CHURCH MUSIC.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 36, Issue 7, 1 October 1945, Page 16

CHURCH MUSIC.

Report of the Committee appointed by the Bishop of Auckland. As music is a feature m our Church services the following report by a highly qualified committee will prove of special interest. Committee The Rev. Canon Averill, 8.A., the Rev. S. G. Caulton, M.A., Vicar of Onehunga; Miss Boult, Hilltop School; Porfessor Hollinrake, M.A., Mus. Bac, Auckland University College; the Rev. H. B. Jones, Mus. Bac, sometime Precentor of Christchurch Cathedral; the Rev. F. R. Monteith, 8.A., Vicar of Mt. Eden; the Rev. E. B. Moore, F.R.E.S., C.F., Vicar of Ellerslie; Mr Alfred Pascoe, organist of St.. Mark's, Remuera Dr. S. K. Phillips, Mus. Doc, organist of All Saints', Ponsonby . Mr L. C. M. Saunders, M.A., Mus. Bac, organist of King's College. The Order of Reference which your Lordship commended to the Committee on 14th August, 1944, was to consider and report upon: — (1) The relation of music, choral and instrumental, to worship and devotion. (2) The current musical standard of rendering Matins, Evensong, Litany, Hymns, Anthems, and the Office of Holy Communion m the Auckland City and suburan Churches, and m the larger country centres. ' (3) The steps that should be taken to better such rendering of the text and musical scores already m use. (4) The training of Church musicians, choirs arid congregations m the best English choral practice and also the education of the' clergy and ordinands m the principles of that practice. (5) The most suitable and practical methods which would assist and guide the clergy and congregations m country districts. (6) The organisation of Choral Festivals on the basis of a combination of Parishes, or the Parishes m an Archdeaconry, or on a Diocesan basis. (7) Any matters arising out of, or related to, the above-mention- . Ed subparagraphs of this clause. . The Committee was enjoined to present its report not later than 30th June, 1945.

1. The Relation of Church Music, Choral and Instrumental, to Worship and Devotion. The Committee wishes to say at the outset that m its opinion music is in'*eluded m worship, not primarily for its own sake, but for the sake of the Service with which it is connected. The purpose of this music is to strengthen and to deepen the meaning, beauty and expressiveness of the words contained m the Service. The selection, of such music demands the highest standards of suitability, devoted effort and labour m attaining the utmost perfection m its performance. "Let it be realised that the sounds made to be heard m Churches today are as real and as surely things, to be as fitly provided and reverently used as are the buildings themselves; and, further, let incumbents and Church authorities but realise that they are as responsible for the one as for the other, and rapid improvement m Church Music is certain to follow." "Music m Worship," Walford Davies and Harvey Grace, p. 25.) Music m worship has two broad divisions: — (1) Music m aid of worship, and (2) Music as a means of worship. In the former, the choir and ■organist are of supreme importance. Such music is revealed m Anthem, Cantata and Organ Voluntary. In the latter, the part of the congregation m corporate worship, through the music of Hymn, Psalm and Canticle, supported by choir and organist, must receive full recognition and attention. These two 'divisions should be correctly balanced m the service, and the value of both divisions to the service as a whole should be fully realised and appreciated. Finally,' m both, the highest possible standards of selection and performance are necessary, even to the smallest detail. 2. The Current Musical Standard of rendering Matins, Evensong, Litany, Hymns, Anthems, and the Office of Holy Communion m the Auckland City and Suburban Churches, and m the larger country centres. The Committee reports that it is of the greatest consequence to recover the Anglican tradition m Church music. Choirs of boys and men are

essential to the recovery and preservation of that tradition. That the Anglican tradition is not. exemplified m the majority of Auckland churches is due very largely to the non-existence of a cathedral establishment which could provide, and maintain within its walls, and thence foster throughout the Diocese a standard of excellence m the musical rendering of the Liturgy, and supply from its ranks of formerchoristers a steady stream of organists, choirmasters and choir men, steeped m this tradition, who would be available for service m the" parish churches. Further, visits to various churches reveal certain weaknesses: — (1) Some organists, while being good recitalists, are deficient m the art of accompanying a choral body, and m knowledge of choir training. (2) Choirs often lack balance, good musical tone-quality, and expressiveness. • (3) A certain lack of thought and. judgment m the choice of music. (4) The ideal that every ParishChurch should possess a singing congregation is not everywhere apparent. 3. The steps that should be taken to better such rendering of the text, and musical scores already m use.. (A) Matins and Evensong. (1) The Committee is of opinion that the penitential opening of theseoffices extends to the end of the Lord's Prayer, and that the whole of this section should be said and not sung; and further, that any prayersthat are said at this, or any other point m the service, should be concluded by a like said Amen. (2) Responses. Ferial responses are more suitable than festal responses by reason of their simple and plain character m. congregational worship. On special occasions the festal responses may well be sung by a few voices m thechoir, #ie |congregation meariwhile singing the ferial melody m unison,, assisted by the bulk of the choir. When the priest can maintain the pitch, and the choir is efficient, the responses should be sung m thenatural prose rhythm of a good reader, without any attempt at rallen-. tando and pianissimo effects. In the event of the priest being ' unable to sing the versicles, it is permissible for a layman to sing them m his stead. (3) Venife. The Committee points out the,possibility of concluding the Venite at the end of verse seven as provided by the Prayer Book as proposed m 1928 L

<4) The Chanting: of Canticles and Psalms. Two principles are essential: — (1) Speech rhythm must be the ' governing factor m chanting. Hence any stressing of the marked syllable m a psalter, and any false accentuation, are faults. (2) The centre of the chant should not be allowed to tyrannise over the Psalm it serves. A working flexibility is necessary. Preliminary Observations. The Prayer Book version of the Psalms is the work of Miles Coverdale, published m the Great Bible of 1540. It clothes the psalmist's thought man able, dignified and essentially musical prose, far superior to that of any subsequent version. Its dignity requires the measured pace of a good reader. Speed spells ruin. Plainsong modes, being built on a monotone with simple inflections at the end of each "line" or section, supply the ideal melodic medium of psalmody. Organ accompaniment to plainsong however, entails a knowledge of modal harmony, which is rare. On the other hand, the Anglican chant, long m use here, is the more practical medium to-day. On the basis, then, of the Anglican chant, some practical counsels on practising psalms are appended. Method of Practising Psalms. (a)Practice m Corporate Reading. (1) Each member of the choir should be provided with a Prayer Book, not a pointed Psalter. 2) The best reader available m the Parish should pattern each verse severally at a pace effective m the Parish Church; the larger the building the slower the pace, etc. This pattern, verse by verse, the choir would copy, reading aloud from the Prayer Book version of the Psalms. The aim of this is: — (a) To place the natural prose accents or stresses as patterned and thus bring out the meaning of each sentence. * (b) To secure unanimity of pace, attack and release. (3) The colon m each verse is vital to Hebrew poetry. An experienced choir heightens the effect of the colon by treating the two. several portion of each verse antiphonally. Choirs that do not sing antiphonally mark the colon by taking a new breath at that point. (4) Sections 1, 2 and 3 above are pcercises m corporate reading. This should be practised till complete

unanimity is attained, both m prose accents and m pace. (b) Practice m Singing- (using the pointed Psalter). It is well to take this m two steps: V.. . (a) Singing the Psalm upon a chord. (b) Singing the Psalm to an Anglican chant. Pitfalls, (1) There may arise a tendency to ■hurry, even to race, the recitation. This must be resisted. The object of corporate reading practice, outlined above, is to secure, an unhurtried, even, and steady rendering of the whole. If that reading has been diligently practised there will exist no difference m pace between the words within the mensurate music of the chant. 1 (3) What the Editors of the Cathedral, Psalter call the "accent" is most unfortunately named. This "accent" must not be treated as a. stress point or ictus. It is merely a sign that at this point "the music of the chant commences m strict time." (Introduction to the Cathedral Psalter.) (3) The introduction just quoted gives elaborate details of the treatment of the words and syllables between the "accent" and the first bar line. .Only a cathedral choir, however, can reproduce these directions with unanimity and confidence. Guidance for the average choir has already been secured by its practice m corporate reading. (4) To-day the bar line is understood as indicating a strong rhythmical accent. This is indeed its essential function m modern concerted music. The case, however, is quite different m the music of the English Tudor School. This music is the cradle of our Anglican Church use. Originally it was unbarred and the singers were free to follow, and did-follow, the natural rhythm of the words. Bars were added later to hold the vocal parts together but never to indicate the position of the •accents. This is definitely affirmed by a modern authority on the music of that period: "The bar line has a purely metrical significance; and exercises no control whatever over the ryhthmic accent." (Contrapuntal Technique m the Sixteenth Century, R. O. Morris, p. 18.). ~ . This principle applies equally to the Anglican chant, for here, too, it is the words of the psalm, not the bar lines, that indicate the position of the accents. A familiar concrete case is that- of, the Gloria. The natural rhythmic accentuation is: '■ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. Only an uninformed choir would render it as: *

Glory be to the Father/and to the / Son//and /to the/Holy/ Ghost//. (o) Interval. The period which the choir is engaged m revising and perfecting its psalmody may be filled m by congregational antiphonal reading of the Psalms. This m itself should prove a great gain. (To be continued m the next issue)