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SOUNDBOARD THE MAGAZINE OF CHURCH MUSIC DUBLIN ▪ Giving worship a vibrant voice through music ISSUE 27 SEPTEMBER 2012

CHURCH MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

Welcome to another edition of Soundboard, packed with articles and titbits that we hope you will find interesting. We discuss the recent Eucharistic Congress

and also include short reports about summer schools. Did you manage to get to a course this summer? Perhaps not, but nevertheless you visited a church

while on holidays and were inspired (or maybe not!) by something you

experienced. We all need to rethink our role from time to time; even if only to affirm that we are doing our best within the circumstances. Attending courses

seems to be part of modern working life, whether to up-skill individuals or to comply with new regulations. Many musicians continue to study and learn,

attending masterclasses and courses regularly. If you are not one of these,

perhaps you need some encouragement:

Do it for you – we should never feel that improving our skills is being selfish. The better you are, the more benefit to the church. It is good to engage with

new material, ideas and people. If you later wish to move to a different church,

it will aid your application.

Do it for your church – musicians have particular skills to assist our corporate worship. If your ideas are fresh and innovative, then people will be inspired.

Your church should be pleased to meet half the cost, or even more (as suggested in the diocesan remuneration guidelines). Ask! Show them this

article if you are shy! Churches have budgetary constraints, like everywhere else; however, worship is the one activity that differentiates the Body of Christ from

the local club down the road. If we do not invest in equipping the key people involved, the main calling of the Church will falter. If funds are scarce, select

vestries ought to give priority to expenditure on worship. The clergy of our dioceses attend a conference each year, usually returning with a spring in their

step. We all need encouragement: to be able to engage with new material and

ideas, away from the demands of the weekly commitment; and to share our experiences with others (perhaps you will inspire someone else at the course –

yes, you!)

If you are a member of the clergy, please encourage your musician to attend

something and explain why they should do so– they may not wish to spend a week learning a skill they feel unsure about using. Failing that, as a first step,

ask them to attend Living Worship next January/February. You could come along too! Courses and seminars of varying length are available at different

times of year and Church Music Dublin will be glad to suggest some.

Elsewhere in this issue, we hear from Gloria’s Tim Thurston about an exciting

project based around Bach’s organ works, from the former Dean of St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast Houston McKelvey about the role of the parish musician, and

from Colin Mawby on spirituality in liturgical worship. A feast of interesting material for you to enjoy as autumn gets under way. In more strictly practical

terms, copyright compliance is part of the Church’s responsibility. It is always nice to see a friendly face behind the logo, so Chris Williams from CCLI tells us a

bit about himself and his work with churches of all shapes and sizes. There is an article on the church musicians as theologian, discussion about the role of the

organ voluntary, an update on the proposed supplement to the hymnal, spirituality in music and lots more, including letters and reflections from YOU,

the readers.

Finally, if this issue brings anything to mind that you would like to share with

the rest of us, please contact us—details as usual are on page 12. Enjoy!

Sharper service IN THIS ISSUE

ICMA SUMMER SCHOOL … 2

THE MUSICIAN AS THEOLOGIAN

BY HOUSTON MCKELVEY … 3

THE SPIRIT OF WORSHIP TECHNOLOGY & LICENCES … 5

CONSIDERING THE CONGREGATION … 5

THE EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS … 6

A SIMPLE HYMN ACCOMPANIMENT

for St George’s Windsor … 7

BACH WORKS ON GLORIA … 8

THE RSCM … 9

AROUND THE COUNTRY … 11

2 S O U N D B O A R D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2

Joseph Bradley, recently appointed TCD organ scholar, with director

of chapel music Dr Kerry Houston & Margaret Bridge, choir director

The Archbishop of Dublin’s Certificate in Church Music Exam Results, May 2012 Year 3 (Final)

Róisín Rowley-Brooke, Nenagh Distinction Róisín Burbridge, Zion Honours

Helen Dawson, Christ Church Cathedral Group Honours

Year 2

Inga Hutchinson, Geashill Distinction Jamie Boshell, Christ Church Cathedral Honours

Beth Burns, Geashill Honours

Year 1 Joseph Bradley, Newcastle Distinction

Matthew Breen, Taney Distinction

Stephanie Maxwell, Clontarf Distinction

Committee appointments Tristan Clarke, who teaches at St Columba’s College, and Philip Good, assistant organist in the parish of Castleknock and

Mulhuddart with Clonsilla, have been co-opted to the Executive

Committee. Both are recent ACCM graduates. Tristan tells us that he accepted the invitation because he wants to help with the

excellent work Church Music Dublin is doing to help educate and

encourage church musicians at all levels. Philip sees joining the Executive as an opportunity to help maintain and improve the

high standard of choral music in the dioceses. The other

members of the Committee are Archdeacon Ricky Rountree, Jacqueline Mullen, Maedhbh Abayawickrema, Judy Cameron, Ann

Keary, David McConnell, Donald Maxwell, James Pasley, Derek

Verso, and Fraser Wilson.

Living Worship 2013 This popular course wlll take place again on Saturdays 12,19 and 26 January. Speakers will include Dr Peter Thompson, rector of

Donaghmore parish (Armagh diocese) and Secretary of the

Hymnal Committee, and the Revd Stanley Monkhouse, rector of Port Laoise group (Leighlin).

Training Video Responding to a clear need, a short training video on choosing

music for the Eucharist will be launched later this year. The video will be on the website with optional supporting documentation

available for download.

Foundation organ / keyboard course Plans are at an advanced stage for a 4-module foundation course

offering practical training in leading singing from a piano,

keyboard or organ. Topics will include introducing new hymns and songs, how to practise, and other useful tips. There will be a

mix of group and individual sessions and the rectors of the

sponsoring parishes will attend the first module, with their musicians. The first course will be launched early in 2013 in a

parish away from Dublin.

Soundboard subscriptions If you have not yet renewed for 2012 - please do so! If not

already a subscriber - please consider becoming one. It costs only €15 / £13 per annum. You will find payment details on page 12.

We encourage all readers of Soundboard to share it with their

choir, clergy, and friends; for extra copies, contact info@churcmusicdublin.org.

www.churchmusicdublin.org When did you last visit our website? It contains a huge amount of

interesting and relevant information, including the findings of the 2011 Survey of Church Music in the Dublin and Glendalough

dioceses. And don’t overlook the Links page, which will direct you

to other sites of interest. Please also check whether there is a link from your church’s website to Church Music Dublin. If not,

perhaps you could have a chat with your website administrator!

News from the Executive Committee

The Irish Church Music Association Summer School

Marty Haugen led this year’s ICMA Summer School in the first week of July, with a gentle grace, encouragement and passion for the

liturgy, which inspired all present. ‘Marty’ is a liturgical composer, workshop presenter, performing and recording artist and author

from Eagan, Minnesota. The week consisted of the usual heady mix of liturgies, rehearsals, tutorials, meals and fun! Over 200 parish musicians from all parts of Ireland took part in tutorials which included: Repertoire, Primary Schools Music, The Parish Cantor,

Liturgical Composition, Irish Music for the Liturgy, Choral Direction and Conducting, and Organ Tuition.

While the celebration of the Eucharist in Maynooth College Chapel was the focus and highlight of each day, there were special events throughout the week.

On Tuesday evening, participants and guests celebrated Evening Prayer in St

Mary's Church of Ireland at the College gates and heard a stimulating address by Archbishop Michael Jackson. On Thursday evening, Haugen launched The

Collected Masses of Fintan P. O’Carroll (Veritas, Dublin), and adapted for the

third edition of the Roman Missal, by the composer’s son, Kevin O’Carroll.

The week provided the opportunity for old friends to greet each other once

more and was also marked this year by a large number of first-timers. A

noticeable trend in recent years is the sizeable cohort of young people. Young and old alike prayed and sang together in a week that refreshed spirits and

renewed hearts. In continuing the theme of the recent Eucharistic Congress,

people were inspired to 'become what you receive' - or, as was posed to

participants during the week: to 'become “whom” you receive.'

S O U N D B O A R D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2 3

For me, the role of an organist/choirmaster - call the post what

you will – involves much more than musical knowledge and ability. It is not simply a matter of producing sounds, no matter

how pleasing they are to the human ear. An organist/choirmaster

will be a person of vision, who knows his/her choir’s abilities and can gently and responsibly take them to new levels of

endeavour. But I stress that he/she must also be a practical

theologian, an enabling moulder of faith within the parish community. My views are based not just on reading and study

but on two seminal experiences in my own faith journey.

I think firstly of the small rural parish in which I was raised in the

faith and tolerated in the choir. Despite our small numbers we maintained a tradition of sung services - Matins and Evensong

were the orders of that day, prior to the parish communion

movement affecting Ireland. Usually we had good and faithful local musicians as organists. But during one interregnum a

startling development occurred. There were two military bases

nearby, RAF and Royal Navy, and these occasionally brought our way singers and musicians, some of whom enlarged our vision

and capabilities. One such was an organist and choirmaster who

not only got this small rural choir to sing items from Messiah but also to record them. This was the era of wind-up record players

and we cut our one and only disk in bakelite. But the experience

did a lot for our choral confidence, our faith, our vision, and our commitment as choir members. It was obvious that our musical

catalyst had the confidence and support of our rector.

A later experience was during the fourteen years while rector of a Connor parish – a large public housing estate where we also

sang Matins and Evensong, complete with two different sermons

which I had to craft for each Sunday. The greatest gift available to me in terms of worship was the organist and choirmaster,

Ernie McCleary. He too had been raised and nurtured in the

Church of Ireland. He was familiar with the Church’s year and was sensitive to the flow of the liturgy. He chose the hymns and

anthems and, as this was the period of the Ulster Workers’ Strike

and attempted bombings and killings in the immediate area, I was mighty glad of his assistance. More often than not, the

choice of hymns, particularly the hymn after the sermon, was

more appropriate and sensitive than if I had done the job. Ernie – a boarding school teacher and superb cricketer, footballer and

golfer – would have told me to feel my head if I said he was a

practical theologian. But that is what this organist and choirmaster was.

Ask most people in any local congregation or parish who the

theologian is, and they will point you to a clerical figure. Mark Gorman, writing in the Duke Divinity School Magazine,1 recently

suggested that congregational musicians, because of their

shared leadership of worship with the clergy, have a responsibility for the practical daily theology of most worshiping

groups. Making decisions about which hymns to choose, which

anthems to pair to specific biblical texts can have as much impact on how those texts are understood by the congregation

as anything the preacher says from the pulpit. And that means,

he said, that congregations need to make sure that their musicians have the resources and training they need to

accomplish that work.

Mark Gorman continued:

“In most churches, the musicians are not world-class performers,

but volunteers or part-time workers, often overworked and underappreciated.

“Musicians, whether or not they are aware of it are shaping

congregations theologically through their music. Congregations,

even if they don’t explicitly know it, are formed theologically by the music of their worship services, just as they are formed by the

sermon, the prayers, and the sacraments. Vibrant worship,

therefore, requires that both church musicians and the congregations they serve become more sensitive to the theological

work of music.”

Clergy and church musicians are in the business of soul shaping

and their efforts must share the same goal. That the overall theological direction of a parish is the responsibility of the

incumbent and the bishop is a basic legal and doctrinal fact of

the Church of Ireland’s way of being church. But where there is Christian respect for each other and a sense of mutual

accountability, there is room for two theologians in a parish,

expressing the same truths in complimentary ways. Our constant aim must be: the Word, spoken and sung, shaping, nourishing

and nurturing the People of God in a manner which truly

reflects the ethos and identity of the Church of Ireland in the totality of its worship. 1Duke Divinity School Magazine (North Carolina), Fall 2011

The Revd Houston McKelvey is a former Secretary of the General

Synod Board of Education (N.I.) and was Dean of Belfast from

2001 to 2011. He currently is editorial adviser to www.churchnewsireland.org

The musician as theologian HOUSTON MCKELVEY reflects on the role of the parish musician

A half-century’s service David Lawrence retired recently having played the organ in the Tullamore, Co.

Offaly group of churches for over 50 years. On 30 March, St Sinian’s Church, Tyrrellspass, was packed for Songs of Praise, at which David selected and

accompanied ten well-known hymns. It was a very enjoyable finish to a fulfilling

career. Afterwards, he received a presentation from rector, Canon Gerald Field,

on behalf of the parishioners.

David had an early start on Sunday mornings, as the service at Tyrellspass is at

9.15. He also played at Newtownfertullagh until the church closed in 1989. Music flows through the Lawrence family. David’s mother, a very competent

and committed organist, played at Rochfordbridge for many years. His

daughter Sandra, plays occasionally, and his grandson Diarmuid O’Brien is

organist at St Michael’s Church, Castletown Geoghegan.

4 S O U N D B O A R D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2

Last May, General Synod overwhelmingly

endorsed the work done so far on a supplement to Church Hymnal and asked

the Hymnal Sub-Committee of the

Liturgical Advisory Committee to bring detailed proposals to the 2013 Synod. A

supplement containing 150 hymns and

songs and liturgical material is envisaged and, while a publication date has not been

mentioned, it is reasonable to hope that

the Supplement will be in the pews by the end of 2015. The provisional list of

contents is available on the web at

churchmusicdublin.org/supplement.

Some may wonder why we need a

supplement so soon after the publication

of Church Hymnal, fifth edition, in 2000. Others may question whether, in current

financial circumstances, the cost to

parishes is justified. While it is only twelve years since CH5 was published, it is

eighteen years since General Synod

appointed (1994) a committee to start the

planning process, which involved agreeing the contents, editing texts and music,

obtaining copyright permission, and

meticulous proof-reading. So by the time the proposed Supplement is released,

some two decades’ worth of new material

will have become available.

Each year CCLI (Christian Copyright

Licensing International) produces a list of

the most popular songs, based on licence returns from across the UK and Ireland. Of

the current top 25, only 8 are printed in

CH5. It is staggering to realise that over two-thirds of the most popular hymns and

songs in use in 2011-12 are not readily

available to most parishes in the Church of Ireland. The new supplement will include

most of these in a format that is accessible

to parishes with even the most modest

musical resources.

Every year new hymns and worship songs

are written – some gain popularity; many pass out of the memory quickly. The

Hymnal Sub-Committee aims to make a

selection after sifting what has become available in the past two decades and then

by evaluating what is gaining in popularity.

Sometimes we will get this right – and sometimes not – just as for any other

hymnal.

The consultation process has revealed a

real demand for new material, from all

parts of the Church of Ireland. We have received suggestions of over 1,500 items

from clergy, musicians, and others. One

frustrating aspect of our work is the reality that we can use only about one out of

every 10 suggestions received – and so our

criteria include how wide an application a hymn has, whether it is sung in many

churches or on many occasions, and

whether it is specific to a particular time,

place or event.

To keep costs to a minimum, most of the

work is being done in-house by members of the LAC and the Hymnal Sub-

Committee. It is envisaged that there will

be only two editions available: words-only and a full music edition. All this will help to

keep costs low without compromising

quality. We hope that every parish will use the Supplement and find their worship

enriched and enhanced by a range of new

music.

For parishes that do not have the benefit

of live music each Sunday, recordings will

be made available too. It is also hoped that a book similar to Companion to CH5 will

be produced to tell the stories behind each

hymn, so that we may sing not only with the spirit, but also with understanding, and

that all we do may be to the glory of God.

The LAC has launched a competition to

‘name that book’. Entries to the musical editor (revpeter@gmail.com or St

Michael’s Rectory, 66 Main Street,

Castlecaulfield, Co Tyrone, BT70 3NP) before 31 December 2012. The winning

title will be announced at General Synod

2013.

The Hymnal Sub-committee: Bishop Harold

Miller (chair), Peter Thompson (secretary),

Julie Bell, Alison Cadden, Donald Davison, Jacqueline Mullen, and Derek Verso

Reflections on the Hymnal Supplement PETER THOMPSON, Secretary of the Hymnal Sub-Committee, provides an update

I was very interested in the recent article in Soundboard dealing with simplified hymn

tunes. I am a parishioner in Straffan Church, Co. Kildare and am a past member of 1st Dublin Company of the Boys’ Brigade, where I joined the band and started learning the

cornet, later progressing to the trombone. This gave me a lifelong interest in music and

instruments: piano, guitar, clarinet, saxophone, flute, double bass, and sweet patio

(search the internet for this one!).

In 1991 the organist, who had played for many years, felt that she would like a break.

After many requests to the Rector to find a replacement, with no results, she issued an ultimatum: she was retiring and he would have to find a new organist. The Rector

arrived at my home one evening and arranged with my wife that I would play. I learned

of this the next morning! I requested six weeks to practise and told an organist friend what I had agreed to. While she may have thought me crazy, she gave me a copy of

the simplified hymns tunes book, which I still have. I picked three of the simplest and

best know hymns and practised until I could play without the book. No pedals at that

stage, of course.

At that time there was virtually no choir in Straffan and the Rector, who had a very loud

voice, bellowed out of time while a lady who sat in the choir seats sang out of tune loudly and raucously. It came to the Sunday of my first appearance as organist and the

lady in question decided to sit right behind me to provide moral support. Readers will

appreciate my unease - but because of my six weeks learning period, I was like a robot and able to survive. Once the previous organist discovered I could scrape by, she

returned and we played on alternate Sundays and she also played for special services.

By using the book I was eventually able to add the pedals and extra harmony. This did

not suit four-part singing but was better than nothing.

We hope to publish Donald’s article about music in Straffan in the future – Ed.)

Pressed into service! How DONALD MCLEAN became an organist

A good innings!

Ann Keary is pictured receiving a

presentation from Canon David Moynan on behalf of the parish in recognition of

her 28 years’ service as organist of

Kiltiernan Parish Church. Ann (also a member of the Church Music Dublin

Executive) is moving home to Shillelagh,

Co. Wicklow, and so the church is seeking a new organist. Details of this and other

vacancies can be found on the Church

Music Dublin website.

We wish Ann good luck in her move and

the church as it begins its search for her

successor.

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Encouraging the spirit of worship CHRIS WILLIAMS describes how changing technology is being used to convey the Christian message

As a school leaver I had great plans for my life. Like most boys of

my age I was going to be a pilot, fireman, or rock star. It’s strange how we can end up in a career that’s a million miles away from

what we planned in the school playground. I joined Christian

Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) in the winter of 1991 at a time when churches across the UK were going through some

quite radical changes. These were mostly to do with styles of

sung worship, live bands versus organs, and the technology within the church

building, i.e. how it was to be used.

When I became a Christian in 1983 at a very small Anglican church in the West

Midlands the congregation was singing

from a mixture of hymn books, songbook supplements and bright coloured song

sheets that were produced on a bad-

tempered Gestetner printing machine down in the dark chambers of our

building. To be honest, I hated that

machine, which distributed ink to every part of my body and clothing and hardly

any to the paper for which it was

intended. Oh happy day when a man took

our Gestetner away and delivered our first basic photocopier which looked cheap and plastic but cost the

same as a small family car. We could now photocopy from books,

newspapers and other sources. A whole new era of publishing had arrived. We then purchased a strange machine that projected

through clear plastic acetate sheets – the Overhead Projector.

This, in addition to introducing a new style of ‘hands free’ worship, also introduced us to bad spelling as the acetates were

usually written in felt-tip pen by someone with a very shaky hand.

Today, many churches are looking at new technology in the form of LCD projectors to deliver words stored on a computer, with

screens that either pop-up out of pews or roll down from the

ceiling at the click of a switch. What's next? Perhaps we'll be handing out iPads to visitors at the door pre-loaded with

readings and hymns for today's service.

Whichever song delivery system is used for church services, my role as Key Account Advisor at CCLI is to educate and encourage

churches about the benefits of having the appropriate copyright

licences to ensure hymn/songwriters are properly rewarded for the reproduction of their work. This role takes me to pretty much

every denomination head office across the UK and Ireland,

Catholic and Protestant, charismatic and traditional, large and small. What constantly surprises me, over the many miles and

years, is how alive the gospel is in all corners of the Church. A

leader at a Salvation Army Citadel once told me how he gathers

old brass instruments to be refurbished and fixed so as to hand

them on to the children in his local area. These instruments, trumpets, trombones etc, come with free lessons. While the

children are learning in the lounge their parents are in the

kitchen doing an impromptu Alpha course. Or there’s the church in Birmingham which has invested in bean-bags and a popcorn

machine to use with their special film nights for children.

None of the CCLI team, to the best of my knowledge, is passionate about copyright

licences. But as many of the team are

worship leaders and pastors in their local churches, we get quite excited to see how

sung worship, though diverse in sound

and delivery system, is very much alive - dare I say evolving. The vision statement

at CCLI is to Encourage the Spirit of

Worship. When I first started at CCLI there were 6,000 churches licensed with

one type of licence. Today, CCLI licenses

over 23,500 churches and 14,000 schools with six different licences covering music

performance, song projection and the use

of films. Churches are embracing all of the

different means of multimedia available to them. The Apostles travelled the Roman roads and Martin Luther

had the printing press to deliver the gospel, so it is easy to

believe that the internet is to play a strong role in current church communication. A number of Roman Catholic churches in my

own area are now streaming their services live to local old

people’s homes and those not able to get to church because of illness. Websites are great communication tools providing maps,

testimonies and even a means of hearing last week’s sermon,

which has been made available as a downloadable Podcast.

So the message remains the same but the styles, people groups

and technology change. I believe strongly that we should never

fear change, but also that change should never control us. As for the future I’ll keep travelling the miles meeting leaders to try to

break down some of those fears and misunderstandings that can

quite easily creep into matters such as these. I hope to hear new testimonies from churches who have found ways to use modern

technology and resources to communicate the gospel in the

language and understanding of society around us – in short…to

keep on Encouraging the Spirit of Worship.

Chris Williams is Key Account Manager for Christian Copyright Licensing

International (CCLI) and is an elder who heads up the worship team at

ChristChurch, a New Frontiers church in Hailsham, East Sussex.

cwilliams@ccli.co.uk

How Are We? THEO SAUNDERS reflects

I expect that Soundboard is read mainly by people who are actively involved in church music, whether as singers, players, or

conductors. But how often do we consider those who listen to music in church without performing it? Yet these people make up a

pretty good proportion of the church on any Sunday morning. I would argue that we should all take time to listen properly, whether it be to our neighbours, our selves, or indeed God. And what is the best starting point for listening? I consider total silence, and

stillness to be a very good place; but others may argue that we should be listening in the midst of our daily activities. Perhaps they

both have their place, regardless of our own preferences. No doubt, listening is an excellent prelude to good prayer.

So, when we go to church, what does the music at the beginning of the service do? Does it calm us down, and bring us to a point of

stillness – or does it excite us, and thus prepare us for a rousing opening hymn of praise. Well, sadly, sometimes it does neither. How

often do we encounter a few chords hastily thrown down onto the Swell organ, regardless of the key of the first hymn – or indeed

some strumming on the guitar with the tapping of the microphone to the vocalisation of the words, Testing, Testing, Testing.

Whatever your preference – and you may have other ideas about pre-service music – do think about it from time to time, and be

prepared to ask others what they like, and don’t like: or better still, find out what is beneficial, thus avoiding our likes and dislikes. Is this something worth discussing with your Rector? Come to think about it, perhaps I had better take a leaf out of my own book and

do the same tomorrow morning – listen!

Theo Saunders is organist and master of the choristers at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh. We were delighted to learn that Theo recently returned to work after a lengthy illness. theodore5@btopenworld.com

6 S O U N D B O A R D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2

Criticism of the music used during the concluding Mass at the

recent International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) has raised questions that every church musician should reflect on from time

to time: What is the purpose of music in worship? How is that

purpose best fulfilled?

Speaking at a meeting of American church musicians in Salt Lake

City on 27 June, the Executive Secretary of the International Commission of English in the Liturgy (ICEL) launched an

outspoken attack on changes to Roman Catholic worship

introduced since the Second Vatican Council. Msgr Andrew Wadsworth instanced the closing Mass of the recent IEC in

Dublin as harking back to immediately after Vatican Two, with its

absence of Gregorian chant and Latin. He complained of the appalling banality of much liturgical music and the lack of any

true liturgical spirit in the use of music.

Fr Wadsworth complained that at the Mass in Croke Park on 17

June, none of the antiphons of the proper were sung for the

entrance offertory and communion processions, and he spoke scathingly about the “celebrity spot during the distribution of

Holy Communion” when three clerical tenors sang “the

impossibly sentimental song ‘May the road rise to meet you’”

“What is wrong”, he asked, “with the Communion antiphon and psalm?”

However, Fr Paddy Jones, Director of the

National Centre for

Liturgy at Maynooth d e s c r i b e d t h e

comments as “unhelpful

and unfair and not reflecting what those

who were present are

saying.. He said “there’s lots of loose language

in his criticism of the

closing Mass”. Fr Kevin Doran, Secretary

General of the IEC,

wrote that he felt that Msgr Wadsworth’s

concerns “were more

about the Second Vatican Council than

the Eucharistic Congress. The Congress simply happens to be a

convenient target for him”.

Catholic Liturgical Music

Whatever one’s view of Msgr Wadsworth’s comments (and I believe many musicians will privately concur to some extent), it is

worth exploring a little of his thinking. A starting point is an

address1 he gave in London in May 2012 to a meeting of church musicians from the Archdiocese of Westminster. He spoke about

the value of liturgical chant,

“which enables the word of truth to be expressed in the beauty

of song in a way which is not adequately described by the comparatively sterile designation of the individual elements of

words and music. In our Catholic tradition, liturgical chant is first

and foremost cantillation, a song which arises from the text, a song which is essentially a heightened proclamation of a verbal

message and which takes its emphases from the natural

accentuation of the text and finds its melodic rhythm from the cadence which is already in within the words.”

Others deal with this subject. At the conclusion of the first part

of a paper2 on the use of strophic hymns in Anglican and

Catholic worship, Fr Mark Woodruff (a former Anglican cathedral organist) argues that “when English hymnody is used just to give

the congregation something to do, as if assisting through other

parts of the liturgy was doing nothing, it distorts its purpose in the non-Catholic traditions that formed it, and undervalues the

use to which it can be put in the Roman liturgy”. On the other

hand, he continues, when Anglicans uses strophic hymns with thought and sensitivity, such hymns can become a means of

mental engagement and active participation in the liturgy, as

opposed to simply ‘joining in’.

Frs Wadsworth and Woodruff are among a growing number of

thoughtful people who feel that worship in many Catholic parishes has become banal to an extreme, has been dumbed

down and has lost the sense of awe which many instinctively

long for. Musicians in the Church of Ireland would do well to be aware of these views which, in essence, call for increased

reflection and discussion about what constitutes ‘music of

worship’ as opposed to merely ‘music in worship’ – a subtle, but important differentiation.

Liturgical worship in the Church of Ireland

Liturgical worship is a fundamental aspect of our Church of Ireland / Anglican tradition. In the Office (Morning and Evening

Prayer) the Psalms and canticles such as Benedictus and

Magnificat have been sung to Anglican chant for over

300 years. More recently,

successive speakers at the annual Living Worship

course in Dublin have drawn

attention to the key importance of encouraging

the whole worshipping

assembly to sing at least some of the unvarying parts

of the Eucharistic liturgy

(Kyrie, Gloria in excelsis, Acclamations, Sanctus) to

simple melodies.

When the use of strophic

hymns (those that repeat

metrical verses to the same melody) became widespread

in the Church of Ireland in the mid-19th century, their value was

probably seen mainly in terms of conveying the religious meaning of services, nourishing popular devotion with Scriptural

substance, and helping to put faith into words and practice. In

more recent times, and reflecting the extent to which the Eucharist has moved centre-stage in Church of Ireland worship,

the concept of liturgical hymnody has developed, as evidenced

by official and quasi-official publications.

In 1990, in its report Silent Worship?3 the Joint Committee for

Church Music (representing the Church of Ireland Choral Union and RSCM), stated that “Church Music means singing the Liturgy,

regularly every Sunday. The function of church music is to

emphasise and intensify significant parts of the Liturgy (e.g. Gloria, Sanctus, Benedictus and Magnificat). Hymns and psalms

are our response to hearing and receiving the word of God in the

Liturgy.”

More recently, the 2004 edition of The Book of Common Prayer

directs that “in the selection of hymns, careful attention should be given to ensure that they are appropriate to the Bible

Have we lost the plot? Controversy about the music used at the International Eucharistic Congress prompts DAVID MCCONNELL to reflect on singing the liturgy

S O U N D B O A R D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2 7

Simplified hymn accompaniments

Eight simplified hymn accompaniments are now on the Church Music Dublin website, including St George’s, Windsor, firmly

associated with the Harvest-tide hymn Come, ye thankful people, come.

The text, by the Revd Henry Alford, was first published in 1844. Henry Alford was a man of many literary gifts. He died in 1871, having been Dean of Canterbury since 1857. The original text was altered considerably by Alford and others. The version in

CH5 closely follows an 1865 version.

The tune, St George’s, Windsor, first appeared in 1858 and has been associated with the text since the first edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern in 1861. The composer, George Job Elvey, was Organist and Master of the Choristers at St George’s Chapel, Windsor from 1835 to 1882. Elvey wrote many Anglican chants, 17 of which are included in The Irish Chant Book. G.J.

Elvey’s elder brother, Stephen Elvey (1805-1860), while rather less prolific, is also well represented in the ICB.

readings and sermon”. (The compilers might usefully have added that hymns also should be appropriate to their position within

the Liturgy.) Church Hymnal, 5th edition, unlike its predecessors,

has a separate liturgical section and it is heartening to know that the forthcoming Supplement will add to the existing official

provision. The clear implication of all this is that liturgical song is

at least as important as strophic hymns and that great care is needed when selecting and positioning hymns. As Mark

Woodruff succinctly observes, “It is not a matter of choice and

favourites, but of design and fit.”’

Back to the I.E.C.

The programme of music used at the week-long IEC is still on the official website4. Broadly speaking, it reflects what is used in

parish churches throughout Ireland Sunday by Sunday. If one of

the purposes of music in worship is to create a sense of community and to point towards the Almighty, then most will

agree the choice was appropriate for the occasion. Perhaps, in

retrospect, one of the Masses should have used the propers, sung to traditional chant. “May the road rise to meet you” sung

by three priest-tenors certainly was an error of judgement and

out of place. Though, interestingly, the piece is not mentioned on the IEC website, so may have been a last-minute production

decision, to appeal to the television audience.

Let Brendan Conroy, composer and leader of the young people’s

choir in Holy Cross Church, Dundrum, writing in The Irish Catholic

(26 July) have the final word.

“I love Gregorian chant ... I love Taizé chant even more ... Amazingly to me, I know some people who find both Gregorian

and Taizé chant a little weird! And so we sing other songs that

people judge to be prayerful, perhaps because in singing them people touch, in an intangible way, a profound truth that we all

profess to believe, that we are really and truly the risen body of

Christ on earth.”

1 The full text of Msgr Andrew Wadsworth’s address is on the Church Music Dublin website 2 The Hymn Society Bulletin, Summer 2012 3 The report Silent Worship? is on the website 4 The list of IEC music is also on our website

David McConnell is organist at Zion Church, Rathgar and the Church of

the Three Patrons, Rathgar. davidmcconnell@eircom.net

8 S O U N D B O A R D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2

As I sit here, I’m watching the Olympic Games and the perfection

that is the Men’s 3 metre diving semi-finals. Such precision makes this very much a niche sport, requiring a really special set

of skills, much the same as being an organist and choirmaster -

although fortunately we don’t require the honed athletic frames

to do our jobs!!

Being summer, there isn’t a lot happening here apart from some

of the local choirs doing their week’s residency in various cathedrals in the land, and of course it’s the season of weddings.

These are fast becoming opportunities to further marginalise the

organist’s unique and highly honed skillset to that of a simple wallpaper provider, giving cover to the conversation beforehand

as the great and the good parade their wardrobe (and wallet)

skills, and catch up loudly and irreverently on the intervening

years.

I tend not to do away gigs of this type. I find it too frustrating to

chase money and deal with a set of people that I don’t know from Adam, and the music has always been selected without any

input from me. So (if you’re lucky and getting ‘real’ hymns) you

see “Love Divine” and you think “Great! I wonder which tune they are expecting”. You try to find the groom - he might know,

so you ask the clergyman. He is far from sure, he really only

knows the bride’s family, and can’t recognise the groom all

dressed up. So you end up asking one of the party who’s who, and see if you can get an answer about the tune - and also get

your “envelope” rather than having to chase around outside

afterwards.

I did two weddings recently which I feel I must share with you.

First one was where the bride was coming in to a ‘proper’

performance of that awful piece by Pachelbel. I stopped at the appointed signal, and there was silence. A lot of it. Maybe fifteen

seconds. Then some mains hum which got steadily louder and

morphed into a nice few seconds of feedback. The volume control was swiftly pulled back and exactly the same procedure

followed as the guy on the sound desk tried in vain to find the

right knobs. The bride had already been standing waiting to go for about a minute. She eventually decided that it wasn’t going

to happen and set off, but a few steps in the sound man found

the right switch or plugged a lead in or something, and we all got our ears cleaned out with the very elevated volume settings.

I wonder would using the organ not have been better. She also

went out to a CD of a pop song, but at that stage I was well on my way on the open road. They had some crooner singing

constantly below the note with piano accompaniment (ever

heard Elton John’s “Your Song” using the chords I, IV, V & VI in C major?) and I’m afraid her rehearsal beforehand was enough for

me.

The second occasion was much more annoying. There I was in

the middle of the final movement of a Handel Organ Concerto

(on probably one of the worst toasters I have ever played) when the clergyman came over and said I had to stop now, he had an

announcement to make. I tried to tell him, whilst still playing,

that I had just a minute to go till the end of the piece, and would he mind waiting. “No, I have to do it now” was the curt reply. I

just lifted my hands off, and stopped. He then proceeded to do

the usual announcement about mobile phones and emergency exits. He then looked over and nodded expectantly. I shook my

head in disdain. Over he came, and said you can play again now.

I said it really doesn’t work like that, treating music and musicians like that is not good. He replied that I was a guest in his church,

and this was the way we do things here, and I should respect that

and do as I was told. Doubleopenwood

Notes from the North

For over 15 years I have had the pleasure every Sunday of sharing my love of sacred

music of many sorts from many centuries over the airwaves and internet on Gloria on

RTE Lyric FM.

For the forthcoming church year, beginning on Advent Sunday, 2 December 2012, I

intend to play approximately 15 minutes of Bach’s organ music every Sunday morning at around 9 am. Many of the chorale preludes are specific to particular Sundays and I

will precede these with appropriate cantatas by Buxtehude or Schütz. Just as the

cantatas astonish with one unknown musical delight after another, so the organ works are known to a tiny proportion of music lovers - I fear the airwaves are not over full of

the sound of the King of Instruments - even by the King of Composers! Even rarer are

performances of the superb works of his greatest predecessors.

I would like to inform Irish organists which works may be heard, so they may if they

wish play the same works live during - or before or after - their liturgies later on the

same day. A detailed list of my selection will be on the Gloria page of the Lyric website and on the Church Music Dublin website. I also hope to set up a facility, possibly using

Facebook, to advertise where the works may be heard live and every now and again I

will mention on air the opportunity for Gloria listeners to visit their local churches to

experience the "live event".

For those organists who have been considering making a recording then this would be

a good time to do so. The more Irish organists and instruments I can include the better - though I cannot guarantee inclusion! Keep an eye on www.rte.ie/lyricfm/gloria and

www.churchmusicdublin.org/ for further developments. timthurston1610@gmail.com

Bach organ music on Gloria TIM THURSTON suggests how organists can become involved with Gloria transmissions

ULSTER SOCIETY OF ORGANISTS AND CHOIRMASTERS With the regrettable demise during the 1970s of the Leinster Society of Organists, the Ulster Society of Organists and Choirmasters

(USOC), is now the only such association in the country. The USOC publishes a monthly newsletter and its programme includes

training events, recitals and an annual trip to a location outside Ireland. In May 2012, 30 members spent three days visiting and playing organs in and near Frankfurt. Annual subscription £20. www.usoc.org.uk

S O U N D B O A R D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2 9

APPOINTMENTS

The RSCM has appointed Andrew Reid to

be Director in succession to Lindsay Gray.

Andrew Reid (right) has been Director of Music at Peterborough Cathedral since

2004. Before that he served in a number of

assistant organist posts including at both Westminster Abbey and Westminster

Cathedral. “I am delighted and honoured

to be appointed Director of the RSCM”, Andrew said. “As a parish church chorister

I greatly benefited from the work of the

RSCM, and its inspirational leadership. I look forward to leading the RSCM forward

in its work of inspiring, training, and

encouraging church musicians.”

Two deputy director appointments have

also been made recently; Rosemary Field will be Deputy Director (Education and

Voluntary) taking over from Sue Snell, and

Stephen Mansfield will be Deputy Director (Operations and Finance).

THIS PAGE IS PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH

The Royal School of Church Music in Ireland

RSCM Awards Service - 29 September 2012 at 5pm We are delighted that over 30 candidates successfully passed their Voice for Life examinations and Deirdre Macklin from Monaghan is the first person in Ireland to achieve the Church Music Skills award. Members of the RSCM from across Ireland will gather at St

Bartholomew’s Church, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, on Saturday 29 September at 5pm, when the award winners will receive their

certificates in the context of Evensong.

Voice for Life provides a framework for choral singers to develop their vocal skills, their musical and liturgical understanding and

their knowledge of repertoire. The scheme comes with a range of teaching material and supporting resources and gives plenty of advice on the practicalities of running a choir. It is intended to enable choir trainers and teachers to train their choir or group more

effectively, and to help singers grow as people as well as musicians. www.rscmireland.com/voiceforlife/

Church Music Skills is an education programme designed to help practising church musicians to develop the skills and

understanding they need for their role. www.rscm.com/education/skills.php

Come & Sing Fauré Requiem & Vivaldi Gloria: 20 October 2012 at 1.30pm Following the success of last year’s Come and Sing, a similar event will be will be held on

Saturday 20 October, again at St Bartholomew's Church, Ballsbridge, to sing Fauré’s Requiem and Vivaldi’s Gloria.

1.30pm: Registration

2pm: Rehearsals (including refreshment breaks) 5pm: Performance (finishing at approx. 6.15)

Details & booking at rscmireland.com/events/downloads/come-and-sing-barts.pdf

Forms should be returned by Friday 5 October. Please remember to bring your own scores

if you have them, or indicate otherwise on the booking form. You are most welcome to

invite friends and family to attend the performance which begins at 5pm. We look forward to seeing you on 20 October for what promises to be an exciting event!

RSCM IRELAND NEEDS YOU! There are many ways to become involved in the work of RSCM Ireland. Firstly, you can become a member of the RSCM and join a

network of over 8500 schools, churches and individuals across the world. The support of our members enables us to offer education and training courses, published resources, and activities for all those involved in music in worship. RSCM membership is available

both to organisations and individuals. Full details of how to become a member are available on the RSCM Ireland website or you

can contact us direct on info@rscmireland.com. If you have any questions regarding your membership or wish to arrange a visit to your church, choir, school, or have any other queries, please use the above email address in the first instance.

RSCM COMMITTEE NEWS We seek someone to look after our website and publicity on a voluntary basis. If you or someone you know is interested, please

contact Mark Bowyer (see below). Warmest congratulations are extended to the Revd Paul Arbuthnot, ROI committee treasurer, who

has been appointed as Minor Canon (Precentor) at St Alban's Cathedral in the UK. Paul has carried out his role on the committee and as treasurer with diligence and always with a smile! We will miss him, and we wish him and Emma well as they plan their move

later this year. We are now also on the lookout for a new treasurer for the ROI committee.

YORK SUMMER SCHOOL 2013 After a five-year gap, the next RSCM International Summer School will be held in York from 12 to 18 August 2013. As usual, there

will be a packed programme of workshops, seminars and worship. Something for all tastes and levels of ability. An opportunity to share experience, get fresh ideas, learn new skills. www.rscm.com/issc

There was a significant Irish presence at the summer schools in 2005 (York) and 2008 (Canterbury), and there is a link to brief

reports by Irish participants on the General Information page of www.churchmusicdublin.org

FOR MORE DETAILS on the work of the RSCM in Ireland please contact the co-ordinator, Mark Bowyer, who will be happy to discuss any queries and arrange a visit if necessary. mbowyer@rscm.com + 353 (0)87 117 2995

10 S O U N D B O A R D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2

Having taken to organ playing late in life, I would like to share my experience with those who might perhaps think it is too late to

start – in my case it was in my mid-60’s. I was invited ‘just to play a few hymns’ and, frankly, I was quite terrified. I refused in the first

instance but was persuaded otherwise. I had absolutely no experience in the art of organ playing – my only instrument having been the piano and, practising not high on my list of priorities in my youth, I had played strictly for my own entertainment. Now, being

exposed to playing in public, this had to change and I found myself practising for hours on end – and enjoying it. The sense of

achievement was a delight and surprise to me! I had no idea that I had now been introduced to what was to become my favourite instrument and for which I appeared to have more aptitude than I had had for the piano. I very gradually gained more confidence

and started introducing simple voluntaries. In this I was ably assisted by the following publications:

Short and Easy Manuals Collection (Kevin Mayhew)

Best-Loved Organ Music for Manuals, Book 1 (Kevin Mayhew)

Wedding Album for Manuals, edited and arranged by C H Trevor (Novello) Old English Organ Music for Manuals 4, edited by C H Trevor (Oxford)

Samuel Wesley: 14 Short Pieces for Organ, edited by R Langley (Oxford)

These are simply and beautifully arranged and have given me a feeling of competence I would not otherwise have had. Five years on,

I am still plugging away and very grateful to the person who insisted that I give it a try. I am at present one of a team of four here in

Killarney. Barbara Hall is one of a family of church musicians. Her grandfather, Henry C. (Harry) Shellard, was organist at Christ Church Leeson Park, Dublin from

1901 to 1955 and his brother, Thomas V. Shellard, was a chorister in St Patrick’s Cathedral. Barbara’s brother, Kenneth, is organist at St Patrick’s Church,

Dalkey, and her nephew, Stephen, is senior alto lay clerk at Worcester Cathedral and founder of the Worcester Chamber Choir and Orchestra.

barbarahall9@eircom.net

It’s never too late! BARBARA HALL writes about becoming a church organist

The Sistine Choir recently visited London and sang at Westminster Cathedral. It was a wonderful occasion. I want to focus on what for me was the main thing that came out of this experience of hearing this magnificent choir - and that is the vital importance

of spirituality in liturgical music.

In a way this is more important today than it has ever been in the past. The world is a violent and disturbed place and sacred music should provide a space where people can not only take refuge but also experience the love and creativity of God. We question where the soul of sacred music comes from and it’s not easy to find a comprehensive answer – the mystery of

God is beyond our understanding.

The quality of the music being performed is highly important. So much contemporary work is devoid of spirituality. Much of it is well written and ‘comfortable’ but unfortunately it is banal and meaningless. Christ so often said that one must take up one’s cross and follow him. The quality of pain is rarely to be found in contemporary liturgical music; happy clappy is fine but its expression is severely limited. The Resurrection came from pain and death, it didn’t happen as a result of undisciplined and unrestrained joy. Liturgical music needs to express the fullness of our belief. It will not bring lasting peace to people if the quality of

anguish is missing.

Writing for the liturgy is a great challenge for composers. Understanding of the text is essential and you cannot write well without this. Technical competence and vocal knowledge are also important but the music must spring from the composer’s own

spirituality. It must speak from the soul.

The attitude of conductors and singers is another factor. Unfortunately for some choirs, singing at Services is primarily a musical experience and the much wider context of spirituality is overlooked. This will always show and cannot be hidden. A conductor has a responsibility to ensure that a performance goes far beyond musical and technical perfection. Both are essential but they are a means and not an end. The choir is expressing beauty

and belief in a totally unique manner.

I have also been much impressed by the congregational response to hymnody. Hymns mean much and speak to people’s deepest feelings. The appeal of a good hymn is universal. As the Pope has said, sacred music is an important part of the process of evangelisation: this places a great responsibility on the shoulders of the liturgical musician. We need to be aware of the meaning of sacred music and our singing must be infused with prayer and religious feeling. We must never allow our music to become a ‘whited sepulchre’: it must

always display a deep internal meaning.

Colin Mawby KSG

music-for-church-choirs.com

The importance of spirituality in liturgical music

S O U N D B O A R D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2 11

Pipeworks Summer School In June, thirty people attended the first Pipeworks Summer School which took

place in Holy Trinity Church, Crosshaven, Co. Cork, using its fine new (2010) Henk van Eeken organ. Masterclasses were given by Harald Vogel (Germany) on

the seventeenth-century North German school and liturgical accompaniment.

He also delivered the keynote address at a symposium on identifying and nurturing a native organ tradition, and gave a public recital. On Sunday

morning, music at the Eucharist was provided by the Crosshaven Consort

(pictured, left, in rehearsal). The weekend was very successful and Pipeworks plans to develop the masterclass concept further, building on ideas put forward

by Prof Vogel, focussing on hymn accompaniment and how it can enhance

congregational singing. The symposium raised many issues, including the protection of our organ heritage and the need to identify the most important

instruments in Ireland. A future symposium will, it is hoped, build on this.

Kilkenny travels to Cork Sunday 24 June saw the choir of St Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny visit Cork. In the

morning they sang in Crosshaven Church and in the afternoon joined

Monkstown Chamber Choir to sing Evensong in St John’s Church (pictured above). The Chamber Choir, directed by Roger Ellis, is an eclectic group that

sings at weddings, concerts and other events in the Cork area. Malcolm Proud is

the organist and choirmaster at St Canice’s, assisted by David Forde. At Evensong, Richard Ayleward’s setting was used for the Preces and Responses,

the Service was by Herbert Sumsion and the anthem was Give us the wings of

faith by Ernest Bullock. The singers relaxed afterwards in the rectory, over a glass of wine provided by rector, Elaine Murray.

St Nicholas Schola Cantorum is launched in Galway

A new choral initiative in Galway’s medieval Collegiate Church of St Nicholas reflects a

partnership between the parish, the city, and NUI

Galway. At the launch on 19 June, Mayor of Galway Hildegard Naughton observed that “at

the core of the medieval college was the

complementary relationship between daily sung worship and musical education. I congratulate

the rector, select vestry and the parish

community for reviving the ancient college through this new initiative.”

Organist of St Nicholas’s and director of the new

Schola Cantorum, Mark Duley, outlined the

fourfold structure, consisting of choristers (children aged 8-12) drawn from across the city,

choral scholars from the university, an all-comers

adult group and the existing parish choir, each of which will have a distinct role within the church’s

liturgical life. The choristers will receive a first

rate musical education through the RSCM Voice for Life scheme. The choral scholars will be

promising young singers drawn from NUI Galway,

and will rehearse twice-weekly within two semesters each academic year, each of which will

contain a series of sung services of Compline.

Future plans, Mark Duley said, include the establishment of an organ scholarship in

partnership with Galway Cathedral. Dean of Arts

at NUI Galway, Dr Edward Herring, expanded on this new link “between two great institutions in

Galway”, describing how the choral scholarships,

funded by the Galway University Foundation, form part of the university’s holistic approach to

education – a “cultural investment in students”.

Dr Edward Deering, Julie Feeney, Mark Duley,

rector Gary Hasting, & Mayor Hildegard Naughton

Photo: The Connacht Tribune / Joe O’Shaughnessy

Other news from the Cork area

The Crosshaven instrument continues to evoke much interest and early in

August a group of ten organists from Belfast visited Crosshaven church and other organs in other Cork area churches, organised by Pádraig O’Donovan.

The three-year training programme for organists provided by the Cork Diocesan Church Music Committee is a welcome initiative. It is similar to the

Church Music Dublin scheme, and further information is available from Dr

Ursula O’Donovan, admin@ccrd.ie and Malcolm Wisener, the Committee’s chairperson.

Companion to Church Hymnal – shortly out of print –

special offer €40

Many musicians regard Companion to CH5, by Edward Darling and Donald

Davison, as a must-have reference book and resource. Some churches keep a copy in their choir stalls! The volume contains background information on the

text and music of every item in Church Hymnal, 5th edition. Also, an

informative summary of the history of hymnody in the Church of Ireland; and a most useful chapter on the selection and use of hymns and helpful guidance

for organists on how to play them.

The publishers have very few copies left. It is unlikely that the book will be reprinted. It was retailing at €53. Soundboard has negotiated a reduced price of

€40. If you don’t buy now, you may regret it. Contact David McConnell at

churchmusicdublin@eircom.net or +353 87 668 3998

12 S O U N D B O A R D S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2

SOUNDBOARD is published by

Church Music Dublin which is appointed by the Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough to support

and resource music and musicians

in local churches

ISSUE 27 (SEPTEMBER 2012)

Edited & designed by Fraser Wilson Photography by FW, named contributors,

& public domain sources

Correspondence and material for future

issues should be sent to soundboard@churchmusicdublin.org

Views expressed in signed articles and letters are not necessarily those of the

editor or the Executive Committee

Chair Archdeacon Ricky Rountree

Secretary Mrs Jacqueline Mullen,

23 Ludford Park, Ballinteer, Dublin 16 Telephone +353 (0)1 298 8923

email info@churchmusicdublin.org website www.churchmusicdublin.org

The next issue of Soundboard will be published in December, so material

should arrive by 12 November please

St Bartholomew’s Choir launches Friends Scheme Music has been a key feature of the worship at St Bartholomew’s, Dublin, since its consecration in 1867. During the past decade, the

musical foundation has expanded with the addition of a girls’ choir and a varied concert programme. The music budget, €60,000 a

year, is under severe pressure as parish income has fallen due to the current economic situation. The choir must raise a larger portion than before of its own expenses and has launched a Friends of the Choir scheme. A membership form may be downloaded from

www.stbartholomews.ie/choirfriends and there is an online payment facility. The church’s most recent CD, And the house was filled

with smoke, would be a most acceptable Christmas present for any musician and can be also purchased online!

Bobby Barden has been singing in the choir for seventy years and has worked with ten Vicars and seven Directors of Music. On 25

March this year there was a special celebration to mark Bobby’s 80th birthday.

SOUNDBOARD SUBSCRIPTION I wish to subscribe / renew my subscription

to Soundboard for 2012-13 and enclose remittance for €15 / £13

Name:

Address:

Email:

Contact phone:

► Post to Church Music Dublin, 18 Villiers Road, Dublin 6

Other payment options:

By electronic funds transfer to:

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Account name: Church Music Committee A/c No: 1031 8132

IBAN: IE86 AIBK 9312 2510 3181 32 BIC/SWIFT: AIBKIE2D

By debit/credit card: please call David on +353 (0)87 668 3998

Notes and news Pipeworks @ the NCH: Earlier in 2012, Pipeworks, in association with the RTÉ NSO

and the National Concert Hall, ran two early-evening organ recitals that explored

ideas in the NSO concerts that followed. A full season of five organ recitals will now take place as part of the 2012-13 NSO season. They will be given by Pipeworks

Associate Artists: Mark Duley, David Leigh, David Adams and Colm Carey. Dates and

programme details are on www.pipeworksfestival.com/events.html.

The Irish Church Music Scene: Harry Grindle’s wide-ranging and informative article

on church music in Ireland is now on our website. The article first appeared in

Organists Review in August 2011.

Vacancies: We are pleased to publish church-music vacancies on our website. The

closing date for the St John’s, Sandymount vacancy is 14 September. Edna Wakely,

who has been organist at St John’s for several years, has resigned and is to be ordained deacon in September. Kiltiernan Parish Church also has been seeking a

musician. Ann Keary resigned recently as she is moving home to Co. Wicklow (photo

on page 4).

St Bartholomew’s choir men, with Tristan Russcher, director

of music (extreme left) and Bobby Barden (centre)