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Views from the Choir Loft

Stepping off the hamster wheel

Wilfrid Jones · January 11, 2020

VEN IF WE DON’T take into account the years of training, we all know the investment of time and effort it takes to get to the point where we can offer our musical services in the sacred liturgy: not only the hours of practice and performance, but also the time taken selecting appropriate music, printing or buying scores, travelling to and from practice and so forth. Hopefully it isn’t as much of a burden, but music is an inherently social activity, relying on strong and trusting relationships between musicians, so making sure to spend time with other musicians while not playing or singing also requires a commitment measured in hours. Nearly all of us have other professional commitments during the week and families to whom we owe our time. It’s understandable, therefore, that many liturgical musicians simply don’t feel they have time to undertake serious study of theology or musicology alongside all of their other commitments.

My professional commitments are as a secondary school teacher. Teachers are often warned of the danger of getting trapped in the “hamster wheel” of professional practice. We can be so caught up in the cycle of planning, delivering and marking lessons, that we never have time to step back and consider the bigger picture in a way that would improve how we do our jobs. It strikes me that the same is true of parish musicians. As ministers and servants of the sacred liturgy, we need the opportunity to think about the theory of what, how and why we engage in our vocation.

Following the call of Sacrosanctum Concilium for musicians to receive “a genuine liturgical training” and for clergy and religious to have a musical formation (SC 115), we need to develop a reflexive practice in order to be able to offer the best of ourselves. That you’re reading Corpus Christi Watershed might suggest that you already think that this should be part of your vocation.

One of the great helps as a teacher is the growth of education and pedagogy blogs. The best of these publish short articles on one idea at a time, sometimes with an example or a practical application, in a quick and readable form. Over the next months I will be writing articles for Corpus Christi Watershed in the same vein. I hope that their format will allow busy liturgical musicians time to revisit ideas they already knew, and introduce some ideas that might be new.

The other great benefit of education blogs is their ability to spark debate and dialogue between differing points of view. In the same way, any feedback you can offer would be warmly welcomed and I hope that your lived experience can contribute to future posts.

 

Copyright © 2020 Wilfrid Jones

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Stepping off the hamster wheel Last Updated: May 1, 2020

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About Wilfrid Jones

Wilfrid Jones is a PhD student in the theology faculty of the Albert-Ludwigs University of Freiburg, studying the theology and practice of sacred music.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    Hymn by Cardinal Newman
    During the season of Septuagesima, we will be using this hymn by Cardinal Newman, which employs both Latin and English. (Readers probably know that Cardinal Newman was one of the world's experts when it comes to Lingua Latina.) The final verse contains a beautiful soprano descant. Father Louis Bouyer—famous theologian, close friend of Pope Paul VI, and architect of post-conciliar reforms—wrote thus vis-à-vis the elimination of Septuagesima: “I prefer to say nothing, or very little, about the new calendar, the handiwork of a trio of maniacs who suppressed (with no good reason) Septuagesima and the Octave of Pentecost and who scattered three quarters of the Saints higgledy-piddledy, all based on notions of their own devising!”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Introit • Candlemas (2 February)
    “Candlemas” • Our choir sang on February 2nd, and here's a live recording of the beautiful INTROIT: Suscépimus Deus. We had very little time to rehearse, but I think it has some very nice moments. I promise that by the 8th Sunday after Pentecost it will be perfect! (That Introit is repeated on the 8th Sunday after Pentecost.) We still need to improve, but we're definitely on the right track!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplified Antiphons • “Candlemas”
    Anyone who desires simplified antiphons (“psalm tone versions”) for 2 February, the Feast of the Purification—which is also known as “Candlemas” or the Feast of the Presentation—may freely download them. The texts of the antiphons are quite beautiful. From “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium” you can hear a live excerpt (Mp3). I'm not a fan of chant in octaves, but we had such limited time to rehearse, it seemed the best choice. After all, everyone should have an opportunity to learn “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium,” which summarizes Candlemas.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The Catholic Church has a dignity far surpassing that of every merely human society, for it was founded by Christ the Lord. It is altogether fitting, therefore, that the language it uses should be noble, majestic, and non-vernacular.”

— Blessed John XXIII (22 February 1962)

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