Church Music Conference Held in Northwest Texas
Diocesan Press Service. October 3, 1974 [74268]
AMARILLO, Tex. -- A search for musical compositions for use in Episcopal worship services has been launched by the Church's Standing Commission on Church Music.
Meeting with diocesan liturgical chairmen and music chairmen from 65 dioceses, members of the commission invited submission of both hymns and service music for consideration for inclusion in future publications.
During the Sept. 23-27 meeting at the Conference Center of the Diocese of Northwest Texas, conferees heard and sang new and unpublished hymns as well as selections from the "Red Book," nickname for Songs for Liturgy and More Hymns and Spiritual Songs.
The 119 conferees also heard rock versions of the new music -- to the accompaniment of an electric guitar, drums, electric piano and electric bass guitar.
Another cycle of songs was auditioned to the accompaniment of recorded electronic sounds.
With Dr. Alec Wyton of New York, coordinator of the Standing Commission on Church Music, diocesan representatives worried about getting the word out to the parishes and missions of the innovations in church music.
To solve some practical -- financial and legal -- problems, the commission members explained that an arrangement is being made to sell sheet music to churches at about a nickel a page. Some diocesan representatives said their churches could not afford to buy the new Red Book, yet they acknowledged possible copyright violation in the photocopying of sheet music.
In addition to securing low-price copies of sheet music, the commission is working on a series of three-day workshops to be held in six geographical regions of the United States during the summer of 1975.
Another project is the preparation of a workshop kit for use by diocesan music chairmen on visits to small parishes and missions.
Attending the Amarillo conference -- and singing out during the three daily worship services -- were Dr. Wyton, Jack Noble White of Mobile, Ala., Dr. Robert Finster of Denver, the Rev. Marion J. Hatchett of Sewanee, Tenn., James H. Litton of Princeton, N.J., and the Rev. Norman C. Mealy of Berkeley, Calif.
It was Father Mealy who answered a complaint about "how hard it is to sing new music" with "Yes -- but remember there was a time when ' Onward, Christian Soldiers ' was new music. "