Jenny Donelson at the forum draws attention to the Gramophone list of the best choirs (none in the U.S.!). I must say that I find the list pretty much in keeping with my own sense of this.
She also points to this interesting comment from the story:
Susanna Beiser: “It’s not necessarily some vague Britishness’ either, that makes their choirs so good. I think it’s worth pointing out that it’s the Church of England. The Anglicans rule choral music. The Catholics, on the other hand, to whom much of the repertoire rightfully belongs, have not sustained their music traditions as well, and their choirs mostly sound bad when they’re not doing some guitar mass or something. But even before Vatican II, I don’t think they were keeping up. From what I hear, the Church of England is in terrible shape, attendance-wise, and now with the move by a growing number of conservative Anglicans to reconcile with Rome, the choral tradition may end up being the primary contribution of 500 years of English Protestantism.”
Ouch. And yet, "For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal." (Job 5: 18)
Is it just me, or does Eric Whitacre look like David Beckham's long lost twin?
I have to say, he can write music, Westmionster Cathedral used his Lux Aurumque for the communion motet at midnight mass last year along with the Laurisden.
Having worked as an Organist and Choirmaster in both Catholic and Anglican foundations, I find this comment interesting but, according to my experience, quite inaccurate.
Sure, the Anglicans 'rule' choral music, but this is a tradition which has formed almost entirely of its own accord, independent of ‘Catholic’ music. In truth, very little of the Anglican repertoire 'belongs' to the Catholic Church – at the time that the Anglican tradition was being formed, hardly any 'Catholic' music was included in the repertoire. It is easy to forget just how ‘young’ the Anglican tradition is – it is not even 200 years old. The tradition was formed over the nineteenth-century by figures such as the S S Wesley, the ‘York’ Camidges and, eventually, the likes of Stainer, Stanford and Tertius Noble. It was not until R R Terry formed a choral foundation at Westminster Cathedral that elements of Catholic music began to influence Anglican repertoire – as seen in the earlier compositions of Herbert Howells, who for a short time was Terry's assistant at Westminster. When he founded Westminster Cathedral, Cardinal Vaughan stipulated that he wanted a choral tradition based on the Anglican model – and surely it is no coincidence that, today, the cathedral choir is one of the finest choirs in the world.
It is, however, true that the Church of England is in a complete mess. This is, however, purely on a parochial level – indeed, attendance at more traditional liturgy in Anglican Cathedrals in the UK has been rising for some time. Because the Anglican choral tradition lies almost entirely in the cathedrals, with only a handful of parishes (e.g. Leeds, Tewkesbury Abbey, and several in London) contributing to the culture, the likelihood of the Catholic Church benefitting from the traditions of Anglican music is, I think, rather slim. In my experience, the music in the average Anglican parish often reflects the musical tastes which are still rife in the vast majority of Catholic parishes around the world – most parishes haven’t celebrated Evensong for decades, would laugh at the suggestion of introducing the Book of Common Prayer, and are not even aware of the great Anglican tradition of chanting the Psalms. Tragically, this is the reality on the ground.
As for the more conservative-minded Anglicans bringing their music to Rome, I wouldn't be too optimistic. The standard of music in Anglo-catholic parishes is generally not too high, and (in my experience) tends to be founded upon a mixture of Viennese Masses and traditional Anglican fare, in an attempt to preserve some sort of Anglican identity. For the same reason, Anglo-Catholic parishes are generally more reluctant to include repertoire by (for example) Palestrina, Lassus and Victoria because they want to create an illusion of a strictly 'Anglican' identity in their ‘Anglican Use’ liturgy.
(Cont.)
More interestingly, the recent resurgence of interest in Blessed John Henry Newman among both Anglicans and Catholics has, in some places, given a further boost to the 'status-quo'/'middle' Anglicans reverting to the more ‘traditional’ Anglican identity – that of the Book of Common Prayer, the language of the King James Bible, Anglican hymnody and psalmody, etc. – and most cathedrals have seen a rise in attendance at Choral Evensong. Although a handful of parishes are more willing to consider the implications of ‘Anglicanorum Coetibus’, the recent Papal visit and the resurgence of interest in BJHN has, as far as I can see, lead to many Anglo-Catholics re-evaluating their position as members of a the Church of England (which, as readers will recall, is held to be both Catholic and Protestant) rather than immediately ‘crossing the Tiber’. In short, there appears to be a call for renewal of Anglican identity, rather than a conversion to Catholicism.
Also, I suspect Blessed John Henry Newman (not to mention our Anglican brethren) would have raised his eyebrows at the author’s closing sentence. To suggest the only thing Protestantism has to offer is a decent standard of music-making verges on the ridiculous.
I've always found the best Anglican music at the parish level can be found in latitudinarian congregations, not Anglo Catholic parishes.
Generally, to be found in the smaller towns of the northeast, the upper south, and in the midwest. Churches where matins, the litany, with or without the eucharist, and evensong are the steady liturgical diet. With extremely restrained use of "smells and bells" too.
The larger Anglo Catholic churches in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia still have very fine choirs with an extensive repertoire of Anglican and Roman Catholic selections. These choirs are usually very good and far better than even the best choirs in Roman Catholic churches.
Despite its fame, wealth, and the opportunities available to it, St. Patrick's cathedral is largely a big disappointment.