Volume 3, Number 5 October/November 2010
Music in Worship Have you ever been singing or chanting in a group and and suddenly had the experience of hearing the words deeply? Or been in prayer, in vulnerable openheartedness, and a sliver of melody embraces you, a reminder of God’s love? Music can be such an integral part of our worship experience whether we are singing (and breathing) together or letting the tendrils of sound wash over us. Our musical tradition in the Episcopal Church, and in our diocese, is especially rich. Our congregations may have choirs large or small, accompanied by an iconic pipe organ or simple chords on a guitar, but we sing and and worship with music from the beginning of Christendom to today. Psalms are some of our oldest songs. Many believe the early Christians to have “sung” psalms. But back this far in music, “singing” is chanting. The oldest music is one line of melody. Look at examples of service music in the front of the 1982 Hymnal, the ones built upon just two ledger lines. A great scholarly effort was made in this edition to bring back ancient tunes and rhythms. One of our unique treasures is Anglican chant, sometimes called pointed chant. Compare early, one-line melody chants with hymns and you’ll notice hymns generally have richer, four-part harmony and a feeling of regularity. Anglican chant sits in the middle. In hymns, each syllable rests on a note. Similar to meter in poetry, musical meter adds to that feeling of stability, with an equal number of counts to a measure, and a regular number of measures to a verse. In contrast to chant, where
eral for African saints. Boyer preached at the 2006 Flower Festival and gave a day-long workshop for diocesan musicians on gospel music, spirituals, and ways to combine LEVAS with more traditional hymnal music. At Christ Church Cathedral, music director Canon William Partridge paired LEVAS refrains with chanted psalm verses for a tradition which continues to this day on selected Sundays.
many syllables and words might dance on one note, the feeling of taking flight. Anglican chant gives us the best of both worlds. (In our hymnal check S12-15, for example.) You’ll see solid four part harmony and structure, but an expanse of phrase, a moment of chant that then resolves in a more regular, metrical fashion. At the recent workshop on Praying the Eucharist, facilitator the Rev. Richard Valantasis brought in pointed chant; for several workshop attendees it was their first experience with the form. We are fortunate to have another treasury of hymns and service music in Lift Every Voice and Sing II (LEVAS), edited by the late Horace Clarence Boyer. Subtitled An Music at the Celebration of New Ministry at St. African American Martin’s (top), St. Barnabas’ (middle) and singHymnal, this collec- ing We Shall Overcome at the close of the 9/11 tion includes serInterfaith Prayer Service held at the cathedral. vice music, familiar gospel tunes, and less well known hymns including sev-
Before the Ending of the Day:
Prelude and postlude music prepares us for worship, then accompanies us as we go forth into the world, and it is here that the widest range of musical style is found in Missouri diocese. It might be a bluegrass version of All God’s Critters Got a Place in the Choir, the reflective offering of a parish instrumentalist, or a jubilant stride piano version of Amazing Grace. Many diocesan members offer their musical talents for special services, at Evensong, Compline and Taizé, and in concerts. Our Continued on page 4.
Have an eye to God in every word you sing. -John Wesley,
Some thoughts on the evening office by Robert W. Lehman We are Anglicans. Often these days being Anglican is not such an easy thing, but, if we set aside the various ideologies that cause political turmoil and upheaval throughout our denomination, we can claim one of the great treasures of the church that we alone, as Anglicans, are the custodian. I allude to the Office of Evensong. The Office of Evensong is sung at the close of each day in cathedrals, collegiate chapels, monastic communities, and parish churches throughout the Anglican Communion. Derived from the ancient offices of Vespers and Compline, it is a service of rare beauty offered through the singing of psalms and canticles, the reading of scripture, and prayer. This service of sung prayer has been offered daily throughout the Christian era and it enables us to join with all those who have gone before, those who share life’s journey with us and offer
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St. Louis Abbey, preaching to us on that very topic. He told us that we, too, are children of St. Benedict. The venerable monastic tradition includes the singing or recitation of eight offices throughout each day beginning with the Office of Continued on page 4.
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