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News Friday 24th July 2009 The website has been updated. In particular, Galloway Music Network are organising our 10th Music Festival Mass at Smithstone House on Sunday 16th August and another "Singing the Mass" day on Saturday 26th September. For more information on these events see our Events page. The April and July 2009 newsletters have been added to the Newsletters page. A new hymn (The day thou Gavest) has been added to the Favourite Music section, and new resources have been reviewed in the Music Resources (books and publications) sections. This website has been updated to make use of access keys to get to the principal pages of the site. You should notice when you hover the mouse over the links to the left that a box pops up with the title of the link, and an Access key. To use access keys in Internet Explorer, hold down "ALT" and the letter in brackets, then press "ENTER/RETURN". To use access keys in Firefox, hold down "ALT" and "SHIFT" and the letter in brackets at the same time, and you will be taken to the new page. Saturday 15th November 2008 Galloway Music Network are organising an event called ‘Singing the Mass’ to bring musicians and singers from parishes in the diocese together to share their musical gifts, and to spend an afternoon preparing music for the Vigil Mass of the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B). It is hoped the experience might encourage musicians and singers in their own parish ministry, and also build up relationships and share good practice among musicians and singers of different parishes. Even if you just enjoy singing you will also be very welcome. The event will take place on Saturday 14 February 2009 in Our Lady of Lourdes and St Patrick’s, Sorn Road, Auchinleck, and for singers will begin with a light lunch at 1 pm and finish with the parish Mass which starts at 6 pm. Instrumentalists are also asked to attend a morning rehearsal starting at 12 noon. Booking forms are available from your parish musician or parish priest. And if you don’t feel able to join in leading the music, you’d be very welcome in the congregation for Mass! For more information, and to book a place if you wish to join the rehearsals, please visit Events or click here. Sunday 14th September 2008 Updates The June 2008 newsletter is now available nonline. There is a new hymn in the favourite Music section, and a new comment on the "Machines vs. People" page in the controversies section. Recent Events Galloway Music Festival Mass Our ninth Galloway Music Festival Mass was held on Sunday 17 August in the grounds of Smithstone House. Once again, the weather was kind to us and conditions were almost ideal - it was sunny without being ‘dazzling’ for those reading music, and we didn’t need heavy pullovers. We were very pleased that Bishop Cunningham was able to be Principal Celebrant, and that Fr Stephen McGrattan celebrated the Mass with him. (Fr Stephen Motroni, from Smithstone House, was unfortunately not able to be with us this year.) Musicians included two keyboard players, a guitarist, a violinist and a tambourinist. We used some of the music that we had used at ‘Singing the Mass’ in Maybole, and were deligted to have four solo singers taking part. Unfortunately numbers were slightly lower than in previous years (about fifty) put as ever people were willing to participate as readers and special ministers of Holy Communion. Singing the Mass This was held on Saturday 7 June in Our Lady and St Cuthbert’s Church, Maybole. About 20 singers and instrumentalists came together to share their musical gifts, and to spend an afternoon preparing music for the Vigil Mass of the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The three instrumentalists covered between them organ, piano, violin and (two) guitars and they met at 11 am to sort music and practise themselves. The singers joined them at 1 pm for a soup and sandwich lunch. After a short time of prayer, we started the real work, with only a short mid afternoon break before Mass at 5.30 pm. Fr Stephen McGrattan bravely attempted to ‘manage’ the rehearsal and keep everyone in order! We learnt some new hymns and new parts of the Mass, descants to well known music, and tried some four part harmony. We found a volunteer to sing the verses of a Communion processional hymn. Most of this held together very well during Mass - although the four part harmony and the new hymns may have been remembered more easily if they had been practised on more than one occasion! Our thanks are due to Maybole parish for hosting this event. Feedback has been very positive and it appears that the majority of the parishioners enjoyed the occasion of a more-lively-than-usual musical experience of the Vigil Mass. If any other parishes would like to host a similar event, please let us know . . . . ‘Singing of God’s love: Keeping up to date with the past’ We were very pleased to welcome Noel Donnelly to lead this music day for us, and Jane McKenna who acted as accompanist. Noel has been actively involved in Catholic music for many years and is well known as a composer and liturgist. The event was held in St Margaret’s Cathedral hall - it was the first time we have met there, the surroundings were warm and pleasant, and the lunch excellent! During our first session we looked at new psalm settings, and this was interspersed with background information about the Mass from Noel. The psalms were all Noel’s own compositions. After a short break, we tried out some unaccompanied plainsong - and were happy to be able to take the books for this home with us at the end of the day! In the afternoon we sang through some Communion antiphons and processional songs. We ended with a prayer service in the Cathedral. Wednesday 16th April 2008 Updates The February 2008 newsletter is now available online. You can now contact many of the Committee members electronicly - visit "Who we are" to do this. There is a new hymn in the Favourite Music section, and a New Publications in the Music Resources section. Music Ministry Days Music Ministry Day, St Andrew’s Dumfries, Although we were low in number, this was a successful day, enjoyed by everyone. Les Hendren led us in an inspirational day looking at music for Lent and Easter, and we all went home with new ideas which we hope to try out in our parishes in the not too distant future! We also listened to a talk on Lent by Fr Stephen Motroni. We are very grateful to St Andrew’s Church for hosting this event. Music Ministry Day, St Margaret’s Cathedral, Ayr Visit our events page for more information. Thursday 31st January 2008 Apologies for the lack of a recent update. We have been having an extra long Christmas Holiday! New Committee Member We are pleased to welcome to our committee Fr Stephen McGrattan who is parish priest of Our Lady and St Cuthbert’s, Maybole, and St Ann’s Mossblown. He has been organist in St‑Peter-in Chains, Ardrossan and the Royal Scots College in Salamanca, the seminary where he trained for the priesthood. Fr Stephen has a long standing interest in liturgical music and encourages the communities where he ministers to use song and music well to lift people in prayer. Updates The archive page has been updated with last years newsletters and events. The November 2007 newsletter is now available online. Retreat day for musicians A group of sixteen gathered at Smithstone House on Saturday 10 November, not quite knowing what was going to be ahead of us! The theme of the day was ‘And God said . . . . chill!’ During the first session Fr Stephen Latham introduced this theme and the principles of Sabbath rest. After coffee, we celebrated Mass in the chapel at Smithstone House. After lunch, we went for a ‘prayer walk’ - which could be described as prayer in motion, walking calmly and confidently with an openness to God’s revelation. After sharing our experiences of this, we finished the day with a concluding liturgy. Wednesday 10th October 2007 Forthcoming Events Galloway Music Network are organising a retreat day for parish musicians. Further information, an online booking form and downloads can be found in the events section. We will also be organising an event in Dumfries early next year. Please see the Events section for more details. Updates Various sections of the website have been updated with new content. Sections updated include Events (details of new forthcoming events and the Music Mass which was held during summer), Newsletters (June 2007 and October 2007 newsletter uploaded), Favourite Music (readers comments added to "Faith of our Fathers"), Music Resources (new book, new hymnbook and new website) and controversies (new controversy on why Catholic congregations cut verses and readers comments). Galloway Music Festival Mass - Review
Galloway Music Network aims to provide ongoing support to musicians within the Diocese, and to encourage the sharing of ideas and resources. As well as workshop events, each year we hold an open air Mass, to celebrate the gift of music and bring musicians together to share and enjoy their ministry.
The eighth of these was held on Sunday 19 August in the grounds of Smithstone House, Kilwinning. The day before was memorable as perhaps the wettest day so far in 2007, but despite a grey and cold start on the Sunday morning things improved and conditions were almost ideal - it was neither too hot nor too cold, and only slightly windy!
There were about seventy people present from different parishes, and some of these served as readers and Eucharistic ministers. At the end of the Mass we processed singing a Taizé chant to Smithstone House’s new labyrinth (with Stations of the Cross), and this was blessed by Bishop Taylor.
Tuesday 20th March 2007 Our latest evening workshop was held on Wednesday 7 February. After November's meeting, we had thought that 'evenings' were a popular time, but unfortunately at this event there were only 13 people present (although we did find out that other meetings were being held on the same evening). Sunday 14th January 2007 The latest newsletter is now online and can be accessed from the 'Newsletters' page. There will be another music ministry evening on Wednesday 7th February at 6.45pm for 7pm at Smithstone House. it will be themed around Lent. Please see the 'Events' page for more information and a booking form. Wednesday 29th November 2006 Our latest evening workshop was held on Thursday 9 November and there were a (record!) 39 people present.
The first half of the evening was a discussion on ‘Practicalities of parish music’, hosted by Bishop Taylor. The primary importance of singing the parts of the Mass (especially the four acclamations - the Gospel acclamation, the Sanctus, the Memorial acclamation and the Amen) was emphasised; and that hymns, if used, should be of good quality (for example based on the words of Scripture). The Gloria and Psalm should also be sung if possible. Issues covered included coping in the absence of a musician, speed and pitch considerations, organisational issues - practices and rotas and teaching congregations new music. We talked about weaknesses of some Mass settings where the same melody is used throughout - should the Sanctus really be sung to the same tune as the Lamb of God? ‘Paraphrases’ can also be problematical, for example the Peruvian Gloria which scarcely reflects the full Gloria text.
After a short break, Les Hendren (from St John Ogilvie’s in Bourtreehill) led a session on music from Advent. Music was taken from ‘Veni Emmanuel’ published by Decani Music, and our thanks are due to them for permission to photocopy materials for the workshop. We went through a wide range of materials including Gathering songs, Psalms, Gospel acclamations and some miscellaneous songs. Some of the music would be very easy for congregations to learn, and some of it was harder, but in general it was ‘accessible’ and ‘tuneful’ and enjoyed by workshop participants. We were accompanied by a music group consisting of guitars, keyboard, flute and violin.
Our thanks are due to Smithstone House, once again, for their hospitality Wednesday 13th September 2006 New Newsletter and Forthcoming Event There is now a new newsletter on the website. This can be found on the newsletters page, which can be accessed using the link on the left. Booking is now open for our next event on the 9th of November. Further information can be found on the events page, which can also be accessed using the link on the left. Saturday 9th September 2006 'Controversies' On the website you will find a new 'controversies' section, the purpose of which is to generate discussion. It consists of a series of short articles on various aspects of church music, and we are trying to find out peoples’ views about them. Please do read the articles and use the forms to tell us what you think. New members of Galloway Music Network We are pleased to welcome two new members to the Galloway Music Network Committee. They are Marguerite Crolla and Sheila Ford, both from Troon. Their contact details can be found on the "Who we are" page. Sunday 20th August 2006 The annual Galloway Music Festival Mass was held today in the grounds of Smithstone House, Kilwinning. Despite a rainy start to the day the weather was warm and sunny. The Mass was celebrated by Fr Mark Kelly (Galloway Diocese's newest priest), and concelebrated by Fr Delio (from Argentina) and Fr Stephen Montroni (from Smithstone House). There were over 50 people present, and the musicians included a flautist, two violinists, a viola player, and a guitarist. The music was very successful and we enjoyed playing the Kyrie and Lamb of God from James MacMillan's St Anne's Mass hitherto unknown in the Diocese.
Sunday 20th August 2006 Galloway Music Core Group have changed their name to Galloway Music Network. The new website is now up and running. A new feature are the forms you can use to contact us and share your thoughts. Please use them, and let us know what you think! Enjoy the new website! Wednesday 16th August 2006 At last! The promised revamp of this web site has began! This news page is your first introduction to the changes being made, and what is happening in Catholic music in Galloway. We have completely changed the style and colour shceme of this website! Our 2006 newsletter has been added, and other pages have been updated. Major work will be taking place in the next month or two on the music resources, links and copyright pages. Keep an eye on this news page for more information! |
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We were delighted to welcome Bishop Taylor and Fr Stephen McGrattan to celebrate the Mass along with Fr Stephen Motroni from Smithstone House. Musicians included a keyboard player, two guitarists, a flautist, a violinist and a tambourinist. The St Anne’s Mass by James MacMillan was interspersed with very different hymns and instrumental music, and Scottish music (Highland Cathedral) during the presentation of the gifts.
