Haunted by Gelineau: Local Music for Local Church

My Masters supervisor once had the fortune of taking a class with the great Psalm composer Joseph Gelineau [pictured] in Paris in the late 1970s.

My supervisor told me of an occasion where he commented to Gelineau that while his early *career* had produced many settings of the psalms used by Catholics across the world – there seemed to be [at that time] a cessation of compositional activity.

Gelineau then responded something to the effect of:

‘But I have been composing all this time…I have been composing material for my local church.’

Gelineau’s influence on my supervisor has clearly run deep and this idea of ‘local music for local church’ is a phrase my supervisor likes to use a lot…and it makes good sense to me to not only voice it – but to act upon it.

And for the last number of years I have acted upon this notion. I have been responsible for writing liturgical music for my immediate local parish by way of writing a complete Mass setting, composing theme songs for parish retreats…and also Psalms that have been sung at Mass as the Responsorial Psalm and also for Evening Prayer. The music that I have written originally for my immediate parish community – has now even spread to other parishes and also to various Catholic schools. While there is a certain sense of pride and excitement in my written works being used by others and in different places – it is pleasing also on another level that this adheres to the catch-cry of ‘local music for local church’.

That there is a healthy home grown organic flavour to liturgical music being used for celebration – I think – can only been seen as a good thing…and as such, should be encouraged.

However, I have often felt alone in this area of liturgical composition.

When I first started giving serious attention to liturgical music composition [circa 2000], I sent some of my works to a local liturgical music publishing company here in Australia. After a number of weeks, I received a reply that was encouraging – but also frustrating.

The response applauded my efforts in the realm of liturgical composition and even said that the work was good. They suggested that I would benefit further if I were to work and collaborate with other liturgical composers to benefit my own gifts…and to stay in touch with them.

This was encouraging – but also frustrating – because at that time – I was the only other person I knew who was actively writing liturgical music with the same degree of gusto and passion. I knew of no other Catholic musician who was as obsessive about purchasing the latest offering by David Haas or Marty Haugen…listening to it…absorbing it….and then being influenced and inspired enough by it to then compose my own works.

There were people I knew who were involved in liturgical music – but not active composers. And while I felt stifled by this and not able to take up the advice of the Publishing company to ‘work with other composers’…I did not let it stop me from continuing.

Through this period of apparent ‘local liturgical isolation’ – I found myself asking the question ‘Why aren’t there more people like myself who are interested enough in using their gifts of music to compose for liturgy’?? I knew at that stage of only two other people in my home city of Adelaide who composed liturgical music – and both were a lot older that I was….like 30 years older than me. [!!!]

It has only been in the last 12 months that I have seen evidence of (and met) other [younger] Catholic composers who are writing liturgical music – for liturgy…and who live in around my home town of Adelaide. While this is heartening – the numbers are few.

Why the absence? Why the lack of young liturgical composers? Why is there not more ‘local music for local Church’ happening?

Some would argue that the 1991 Australian Liturgical Music Convention held in Melbourne has a lot to answer for in regards to this absence of ‘local music for local Church’. I have mixed feelings about it.

I did not go to the above mentioned event – but have since heard from different people who did go that it was a phenomenal gathering of talent from across the globe. Everyone who was anyone was there…Marty Haugen, David Haas, Michael Joncas, John Bell from Iona etc etc. Local talent was also there…and there were opportunities for participants to host their own workshops to present ideas on Liturgy and liturgical music.

But from people I have spoken to who went – the bulk of attention was directed towards the overseas US artists such as Haas, Haugen etc. They essentially ‘stole the show’ – so to speak.

As did their music.

And in doing so, [according to some] stifled and crushed local music in a major way.

Curiously, at the approximately the same time of this liturgical music expo extravaganza, a new hymnal was introduced to Australian shores – Gather Australia.

Curiously…but perhaps also timely [?], the bulk of the music found in Gather was much of the US/ GIA music that went down so well at the ’91 Melbourne gathering. Is it by some strange coincidence that the two events occurred approximately at the same time? Or was it a planned and calculated operation by GIA to break into [and some would argue – to dominate] the Catholic liturgical music landscape in Australia – for optimum financial gain?

A positive spin-off to a well timed venture for GIA? Or – a vulgar display of cultural imperialism?

The question I have is: to what extent has the prevalence of GIA liturgical music across Australia stifled ‘local music for local Church’? Have we become complacent in the way we use and select liturgical music – and simply defer to the Gather Hymnal [and other similar hymnals]? Has this easy reliance quelled our own desire to compose our own music for our local churches? Has the seeming over-abundance of US based GIA/ OCP composers and the ‘safety’ in using what appears in a hymnal put us off from investing and supporting – and advocating – local liturgical composers?

On a personal note, it is interesting for me to look at these kinds of questions – because I have benefited greatly from many of the artists on the GIA roster. They have given me great optimism and inspired me to define my own compositional style and ultimately, allowed me to create music that I have given back to my local celebrating community.

And this action of singing liturgical music as common prayer with a flavour that is unique and particular to the local setting [be that parish, school etc] is a great way to enhance and augment the power of celebrated liturgy.

More of it needs to happen…but how do you light and create a fire in such an apparent void of liturgical musical creativity? Do you have locally run seminars on liturgical music – run by local liturgists and theologians? Do you host liturgical music concerts to highlight the power and wonder of sung prayer? Do you invest in local and aspiring liturgical composers to give them a voice and standing within the local Church? Do you create new and dynamic publishing companies who will produce printed sheet music and recordings of local artists that will enhance people’s appreciation for liturgical music? Do you employ liturgically savvy and musically competent teachers in our Catholic schools to inspire the next generation of Catholics so they can in turn become ‘agents of change’ for liturgical music?

I think you could answer ‘yes’ to all of these questions. These are the questions that must be asked…but more importantly enacted upon if we are to realise Gelineau’s vision of ‘local music for local Church’.