I am leading the music at an ordination to the priesthood tonight, which is something I have not done in a number of years.
I have attended a few ordinations since then, however, and I have noticed something about the music at the consecration of the priest. This part of the liturgy begins with specific music. The rubrics of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer (BCP) require one of two hymns to be sung here: the Veni Creator Spiritus, or the Veni Sancte Spiritus.
The hymn, Veni Creator Spiritus, or the hymn, Veni Sancte Spiritus, is sung.
Specific hymns are mentioned in the rubrics sparingly, other instances being Palm Sunday (“All glory, laud, and honor”) and Good Friday (“sing my tongue, the glorious battle”), though neither of these is required.
It is worthwhile to note several things about this:
- There are only two options, and both are named in the rubric (unlike Palm Sunday or Good Friday, nothing else may be sung instead).
- Both hymns are associated with the Day of Pentecost: Veni Creator Spiritus is a proper hymn sung at Terce and Vespers; Veni Sancte Spiritus is a sequence for the Mass.
- The rubric requires that a hymn be sung, but it does not specify who sings it.
There are certainly options for both hymns in congregational resources in the Episcopal Church. But if we parse the rubric a bit, perhaps this does not preclude one of the hymns from being sung by the choir alone, or perhaps by a cantor? Indeed, the traditional plainsong melody of Veni Creator Spiritus sung in the original Latin could be sung by a choir or a solo cantor.
It has been my experience at every ordination I have attended in the Episcopal Church that the music sung here is invariably Veni Sancte Spiritus by Jacques Berthier (1923-1994) from the Taizé Community. For better or for worse, this is undoubtedly music of its time and place. But the only words that end up in the mouths of the congregation is the three-word refrain "Veni Sancte Spiritus." More often than not, in my experience, the optional cantor parts (which provide the remaining words of the hymn, in English) are omitted. If they are sung, they may not be clearly understood or even printed for the congregation to read. The effect is contemplative and can be a very spiritual invocation of the Holy Spirit for many. But is it rubrical? When the cantor part is left off, probably not.
The Hymnal 1982 provides three options for singing Veni Sancte Spiritus in English and in its fullness.
- Hymn 226 - Veni Sancte Spiritus. This is a traditional plainsong sequence in Mode 1 from the Dubliner Troper. The words begin, “Come, thou Holy Spirit bright,” a translation by Charles Price.
- Hymn 227 - Arbor Street. A snaking 20th century tune by William Albright that melds chromatic slithers with fifths and octaves. The words are also by Price.
- Hymn 228 - Webbe. An 18th century tune. The translation here begins, “Holy Spirit, font of light,” and is by John Webster Grant.
I genuinely like the first tune, but I think the latter are problematic for an ordination:
Hymn 227 (Arbor Street) is intentionally inaccessible. It is one of a handful of outlandish tunes by Albright that were included in the Hymnal 1982. I don't believe I've ever had occasion to use this tune. I do enjoy the Albright tunes Albright (for Communion) and Petra (for Eastertide), both of which I've used with choirs and congregations.
Hymn 228 (Webbe)—and here's where my general feeling is perhaps shaped by always having sung the Taizé music at the consecration—is just too boring. This is a special moment in the liturgy and it seems to demand something to fit the moment. I just don't think this standard hymn is it. Maybe my prejudice is misplaced, but I think Hymn 228 could easily be tuned out as "just another hymn." The moment seems to demand something special.
That leaves us with Hymn 226 (Veni Sancte Spiritus). This tune is about a thousand years old, so it immediately links us with the longer tradition of the church. This plainsong sequence was first included in the Hymnal 1940. And, as is often the case, we've lost something from the Hymnal 1940 that can greatly benefit a congregation's participation in this hymn. A footnote at the bottom of this hymn in that hymnal reads: “The stanzas may be sung by alternating groups, changing at each repeat mark.” I was gratified to find this suggestion here, because it was an idea I had arrived at on my own when considering how this hymn might be sung.
The plainsong sequence Veni Creator Spiritus has unique phrases, but each one repeats. So the musical form for six stanzas could be rendered as AA BB CC DD EE FF. Some of the stanzas share common musical elements, but each one is distinct.
Rather than overwhelm a congregation with six different stanzas of different music, why not have the choir introduce each phrase of the hymn and have the congregation join in thereafter? So the choir would sing the first A (“Come, thou Holy Spirit bright”), and the congregation would join in for the repeat of A (“Come, protector of the poor”). I have added rubrics for “Choir” and “All,” also bolding the text that the congregation sings to add clarity.
The Hymnal 1940 prints repeat signs, but I think it's more clear for a modern congregation to simply follow a continuous line of music and not have to look back. The tradeoff, for avid music readers, is the inability to see at a glance that the music of each phrase is a literal repeat.
Here's a sample of what the congregation will sing from tonight:
I'm happy to share this with any colleagues who could use it. Please contact me if you would like a copy.
I also particularly enjoy the content of what we're singing about, especially in one of the hottest weeks of the year: “In our labor, be our aid; / in our summer cooling shade.”
This hymn also speaks to the winter months: “Bend the stubborn heart and will; / melt the frozen, warm the chill”
After the hymn invokes the extreme ranges in temperature on this planet, it culminates in a petition that involves the whole universe.
Grant us thy salvation, Lord, boundless mercy our reward, joys which earth and heaven entwine.
Labels: Gregorian chant, Hymn 226, Hymn 227, Hymn 228, Hymnal 1940, Hymnal 1982, ordination, Veni Sancte Spiritus
The Gospel readings for last Sunday and next (namely John 6:51, which is read on both Sundays) bring to mind a particular line of music. At least they do for me. And perhaps they do for many of us who have been at Lake Delaware Boys' Camp in upstate New York.
Lake Delaware Boys' Camp (LDBC) is a remarkable place. Every morning before breakfast, the entire camp community gathers in the Chapel for Holy Eucharist. On Sundays, all would return for Evensong and Benediction in the afternoon. And one of the pieces of music used at Benediction was a little Mode 1 chant for the words "I am the living bread which came down from heaven" (John 6:51).
Because it was a regular part of daily life, everyone knew about chapel, and it was talked about throughout the day. Because it was only a part of weekly life, Evensong and Benediction held special place in the LDBC imagination. The regular music and chants of this service were extra special.
How special? Well, it wasn't surprising to hear "I am the bread of life" sung at any time and at any place. Maybe someone would remember it while walking to the swimming pool. Or on the soccer field. Maybe it was someone in the camp choir singing it, but maybe not. It was just another part of camp life.
I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever.
It clearly sank in with me too, because, having been away from the camp for more than a decade, I can remember the music clearly.
The source appears to be an antiphon for the Magnificat. Here it is from a Dominican source:
The Rev. G. H. Palmer adapted it to English in his Antiphons Upon the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis from the Salisbury Antiphoner, where it is sung on the Wednesday after Pentecost. And his rendering of the first phrase, at least, matches the one sung at LDBC.
Even though this is a highly particular instance, it's worth noting how scripture, music, and the liturgy work together to deeply ingrain sacred texts in the hearts and minds of a community. It can shape and transform that community and its members even as they go forth into the world.
Labels: church music, Evensong, Gregorian chant, LDBC, Proper 14B, Proper 15B
In the middle of last year, I introduced the Communion propers at the church where I serve as Director of Music. And I can now confidently say that the Communion proper should be widely sung at services of Holy Communion in the Episcopal Church.
What is a proper, you might ask? Propers are distinct from the ordinary of the Mass (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei). Propers include the Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, Offertory, and Communion. It is something more specific to the particular service being offered.
In the practice of many Episcopal churches, there is no need to sing the Introit, Gradual, or Alleluia, as these moments in the liturgy are ably serviced by the singing of the hymn and a lectionary-prescribed Psalm. The Offertory proper has also widely been supplanted by a choral anthem (and possibly a "Presentation" hymn). The Communion proper, however, could still have a place in most parishes today, regardless of churchmanship.
If one of the propers is sung in a church, it is likely the Introit: a piece of music is sung just prior to or simultaneously with the entrance of the ministers who will lead the service.
The traditional form of the Introit is an Antiphon followed by a psalm verse (or more than one verse, as circumstances require). The Antiphon is then repeated. This past Sunday, the Fourth Sunday in Lent, the words were directly related to the idea of entrance: "I was glad when they said unto me: Let us go to the house of the Lord." (In other places, a relatively short piece of choral music may be chosen by the director and called an "Introit".)
The Communion proper takes this same form: an Antiphon followed by a psalm verse. Over time, the psalm verse was dropped.
But as an historic part of the Western Church's liturgy, these antiphons (and psalm verses) deserve our consideration, possibly over and above the creative whims of the director of music.
Furthermore, an important moment in the liturgy is often left unaccompanied by choral singing, which is a break from the tradition of the Western Church: the Communion of the Celebrant.
In the regular order of operations, the Canon of the Mass ends with the Lord's Prayer and is followed by the Fraction. In many Episcopal Churches a Fraction Anthem is then sung or said (perhaps the Agnus Dei, or another text). After this, the rubrics of the Episcopal Church's 2016* Book of Common Prayer require two things of the Celebrant: 1) the spoken Invitation to Communion and 2) the Communion of the Celebrant.
The rubric reads, "The ministers receive the Sacrament in both kinds, and then immediately deliver it to the people." While the rubric is a bit murky about who goes first, the Church's tradition is that the Celebrant receives first. And it is this moment at which Communion proper begins.
What happens in most churches? There is likely either organ improvisation or silence during this reception, as well as the movement of the choir, who usually arrive (a bit too early) at the place where they will receive Communion.
Using the Communion proper has led me to believe both practices are undesirable. The beginning of what the prayer book calls "the ministration of Communion" is a fitting time for music, especially so given that we have received from the tradition of the Church the perfect piece of music for this moment. Historically, the time at which the Communion proper should begin is the Communion of the Celebrant.
How, then, can the Communion proper be sung?
The words of the proper may be sung quite simply, or they could be sung in Latin in a traditional musical form that has been passed down through the centuries. Thanks to the work of Bruce Ford, they can also be sung in a kind of "Anglican compromise": to the traditional plainsong melodies adapted to English words. Some freely available resources for all three approaches are:
- Anglican Use Gradual - C. David Burt - English, simple chant tones
- Graudale Romanum (1961) - Latin, traditional chant melodies
- American Gradual 2020 - Bruce Ford - English, traditional chant melodies, adapted
Whether sung by a cantor, a portion of the choir, or the choir as a whole, I contend that the Communion proper should be employed in Episcopal churches today.
A rubric about music at Communion specifies: "During the ministration of Communion, hymns, psalms, or anthems may be sung." While it does not forbid organ improvisation, the prevailing practice in the Episcopal Church seems to use improvisation as a default during the ministers' reception of Communion. Organ improvisation can easily be delayed until a moment when it is more fitting: when the choir itself receives. It is easy to infer from the Prayer Book a preference for sung music over the strictly instrumental variety.
I have become increasingly fascinated by traditional plainchant, or what is often called Gregorian chant. Within the liturgical year, each Sunday has an associated set of melodies for each of the propers, including the Communion proper. I wondered what it would be like to engage with these traditional materials over several years.
Bruce Ford's American Gradual 2020 is a new edition of the work he began in his American Gradual (both freely available resources).
The musical experience has been a challenge. We have taught ourselves to read traditional neumes in four-line notation. We have familiarized ourselves with Ford's approach to the quilisma as outlined in his preface (the reverse of the prevailing practice). The musical demands of each Sunday's Communion Antiphon vary widely, ranging from the simple and direct to the florid and complex. The results have been hard-fought and, if we assess things honestly, a little rough around the edges in the liturgy on occasion.
But even six months into this project, I can report that the benefits of engaging with this historic repertory far outweigh the costs. The words are those of scripture, and they often hold great significance at the moment of Communion. The melodies are those of the ancient church, removing us from the fallacies of preference and desire. The synthesis of the scripture and the music is often so great as to be undeniable. Even in its adapted form, these chants are remarkable aids in contemplating the Divine Mysteries.
In our present situation (and I suspect this would be true for the vast majority of places), the Antiphon alone is sufficient for the ministers to receive. After singing the Antiphon, the choir themselves then come forward to receive Communion. The Communion Antiphons vary in length; in some weeks, even the Antiphon alone is slightly longer than required. I do not believe that the clergy or musicians in the parish have lost any sleep over an extra 15 seconds at Communion every now and then.
We have yet to learn the Communion propers for this Easter season, which are, of course, replete with Alleluias! Many of the Communion propers we have learned lodge themselves quite compellingly in the mind, and I look forward to singing them again in future years.
While I am personally drawn to the historic plainchant of the propers, I know that their performance will not be possible or desirable in every situation. A simpler version of these propers could be used, say The Anglican Use Gradual by David Burt. The chant tone is easily learned and repeated from week to week. Specifically in these shorter versions, a psalm verse or two could then be added without fear of making the proper unduly long—and, indeed, the length of the form would be highly predictable from week to week.
My hope for the Episcopal Church at large is that church musicians will rediscover the Communion propers, notice how tailor-made our liturgy is for their insertion, and then create new musical forms so that a rich variety of material is available for use.
* yes, the Prayer Book was revised in 2016, and referring to it as the 1979 just causes confusion. Make sure you get your lectionary right, especially in Holy Week!
Labels: Bruce Ford, church music, Gregorian chant, liturgy
©MMXVII Sinden.org: a site for fun and prophet