I notice this blog has no supporting documentation or footnotes to it. Considering what I have read of The Telegraph, I wouldn’t trust them as a news source. In any case, it is a non-story. ICEL is not the USCCB or the Vatican. They can translate the propers, but the application issues will always be a matter between bishops, not liturgists or translators.
I particularly got a kick out of the line, “I don’t know what the new secretary of ICEL, Fr Andrew Wadsworth, thinks of the greedy cartel of guitar-strumming copyright hawks who’ve had Catholic music sewn up for so long…” :rotfl:
Oh yes, the lucrative Church music profession…:rolleyes:
As to the topic of using settings and parts that change the words, I would encourage all here who choose music to avoid anything that monkeys with the words. Musicians are not allowed to change the words any more than the priest is.
Now, the CDWDS did release the Ordinary of the Mass because it wanted to give composers the chance to start working on new settings so that they can have them ready in time to implement the revised translations of the Roman Missal. However, in making the release, the CDWDS did caution the Englsh-language conferences that this was only for composition and study purposes, not for use just yet.
I actually agreed with the line you quoted.
You really think some of the guitar players in Church music are in it for music? You must have a very different perspective. I have no doubt that the executives make profit driven decisions, like inane staff musicians, but I don’t think many people make much money at it, at least not compared to what could be made in the secular world.
I do hope that with the new translation we will see more chant. The ones we do use in English are few and far between. Without a doubt English chant is the greatest weakness in most hymnals.
My understanding is that the new texts are being set to the traditional plainchant melodies by ICEL.
Personally why not just sing them in Latin.
Doesn’t the ICEL holds the copyrights to the texts? They can control who uses the texts in their compositions and bring legal action against anyone who illegally uses the texts without their permission.
For example, if Mary Haugen wants to make a second edition of his Mass of Creation that would update the lyrics, the ICEL could deny him this.
It keeps getting better and better. Kneeling and receiving on the tongue? Now this?
However, ICEL only kicks in once the texts have been given the necessary recognitio by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
Now, in the case of Marty Haugen, even though he could certainly rewrite his Mass of Creation, the text must match word-for-word what is found in the Roman Missal. This means that he cannot paraphrase and add things to the texts that are not in the approved version. ICEL could not deny the text to him, but, he does not have the freedom to paraphrase, nor can he add additional trophes, as he was wont to do in the Agnus Dei portion of his setting.
In the article referenced by OP there is mention of an “Israeli Mass” and “Clap hands Gloria” which were described in glowing terms of being an “atrocity”, I believe. The people killed in Rwanda was an atrocity this sounds like merely rather bad liturgy which should not be repeated.
I tried googling it and got nowhere with it. I even tried Oregon Catholic Press and it refered me back to google. They’d never heard of it.
What is an Israeli Mass has anyone experienced or heard of it? :shrug:
It gives me a picture of a Messianic Jewish service with dancing and singing and a procession of the Torah not exactly something I’d expect at a local Catholic church and certainly not in England. Maybe something done at St John the Divine (Episcopal) in New York City famous for their female Christ on the cross (known as the Jesusina) and that ever popular “Hair Mass” utilizing music from the rock musical “Hair” or even their Solstice celebration with the procession of a large Christmas tree.
The Gloria to which the article refers is the awful, paraphrased version that I think was from Cary Landry or Christopher Walker. It has a chorus of Gloria (clap), Gloria (clap) in excelsis Deo. That is as far as fidelity to the original text went because the whole thing threw it out the window. You can find it in the Rise Up and Sing songbook that OCP sells. Someone finally called the publishing house to task as to why it still kept this particular atrocity (which is the perfect adjectve for it) in the service area when it should not have been there.
That does not seem to be their policy.
Liturgical texts are made available to publishers without distinction,
For them to start denying rights to a text that is required by the Church and whose authority is only derived from the Church would be tricky. They could find themselves disolved, or simply bypassed by the USCCB. I do not think politically they can discriminate.
Vat II SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM
3. Therefore no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.
Evidently, Haugen and Ferrel have not read this section. Bernadette Ferrel is just as bad, if not worse. Her Mass of Hope setting for the Agnus Dei isn’t even the official text of the prayer. It is a horrible paraphrase that manages to water down the Holy Eucharist. Our children’s choir sings it every Sunday. I told my PV that he needs to tell the pastor to put the kibosh on it. I told the music director that she needed to deep-six it, but the pastor wants her to use the complete setting. My reply was that we needed to be faithful to the offical texts of the Church, not what the composer wrote.
Evidently, Haugen and Ferrel have not read this section. Bernadette Ferrel is just as bad, if not worse. Her Mass of Hope setting for the Agnus Dei isn’t even the official text of the prayer. It is a horrible paraphrase that manages to water down the Holy Eucharist. Our children’s choir sings it every Sunday. I told my PV that he needs to tell the pastor to put the kibosh on it. I also suggested to the music director that she needed to deep-six it, but the pastor wants her to use the complete setting. My reply was that we needed to be faithful to the official texts of the Church, not what the composer wrote.
Actually it wouldn’t be all that “tricky” because it’s a simple matter of saying that you can re-print our texts, but you can’t change the text if you re-print it. If the publisher isn’t changing the words, then there’s no problem in the first place.
That too would have an issue if the text was changed too much. After all, the copyright only applies to the translation. If the changes were very significant (like the case of that strange clapping Gloria) it is a reasonable legal claim that they did not use the ICEL text at all. Such things are always a matter left to juries as to how close the translation has to be to theirs to fall under their copyright. Many musicians walk close to this line in the secular world.
Yes, that would be a problem–composing their own texts which vary enough to be not-protected by ICEL’s copyright.
I think that if such a thing were to happen, it would come down to a matter of the bishop’s conference, or the local bishop who approves the publication to say “this can’t be used at Mass, therefore the entire book won’t be approved.” In practical terms, would that make a difference? These publishers have so entrenched themselves that they have a virtual monopoly (what’s the word for a ‘monopoly’ if it refers to a small number of companies rather than a single one?) on missallettes and hymnals. It represents a real problem for pastors trying to find readily available texts at prices we can afford, and which conform completely to liturgical norms. It’s not easy.
Will these publishers simply continue their practice of publishing texts which cannot be used? Or will the new revision of the Mass be the impetus to drop them? I think only time will answer that. The publishing companies lost my faith-and-trust a long time ago.
I would not think that it would take more than a handful of bishops, maybe even one, banning their product to effect a change. As you said, it is a monopoly. A loss of a solid market sector would open up the need for a new publisher to rise and get a foothold. I do not think a company like OCP would allow that, but would change to accommodate even that one sector.
If not, well then we could have an orthodox competitor.
Makes one wonder what those Churches (and there are many) who offer rock n roll Teen masses each week are going to do. How will they keep the teens coming back?
I just don’t see the ‘Plainsong’ change happening quickly enough for some. Even John Michael Talbot released a Gregorian Chant album. It was beautiful but his more contemporary works are the ones the people recognize and cherish. When we do his “Only in God” we just back off the mics and sing WITH the people rather than for them. I just don’t think the church communities as a whole will embrace plainsong totally. We do the Latin Agnus Dei Chant during Advent and Lent. At the end of the chant many of the people remain standing because they just don’t know that they have just sung the Lamb of God and should kneel. And very few actually sing.
I realize that music is quite low on most people’s list of what is important during the Liturgy. But choir members truly love the rich, contemporary harmonies in today’s music. I was priveledged to participate in the choir for an Ash Wednesday mass which featured JMT here in Phoenix. The choir was the one that serves the Cathedral (then-Bishop Thomas O’Brian’s home parish). They lead the assembly of over 10,000 to a rendition of “Jerusalem, my destiny” that brought the house down. There must have been 50 basses and baritones. It was truly amazing.
To say that plainsong should return to our Liturgies as an addition is a wonderful notion but saying it will replace our contemporary music is, in my opinion, just not going to happen. Say what you like about Marty, Barnadette, David, Bob, and the other gifted composers. They have made a difference in our Liturgies over the last 30 years and we are better for it. My prayer is that they will continue offering their talents within the guidlines set by our Church.