Who we areNewsEventsNewslettersArchiveSurveysFavourite MusicMusic ResourcesControversiesCopyrightSuggestLinks
Music Resources BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS Please click on the name of a book below to view it's review. If you know of any books and publications you think we should review, please use the form on the Music Resources Home page to tell us.
A Guide to the Pipe organ for Composers and Others This is an easy to read pamphlet (20 pages plus index) about what a pipe organ is and does. It explains pipe varieties, pitches of pipes, couplers, divisions of the organ etc in an easy to understand manner. It is designed for those who want a basic understanding of the organ and how it is played. Different Voices (Magazine) A new magazine which describes itself as ‘a new quarterly about music and worship in the Scottish churches’. The editorial board is the Music Panel of the Church of Scotland, but the magazine would be of interest to musicians working in any denomination, and there are consulting editors from the different churches. So far there have been an interesting mix of articles by leading names in church music, factual/informative pages, contact information for organisations etc. Everything Else An Organist Should Know This book (largely applicable to organists in the Church of England but also making reference to other denominations) describes itself as ‘the authoritive guide to employment law, running a choir, working with clergy, child protection, health and safety, copyright, fees, tax, licensing and much else’. It is written by a chartered certified accountant (also a church organist and choirmaster and a member of council of the Royal School of Church Music); and a lawyer in the professional civil service (also an honorary member of the Institute of British Organ building and organ recitalist and choir director, as well as an honorary adviser to the RSCM). It certainly covers the issues it claims to address, and although perhaps the ordering of the material is not as clear or relevant as it could be in places, is well worth reading. It brings home the point that church music is a complicated field and there’s far more involved and far more implications to be considered than just turning up to sing or play each week. General Instruction of the Roman Missal The introductory material to the new Missal, The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), has been translated and published in advance of the rest of the Missal to assist the continuing work of promoting worthy celebration of the Church’s liturgy. Celebrating the Mass is a document issued by the Bishops of England and Wales to assist their dioceses engage with the implications of the GIRM for good worship. These documents (and especially Celebrating the Mass, which is a bit more ‘user friendly’) could usefully be read by everyone involved in music ministry and liturgy planning in parishes. We should expect to be hearing a great deal more about them, and their implications, in the next few months. Giving voice - a handbook for choir directors and trainers This book aims to develop training skills in choir leaders (whether the choir is a large professional body or a small ad hoc group), and to build the confidence to bring out the best in a group of singers. Perhaps it is aiming to cover too wide a spectrum of choir leaders, because if you are leading a large professional body you would probably know most of it anyway, and if you are an amateur leading a small group of amateurs you may find it a bit above your head! The aspects of choir training covered include warm-ups and vocal exercises, the physiology of singing, conducting techniques, group dynamics and psychology, and the preparation of rehearsals and music. ‘Guide for Music Ministers’ This book is part of the Liturgical Ministry Series Published by Liturgy Training Publications (Chicago). This is a short and easily readable book covering all aspects of music ministry; including chapters on theology and history of music ministry, the spirituality and formation of music ministers and serving as music ministers. Harmony of Heaven We have moved on to Lent! We haven’t seen a copy of this book ourselves, but this review came from www.chbookshop.co.uk (the web site of the official bookshop of the Church of England). Musical meditations for Lent and Easter: a daily Bible reading and comment for every day from Ash Wednesday to Easter Monday together with reflection on a wealth of music that has some special relevance to the themes of the season. The selection is broad, crossing the transient boundaries between spiritual, sacred and secular music: rediscover Creation through Saint-Saen’s Carnivale des Animaux, re-imagine Isaiah’s lupine vision with Prokofiev’s ears, and return to your senses with Mozart’s Marriage of The drawback? You may be obliged to expand your musical collection in order to make full use of the forty entries. But with a cover price of £7.99 that is but a slight downside to a book so packed with inspiration it could truly last a lifetime. This is the ideal choice for classical buffs and anyone who just wants to wallow in magical music. Each entry concludes with a prayer and suggestions for further reading. How to be a successful choir director Dr John Bertalot has been a professional musician for over 40 years and this has included in Northampton (where he worked at St Matthew’s Church and was conductor of the Northampton Bach Choir and Symphony Orchestra), as director of music at Blackburn Cathedral, and in Princeton, New Jersey (where he led one of the most ambitious Episcopal Church music programmes in the USA, and founded the Princeton Singers). For eighteen years he was also a Senior Lecturer at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, where he taught choir training, music history, composition and counterpoint. The book is divided up in to lots of helpful short chapters, and the author’s extensive background in church music means that it is very relevant for people working with amateur choirs in church situations. Definitely worth reading - either to convince you that you are on the right ‘track’, or to provide you with helpful pointers to think about and develop what you are doing. This is an easily readable, practical book. Reading it and following the exercises will help you make the most of the voice that you have - amongst other things it covers breathing, voice production, and articulation. There’s also information on bad habits and how to break them, and reading music. In the Midst of the Assembly This book is by an American author, and some of the content reflects the American viewpoint. Dr Elaine Rendler has been a writer for Today’s Liturgy magazine and this book presents many of her past columns from this. As you might expect then, it consists of a series of short articles ranging from one to three pages in length grouped together in sections covering (amongst others) music ministry, the Eucharistic liturgy, parts of the Mass, Masses with Children and Rites and Sacraments. It can be obtained from Decani Music, 30 North Terrace, Mildenhall, Suffolk, IP28 7AB, tel 01638 716579. Living Liturgy A copy of this (for 2004 - it is an annual publication) was purchased from a shop in September for £2! Unfortunately we’re not sure what the usual price is but it’s definitely more than that! As well as background information and articles, there are four pages of text (approximately A4 size) for each Sunday of the year. For each Sunday there is a section on ‘spirituality’ which includes reflecting on the Gospel, living the Paschal mystery, focussing on the Word, connecting the Word and understanding the Word. The ‘celebration’ section looks at the introductory rites, the responsorial Psalm and provides model general intercessions. ‘Catechesis’ provides thoughts about the liturgy and about liturgical music. For more information, visit the publisher’s web site at www.litpress.org. LITURGY With Style and Grace A ‘must read’ and covers all aspects of the liturgy (not just music). However, it is published by Liturgy Training Publications of Chicago and is therefore American in its outlook. Its most striking characteristic is the obvious importance and value it places on the Mass and the Sacraments and the expectation that its readers (those involved with or taking on liturgical roles) are fully committed to and enthusiastic about the church. Music and Liturgy The Society of St Gregory exists to support musicians and liturgists, helping to raise standards and to increase understanding. Their Summer Schools and other regional events offer an enjoyable way or experiencing good liturgy and teaching in the company of like minded people. They have a website at www.ssg.org.uk which is updated on a weekly basis and is the place to go for current news. SSG publications can also be purchased from the web site. They publish a quarterly journal, Music and Liturgy. As well as containing articles of interest relating to music and liturgy, it also has a liturgy planning section. This contains notes about and music and hymn suggestions for the Sunday liturgies. It is an excellent publication, and a free sample copy can be obtained from the web site. Music in Catholic Worship and Liturgical Music Today Music in Catholic Worship was published in July 1972, and has greatly assisted renewal of the liturgy, particularly within the USA. The companion document, Liturgical Music Today was issued ten years later. Both these documents are widely referred to in liturgy text books, and both have much to say that is relevant and practical all over the western world (even though now slightly ‘dated’ and American in outlook). They contain guidance and a common sense approach. Similar documents in the UK would have been helpful in the post Second Vatican Council years, and had such things existed much grief and anguish may have been avoided. If you would like to borrow these documents and read them yourself, contact Nicola (26 Louisa Drive, Girvan, KA26 9AH, 01465 714797). Pastoral Music in Practice 5 - The Pastoral Musician This book contains ten articles, which explore the multidimensional role of the pastoral musical as artist, minister, educator and team member. The articles also consider how the music minister can grow as a person, as a Christian, and as a servant of the assembly. As you will probably have guessed, the book is American (published by the Pastoral Press) but it still makes interesting and encouraging reading. It is available from Decani Music, 30 North Terrace, Mildenhall, Suffolk, IP28 7AB, tel 01638 716579. Publications by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops A holiday to Canada a few years back brought back a copy of ‘Catholic Book of Worship III’. This is a hymn book (the third in a series) for use by Catholic churches within Canada, published by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. It contains lectionary music, music for the Eucharist, and hymns, psalms and canticles; much of it known in the UK, but some of it unfamiliar to us. It is interesting to see the differences in approach between a publication designed by the Bishops to meet the needs of the church, and the publications we use in the UK, where commercial interests play a larger part in what is produced. A holiday to Canada at the end of last year brought back a copy of ‘A companion to the Catholic Book of Worship III’. Again published by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, this contains guidelines for liturgical music. The contents include chapters on the role of music in the liturgy, the ministers of music, music during the Sunday liturgy, and guidance for selecting music for the various parts of the liturgical year, the sacraments, and other rites. At the end of the book, suggested music choices are listed from the associated hymn book. Although small sections refer specifically to Canada and Canadian culture, the book is well worth reading and contains a great deal of practical help and guidance. Sing a New Song to the Lord A very interesting book - but only read it if you enjoy this type of thing! It explores the power of hymns, their relationship to culture, and their potential for communicating theology. Background material is presented on the historical development of hymns, and there is a chapter on the last thirty ‘explosive’ years, when a phenomenal hymn output has coincided with an unsettling time for the Church and the world at large. The use of hymns within the different denominations is also considered. The best known example of a hymn making a social and political comment must be the third verse of ‘All things bright and beautiful’ - which for some reason doesn’t usually appear in modern hymnbooks! It reads: The rich man in his castle, Brian Castle argues that the author, Mrs Cecil Frances Alexander, was endorsing the political status quo, and by enabling such words to be sung in church, giving it a ‘divine sanction’! In fact Mrs Alexander, who was the wife of the Bishop of Derry (who later became the primate Sounds good This is a short booklet on organs (predominantly pipe organs although there is a section on electronic organs) and their care and maintenance. It is an ‘easy read’ for anyone who would like to know more about organs and their repair and preservation. (It is published by Church House Publishing for the Church of England). The Nation’s Favourite Hymns This book includes information about forty of the most popular hymns in Britain, as voted by viewers of Songs of Praise in a poll in 2002. The top forty list itself is quite surprising in places, and there is a mix of old and new. Number one is How great thou art and others that are popular in Catholic churches include Be still for the presence of the Lord at number five, Make me a channel of your peace at number seven, Be thou my vision at number sixteen, I, the Lord of sea and sky at number seventeen, Shine, Jesus Shine at number twenty, Living Lord at number twenty eight, Amazing grace at number thirty two, Morning has broken at number thirty six and The Servant King at number thirty seven. There is a double page spread about each hymn, containing information about origins and authors, and contemporary stories of the parts they have played in peoples’ lives. The praise and worship team instant tune-up This is an easily readable, practical (American) book. The following adaptation from the book’s own introduction is a good description of its contents - ‘This book assumes you are already involved in a praise and worship ministry. It also assumes you sometimes feel frustrated, guilty, or unorganized. . . . It has been our observation that this is mostly because people lack some of the organizational, musical and/or leadership skills necessary to do a good job. If that describes you, this book will help In this book you will find musical and leadership tips, tools, and tricks of the trade from the professionals that you can adapt and begin using right now. The book contains plenty of short, right-to-the-point advice, as well as lengthier sections. Some of the things won’t apply to you, but most of them will. It is probable that you won’t agree with everything in this book, which is okay. Wherever you are on the musical skills continuum, you are sure to find ideas and resouces that can have a real impact on your ministry.’ The Singing Thing too - Enabling Congregations To Sing Like all John Bell’s writings, the book is easy and enjoyable to read. Of particular help are the suggestions for teaching new music to congregations, who may or may not want to be engaged! . . . including the use of humming, singing to ‘la’, and ‘signing’ new music to show how and when the melody rises and falls. A very interesting later chapter looks at how we accompany hymns, and the very different methods that could be effectively used for materials from different ages, from different places, and of differing styles. ‘The Theology of Joseph Ratzinger - An Introductory Study’ On the back cover this book is described as ‘timely’. In fact it was published in 1988 and a copy obtained, by chance, from a bookshop specialising in overstocks, shortly after Cardinal Ratzinger was elected Pope. In a chapter entitled ‘The Liturgist’, there is a brief section on liturgy and music. Apparently a recurrent aspect of Ratzinger’s liturgical interests - perhaps connected with the fact that his brother Georg is (or was) the cathedral choirmaster at Regensburg - is the Church’s music. The pages that follow do not make light reading, but their conclusion is that Ratzinger hopes that, in combining appeal to the Church’s traditional musical inheritance with the best of popular music, a new renaissnace of Musica sacra might be possible. UK Copyright Rules and Regulations - Help for the local church This should be compulsory reading for every church musician - but if you can fully understand it you’re doing better than most! It’s a very thorough guide to this complex area, and for many people will be a real ‘eye opener’. It’s published by the Royal School of Church Music, which is closely affiliated to the Church of England, so there are some references specifically to Anglican publications. To obtain a copy (price £4.25) telephone RSCM Music Direct on 01306 872811. The RSCM also publish a booklet called ‘A Brief Guide to Liturgical Copyright’. Visions of liturgy and music for a new century It makes a change to read a book on music and liturgy that’s not American in origin - this one is actually translated from French. Lucien Deiss was for ten years a professor of theology and Scripture at the Grand Scholasticat de Chevilly-Larue in France, and is a pioneer of the biblical and liturgical renewal. The book is not an easy read but is definitely worth the effort, and is perhaps best approached by reading a little at a time. It is divided into three parts - the ministerial function of music, the participants in liturgical song and the songs of the Mass.
|
|
|