Society of Saint Gregory

Half the people are singing quietly and the looks on the other half's faces tell me they're quite enjoying the music – and this is a parish where people do speak their minds. I think I'll leave things as they are: quiet, partial co-operation and a greatly prayerful atmosphere. I agree. I've spent...

Thank you, Ian. Thank you, Presbyter. Vision - and challenge - noted. In Scotland there is an official national committee for church music, part of the Commission for Liturgy of the Bishops' Conference. In Ireland there is a National Centre for Liturgy at Maynooth, which runs a diploma in church mus...

Ian, That article 'In the Presence of the Angels' is also included in the symposium of essays printed as A New Song for the Lord , published by Crossroad. As you noted, it was an address for a particular occasion. For a more comprehensive treatment, see his The Spirit of the Liturgy and Feast of Fai...

Ian,

My turn to be 'picky'! What do you mean by 'representative activity'?

Broad in what sense? 1) Pope Benedict sees beauty as an essential element of the liturgical action and therefore art at the service of the liturgy as important (see Sacramentum Caritatis, art.35 & 41). "This is no mere aestheticism, but the concrete way in which the truth of God's love in ...

I wish Joseph Gelineau's chef d'oeuvre, 'Chant et musique dans le culte chrétien', published in 1962, was still available. The English translation, 'Voices and instruments in Christian worship', was published by Burns Oates in 1964 but has long been out of print. Here is a work on the theology of m...

It's interesting to note that the editors of the Westminster Hymnal of 1912 included the hymn but, as noted above, introduced an entirely different and lovely Irish tune which may well be 'Clonmacnoise', but which I cannot find anywhere else, though it seems strangely familiar. But the Westminster ...

The tune we all love, and/or love to hate, is attributed in the New Catholic Hymnal (1971) as a 'modified form of melody by Henri F. Hemy (1818-88 )'. It probably made its debut in the Crown of Jesus Hymnbook of 1864, which was put together by Faber, Caswall and Hemy. Hemy was a Tyneside organist: t...

Following discussion with forum admin, I am pleased to announce that he has agreed to consider over Christmas his decision to resign as moderator of the 'Sounds Off' forum. This gives me the opportunity to wish all our readers the blessings of a joyful and peaceful Christmas. 'O come to us, abide wi...

May I assure all readers that, as chairman of the Society, I am taking the matter of the resignation of the moderator of the 'Sounds Off' forum very seriously and am actively seeking a just solution.

Your prayers at this time would be appreciated.

John Ainslie

If at a funeral, the congregation is made up of maybe two dozen, weepy, 'unchurched' people, does expecting them to sing anything at all add to the liturgy, or actually detract from it? We've probably all accompanied embarrassed silence in our time. This is a very real question - and it applies to ...

May I sound a note of caution on reading Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's sayings on liturgical music too selectively. 'A New Song for the Lord' is a collection of articles written over many years for distinct occasions: in the case of the most quoted article on liturgical music, 'In the Presence of the ...

The texts of Cardinal Arinze's address and the other subsidiary presentations that preceded it are on the Westminster diocesan website (w) The cathedral appeared to be full (seating-wise) for the lecture. Afterwards the Cardinal presided at Vespers and Mass, for which the music was led by Canticum P...

In the interests of trying yet again to get the congregation to join in vocally at Communion, I have tried a Taizé-like approach this Lent: choose a very simple short refrain and repeat it, mantra-like, many times. Then, for a break, have a single psalm verse before repeating the refrain a few more...

Reply to Merseyrider: send an email to john.ainslie@ssg.org.uk and I'll send you a PDF of an arrangement of 'What wondrous love'.