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SOUNDBOARD THE MAGAZINE OF CHURCH MUSIC DUBLIN ▪ Giving worship a vibrant voice through music ISSUE 35 SUMMER 2016
CHURCH MUSIC AND MUSICIANS
Above: Members of the Ballinteer Gospel Choir performing at the Songs of Praise held in Christ Church, Taney on Sunday 17th April, which was
attended by almost 400 people.
New syllabus for church music training From next September, Church Music Dublin will offer a revised three-year course leading to the Archbishop of
Dublin’s Certificate in Church Music (ACCM). The most significant aspect of the revision is a much stronger
emphasis on accompanying hymns and worship songs. This recognises that this skill is the most important
part of a parish organist’s ministry.
To allow time to prepare the increased number of hymns, fewer organ repertoire pieces will be required
for the end-of-year examination. Other aspects of the new syllabus include the introduction of straightforward
transposition and simple improvisation in years 2 and 3.
Students will also take occasional modules in liturgy, and training sessions in getting people to sing. For
a short period every year, each student is assigned to a church, under the mentorship of the resident organist.
Detailed information about the three-year ACCM course and the one-year Foundation Course are
available on www.churchmusicdublin.org/archbishops-certificate/ or from Hon. Secretary, Jacqueline Mullen at
[email protected] . This year, applications for these courses will be accepted up to 15th July.
Archbishop’s Certificate in Church Music Examination Results Janet Armstrong (Newcastle), Year 2: Honours; Thomas Maxwell (Taney), Year 2: Distinction;
Jonathan Stanley (Bray), Year 2: Distinction; Christopher May (St Bartholomew’s), Year 1: Honours
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Share Soundboard Once you have finished reading your copy
of Soundboard, perhaps you might like to
share it with clergy or other church
musicians, or perhaps with your choir
members. Additional copies can be
provided if you would like to leave a few
copies in the choir pews.
Photos and feedback For future issues, we need good images of
people singing, chatting, enjoying
themselves—images that reflect the singing
church in action. We are particularly
interested to hear about new projects and
events, and we are happy to offer publicity
for any new endeavours in church music.
We are always very happy to receive
constructive feedback on the content of
Soundboard.
Please send photographs, news items,
articles and feedback via email to
[email protected] .
Simplified hymn accompaniments This issue’s hymn accompaniment is Repton, to which the hymn
’Dear Lord and Father of mankind’ is sung (no. 549 in Church
Hymnal). Many other simplified accompaniments are available on
our website at www.churchmusicdublin.org/Education. These are
a useful resource for organists who find the harmonisations in
Church Hymnal challenging to play fluently. If you require a
specific tune not yet available, please let us know.
ICMA Summer School 2016 The Irish Church Music Association in association with Church
Music Dublin will hold its 47th annual Summer School from
Wednesday 6th July to Saturday 9th July 2016 in St Patrick's
College, Maynooth, Co. Kildare. This year’s theme is ‘God Full of
Mercy’. One of the presenters will be Tony Alonso, one of the
most prominent voices in contemporary liturgical music. Please
see irishchurchmusicassociation.com for further details.
Above: John Rowden, who recently marked fifty years as organist of Clontarf Parish
Church, with the Rev’d Lesley Robinson, Rector. Photo: dublin.anglican.org
Theo Saunders, RIP We record with great sadness the death on
12th January 2016 of Theo Saunders,
former organist and director of the
choristers at St Patrick’s Cathedral,
Armagh. An appreciation of Theo’s life and
work is carried in the March edition of the
RSCM magazine, Church Music Quarterly.
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Potboilers, Pastiches and Party Pieces This new CD recording of the fine organ of St
Bartholomew’s Church, Ballsbridge features organists
David Adams, David Grealy, Simon Harden, Andrew
Johnstone, Patrice Keegan, David Leigh, Carole
O’Connor, David O’Shea and Tristan Russcher, and has
been produced by Andrew Johnstone, with recording
engineer Brian McIvor and project manager Richard
Bannister.
The recording features an eclectic mix of
unusual organ music, with enlightening and
entertaining sleeve notes. The contributing organists
gave of their time free of charge, and all profits will go
towards the St Bartholomew’s restoration appeal. The
CD is priced at €15 and is available online at
www.stbartholomews.ie.
chant is used, it might be a good idea occasionally to
sing a psalm to a plainsong tone (perhaps for services
of a penitential character): as a transitional device, the
psalm could be pointed in a similar manner to glican
chant. This was the method followed by Thomas
Helmore, one of the leading lights of the choral
revival in the Church of England, whose volume The
Psalter Noted was an early attempt to reintroduce
plainsong psalmody. Its successor volume, A Manual
of Plainsong (edited by H. B. Briggs and W. H. Frere,
revised by J. H. Arnold, and reprinted in an
inexpensive edition by Novello) contains much useful
information, as well as a complete set of psalms and
canticles in traditional language with corresponding
plainsong tones.
The key to effective performance of plainsong
is precision of diction, evenness of tone and fluency
of delivery. The difficulty of ensuring these three
aspects in your choir’s singing should not be
underestimated, and may prove a little challenging
even to quite experienced singers. Earlier this year I
taught a plainsong hymn to the choir of Kildare
Cathedral, and the transformation of it from the first
rehearsal to the service was really remarkable:
rhythmic stodginess and blurs of intonation had
given way to a compelling sense of flow and a
pristine unison sound.
Aside from its devotional character, plainsong is
also a style that can be sung very effectively by small
forces. Why not try teaching hymn 425 in Church
Hymnal to your parish choir (to the first tune) and
sing it either unaccompanied or with a quiet and
unobtrusive organ accompaniment during the
distribution of holy communion?
[email protected]
Parish Church Plainsong
David O’Shea discusses the benefits of introducing
plainsong to parish choirs
Having spent my formative years as a church
musician playing mostly in the Presbyterian
tradition, my early exposure to plainsong was
limited, and it is only in the last few years that I
have developed an appreciation for this subtle and
highly devotional style of liturgical music. On
several visits to Glenstal Abbey I have attended
Compline and have always been enthralled by this
simple yet powerfully atmospheric service. While a
member of Selwyn College Chapel Choir in
Cambridge, I had the opportunity to sing at
occasional services of Choral Compline: the chapel
was always full for these late-night candlelit
services, which were enormously popular with
students at the college.
Selling plainsong to a parish choir is not
easy, as it is a language entirely removed from the
experience of someone whose taste has been
formed by the musical diet of the average Church
of Ireland parish. However, like my own experience,
the understated devotional character of the music
has grown gradually on members of my parish.
Last summer, following discussions with the Rector,
we established a weekly service of Choral Compline
on Fridays at 6.30pm at Sandford Parish Church,
sung entirely to plainsong by unaccompanied
voices.
Useful starting points for introducing
plainsong to your parish choir include David
McConnell’s excellent piece in Soundboard of
March 2006 (www.churchmusicdublin.org/
plainsong), and the RSCM Guide to Plainchant,
published in 2015. In parishes where Anglican
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Third, we must be practical. If there are
instrumental players in our congregations who are
willing to form a worship group, great. In Wicklow,
we have a guitar, bass, drum-kit and piano. But a
good organist/pianist can bring life to a worship
song on their own. Piano and guitar is also a good
combination, and other instruments can be added
if available.
Fourth, we must give the congregation a
chance. Contemporary worship songs generally
have a simple tune, which is easy to pick up.
Certainly initially, it is wise to avoid songs that are
more complex, or which are hard to navigate due
to complicated repeats. Whenever we introduce a
new song or hymn to our congregation, the
organist or band plays through it once first.
Fifth, we must strike a balance. Contemporary
music and traditional music complement each
other. Remember that change is good. The Gospel
message is fresh, exciting, liberating and forward-
looking, and as Christians we are to be all these
things too. The music we use in church services
helps us in our worship of the divine. We are
formed by the past, but not bound to it. Christianity
is for every generation, because it does not need to
be relevant: it is timeless. When we add to the rich
heritage of music that we already have, it only
makes it easier to communicate this message in our
place and time.
The Rev’d Jack Kinkead is Priest-in-Charge of
Wicklow and Killiskey parishes.
[email protected]
Contemporary Music Jack Kinkead discusses the place of contemporary
music in our church services
Contemporary worship music is often viewed in two
ways by members of the church: as the salvation of
the modern church; or, with suspicion and scepticism.
Neither approach is particularly helpful. To dismiss
contemporary church music out of hand means we
deny ourselves the opportunity to engage in worship
in different ways. To think of contemporary music as
the solution to all our problems is to give ourselves
false hope.
But what do we mean by ‘contemporary’?
Contemporary worship music generally means a style,
influenced by pop music, which has been around for
about the past forty years. Using music which has
been around for a while is fine, but it is important that
we are aware of when it was written. Some of my
favourite worship songs from my childhood are now
at least twenty years old!
We make a mistake when we compartmentalise
ourselves and divide into camps—contemporary
worship versus traditional worship. We have never
before had easier access to such a variety of worship
resources as we do now, so let’s use them. But we
must use them intelligently.
First of all, we must remember that music is part
of worship, and is there to facilitate our worship of
the Almighty. Music in worship should be chosen
because it is suitable—not only because it has a good
tune.
Second, we must not make assumptions
regarding our ‘target audience’. In Wicklow, the
worship band’s biggest fan is in her late 80s. A
variety of worship styles will aid worship for all people
in church—it is not a siren call for young people! Monastic Musicians Monastic Musicians is an association of monks and
nuns who are responsible for the music in their
communities, together with others interested in the
music used in religious houses. MM publishes a
newsletter, organises occasional courses and holds an
annual residential meeting. Last year, the meeting took
place at Sarum College, inside the walled close of
Salisbury Cathedral. The venue for this year’s meeting,
from 19th to 23rd September, is the beautiful setting
of Ampleforth Abbey, 35km north of York. Time will be
spent at discussions, workshops, local trips, and
preparing music for the offices and Eucharists. There
will be a number of guest speakers, including Peter
Moger, liturgist and Precentor of York Minster, and
John Rowntree, Director of Music at Douai Abbey,
Berkshire. All in all, a musical and spiritual shot in the
arm in a relaxing and congenial environment. David
McConnell can supply further information.
[email protected] Above: Members of the Wicklow Parish worship band performing at
a service broadcast on RTÉ One on 7th February.
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Accompanying Worship Songs James Pasley writes about a recent workshop with
organist Gerard Brooks
Sometimes a music lesson does more than just
teach you a few new techniques—sometimes it
changes your perception of how music should be
played. That’s what happened at the recent training day
led by Gerard Brooks at Sandford Church. The day was
advertised as a practical workshop on service
accompaniment, with an emphasis on worship songs.
I had eagerly anticipated this event. I’ve been an
organist since my teenage years and feel strongly that
contemporary worship songs should be included in
services. However, like many, I struggle to play them
effectively on the organ and I was in the habit of
switching to piano—not a satisfactory solution. So,
some years ago, in consultation with Rector, I set up a
church band. We called ourselves ‘Wing and a Prayer’.
I had never played in a band before and had
much to learn. Luckily, others had years of experience,
though not in a church setting. Making worship songs
work is a group effort, and the experienced players
shared tips and tricks. Collaboration is vital. For
example, infrequent chord changes allow space for
rhythm guitar. Simple arrangements make it possible to
improvise. The band shouldn’t overpower the singers,
so some musicians will hold back during the singing
and then play in the gaps between lines and between
verses. It can be helpful to have a song with a few extra
beats where no one is singing.
The line-up of each band differs and I learned to
treat the sheet music as just a starting point. Each band
must arrange the music for the available instruments.
Many worship songs have a small number of verses, so
repeats may be necessary. Repetition of words
requires the musicians to do something different, to
avoid monotony. As an organist, I had never
rapid chord changes as one of the defining
characteristics of hymns. He recommended occasional
changes to the arrangement of a hymn to maintain
interest. Simpler arrangements are an option if the
choral lead is in unison. Unison singing can be the
best way to encourage congregational participation.
Moving on to worship songs, Gerard encouraged us to
adopt a creative approach. For example, play a simple
bass line on the pedal, and isolate the melody on one
manual while playing chords on the other. He
advocated the idea of organists playing with other
musicians.
Alternatively, organists can arrange worship
songs in four-part harmony, thus transforming them
into something like traditional hymns. Nos. 112 and
606 in Church Hymnal are examples of this. Our
church band had converted the hymn ‘Be thou my
vision’ into a worship song. When we play the tune
Slane, we use only the chords of D, G and A with a
bridge between the verses.
The journey from organist to band member is
one of learning to play with other musicians. One
must leave some notes for others to play, and at times
you can abandon the melody line altogether, leaving
the singers to take care of it. Gerard showed us how
organists can adjust the accompaniments so as to suit
the needs of their church. While a common technique
for bands, this may be a new experience for organists.
I now see more clearly that there is little division
between traditional hymns and worship songs.
Whether at the organ or in a band, one should
approach all music with the same attitude, adjusting it
for a particular context. Playing with other musicians
can be a challenge for an organist, but the rewards
make the extra work worthwhile.
James Pasley is assistant organist at St Andrew’s Church,
Lucan. [email protected] . A longer version of
this article is on the Church Music Dublin website.
Above: Wing and a Prayer at a recent service in St Andrew’s. Left to right: Colina
McGarry, Ashleigh Chubb, Gill McAllister, Emma McAllister, Rebecca Pasley, Gordon
White (Guitar), Trish Pasley (Bass), James Pasley (Piano).
rearranged hymns, but as a band
member it is a different matter. The
simplicity of worship songs encourages
new arrangements. We often analyse
commercial recordings to find an
introduction, a bridge or an arrangement
that may be copied or adapted. The
band plays once a month and I inhabit
two worlds—traditional hymns on the
organ and worship songs with the band.
It was in the hope of reconciling these
two parts of my life that I set out to
attend the Living Worship training day.
Gerard Brooks opened by
discussing the differences between
hymns and worship songs. He identified
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‘With Saintly Shout’ RSCM Ireland invites you to attend a festival service entitled
‘With Saintly Shout and Solemn Jubilee’ which will be held in
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin on Saturday 27th August
2016. The service will be a celebration of God's saints in words
and music. Music will include pieces by MacMillan, Harris, and
Harwood, Taizé style music, responsorial psalms and hymns.
The event will start at 11am and will be directed by RSCM
Director. Andrew Reid. Music will be in a special service book
(which will be kept by the participants). The cost is €20 per
person, to include the festival service book, a light lunch and
refreshments.
This promises to be an exciting day of music-making and
the RSCM encourages all singers to attend: individuals, choirs,
affiliates and non-affiliates alike from whatever denomination
and from all over Ireland. The liturgical service will take place at
5pm in the cathedral.
Timetable:
10am Registration
11am Rehearsal
1pm: Lunch
2pm: Rehearsal
4.30pm: Break, followed by service at 5pm
Advance booking is required (so that music can be
ordered). Full details are available at www.rscmireland.com/
events/ or from [email protected] . If you have any
queries, do not hesitate to contact the RSCM Ireland
coordinator, Mark Bowyer, [email protected] or by phone
at +353 (0)85 166 1627.
Organ Improvisation Summer School This year’s Glenstal Abbey Organ Improvisation Summer
School with Ansgar Wallenhorst takes place at the organ of
St Patrick’s College, Maynooth (pictured left) from Tuesday
12th July to Thursday 14th July. This year’s theme is Models of
Creativity in Liturgy and Concert.
This workshop is open to organists of all levels who wish
to develop their improvisational abilities. With a combination
of group work and individual lessons , the workshop will be
adapted to the abilities and preferences of the participants.
Participants are invited to bring music which they already play
or are learning as a basis for developing according to their
own level and stylistic preferences.
Organists of all standards are welcome to apply, either
as participants or as auditors. The course will also be of
interest to students of composition and improvisers on other
instruments.
Participation in the workshop costs €225. Some students
may be able to avail of limited bursary funds. A deposit may
be required to secure a place. Non-participant observers pay
€50 per half-day. For more information, please contact
Columba McCann at [email protected] or call
061 621098.
Choral Scholars At Sandford Parish Church and St Philip’s
Milltown (pictured above), the parish Choral
Scholars, a group of local young musicians
between the ages of 15 and 18, have been
singing at occasional services since they
were formed at the end of January. These
have included a special St Patrick’s Day
service with music as Gaeilge and recently
the parish Confirmation service. The Choral
Scholars sing regularly at Choral Evensong
on the first Friday of each month at 6.30pm
in Sandford Church. On all other Fridays in
Sandford a service of Choral Compline
takes place, usually sung by a consort of
men’s voices, including plainsong and a
polyphonic anthem. All are very welcome
to attend these services.
For more information on the Sandford and
St Philip’s Choral Scholars, please contact
David O’Shea, [email protected] .
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Unitarian Church Organ Project Josh Johnston, Organist and Director of Music,
discusses the fundraising efforts for the newly
restored organ in the Unitarian Church, St
Stephen’s Green
The Project
Around 2007, the congregation of the Dublin
Unitarian Church realized that a major restoration
of their 1911 Walker organ would soon become
necessary. At the time there were two other
projects already in the queue, so the organ project
was not investigated until early 2010. I did some
research on behalf of the church, and Mark Duley,
Malcolm Wisener, Siobhán Kilkelly and other
organists were very helpful in giving feedback on
what they had learnt from organising similar
projects.
Several organ builders were canvassed for
their opinions on what course of action to take,
and after much deliberation the managing
committee awarded the contract to Trevor Crowe.
I and other members of the congregation had
seen and heard Trevor’s work across the country,
most notably in St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork.
While it was a big financial undertaking, we and
our project advisor Simon Stroughair were
confident in our decision.
Fundraising
Raising €250,000 from scratch with a modestly
sized congregation was a daunting task, and the
only way forward was to gather the imagination of
our friends and supporters in whatever way we
could and keep raising funds until it was done.
This took the form of book sales, bake sales,
Christmas carol singing, raffles, walks, talks,
dances, open houses and garden parties. Early on in
the project the managing committee agreed to rent
the church out for concerts with money received going
straight to the organ fund. Our minister suggested that
money received for Child Welcomings could go to the
same fund, and these two things quickly became the
top income streams. Later on, a pipe-sponsoring
scheme was instituted and proved popular.
Trevor was very accommodating with the
timescale of the project. The church decided not to
sign the contract until we had €100,000 in the bank
and the work only begun when we hit €150,000. Even
then, Trevor was happy to dip in and out of the job as
our fundraising schedule allowed. By stretching the
project over two years we were able to complete the
job without going into debt.
Restoration
After the organ was dismantled, the pipes and bellows
were thoroughly restored, with new soundboards
throughout and some new ranks of pipes added. The
century-old blower was replaced, and the action
converted from pneumatic to electric. Before
commencing the project, Trevor attended a few
services and this experience informed the tonal
alterations made to improve the organ’s versatility for
worship and concert use.
The restored organ was rededicated on Sunday
6th December 2015 at a concert featuring Simon
Stroughair, Charles Pearson, Siobhán Kilkelly, Robbie
Carroll, David Adams and the Unitarian Chamber Choir
conducted by Josh Johnston. Many organists have
commented on the success of this project.
The church is delighted to have the organ back,
and sounding better than ever. The managing
committee is particularly pleased not to have to do
such a massive amount of fundraising again for a long
time! [email protected]
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Soundboard is published by Church Music Dublin, an agency of the united
dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough, set up to support and resource music
and musicians in local churches.
ISSUE 35: SUMMER 2016 Editor: David O’Shea
Correspondence and material for future
issues should be sent to
[email protected]
Views expressed in signed articles and
letters are not necessarily those of the editor or the Executive Committee.
Chair: The Ven. Ricky Rountree Secretary: Mrs Jacqueline Mullen
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.churchmusicdublin.org
Please send any information for inclusion in the next issue (Autumn
2016) before 15th September.
Thinking Aloud Michael Commane OP reflects on music and worship from a pastoral
perspective
I have seen first-hand the marvel of having musical
accompaniment at a funeral Mass. Musicians and liturgists are keen to
say that song and music is just another form of prayer. Easy to say, but I
have seen it in action.
A neighbour of mine, who had lived a solitary and eccentric
lifestyle, died recently. I had the privilege and good fortune to celebrate
his funeral Mass. I was expecting it to be a small funeral and was
pleasantly surprised at the number of people who were present. We
had the Mass in the church where I am a parish chaplain. While I am
familiar with the workings of the parish, I have no administrative role.
Ahead of the service, I realized the value in having a funeral team in
place. On arriving at the church, it was a relief to be assisted by the
team. Also on hand was the parish organist and a singer who is
regularly engaged for funeral Masses in the church.
It was a particularly tragic funeral. Some days earlier I had found
the man dead in his home. He was relatively young. It would have been
terrible not to have had music at the liturgy and throughout the Mass I
was so conscious of how important it is that the word of God is
enhanced with music and song. And, what's even more important, I am
fairly certain that the man's family much appreciated that there was
music. It so happens that at one time he had been a member of a
church folk group.
I keep saying that it's a pity that we in the Catholic tradition are
so reticent to sing aloud in our churches. Any chance Church of Ireland
worshippers could lend us a hand? [email protected]
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Vacancy The Rector and Select Vestries of
the Parishes of Castleknock and
Mulhuddart with Clonsilla wish to
appoint an enthusiastic and
motivated Organist and Choir
Director. Sunday services take place
in St Mary’s, Clonsilla at 10.00am,
and in St Brigid’s, Castleknock at
11.30am. Modern and traditional
music is used.
St Mary’s has an Allen organ,
and St Brigid’s a two-manual Forster
and Andrews pipe organ, both well
maintained. The choir, which is well
supported by both parishes, meets
once a month for a practice. An
attractive salary in accordance with
the Church Music Dublin rates will
apply.
Please apply by email to
Canon Paul Houston,
[email protected] ,
giving details of relevant experience,
qualifications and two referees. The
closing date is Friday 8th July, with
interviews and audition in late July
or early August 2016.
SOUNDBOARD subscription I wish to subscribe / renew my subscription
to Soundboard for 2016/2017 and enclose remittance for €15/£13
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► Post to Church Music Dublin, 18 Villiers Road, Dublin 6, D06 X2K4
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AIB Bank, Westmoreland Street, Dublin 2
Account name: Church Music Dublin
IBAN: IE86 AIBK 9312 2510 3181 32 BIC/SWIFT: AIBKIE2D
By debit/credit card online: www.churchmusicdublin.org/payments/
Musicians on the Move Gerard Downey, previously Acting Director of Music, has been
appointed Director of Music in the Christ Church Cathedral group of
parishes.
Killian Farrell has left his position in St Catherine and St James with
St Audoen’s to pursue further study in the UK. We wish him all the
best with his future career.
