Author: Mr. C

And please, fraternally correct any of my statements or opinions as you deem necessary.
I engaged members of the loyal opposition at PrayTell during the week. Once we laid to rest any misconceptions and caricatures in our arguments, peace, if not reconciliation was restored between us.

What examples? Do you know of churches that use music from current Broadway plays? Or that double as piano bars? You gave examples of music you consider banal, not of “the appalling banality of much liturgical music.”

 I’ve been in this (quagmire) from 1970, and when one is pressed to walk the tightrope between discretion and implicit versus specific and explicit regarding identifying post V2 religious song, it’s a lose/lose proposition in public. To some extent, “those who don’t know will say, those who know won’t.” In my parishes with 18 weekend Masses for whom I advise, schedule and manage diverse ensembles (mostly) and few cantors, outside of the three Masses in which I personally direct music ministry I have to trust that my colleagues will, as the fictional Dr. Jones said of the Grail, “choose wisely.” That is not always the case as my pastor reminds me occasionally. I will manufactor such scenarios in order to protect the innocent while illustrating such situations. One might encounter a song leader (“cantor”) who, accompanied by a top level organist, chooses “Blest be the Lord (!) as an Introit “chant” rather than a solid strophic hymn known to all. Conversely, a duo of cantors (guitar acc.) will occasionally use a chanted Proper or make a researched decision to use a fourth option allusion song to that which they’re confident the congregation will enjoin. In the former case, not only is the song dated past its credibility for use, but the choice to use an emulative bluegrass tune accompanied by the organ only results in that significant moment of the liturgy sounding like a carnival merry-go-round Wurlizter. In the latter one may quibble if the chant is accompanied by the guitar, but if all sing solidly this surely observes the culture and intent of the rite more accutely. Regarding Broadway/piano bar- my apologies first to a mentor from afar in my career, Fr. Joncas, but the musical construct of, say“Mary’s Song,” is at once beautiful and quite evocative of the post Bernstein and Sondheim late 20th musical idioms. In and of itself, that “critique” doesn’t disqualify its use for liturgy, but one ought to consider the vast body of settings of the Magnificat in many styles that might, just might reflect the humility of the prayer more accutely. If one is insistent upon the modern song, just the range of choices between the Leon Robert’s (RIP) and JM Talbot’s settings is huge. And then, there are the chants and hymns. Regarding the banal and trite, should one choose Landry’s “Abba Father” or Faber’s “Faith of our fathers” (St. Catherine) should the thematic need regarding “fatherhood” be on table for discussion? There are literally hundreds of those choices facing “deciders” who are bound to pulp and even hardbound hymnals. Add to that the reality that a significant percentage of those “deciders” resign their authority in favor of choosing from the “smorgasbord bin” of suggestions proffered by the publishers’ own liturgical “guides,” well, that just doesn’t speak well of the sausage making realities of contemporary RCC music praxis, does it? And hence, you get impatience from some pastors and DM’s for demolishing this “corruption” post haste, and the concomitant reaction of portions of the faithful decrying “They’re NOT playing my song!” These are not circumstances that will happen in a few years. Hopefully and happily, folks like Joncas and B.Hurd wiil continue to evolve their genres and hopefully come to the table with folks like Bartlett and Ostrowski, and in a few decades articulate a solid body of repertoire worthy to subjugate unnecessary self-adornment and thus serve the source and summit that are our rites.
Regarding “a solid body of repertoire worthy to subjugate unnecessary self-adornment,” it’s been my experience this is more a factor of the musical leadership, performers if you will, than it is the repertoire or genre. Chant musicians do not escape the pitfalls of ego, and CMAA falls victim to it like any other group of folks… Good music requires good judgment. And excellent music would seem to require more.As for a future meeting, that should be interesting to behold. Best of luck with that.

I want to believe that a future meeting of the minds is not an impossibility. If we ultimately remain siblings in Christ, if NPM and CMAA can pursue their noble objectives to worship Christ in truth, and if we can step away from conflict over “things” like accoutremant of the baroque versus the subjugation of “sacro pop” when we are faced with the martyrdom of Catholics in Africa and elsewhere almost daily, then I won’t relent upon “Et unum sint.”

Does CMAA have anything substantive to offer at this time?

At yesterday’s closing Mass of the colloquium I spent a great amount of time praying and contemplating over the provocative notion of “time….what does it mean to speak of the past, the future and the present moment….within the context of the mystery of our rites, the communion with the Saints/saints, the re-presention of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary, the covenant He made with His disciples and the Church in the Farewell the night before, and that which is real beyond comprehension inwhich we partake and thus become one?” How shall we occupy this “time” when we enact our rites, and serve them with our arts?

As usual I’ll delay a bit further to say that during those two hours I came to another, one of many, moments of peace and communion with all gathered for this OF Mass SUNG in toto, save for the homily. Such Masses aren’t everybody’s cup of tea. But whether a worshipper prays in a steel prefab box, or a sensory overload of artistic, iconic beauty (The Madeleine) or one’s humble parish, s/he should participate in some active anamnesis. As I mentioned earlier, vestry in SLC wasn’t in the slightest fussy or retro, even for EF’s. So, is it a reasonable question to ask: what aspects best serve to elicit that anamnesis? Not speaking for CMAA, I would speculate in good faith that how they answer would be premised highly upon the holistic, inter-related traditions that have been made licit through conventional episcopal legislation endorsed over centuries. Bits like heirarchies, options, and interpretation or enculturation are still inter-related, not stand alone principles. Therefore, forms of musical expression that adhere to chant traditions, and those that emulate and expand its attributes such as polyphony (which I’ll simply define as did one justice about pornography- “I know it when I hear it.”) and subsequent forms that have that same DNA strand obviously and which could only invoke that anamnesis and a profound reverence.
I also mentioned Leon Robert’s “Song of Mary.” I cannot think of any other Magnificat that honors the BVM with such profound reverence in a superior manner. What is implicit in my appreciation of it in comparison to the magnitude of other settings sung over centuries. I likely wouldn’t have an ounce of support were I on the editorial board of CMAA planning the liturgies for next year’s colloquium if I advanced that setting. And by their reasoning they’d be right and consistent; the spiritual-influenced Roberts’, though portraying with powerful text painting the fiat of a poor, virtuous 15 year old girl in Roman occupied Judea, calls attention to itself through a musical medium that is culturally earth-bound. Sure, one could argue that European classic polyphony and chant is also, by its apparent elements, of the earth and humans. But CMAA would counter that the traditions the Church extols do indeed extend to the Hebrew Temple rites, and the chants are, no matter their paleographic pedigrees, purposed for our rites.

In our vineyards we may be just local yokels doing our best not to constrain the free worship of the Faithful at Mass by the imposition of our own personal tastes. So, to finally get to your question- we are having the meeting between us. In the larger church, the issue of commerce, copyright, ecclesiology, and tensions between authorities and organizations have polluted the atmosphere so that meaningful dialogue between bishops in conference is suppressed, pastors are putting out peripheral fires and not giving full attention to liturgy, and NPM/LMA/CMAA/LAREC have their own agendae to complete
Sure, let’s have the meeting now. You and I hereby call David Haas, Helen Hull Hitchcock, Bill Mahrt, Mike Joncas, Ed Schaefer et al to a new Snowbird Statement (apparently the USA could use the cold temps!) We all await everyone’s response.

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Things from Colloquium XXII
*Confession in such beautiful environs
*Meeting a fellow Californian who talks faster, has better timing, and is better at “jocular.”
*Mary Weaver, lector par excellence and great company at dinner, who typesets beyond…
*The loveliness that is David Hughes.
*The humanity, genuine concern and rectitude in Father Pasley.
*The Vierne Mass
*Young Jonathan Culbreath greeting me Tuesday with “Hello, Mr. Culbreth.” “Hello Mr. Culbreath.”
*My bud Joe from Brooklyn, yo Brook-lyn!
*The primacy of the Extraordinary Form Mass done with humility.
*The worthiness of the Ordinary Form Mass done with humility.
*The comradery of CMAA that I believe will endure any trials.
*Kurt Poterack’s vibrato.
*The Church’s finest Master of Ceremonies, evah.
*The esprit d’ corps of the Vespers choir.
*The sheer magnificence of the women’s schola under maestro Cole.
*Kyle
*The deep, deep, deep, deep down freshness of the new composers.
*Saying “Hello, Charles” in my best Queen’s dialect, and Mr. Cole responding in kind.
*The love of the Lord evident in the faces of Dr. Paul Ford and his bride, Janice.
*The heart of the Lord evident in Br. Albert and seminarian Michael, composers.
*The wonderful convergence of young and old in Jeffrey Morse’s schola.
*The fact I couldn’t distinguish Martha’s from Mary’s.
*Monsignor Wadsworth!
*The chancery workers who let us park around the quad with smiles everyday.
*The caring of MSForum newbie Wendi, and the support of Dr. Woo by explaining, well, me.
*A new hymntune to me, with an exquisite new text.
*Meeting Richard Rice’s mum, and seeing Richard’s smile.
*Gere’s unbridled enthusiasm, for God, that liturgy saves, and for himself.
*Everything.
*But, more than all, seeing the face of our Lord Jesus Christ in Professor William Mahrt
Soli Deo gloria

I really have enjoyed the three days thus far of the new format of composers offering their new (and sometimes vintage) pieces for audition, support and, yes, critique. Of course, under the truly pastoral eye of David Hughes’ facilitation, the exchange of support and suggestions, reasoning and recollection has created a truly collegial and positive environment. Everyday has seen a few new faces walk through the door, and everyone leaves smiling for any number of reasons. One obvious reason is that this generation of composers knows the principles of Musicam Sacram and recognizes that in these time-honed disciplines, there is yet tremendous freedom for expression.

53. New works of sacred music should conform faithfully to the principles and norms set out above. In this way they will have “the qualities proper to genuine sacred music, being within the capacities not merely of large choirs but of smaller choirs, facilitating the participation of all the faithful.”38 As regards the heritage that has been handed down those parts which correspond to the needs of the renewed Liturgy should first be brought to light. Competent experts in this field must then carefully consider whether other parts can be adapted to the same needs. As for those pieces which do not correspond to the nature of the Liturgy or cannot be harmonized with the pastoral celebration of the Liturgy — they may be profitably transferred to popular devotions, especially to celebrations of the word of God.

In the interest of keeping the confidence of those composers, unlike myself, who risked and Saturday will further risk, the scrutiny of their fellows not to identify them by name. But we have a totally new panel thus far, some of whom we know from forums, but none that I’ve known from previous colloquium reading sessions. That is a VERY good indicator or progress. I’ve subscribed to the “Mike Tyson” Principle, which is that though there are clearly true champions known to the public wide and far, there are likely a host of “comers” out in the hinterlands punching the little and big bags waiting for their moment. So, yes, there are more Kevin Allen’s out there, and some are here.
One of them has had two pieces read and considered-a Reproaches for Good Friday, and a Vidi aquam that are what my old art professor would have dubbed “Vermeers.” They are jewel-like, small grandeur pieces that are practically flawless, full of light and contrast from within and from a divine source (like the side windows the Flemish master was so fond to use to focus attention to the subject’s detail.)
Speaking of the Flemish flavor, we have two seminarians who’ve participated every day this week, one of them from the northern European coastal region. His life story is extraordinary, which includes an early career as a working jazz musician. We’ve sung one of his works, an entrance hymn that is somewhat like what I think Professor Mahrt called a Missale Properium, a Mass with certain Propers that must must attend the Ordinary. But this two part entrance, accompanied, functions in many varieties. As we all tinkered with it, much to the composer’s enthusiasm, the great Hughes suggested we sing it unaccompanied, which wasn’t one of the  variables the author noted. What a revelation that took all our breaths away! Two parts, and not Lasso! But of aching beauty that would bring out a whole new dimension to the piece when the antiphon is repeated.
Our bravest soul thus far is a compositional novice whose piece is canon based. S/he is a teacher of younger children (3rd grade and up) and admits to practically no formal theory studies. But this new soul’s instincts are very good, and I believe will bring to bear with both his/her compositional evolution and his/her teaching methods a great love and also a reverence for the adherence to the notion that the melody et al is always to serve the liturgical text. And properties common to chant were clearly evident in the “Kyrie” s/he submitted. What was though of as perhaps a pedagogical tool for children also became evidently valuable for adult performance as well.
Our other seminarian (who could pass for Matt Maher!) has submitted a Kyrie and Gloria. Though in five voices, our merry six voices managed to sing it quite smoothly, save for the  fat old quy pretending to be a countertenor alto! This composer stated that the Kyrie was inspired by hours of listening to Eric Whitacre pieces, but his “vocabulary” is quite distinct and even apart from that California surfer! His knowledge of both theory and musicality reminded me more of 20th century giants like Rorem or Barber. And though there do occur a few modern clusters we’ve come to appreciate from Whitacre, Lauridsen, Stroope and others, there is not the ponderous density that sometimes overwhelms the ear and the mind to keep up with the purpose of the composition, the exposition of the text. This Kyrie setting has voice leading with the ease of Palestrina, and the textures and varying spread of harmonic density, tension and release seems the work of a seasoned veteran!
We’ve also sung and processed the work of a couple of local DM’s expressly composed for their own parish choral “forces” which were described as not quite all that “armed!” But a Mass setting in a mannered Byzantine style proved quite exquisite. And another composer’s setting of the Medieval carol, “There is no rose of such virtue” uses quite modern chordal textures and voice leading (If you know the work of Clausen, Gawthrop, Paulus, Mulhulland etc.) that still doesn’t obscure the beautiful text which originally alternated Chaucerian English with Latin responses. As I look through my stack I’ve noticed the work of another composer who day job isn’t music or teaching oriented is among the lot. So, I will amend and augment this post tomorrow, Friday, after I find it and we read and help each other towards reaching for that “paradigm” we treasure, that music which is sacred, universal and beautiful. I hope to continue to benefit by the generosity and genius of these folk. Come to the Saturday reading session, you’ll feel the same way.

From pure recollection, blurbs only:
-Morning prayer reflected both the exterior geography of SLC and Utah, relaxed and understated, but surrounded by the grandeur of mountains and desert and, the interior plenitude of the sights and sounds that eminate from with Madeleine Cathedral.
It’s more or less assumed that CMAA folk read the “manual” as SOP. So the assignment of women to the gospel side of the nave and the guys to the epistle wasn’t an issue evidently. I have to wonder, though, if we reached out to our peers who occupy the loyal opposition, somehow convinced them to actually attend a colloquium without chaperones (like when Westerners are given “full access” visits to North Korea), what first impression would that custom present unexplained to Second Vaticanistas? As it happens, there’s always any number of female tenors who have to chant at the 8va lower, so the aesthetic intent isn’t really going to be realized, and that’s okay too. Just an observation, as the rationale for gender based scholas was planned, assigned and rendered exquisitely later in the day.
-What is it about men named “Jeffrey” associated in CMAA? In a word, not a one of ’em has an off switch. Maybe the most reserved Jeff might our guy Chironimo, JH of Florida, but ever’ lovin’ other guy would all be masters of speed dating as I understand the process. Two years ago Ostrowski taking on Pothier, semiology and all of Solemnes was to see the liturgical Tasmanian devil. Last year, Jeffrey Q., our witty ex-Wiccan wowed us with his pithy sense of timing and humor, not to mention his innovative and compelling compositions. Jeff Tucker? Well, he’s still Jeff Tucker. But now we have Jeffrey Morse from good ol’ California. When I finally met Morse prior to today, I immediately mind-hummed “California, here he comes, showing us how chant begun…..” He’s the total package and a hoot beyond description. I’ve sat next to some serious chant people in Intensives and Colloquia, armed with a G.Triplex, gregorian manuscript paper and a pencil doing what appears to me quantum mechanics. Well, Mr. Morse, he’s telegraphing the origin, symbiology, purpose and practical benefit of the Laon and Gall notation rapid fire while circular breathing, and then he’ll suddenly stop……”Hey, is this alright to talk about, you all getting this?” Oh yeah, we getting this! It was exciting, almost a chant vaudeville show where each “act” got better as time seemed to fly. And as a rabbi might say: “And the singing, who knew? Bunch of guys off the street, mazeltov!”
-The new composition format has changed and we had six folks including the redoubtable  David Hughes. But we made a mighty sextet, and look for some new works from  some new faces on the scene that will only reinforce what I said about composers in our CMAA/RCC offering their genius regardless of the pressures of IP issues!
-I love Dr. Mahrt. If there’s gentler yet totally articulate musical aesthete and historian regarding sacred music from the holistic, ergo meaningful POV on the planet right now, I’d love to meet him or her and be a fly on the wall of a conversation among those two.
This year’s Vesper’s should be rewarding for all!
-The Mass. All the participating scholas and polyphonic choirs gave extraordinary (no pun) performances in a jam packed day. The critically acclaimed Mass by Christopher Mueller for SATB choir and congregation was left to the assignment to Wilco Brouwer’s group, but that’s standard operating procedure at a CMAA. This is only one of a handful of choral settings under the third edition Missal that isn’t bound artistically to melodic and harmonic pre-conditions based solely upon whether a congregation can negotiate it or not. And it does so with density as well as integrity and accessibility.
And to cap off, a great day for another Californian, Fr. JEFFREY Keyes, whose liturgical sensibilities are austere and inviting, not forcing his formidable voice so as to invite the orational responses rather than to “demand or command” them.
Talk with y’all later.

On the flight over from Fresno to SLC I read the July issue of “Atlantic Monthly” cover to cover. The masthead article was a serious deconstruction by former Obama/Clinton staffer, Marie-Anne Slaughterhouse, of whether women in this and eras to come can ever manage to successfully fulfill whatever goals of self and family realization with the given issues of biological imperatives that seem not to inhibit men in professional career advancement and achievement. As I drove to check out the Madeleine, Ms. Slaughterhouse happened to be being interviewed on NPR, as a happy coincidence. But, of course, neither in the essay nor the interview did the question of what is meant by “having it all.” But actually, I digress.
The current issue is also the annual “Ideas” fest, where the “Atlantic” culls and publishes their little social Nostradamus predictions as the “next, big or important idea.” This one, by someone named Elizabeth Burletz caught my attention.

Of the Founders’ genius ideas, few trump intellectual-property rights. At a time when Barbary pirates still concerned them, the Framers penned an intellectual-property clause—the world’s first constitutional protection for copyrights and patents. In so doing, they spawned Hollywood, Silicon Valley, Motown, and so on. Today, we foolishly flirt with undoing that. In a future where all art is free (the future as pined for by Internet pirates and Creative Commons zealots), books, songs, and films would still get made. But with nobody paying for them, they’d be terrible. Only people who do lousy work do it for free.

Only people who do lousy work do it for free.
I worked the registration tables today. I saw a parade of saints with smiles that one day might be depicted on some future cathedral tableau as is the Litany at Our Lady of the Angels in L.A. I saw the new generations of torch-bearers for the restoration of rites that are by nature and by nurture sacred, sacramental and that have tangible and everlasting benefit to humankind when shared and then brought out to the world in missio 
Does Elizabeth Burletz know Jeffrey Tucker? Is she aware that among his accomplishments thus far lies an extensive body of study and education to students that lays bare the nakedness of her cavalier assertion about creative commons and its proponents? Didn’t think so. Can she see passed the reading glasses on the end of her nose to recognize that prior to this nation’s founding, the economy of thought was governed by its owner, not the government? Those folks comprise another litany: Palestrina, Bach, Monteverdi, Mozart, Beethoven and so on until nationality and division of wealth became political footholds. This earlier list of people didn’t work for free, far from it. But they capitalized upon their genius by their choice, theirs alone eventually.
So here we are, all together as we sing our songs….and her faint words of prejudice and rank dismissal wouldn’t earn her a passing grade in an Ethics 101 course, and we’re in the midst of not only working folk who’re talented, but they’re also geniuses. But even that is not what makes the women and men (indistinguishable before Christ’s judgment) of the  calibre of Arlene Oozt-Zinner, William Mahrt, Richard Rice, Kathleen Pluth, Jeffrey Tucker, Richard Clark, Paul Ford, Aristotle Esquerra, and literally countless other folk who have realized that the medium, download or hard copy, is NOT tantamount to the message.
And back to having it all? I enjoyed Ms. Slaughterhouses’ POV’s. But whether she’s reached the ceiling in academia, politics, business while nobly efforting to tend to what calls her home to child-rearing and companionship with her husband, pales by comparison to what we will see this week in the conjoining of heavenly hosts and a people on fire who took Jesus at His word to live life, and to the fullest, through our rituals and the arts that adorn them. Thus endeth this opinion piece and “new idea.”