Part 7. Hymn-singing and non-churchgoers Part 8. Space and environment
Part 9. Singing the faith
PART 1. EUCHARISTIC TEXTS
Apart from hymns and songs, the shared texts of the Eucharistic liturgy are constant, offering the opportunity for singing, whether by a choir, a singing group or the whole congregation: Kyrie Eleison, Gloria, the Creed, Sanctus and Benedictus, the Lord’s Prayer, and Agnus Dei have all been set to music over many centuries of worship.
From plainchant settings of the Mass to the most recent jazz or minimalist versions, the ‘Ordinary of the Mass’ has inspired some of the greatest music written for the human voice. Renaissance settings of immense complexity by Victoria, Josquin or Palestrina can be heard today in cathedrals and other churches with a skilled choir able to do them justice. The same is true of equally elaborate late 18th century settings by composers such as Haydn and Mozart. Indeed, the Church authorities, often vexed by such skill and beauty in public worship, would issue restrictive instructions from time in an attempt to keep these musical glories under control. From 1559 until the mid 19th century, the Church of England emphasised Morning and Evening Prayer rather than the Eucharist, treating Holy Communion as a service in two parts, in which only those receiving communion would remain after the Prayer for the Church. From that era there are almost no settings of the Gloria, Sanctus and Agnus Dei, simply some choral settings of the Responses to the Ten Commandments and the Creed. The words of Kyrie, Benedictus and Agnus Dei, were eventually included in the ‘unofficial’ 1928 Book of Common Prayer, and authorised formally only in the 1960s, so there is a relative dearth of English language settings for Holy Communion from before the 20th century, either for choir or congregation.
John Merbecke had produced the first setting of the Book of Common Prayer Eucharist in 1550, adapted from and written in a simplified form of Gregorian Chant. Hardly heard in its day, it was rediscovered in the 19th century and can be heard today, adapted either to the traditional language of Common Worship Order 2, or the contemporary language of Order 1.
English language settings increased in both popularity and number from the late 19th century on. Mostly choral settings, some of these (e.g. by Stanford and Darke) are well within the compass of a competent parish choir. With the rise of the Parish Communion movement from the 1930’s, less complex settings have been composed for the whole congregation to sing. A notable example is the Anglican Folk Mass by Martin Shaw, in a style comparable to Merbecke (‘folk’ referring here to the people rather than a musical style).
Making choices from all these to suit each service or occasion will depend on various factors, textual and contextual. In traditional language services, a contemporary setting is less likely to sit comfortably with the text, and may jar with the overall ‘feel’ of the liturgy. Many churches are uncomfortable with using Latin texts for a liturgical setting – though if accepted these may blend in well with traditional language texts.
Equally, a setting in traditional language may sit uneasily with a liturgy in contemporary language. For the latter a vast range of settings is now available for all to sing, from ‘modern classical’ (e.g. James MacMillan, John Rutter) through folk idiom (e.g. Patrick Appleford, or various ‘Celtic’ versions) to jazz and rock/pop (although some of these are a collection of separate items rather than ‘through-composed’ on a common theme).
In churches where the congregation is content to listen to the text sung by a choir, the choice of setting can be determined by the competence of the singers. Where the choir leads the congregation in singing the liturgical text, it will be important to choose a less complex setting written for congregational use which is memorable, straightforward to learn, durable, and in keeping both with the season and the worshipping environment.
Some churches vary their congregational setting, either on a monthly pattern or according to the liturgical season – a more reflective style for the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent, a joyful, exuberant style for Christmas and Easter, and maybe a couple of alternatives for Ordinary Time. For a Family Eucharist, a simpler, shorter Eucharistic Prayer might best be complemented by a setting which is both shorter and more readily sung.
PART 2. NON-EUCHARISTIC WORSHIP
Be it a traditional service of Choral Matins or Evensong, or a family-friendly all-age act of worship, the shape and structure of non-Eucharistic worship is noticeably different. Hymns and psalms may be common to all, but with a focus on Word alone rather than Word and Sacrament they will be put together to make a different impact. A more traditional liturgy will probably cohere around a specific musical setting of the canticles and responses, but a less formal service may come across as disparate and poorly coordinated if not carefully planned. There is likely to be an underlying theme to any non-Eucharistic service, determined either by the liturgical season, the lectionary readings or a locally devised formation programme. It is not usually necessary to adhere rigidly to such themes, but connections between the music chosen and readings, preaching or other formational activity will help worshippers respond more readily as their understanding and faith are increased.
Psalms and canticles offer a greater challenge, because their prose texts are irregular, and traditional forms of chanting them, either to a plainsong tone or an Anglican chant) may present a major challenge to a whole congregation. However, these are core liturgical texts, continuously
used in worship throughout the Christian centuries. There is a range of different ways to encourage the whole congregation to engage with and share these texts – even if they do not sing every word.
PART 3. WORDS AND MUSIC
Traditional hymnody, at least in a musical sense, will find a more natural place in a formal liturgy, even if contemporary words are fitted to a familiar tune, but worship songs in a more recent musical idiom may better suit a less formal context, perhaps where a significant proportion of the congregation are occasional worshippers or has little familiarity with liturgical and musical traditions. A chanted psalm may be sung as part of a more formal liturgy, whereas a more contemporary metrical version may be preferred for more ‘user-friendly’ worship. It is worth noting that not all worship songs sound effective in a very resonant acoustic, and many are specifically written for an instrumental group, making them sound uncomfortable when played on an organ. Thematic connections and ‘on-message’ texts lose their impact if the congregation is struggling to work out rhythm or melody.
Every congregation develops a ‘repertoire’ of favourite hymnody, and choices made inevitably reflect this. Traditional or contemporary in style, a manageable balance between more and less familiar material helps the whole worshipping community to mature – going too far in either direction impedes formation and spiritual growth by creating a sense either of déjà-vu or disorientation. Whichever hymnal is in regular use imposes certain limitations, meaning that any unfamiliar texts will have to be included in a service sheet. Collections such as Hymns Old and
New and Songs of Fellowship contain a mix of traditional hymns and more recent worship songs,
and while Common Praise focuses on the former, there is a range of more recent material in its supplement volume Sing Praise.
PART 4. DATA PROJECTION
An increasing number of churches of all traditions are investing in a data projector and screen(s), enabling repertoire to be extended without investment in a new set of hymnbooks – it also improves the quality of congregational singing as people’s heads are raised. However, older buildings particularly may have awkward sightlines or lengthy naves, necessitating the
installation of more than one screen and projector. This tension between practical arrangements and aesthetics may raise wider questions about the ordering of the building as a whole. Worshippers with limited vision will require all texts in a large print version, and not every congregation adapts readily to modern technology. An extended range of possible hymns or songs certainly offers benefits to a congregation with a smaller repertoire, but the temptation to choose too much new material too quickly risks losing their interest and engagement. Be aware that author and source must always be acknowledged, whether on screen or in printed service sheet, for any material still in copyright, usually within seventy years of the author’s or composer’s death, along with local copyright licence numbers either for CCL or Calamus (the body representing Roman Catholic and some American composers). The reproduction of any copyright musical score requires a separate licence provision.
PART 5. STYLE AND ACCOMPANIMENTS
Hymn choices are governed as much by the accompaniment available as by congregation size. A small congregation at an evening service will probably feel overwhelmed by the prospect of singing lengthy, high-lying upbeat hymns, while a lively younger group of worshippers may equally feel ‘underwhelmed’ if all the music is quieter, reflective and less extravert – although making generalised assumptions and stereotyping worshippers’ tastes are to be avoided at all costs.
External circumstances sometimes make an impact on engagement with worship – local or national events, a sense of fatigue brought on by working hours and family pressures, or even weather conditions can dampen a sense of vibrancy. However, the largest single influence on congregational singing is the quality of leadership and accompaniment available. A retired stand- in organist, however capable, cannot be expected immediately to master a quite alien style of playing, nor can experienced choristers be asked to take on board instantly some of the complex syncopated melodies to worship songs. It is preferable by far for them to lead the congregation well in material they feel comfortable with.
The increasing dearth of organists has led some congregations to invest in pre-recorded accompaniment CDs or software. It is tempting to dismiss these out of hand, but all are recorded by competent musicians, and the recording quality is usually high. A potential disadvantage is that tempo and instrumentation cannot be changed, leaving worshippers to keep up with the pace
of the accompaniment, but the resources they offer include the blessing of a much wider range of choices than might otherwise be possible.
Whatever the mode of accompaniment, hymns in particular are sometimes set too high for a congregation to sing comfortably. Most hymn melodies fall in the range between middle C and D nine notes higher – some even higher or lower higher than that – but for children’s songs and an older congregation, the comfortable overall singing range is at least one or two notes below this. A regular accompanist, or even an instrumental group, might be encouraged to compile a collection of tunes arranged at lower pitches (whether collected them from other hymn books, or transposed versions using some of the readily available and affordable music software). Simplified versions of hymn accompaniments are also increasingly available, helping those with more limited keyboard fluency.