter. The simplicity of worship songs encourages new arrangements. We often analyse commercial recordings to find an introduction, a bridge or an arrangement that may be copied or adapted. The band plays once a month and I inhabit two worlds traditional hymns on the organ and worship songs with the band. It was in the hope of reconciling these two parts of my life that I set out to attend the Living Worship training day. Gerard Brooks opened by discussing the differences between hymns and worship songs. He identified rapid chord changes as one of the defining characteristics of hymns. He recommended occasional changes to the arrangement of a hymn to maintain interest. Simpler arrangements are an option if the choral lead is in unison. Unison singing can be the best way to encourage congregational participation. Moving on to worship songs, Gerard encouraged us to adopt a creative approach. For example, play a simple bass line on the pedal, and isolate the melody on one manual while playing chords on the other. He advocated the idea of organists playing with other musicians. Alternatively, organists can arrange worship songs in four-part harmony, thus transforming them into something like traditional hymns. Nos. 112 and 606 in Church Hymnal are examples of this. Our church band had converted the hymn Be thou my vision into a worship song. When we play the tune Slane, we use only the chords of D, G and A with a bridge between the verses. The journey from organist to band member is one of learning to play with other musicians. One must leave some notes for others to play, and at times you can abandon the melody line altogether, leaving the singers to take care of it. Gerard showed us how organists can adjust the accompaniments so as to suit the needs of their church. While a common technique for bands, this may be a new experience for organists. I now see more clearly that there is little division between traditional hymns and worship songs. Whether at the organ or in a band, one should approach all music with the same attitude, adjusting it for a particular context. Playing with other musicians can be a challenge for an organist, but the rewards make the extra work worthwhile. James Pasley is assistant organist at St Andrew s Church, Lucan. james.pasley@gmail.com. A longer version of this article is on the Church Music Dublin website.

6 6 S O U N D B O A R D S U M M E R Choral Scholars At Sandford Parish Church and St Philip s Milltown (pictured above), the parish Choral Scholars, a group of local young musicians between the ages of 15 and 18, have been singing at occasional services since they were formed at the end of January. These have included a special St Patrick s Day service with music as Gaeilge and recently the parish Confirmation service. The Choral Scholars sing regularly at Choral Evensong on the first Friday of each month at 6.30pm in Sandford Church. On all other Fridays in Sandford a service of Choral Compline takes place, usually sung by a consort of men s voices, including plainsong and a polyphonic anthem. All are very welcome to attend these services. For more information on the Sandford and St Philip s Choral Scholars, please contact David O Shea, doshea3@gmail.com. With Saintly Shout RSCM Ireland invites you to attend a festival service entitled With Saintly Shout and Solemn Jubilee which will be held in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin on Saturday 27th August The service will be a celebration of God's saints in words and music. Music will include pieces by MacMillan, Harris, and Harwood, Taizé style music, responsorial psalms and hymns. The event will start at 11am and will be directed by RSCM Director. Andrew Reid. Music will be in a special service book (which will be kept by the participants). The cost is 20 per person, to include the festival service book, a light lunch and refreshments. This promises to be an exciting day of music-making and the RSCM encourages all singers to attend: individuals, choirs, affiliates and non-affiliates alike from whatever denomination and from all over Ireland. The liturgical service will take place at 5pm in the cathedral. Timetable: 10am Registration 11am Rehearsal 1pm: Lunch 2pm: Rehearsal 4.30pm: Break, followed by service at 5pm Advance booking is required (so that music can be ordered). Full details are available at events/ or from secretary@rscmireland.com. If you have any queries, do not hesitate to contact the RSCM Ireland coordinator, Mark Bowyer, mbowyer@rscm.com or by phone at +353 (0) Organ Improvisation Summer School This year s Glenstal Abbey Organ Improvisation Summer School with Ansgar Wallenhorst takes place at the organ of St Patrick s College, Maynooth (pictured left) from Tuesday 12th July to Thursday 14th July. This year s theme is Models of Creativity in Liturgy and Concert. This workshop is open to organists of all levels who wish to develop their improvisational abilities. With a combination of group work and individual lessons, the workshop will be adapted to the abilities and preferences of the participants. Participants are invited to bring music which they already play or are learning as a basis for developing according to their own level and stylistic preferences. Organists of all standards are welcome to apply, either as participants or as auditors. The course will also be of interest to students of composition and improvisers on other instruments. Participation in the workshop costs 225. Some students may be able to avail of limited bursary funds. A deposit may be required to secure a place. Non-participant observers pay 50 per half-day. For more information, please contact Columba McCann at columba@glenstal.org or call

7 Unitarian Church Organ Project Josh Johnston, Organist and Director of Music, discusses the fundraising efforts for the newly restored organ in the Unitarian Church, St Stephen s Green S O U N D B O A R D S U M M E R The Project Around 2007, the congregation of the Dublin Unitarian Church realized that a major restoration of their 1911 Walker organ would soon become necessary. At the time there were two other projects already in the queue, so the organ project was not investigated until early I did some research on behalf of the church, and Mark Duley, Malcolm Wisener, Siobhán Kilkelly and other organists were very helpful in giving feedback on what they had learnt from organising similar projects. Several organ builders were canvassed for their opinions on what course of action to take, and after much deliberation the managing committee awarded the contract to Trevor Crowe. I and other members of the congregation had seen and heard Trevor s work across the country, most notably in St Fin Barre s Cathedral, Cork. While it was a big financial undertaking, we and our project advisor Simon Stroughair were confident in our decision. Fundraising Raising 250,000 from scratch with a modestly sized congregation was a daunting task, and the only way forward was to gather the imagination of our friends and supporters in whatever way we could and keep raising funds until it was done. This took the form of book sales, bake sales, Christmas carol singing, raffles, walks, talks, dances, open houses and garden parties. Early on in the project the managing committee agreed to rent the church out for concerts with money received going straight to the organ fund. Our minister suggested that money received for Child Welcomings could go to the same fund, and these two things quickly became the top income streams. Later on, a pipe-sponsoring scheme was instituted and proved popular. Trevor was very accommodating with the timescale of the project. The church decided not to sign the contract until we had 100,000 in the bank and the work only begun when we hit 150,000. Even then, Trevor was happy to dip in and out of the job as our fundraising schedule allowed. By stretching the project over two years we were able to complete the job without going into debt. Restoration After the organ was dismantled, the pipes and bellows were thoroughly restored, with new soundboards throughout and some new ranks of pipes added. The century-old blower was replaced, and the action converted from pneumatic to electric. Before commencing the project, Trevor attended a few services and this experience informed the tonal alterations made to improve the organ s versatility for worship and concert use. The restored organ was rededicated on Sunday 6th December 2015 at a concert featuring Simon Stroughair, Charles Pearson, Siobhán Kilkelly, Robbie Carroll, David Adams and the Unitarian Chamber Choir conducted by Josh Johnston. Many organists have commented on the success of this project. The church is delighted to have the organ back, and sounding better than ever. The managing committee is particularly pleased not to have to do such a massive amount of fundraising again for a long time! josh@joshjohnston.com

8 8 S O U N D B O A R D S U M M E R Musicians on the Move Gerard Downey, previously Acting Director of Music, has been appointed Director of Music in the Christ Church Cathedral group of parishes. Killian Farrell has left his position in St Catherine and St James with St Audoen s to pursue further study in the UK. We wish him all the best with his future career. Thinking Aloud Michael Commane OP reflects on music and worship from a pastoral perspective I have seen first-hand the marvel of having musical accompaniment at a funeral Mass. Musicians and liturgists are keen to say that song and music is just another form of prayer. Easy to say, but I have seen it in action. A neighbour of mine, who had lived a solitary and eccentric lifestyle, died recently. I had the privilege and good fortune to celebrate his funeral Mass. I was expecting it to be a small funeral and was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who were present. We had the Mass in the church where I am a parish chaplain. While I am familiar with the workings of the parish, I have no administrative role. Ahead of the service, I realized the value in having a funeral team in place. On arriving at the church, it was a relief to be assisted by the team. Also on hand was the parish organist and a singer who is regularly engaged for funeral Masses in the church. It was a particularly tragic funeral. Some days earlier I had found the man dead in his home. He was relatively young. It would have been terrible not to have had music at the liturgy and throughout the Mass I was so conscious of how important it is that the word of God is enhanced with music and song. And, what's even more important, I am fairly certain that the man's family much appreciated that there was music. It so happens that at one time he had been a member of a church folk group. I keep saying that it's a pity that we in the Catholic tradition are so reticent to sing aloud in our churches. Any chance Church of Ireland worshippers could lend us a hand? michael.commane@gmail.com Name: Address: SOUNDBOARD subscription I wish to subscribe / renew my subscription to Soundboard for 2016/2017 and enclose remittance for 15/ 13 Contact phone: Post to Church Music Dublin, 18 Villiers Road, Dublin 6, D06 X2K4 Other payment options: By electronic funds transfer to: AIB Bank, Westmoreland Street, Dublin 2 Account name: Church Music Dublin IBAN: IE86 AIBK BIC/SWIFT: AIBKIE2D By debit/credit card online: Vacancy The Rector and Select Vestries of the Parishes of Castleknock and Mulhuddart with Clonsilla wish to appoint an enthusiastic and motivated Organist and Choir Director. Sunday services take place in St Mary s, Clonsilla at 10.00am, and in St Brigid s, Castleknock at 11.30am. Modern and traditional music is used. St Mary s has an Allen organ, and St Brigid s a two-manual Forster and Andrews pipe organ, both well maintained. The choir, which is well supported by both parishes, meets once a month for a practice. An attractive salary in accordance with the Church Music Dublin rates will apply. Please apply by to Canon Paul Houston, revpaulhouston@hotmail.com, giving details of relevant experience, qualifications and two referees. The closing date is Friday 8th July, with interviews and audition in late July or early August Soundboard is published by Church Music Dublin, an agency of the united dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough, set up to support and resource music and musicians in local churches. ISSUE 35: SUMMER 2016 Editor: David O Shea Correspondence and material for future issues should be sent to soundboard@churchmusicdublin.org Views expressed in signed articles and letters are not necessarily those of the editor or the Executive Committee. Chair: The Ven. Ricky Rountree Secretary: Mrs Jacqueline Mullen info@churchmusicdublin.org Website: Please send any information for inclusion in the next issue (Autumn 2016) before 15th September.