Sunday, 16 November 2014
Hello!
Welcome to this hastily-put-up blog for the members of the Sunday evening music group at St Bernard's. It's a way of bringing together clips from Youtube, Vimeo and elsewhere that show off some of the music we'll be trying out.
Star of the County Down?
The air to the traditional Ulster song "Star of the County Down" is better known in other places as a hymn tune. Here's a clip from the BBC's Songs of Praise where it's put to the words of "I heard the voice of Jesus say".
There are a number of other hymns which can be sung to this tune including the Advent piece "Blest be the Lord of Israel".
There are a number of other hymns which can be sung to this tune including the Advent piece "Blest be the Lord of Israel".
Modern Traditional
There are many different styles of music used in churches for Mass. The Church considers Gregorian Chant (also know as plainsong) to be first among equals and recommends that every Catholic should be familiar with the simpler parts. If you've ever sung the Great Amen after the priest sings "Through him and with him and in him…" then you've chanted!
As for other styles, we tend to be familiar with classic 'Songs of Praise' style hymns, most of which come from England, and folk group songs which more often than not are American.
But we're very fortunate in Ireland to have access not only to these styles but to our own Irish musical tradition. And in recent years a lot of excellent new music for worship has been written in this style. One of the best composers is Ronan McDonagh who leads choirs in Dublin. He describes his pieces as being inspired by sean-nos singing, plainsong, polyphonic choral music and traditional Irish instrumental music. Here are some of his pieces:
As for other styles, we tend to be familiar with classic 'Songs of Praise' style hymns, most of which come from England, and folk group songs which more often than not are American.
But we're very fortunate in Ireland to have access not only to these styles but to our own Irish musical tradition. And in recent years a lot of excellent new music for worship has been written in this style. One of the best composers is Ronan McDonagh who leads choirs in Dublin. He describes his pieces as being inspired by sean-nos singing, plainsong, polyphonic choral music and traditional Irish instrumental music. Here are some of his pieces:
"Seinn Alleluia"
"Behold a Virgin bearing Him"
"Sing a new song to the Lord"
Chanting the Proper of the Mass
The proper of the Mass is the name given to all the antiphons of the Mass - the entrance antiphon, the responsorial psalm, the offertory antiphon and the communion antiphon. The original idea is that these should be sung as part of the Mass. Over the centuries that Mass was in Latin a huge collection of chants developed for these parts. When we began to use English for Mass in the 1960s there was no music for the new English texts. Often choirs would just skip them and sing hymns.
In recent years there has been a new interest in these antiphons. They are a proper part of the Mass, usually drawn from scripture and have been used for centuries. We're missing out on something important if we don't sing them.
Luckily a lot of work has been done to make them easy to sing in English. In St Mary's on the Hill our 10am choir sing the entrance antiphon, offertory antiphon and communion antiphon to a simple psalm tone from the Gregorian chant tradition.
In recent years there has been a new interest in these antiphons. They are a proper part of the Mass, usually drawn from scripture and have been used for centuries. We're missing out on something important if we don't sing them.
Luckily a lot of work has been done to make them easy to sing in English. In St Mary's on the Hill our 10am choir sing the entrance antiphon, offertory antiphon and communion antiphon to a simple psalm tone from the Gregorian chant tradition.
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