Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

♦ ♦ * I I % C. A. PELOQUIN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1964 GEORGIA BULLETIN PAGE 7 English In Mass Said To Complicate Music BY JOSEPH D. McLELLAN (N.C.W.C. NEWS SERVICE) BOSTON—Summing up the current Church music situation, C, Alexander Peloquin obser ved: “For the people in the vernacular movement, the vernacular movement, the bat tle is won; for usliturgists, it*s just beginning,*’ Peloquin, a teacher, com poser and conductor who might be called the Leonard Bernstein of Catholic music in the United States, interrupted one of the busiest schedules borne by any musician on this continent for a brief interview here. WITH THE advent of the Mass in English (an event that Pelo- quin’s music ushered in re soundingly at the recent Li turgical Week in St. Louis) musicians face an overwhelm ing task. Briefly, everything has to be done over again, made new. Not only must music be made for the new liturgical lan guage, but its forms must be revised to accomodate a new element—the participating con gregation. Ail oi a sudden, diction be comes an overwhelming con cern, not only to the choir but to the composer, because the liturgy will be in the language of the people. A false accent, a lengthening of the wrong syl lable, a musical line that does not really suit the sense of the words, a muddling of parts that obscures the text, might have been borne in Latin, because most people in the congrega tion were not quite sure what was being sung. Now, with Eng lish texts, these things will stand out like a sore thumb. The new liturgy will force an improvement in Church music. SETTING music to English words requires a treatment dif ferent from Latin, Peloquin no ted. The style has to be syl- at all. Even when they are (just barely) possible, English vo wels will not bear the kind of elaboration that is possible in Latin or Italian, Peloquin re- "Wm.Terence 0 Brien KNOWS LIFE INSURANCE Suite 715 270 Pchtr Bldg. N.W.tAtl., Ga. Home BU 4 1191 Office 688-2600 Southland Life INSURANCE COMPANY Horn* QILo « Southland Center • Dallas marked. There are also strong ly - marked stress - accents which must be accommodated, and often ambiquous syllabic quantities which can lead an unwary composer into pitfalls. Music written for one lan guage can be accomodated to an other, but it usually “feels wrong.*' Peloquin has already been asked to adapt his most popular Mass, the “Missa Christus Rex** for an English text, but wonders whether it will not need too many changes. *This does not mean that English is an unsingable lan guage,*’ Peloquin said, “mere ly that it must be sung in its own way. Nobody can tell me that Shakespeare’s language is unmusical.*’ The vistas opened for com posers by the new English li turgy are almost unbounded, he noted. “With a Latin liturgy, there was not much room for new compositions — an occasional motet and, of course, Masses. But now, there is room for everything — all the Propers, for example, ” Peloquin said, and his eyes gleamed at the prospect of all those English words waiting for new music. THE GROWING participation of congregations in the Mass reached an epitome at the Li turgical Week, where Mr. Pelo quin conducted a choic of 400 and a congregation of 12,000 in the first Latin Rite Mass sung in English in the United States. One thing that this Mass proved, he said, is that con gregations can be taught to join in the misic of the Mass. ‘The effect in sight and sound was indescribable," said Pelo quin 'These vast canyons of humanity hurling to heaven a Joyous sound—with a great de gree of precision.* The inspiration of a congre gation singing with all its heart, enjoying it and making it a pray er does not just happen, of course. It is the result of hard work by a composer who has produced a melodic line easily learned but attractive and cap able of development. And this is only part of it, for the con- JAN FEIN m APA gregation and its music must be integrated with other ele ments in an effective form—the choir, celebrant and accompa niment must all contribute to a total effect. The accompaniement, by the way, is usually an organ, but Peloquin would like to see more use of brass, percussion and other instruments, where they are appropriate. One of his re- ceKf compositions, a Magnificat for the jubilee of Mother An gela, abbess of Mount St. Mary Trappistine abbey, Wrentham, Mass., includes oboes, clari nets, horns, bassoon, string bass and tympani. PELOQUIN said the Church music composer's structural problem falls into two broad divisions. 1. He must write the different kinds of music appropriate for all his varied performers, trained and un trained, vocal and instrumental, 2. He must tie them together so that they form a single, living piece of music. (The key word, perhaps, is 'living." "A lot of Church music is dead even be fore it is written,’* Peloquin said—and thousands of weary c o n g regations and choirs agree.) Besides structure, naturally, there is the problem of quality. It must be good music, attrac tive both to the performer and to the listener. And, being re ligious music, it must also have the quality of reverence. Using sacred texts, it must clarify the word and reinforce its meaning, the composer no ted. In his psalm—settings for the Mass at the Liturgical Week, Peloquin exemplified how these requirements can be harmoniz ed. Each setting has a refrain (or antiphon) which may occur as many as 20 times—a simple melody for the congregation, encompassing an octave or less, in range and usually proceeding step-fashion, so that there are no awkward skips for the voice. (In one antiphon, for Psalm 9-B, there are skips of a third, which should be easily negoti able to anyone able to sing 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star.") Alternating with the refrain are more elaborate verses for the chorus, in which the composer usually includes some thematic material that recalls and deve lops a motif in the refrain, thus FATHER Richard Leary, C.P., principal of Drexel High presides over installation of new officers of the Student Council. Kurt Hill was master of ceremonies. Officers are: Diane Comer, president; George Terrell, vice-president; Michelle Smith, secretary; Bonnie Bohannon, corresponding sec retary; Robert Harris, treasurer. Class, team and organization officers compose the rest of the Council. unifying the two separate ele ments. One setting (Psalm 9-A) uses semi - choruses for the most complex sections and has the full chorus sing the refrain with enriched harmonies, alter nating with the congregation. In Psalm 33, the final appear ance of the refrain has the cho rus adding new elements to the congregation's familiar melody. ANOTHER way to achieve unity within variety is to make the congregation’s basic melody “grow,*’ changing it slightly at each new appearance so that, the congregation learns as it sings, Peloquin said. All of these possibilities should be explored in a spirit of freedom tempered with re verence, Peloquin said. ONE RESULT of the explora tion now beginning should be development of a distinctly American Church music, Pelo quin said—a music will have “the flexibility of Gregorian Chant, the strength and general appeal of our popular music.’’ One disadvantage of this de velopment, and of the use of English texts in the Mass, may be a loss of internationality. With the new liturgy, few Eu ropean choirs will be using- American compositions. This is not a problem for most composers, who have been ig nored in Europe anyway. For Peloquin, who has had 65 works published, it represents some loss, but it is far outweighed by the new opportunities made available. ART PARLEY TOLD AOO TERMITES WORK ALL YEAR calir^LA^AROUND •l c & s REALTY COMPANY "Specialists in Commercial and Industrial Real Estate*’ Suite 200 Henry Grady Bldg, Atlanta 3, Ga. Warehouses, Stores, Mfg, Plants, Acreage, Shopping Center Dev., Subdivision Dev., Industrial Dev., Insurance 524-2052 MIKE & STEVE SERTICH M.VI Mill, • HOLY CROSS BROTHER •Yiacmimo i intr unmi •RANCMMtft • OtftCJ WORK • TRADtS « TORSION IRHIOH For Infornuhion Writes ftrottwrDonald Naniol, CSC 1^4 Holy Croat School *950 Dauphiae Street New Orleans La. 70117 Strvwt Atlanta Since 1912 © • PRINTING © • lithographing COMRAtvy 550 FORREST ROAD, N. E., ATLANTA. GEORGIA • TRinity 5-4757 YOU CAN HELP unfortunate children such as these little Korean youngsters by contributing clothing to the annual Thanksgiving Clothing Collection to be conducted in all U.S. Catholic parishes during November by Catholic Relief Serv- ices-National Catholic Welfare Conference. In more than 70 countries, CRS-NCWC -distributes clothing according to need, regardless of race, creed or color. Let New Churches Fit New Liturgy DUBLIN (RNS) —New Catho lic churches should be built “not for the past, but for the future” to help promote the Church's reforms in the lit urgy, a Congress on Sacred Art and Architecture was told here. Father Urban Rapp, O.S.B., lecturer on Christian art, his tory and archeology at Wurtz- burg University in Germany, said the Church was “at the threshold of a new art in li turgical development.*' “CHURCHES as they have been planned hitherto will not be able to meet the demand of the renewed liturgy as it is beginning to develop, *' he said. “We should not, therefore, build churches for the past, but for the future." Speakg on the Vatican Coun cil’s Constitution on the Li turgy, Father Rapp cited a sen tence from the document: “And when churches are built let great care be taken that they are suitable for the celebration of liturgical services and for the active participation of the faith ful." ALTHOUGH this sentence is today “taken for granted every where," the priest commented, "it is good to remember that no Prince of the Church of the Baroque period, no bishop of the Gothic period and no abbot of the Romanesque period would have said or written such a sen tence to his mastei>builder. "It presupposes not only li turgical awareness but an awareness of modem principles of architecture." IN A keynote address, Pearse Parents’ Dinner The Parents’ Association of Christ The King School will meet Monday evening. October 19th. at 7;30 p.m. in the Cath edral Center. The Guest Speak ers will be Mr. Jim O’Callag han and Congressman Charles Weltner. A Scoial Hour will follow the meeting. English Masses COVINGTON, Ky. (NC)--Eng- lish was used in the Mass for the first time in the state of Kentucky during the annual teachers* institute (Oct. 15 and 16) sponsored by the Coving ton Diocesan Educational As sociation. Bishop Richard H. Ackerman gave permission for the two Masses—a low Mass and a high Mass—prior to the general use of the vernacular Mass scheduled to begin here Nov. 29, as a means of in structing diocesan teachers in the new liturgy. ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE McKenna, president of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, noted that the congress was being held to promote better communciation among the cler gy, laity and artists. "We have felt that there has been a lack of understanding be tween these groups and this is our effort to bring this en counter to a head,” counter to a head,’’ he said. Prof. Patrick Quinn, an ex pert on architecture from the university of California in Berkeley, said that through sa cred music church members could develop more profound religious convictions. He said the responsibility rested with architects to design churches conducive to the revitalization of the sung liturgy. ’Therefore," he added, “the building is not just a nice con tainer giving a promise of nicer things inside. It is an extension pf tje jotirgu/" of the liturgy.’’ Sacred Heart’s Mission Sunday Sermons ecumenical in na. ture will feature the Mission to be held at the Sacred Heart Church, Ivy at Peach tree, beginning October 25, it has been announced by the pastor, Father TTiomas J. Ros- hetke. The mission will be direct ed by Father Walter Sulli van, C. S. P. The missioner is superior of the Paulist Mis sion House at Detroit. He will preach at all the Masses on the opening Sunday. Mem bers of all faiths have been in vited. There will be a brief talk on problems of “happy and useful living*’ after each mission Mass. St Joseph Glee Club St. Joseph now has it’s own all around Glee Club. Over 100 girls tried out during the week of Oct. 5. Sister Ellen Yvonneejud judged not only their singing, but also their dancing and read ing ability. Purposes of the club, accord ing to Sister Ellen Yvonne are “to grow in womanliness and spread joy." Club members will be divided into groups that will sing in hospitals and orphan ages, They will lead the school in hymns during First Friday Masses. The Glee Club plans a Christmas Program and Spring Festival in which there will be interpretive dancing and choral speaking to supplement the program. Medical Center ST. LOUIS (NC)—Plans to re build and renovate the medical center of St. Louis University at a cost of $16,500,000 were ap|f\)ved at a meeting of the medical center council and lay board of trustees of the Jesuit operated institution. NELSON RIVES REALTY 3669 CLAIR MONT ROAD CHAMBLEE. GEORGIA REAL ESTATE, INSURANCE SALES, RENTALS RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL PROPERTY PHONE: 451-2323 166 COURTLAND STREET, N F... iATLANTA.GEORGIA 30303 9*iAu^ance in all iti jyyimA,! 9^ i£i written, we weile it Sutter & McLettan 1422 RHODES HAVERTY BLDG. JAckson 5-2086 WHERE INSURANCE IS A PROFESSION NOT A SIDELINE CLASSIFIEDS PERSONAL fOR SALE Will take care of child at my Sacrifice, mink stole, black home - age 3 to 5 years - Persian lamb stole with mink BU 9-4829 trim, three quarter length coat, all very reasonable. 634-4229 HOUSES FOR SALE 3 bdrm. 2 bath brick, livng. rm„ separate dning rm., eat- in kitchen. Newly created Holy Cross Parish. Near schools, shopping entr., transportation. 457-5109 OLA Parish, Canterbury Hills, 2 yrs. old, 2 bdrm., brick, 2 baths, den. G.E. kitchen, 3 blks. Marist, 5 min. D’Youville, Pi Hi and Assumption, buses at corner. G.I. Loan. $22,500.451- 3197 BUSINESS SERVICES. FOR FAST SERVICE USE CLASSIFIEDS All type conrete work, patios, steps, walks, etc.. Stone Mountain granite, re taining walls. 636-0834 or 443-6137 DRESSES BY ESTER Can copy originals of from magazines, Also wedding dresses. Or fine wearing apparel. 378-9579. SPANISH WEDDING VEILS Exquisite handmade with silk thread in large and queen sizes. Also hand embroidered op^a shawls, mantillas, blouses etc. Imported (pom Spain in assorted designs and colors. Call or write: LOPEZ IMPORTERS Box 13954 St. K Atlanta, Ga. 237-7998. Painting- Interior- Exterior Thoroughly experienced expert £oes own work. Hundreds of ref erences furnished with each es timate. All windows and gutters cleaned free with job. Call Mr, Caldwell 622-6076 Society of St. Vincent de Paul Salvage Bureau 326 Ivy St. N. E. Atlanta (Opposite Sacred Heart) Desires to receive all USABLE furniture, clothing, appliances, books, etc., for the poor and needy. Scheduled pick-ups will be made byTele- •phOning: 688-6390. MOVING? PLEASE NOTIFY US SEND US THIS NOTICE TODAY: THE GEORGIA BULLETIN P.O. BOX 11667-NORTHSIDE STATION ATLANTA 5, GEORGIA NEW ADDRESS:- name. ADDRESS. CITY ZONE Send or Phone Your Classified Advertising To The Georgia Bulletin P.O. Box 11667-Northside’ Station Atlanta 5, Georgia Phone: 231-1281 Ads accepted by phone, mail and at the office up to Monday, 3 line MINIMUM CHARGE Count 5 Average Words to a line.. RATES 1 Time 25£ per line 4 consecutive times with no copy change 23£ per line DISPLAY CLASSFIED (WITH BORDER $1.00 PER INCH Legal Notices 50£ Deaths 50£ In Memoriam 50£ Acknowledgment 50 £ PUBLISHED WEEKLY Print your classified ad on this form. Slip it into an envelope along with remittance and sent it to: THE GEORGIA BULLETIN Classified Department Your Name ...a Address^,,... ....• City.. .., .4 •••••••••**••........State