On the site of BBC 4 you can listen, for this week, to a recording of a broadcast of Holy Mass from a parish in England, Our Lady and the English Martyrs, Cambridge, from this last Sunday.
That means Mass on the first Sunday when the new, corrected translation is used for the Order of Mass.
The new responses, such as “And with your spirit” are said. The new text for the Eucharistic Prayer is used (EP2). Simple chants are used, very like Gregorian chant. I assume these are the chants found in the new editions of the Roman Missal. “For you and for many!” during the consecration.
On the lighter side, the no doubt distinguish lady who read the first reading at about minute 9:00 reminded me of Mrs. Marion Cotesworth-Haye of Marblehead from an episode of The West Wing. Sorry. She read well, but … she just … did.
I love English hymns, even though Gregorian chant is better.
However, be sure to listen to the lovely Communion motet, a Latin Tantum ergo, at about minute 33:00 in the recording. I wrote to the choir director at the parish to find out what it was and, right away, he kindly responded that it is by Fernand Laloux (+1970) who was choirmaster of the Church at Farm Street in Mayfair, London.
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Loved the piece @ 33, beautiful! Another modern composure I like is Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci (I think he’s in his 90’s now); our Pope has praised his traditional Catholic music (mostly in Latin.) Here is his Ave Maria sung by Indonesian Catholics. Beautiful!
Another modern composure I can’t get enough of is the Estonian Orthodox Arvo Part. My favorite composure next to Palestrina. His Fur Alina, though not religious, is an incredibly beautiful and tranquil piece of listening. Most of his compositions, though, are religious, like his iconic Passio, on the Passion of Our Lord. Good stuff!
Also hauntingly beautiful is Part’s Agnus Dei. I’ve talked to many musicians–including my brother-in-law, who played with the Detroit symphony–who have never heard of Part. It amazes me; he is the modern equivalent of Mozart, in my opinion!
Now on to the lectionary!
I wish I had known about this parish when I was studying in Cambridge. It looks like a fine place.
Unfortunately BBC Radio 4’s Morning Worship slot is only 40 minutes long and it is difficult to shoe-horn a Sunday mass into it. Hence we had only one reading before the Gospel, the embolism and its doxology which musically balances the sung preface was recited, as was the (Apostles’) Creed. Better to have left out the homily and the bidding prayers and sung everything that is supposed to be sung, including the Orate Fratres. Still, one shouldn’t quibble and it was great to hear Stanfield’s ‘Sweet Sacrament Divine’.
Apropos the bidding prayers I’m sure I’m not alone in finding them the most irritating feature of the Novus Ordo. You’ve just sung ‘et vitam venturi saeculi’ and are brought down to earth with a bump as you’re forcibly reminded of what was on last night’s TV news or have to listen to some politically-correct twaddle concocted by someone on a so-called ‘liturgy committee’.
I love the idea of the Cambridge University parish being described as “in the wilds of England”.
I quite agree; Cambridge isn’t a civilised place like Oxford.
Re: the reader, I think she’s one of Bertie Wooster’s aunts. Possibly the scientific Cambridge aunt that we never heard about, because she caught a ride on the TARDIS and married a Catholic, too.
In the spirit of ecumenism, Bertie offered the services of his banjolele to the music director, but unfortunately the banjolele suffered a tragic liquid nitrogen accident shortly before broadcast. For some reason, this also keeps happening in his Anglican parish. It’s almost like banjoleles are specially by that Greek goddess, what’s her name, Jeeves? Thingummysis? The one who has a nice little breakfast club with the Furies, and then proceeds to lie in wait for you until the very worst moment, when she can spring your sins upon you, like a New York City meter maid giving you a ticket three seconds before you get back to where you parked.
This recording is really not a good example as to how most parishes will sound. Will just wait and see what it really sounds like here in the US after the beginning of advent. Then will see how it sounds with “guitar” music behind it. With a professional choir of course its going to sound nice .
Already, the Gloria is much, much, much better than what we are used to. Deo Gratias!
That was probably the greatest version of “Alleluia, Sing to Jesus” I’ve ever heard! Hmm…I might have to hook up my computer to my surround sound and hear it again.
I love this Mass! I haven’t heard a fully sung non-EF Mass since the early 90s. Hearing the Preface sung always fills me up with happy memories of going to Mass as a little kid, and my dad holding me up on the back of the pew in front so I could watch the priest hold up the host that was so giant to little me.
As for the new translation. Now that I’ve heard it I really don’t see what people are getting so worked up about. Especially in places whining about “consubstantial” when they use the Apostles’ Creed anyway. It seems quite alright to me. I was saddened they didn’t use the Confiteor during this Mass.
let’s face it, no one can do English Liturgy like the Brits do. Such a sense of majesty and awe, plus the new translation is quite good. Happy days are here again, and may they get even better.
Liturgical music is in the blood here in Auld Blighty. At one time, all students learned some type of music theory and were in a choir, not to mention weekly Anglican assembly. The tradition of choirs is absolutely fantastic. One of my godchildren was in the Westminster Cathedral Choir at its peak and his daily regime was severe, but worthy of a minor monastery. In addition, the British populace over a certain age can read and follow directions, and have less political reasons for disobedience. On the whole, the laity are more apt to “believe and follow Father”, than in our American parishes. The younger ones, who are more illiterate, are, sadly, not in Church at all.
This Mass was beautiful,save for The Apostle’s Creed!
My family had the privilege to attend this Mass in Cambridge last Sunday. It was outstandingly beautiful. But what disturbed us, is that to fit the Mass into the radio broadcasting timeline, Holy Communion was distributed AFTER the concluding prayers of the Mass, and after the recessional hymn. Then we the bewildered congregation hastily stepped up for Communion, although quite a number still more bemused or worse, negligent, left after the hymn, without going up to receive Our Lord. Was this even licit, given the projected good of broadcasting the Mass? I do not mean to criticize the priests and congregation, who were most reverent. I just wonder if the Mass can be dismantled like this, for the purposes of (conveniences of) “mass” media. My husband, not the most devout or liturgically interested Catholic, and an accomplished musician, even said he would have preferred a more “ordinary” Mass, had it not been disrupted so.
The goal of Communion is communion with each other, but over all Communion with Our Christ. Even the most beautiful sacred music and liturgy can be a distraction, if our attentions become too absorbed in this. Remember St. John of the Cross chose a simple, unattractive wooden cross to mediate upon, so that he would not be disrupted by the physical beauty of the carving from the true goal of his heart: Union with Our Lord.
Lost in the wilds of Cambridge… (P.S. The Mass we attended the Sunday before at Queens College for the Cambridge Catholic Chaplaincy for students, English, sung, presided over by Fr. Alban, was incredibly beautiful, too.)
That didn’t sound like the new translation for the Opening Prayer (Collect) but rather one of the those “Alternative Opening Prayers” made up by ICEL back in the 1970s. Are those still legal?
So long as the priest/s celebrating Mass receive Communion, ain’t nobody else gotta receive Communion for it to be a Mass. And if the people’s part is worrying you, the priest represents the entire people of God perfectly adequately, even if he’s alone on a desert island, with nobody but himself and Himself. (And yes, he also represents Christ simultaneously “in persona Christi”, much as Christ represents — though He also really IS — God and Man simultaneously.)
So yes, it’s not exactly the desired model for Mass; but having a Communion service right after Mass instead of giving a chance to receive during Mass is perfectly valid and legit, and not an abuse. Given that the purpose was evangelization, folks in Cambridge were being very charitable by accepting inconvenience and worry for the sake of people around the world. (Though it would have been better if the parish had covered this point ahead of time, so people wouldn’t have to worry.)
Re: bemused or negligent
Um… why are you looking to see who goes to Communion? Seriously, no good ever comes of nosing into who’s broken the fast, who’s committed mortal sin, who was busily committing the sin of wrath against their little brothers, who’s not Catholic but just visiting to see the broadcast, and who’s the non-Catholic member of a Catholic family. Also, every Catholic is allowed to use his judgment about his readiness or willingness to receive Christ in Communion, for any reason or no reason. People sometimes even do “eucharistic fasts”, just to make themselves more grateful for the gift; and I’m not really into that, but apparently our little pope thinks the custom worthy of praise if done for good reasons.
I’m not saying that my mom’s old custom of poking us kids to stop us staring at communicants is laudable! But there are times in life when we don’t really know what’s going on with people and shouldn’t really want to know. Pressuring people to go to Communion without knowing their situation — which we can’t, without being their confessor — can push people into committing mortal sin just to blend in.
@Maltese, Thank you for reminding me about Arvo Part. His music is so achingly beautiful. I first heard it one drizzly morning when I was out walking in Seattle. I passed a bar with its doors wide open and this otherworldly music was coming from within. I stood at the doors listening for a moment and then had to go inside. The bartender was polishing his glasses, getting ready to open for lunch. He invited me to sit and listen while he worked. He wrote the artist’s name on a napkin for me, and the music that had brought me in, Part’s Cantus.
Sam, From what i have been told only the Ordinary of the Mass went into effect. The propers will have to wait until the 3rd edition is printed in time for Advent.