From the Organist and Choirmaster

The latest book I’ve been reading in preparation for exciting things happening soon at Saint Andrew’s in the world of music is called O sing unto the Lord by Andrew Gant. It’s a very expansive history of English Church music, where our musical traditions in the Episcopal Church are rooted. I found myself reading almost three eighty page chapters over the course of one of my days off. These three chapters explained in great detail the perils of the English composer during the uproar of the English Reformation. Some notable composers come from this era like William Byrd and John Sheppard. Their suppression was intense and it was shocking to read about the burning of Marian Shrines, dismantling of shrines to Saints, and the removal of so many charisms. Luckily most of these things have returned in the afterglow of the English Reformation.

Specifically related to the composer, who was employed by the Church as Masters of the Choirs, organs, and composed regularly in accordance with what the changing tides were with the newly created liturgies of Cranmer in 1549. Latin was unacceptable, polyphony was outlandish, and grandiose anthems had no place in the Church. They got rid of the procession even (something we Episcopalians love). Composers were effected by this, the music they had were brought up with as choir boys was deemed inappropriate, so they had to compose monophonic pieces for choirs almost a third of the size they once were. Byrd wrote that “music was the casual victim of these intense armies.”

This led me to think about what the musical review would be of Saint Andrew’s if a person from the English Reformation were to attend one of our Masses. A reformer would probably roll their eyes to the choir singing Palestrina’s Sicut Cervus or Elgar’s Ave verum Corpus, they’d be perplexed by our elaborate hymnody with organ improvisations. Even the singing of the Gloria would throw them. I also wonder constantly what you as Saint Andrew’s congregants think of our music program…does the singing of Anglican Chant as a congregation challenge you in good ways? Are the hymns I choose “good?” I’m here to be your organist and choirmaster!

It is fascinating to learn how our own liturgy includes elements of pre and post-Reformation ideas, the Surum Corda we sing is from pre-Reformation liturgies and is over 500 years old

If you ever want to get a glimpse into my understanding of the power of musicology (music history) you should read Gant’s book. It is wonderful, though at times can be intensely academic, so don’t worry choristers, it won’t be included on the summer reading list ;).