The Jewish Musical Tradition

The roots of Christian music lies in the Jewish tradition of antiquity but we can know very little of how such music was performed - though contemporary synagogue music of Yemen and Iraq may have changed little in the past 2000 years. Translations of the names of musical instruments are notably impossible: the presence of a hurdy-gurdy, dulcimer, organ and viol into Reformation English translations, are widely anachronistic! However the Bible does tell us of the 288 musicians which led King David’s procession (1 Chron 15:16-28). The musical instruments found in the Old Testament and their rough modern equivalents are: Khali (flute), Khatsotsrah (trumpet), Kinnor (lyre), Msiltayim (cymbals), Nebel (unknown), Pamonim (bells), Shophar (ram’s horn), and Toph (drum). As for vocal musicians the Temple choir consisted of twelve men and boys (no women), incidentally exactly the same configuration at St Albans Cathedral Choir! Their training was five years. Call and response styles were often used (as now) in places where people did not have access to musical books. The psalms are often linked with particular liturgical occasions, and contain musical instructions. However no one knows what the ubiquitous instruction ‘selah’ means.

Four musical instruments are mentioned in the New Testament, lyre, trumpet and cymbals, and a new addition: Aulos (pipe). It is with the disappearance of the Temple that the chant emerges. Immediately after the loss of the Temple (AD70), music was banned in the synagogues as a lament. Slowly it returned but in a more austere style: the shofar was the only instrument used, the choir gave way to the single voice of the cantor, and the recitation of the Scriptures began from the sixth century to use simple chants known as neumes.

The early Christian tradition

Acts frequently remarks of the joyful and common singing of psalms and hymns by the first Christians. Much of that tradition was obviously continuous with synagogue worship, though other styles also influenced their music, with a strong emphasis on improvisation and dance. The Greeks were also more or less obsessed with music, philosophers such as Pythagoras and Plato thought that music literally bore the secrets of the universe and human souls (the Rector can bore on about this for quite a time if you are interested). Hymns probably emerge from the Greek tradition with the Lord God substituted for the numerous deities of the Greek pantheon . However early Christian music was entirely vocal: instrumental music was associated with secular and pagan rites. In many places and ages such reservations about instrumental music have persisted. In several places of the New Testament we find passages that are clearly Christians hymns or canticles already in use: the Magnificat, Benedictus, Philippians 2:6-11, etc. In 1909 The Odes of Solomon a collection of 42 first century Christians hymns were discovered. Perhaps the most important development from the third century onwards was the daily office (from which we get Morning and Evening Prayer), the prayers said by Christian communities (often monastic communities) at several points in the day. These began to be formalised, and included much singing of psalms and hymns. From the same time are found the

The Welwyn Team Ministry Lent Course 2013

Music ‘The Greatest Good that Mortals know’

Week 1: The music of eternity: Plainsong

Monday 7.30pm with meal All Saints Church Hall, Datchworth, Led by Susannah Underwood, 01438 817183 Tuesday 8pm, 11 Heath Road, Woolmer Green, Led by Lucy Dallas and hosted by Penny and Nigel Howes, 01438 716742 Wednesday 10.30am St Mary’s New Church House, Led by David Munchin, 01438 714150 Wednesday 7.30pm 60 Orchard Road, Tewin, Led by Ted Sharpe and Mick Simmons, 01438 798594 Wednesday 8pm 1 Codicote Road, Welwyn, AL6 9LY, Led and hosted by Mike and Gay Carpenter, 01438 718439 Thursday 7.15pm Bring and Share Supper, 8pm Study Group, St Mary’s New Church House, Usha and Colin Hull, 01438 813974 Friday 9.30am Time for God Group, Contact Margot Kenworthy, 01438 718732

Each Lent Group will organise itself in a different way.

The Objective of our groups is to hear and reflect on music that shapes and informs the Christian Tradition

Each week we will hear something of the various genres of music that we find within the Christian churches.

Some we will like, some will not be to our taste.

Each week we will provide some information and history of that particular genre to read together.

As well as some suggestions for listening and perhaps performing.

Participants are encouraged to bring along music from that particular genre that they love and to share it with the group.

Adventurous groups are encouraged to try and sing or play some music together. Again there may be people in the group who can help with that.

We will also suggest music that you might like to listen to.

We will also suggest questions that you might like to ask yourself, about how that music speaks to you.

With music there are few right and wrong answers, and we ask you to respect and appreciate differences of taste within our congregations.

“For ever consecrate the day, To music and Cecilia;

Music, the greatest good that mortals know,

And all of heaven we have below.”

From Song for St Cecilia’s Day Stanza III by Joseph

Addison (1672-1719)

Suggested listening for this week:

Chant is easy to sing!

For starters try two hymns from

the hymn book:

Before the ending of the day & Hail

Gladdening light.

There are numerous recordings of

recording of Gregorian chant,

including:

Gregorian chant: Salve regina, by

the Benedictine Monks of St

Maurice and St Mauer.

European Sacred Music: 12th

& 13th

centuries: Theatre of voices.

The seminal recording of

Hildegard’s work is: Feather on the

breath of God – Gothic voices with

Emma Kirkby.

earliest Christian hymn with notation, and also the Phos Hilarion – Keble’s translation ‘Hail Gladdening Light’ found in any decent hymn book today.

Music from Constantine

As Christianity emerged under Constantine to become the religion of the Roman Empire (for better or worse) so liturgy, music and architecture began to diversify and develop as expressions of Christian faith and prayer. Although vocal music was nearly always encouraged and fostered, instrumental music was fiercely debated. The purists won: the first Christian millennium of church worship very rarely had instruments. Vocal music concentrated on the singing of the psalms – then (as often now) the singing of the psalms made up most of the content of the daily office.

It is interesting that the only part of the ‘Latin’ Mass left in Greek (often still the case today in the English eucharist) was the Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy). This developed in the fourth century as the congregational response to the Litany – a few form of sung intercessory prayer. From this period too the regular round of canticles and doxologies emerged (Magnificat, Nunc dimittis, benedicite, Sanctus, Gloria in excelsis, Gloria patri etc.) much as they are used today in the offices and eucharist. Hymns were also written – often as means for each side in the theological controversies of the time to spread their ideas: Ambrose (some of his hymns still used today) is the greatest example.

Christian Chant: The core of medieval worship

Chant is the setting of a text to a simple repetitive unison melody often with an ‘arch’ (rising and then falling in pitch) shape. Plain or pure chant has no harmonies , instruments, definite rhythm (other than that of the text), no accents. As we have seen this develops from the Jewish chanting of the psalms into the daily office, a round of eight services, in chronological order: matins, lauds, prime, terce, sext, none, vespers (evening prayer), compline. Chants are often antiphonal in nature, with

each side of a monastic choir singing alternate verses of the psalm set. Within this basic pattern there was wide regional diversity of chants used, however the centralising power of Rome meant these gradually coalesced into Gregorian chant. Although it takes its name from Pope Gregory the Great (590-604), its development had little to do with him in person, and it was not until between the 9

th and 16

th centuries that it gradually displaced local

traditions. Despite the simple form of chant, Gregorian chant has over 3000 melodies. Simple chant allocated one note per syllable, but increasingly florid passages were inserted, called neumes, melismas, and sequences. This allowed for great variation and development. Many of these formed the basis for later polyphonic choral works in the Western tradition (see next week). The tradition is kept alive today in various forms, notably in this country by Mary Berry (not the same one as the baker!). Although most of the composers of chant are anonymous and male, the most extraordinary is neither, a German nun, Hildegard of Bingen, (1098-1179) whose music has had a recent remarkable renaissance. Her music is distinctive for frequently using wide intervals of pitch perhaps as secular dance music would have done, eschewed by more staid contemporaries.

Programme:

Week 1. The music of eternity: Plainsong Week 2. The music escapes the liturgy: The Western classical tradition

Week 3. Songs of praise: Hymnody Week 4. Songs of protest and hope: Spirituals, blues and gospel

Week 5. Finding spirituality in a music ‘industry’: Pop and Rock music

Questions to reflect on whilst listening to music:

What feelings does this music evoke in me?

Is this music beautiful and does it speak to me of God?

Is the composer trying to ‘say’ anything specific through this music?

When appropriate - do the words and music complement one another?

Could I imagine this music as part of worship?

Do I feel that the performer of the music has ‘communicated’ it to me well?

Suggested reading: Most of the material for this course is taken from an excellent, accessible and colourful guide: ‘Christian Music: A global History’ by Tim Dowley. Lion Publisher, ISBN: 9780745953243 Retail £20 Books on chant: Gregorian Chant, Apel W., Bloomington 1958, Celestial Music, Mellers W., Woodbridge 2002,