Christmas carol services

By way of a seasonal post, I note an exchange of columns and correspondence in the Times over the singing of carols by those of uncertain or professedly no faith. It began with a column by Libby Purves, and generated a reply from David Aaronovitch and some correspondence. It revolves around Richard Dawkins' recent comments about his general willingness to join in singing of carols, despite his (presumable) rejection of the words.

The debate became somewhat sidetracked by the matter of sections of the well-known carols which are without biblical basis - 'the little Lord Jesus no crying he makes', or the snow lying about, deep and crisp and even. What I find more interesting is the continuing currency of this 'cultural Christianity'. I can see that carol singing in schools or other non-church venues can be straightforward communal singing for its own sake, rather akin to that at football matches. What would be very interesting would be to tease out the path the parish carol service or Midnight Mass has taken over the last fifty years. In my own experience, the carol service is often treated in a quite unique fashion to the rest of the year's worship, with the 'regulars' often choosing a different service. They seem to have elements of local social fixture, reunion, entertainment, and nostalgia, as well as perhaps (as Purves suggests) the leaving-open of a door to God, whoever He may be. I wonder when it is that these services cease to be part of the usual liturgical round, and become 'guest' services.

Benedict XVI and Catholic church music

Rather belated, but I notice some interesting reactions to the Pope's recent pronouncements on music in the Vatican chapel, and its broader implications for Roman Catholic music in this country. See the Telegraph article on the Pope, plus Damian Thompson's response and similar comments in his Telegraph blog: (1), (2), and (3), with attendant discussion.

Geoffrey Beaumont's 'Folk Mass'

A splendid article by Arnold Hunt in this week's Church Times on the fiftieth anniversary of a BBC TV broadcast of this piece. It is very revealing about both the planning of and the reaction to the broadcast, using sources in the BBC Archives.
I am bound to add that there is more material on the background to reactions to the Mass, and its ongoing notoriety amongst sections of the musical and church-musical press, in Ian's and my article in Studies in Church History 42 (2006) pp.429-41, and also in our piece in Redefining Christian Britain (particularly pp.52-54).

Chad Varah

Several obituaries have appeared for Chad Varah, founder of the Samaritans and rector of St Stephen Walbrook in the City of London. Of interest for this blog was his involvement in the controversial Henry Moore altar for St Stephen's. There is some information about the altar on the church's own site, and it is discussed by Roger Berthoud in his biography of Moore.

Obituaries have appeared in the Guardian, Times and Telegraph.

Who owns the Authorised Version ?

Simon Heffer makes a very interesting comment in passing in a review of a new book by Roy Strong on country churches. (Literary Review , Oct 2007, p.45-6). Surprised by Strong's 'pronounced lack of conservatism' when considering the development of Anglican worship, he continues:
"It is all too often left to atheists like [Heffer] to seek to uphold the beauty of the 1662 Prayer Book and the King James Bible, while believers like Strong argue for progress."
Historically, Heffer is, I think, quite right. Whilst there were during the period of liturgical revision in the 1960s and 1970s plenty of conservatives within the church, there was much agitation against the new rites amongst those professing no faith at all, and without any connection with the Church of England, except in the broadest sense of having been born to it.

What is less clear is whether this is as odd a state of affairs as Heffer seems to imply. What is at stake is the idea of a national church, and whether the Church of England had a 'duty' to preserve the 1662 and the AV 'for the nation', whether or not they served the contemporary purpose of the church as a living, worshipping body of individuals. There are arguments to be had about whether the new liturgies and biblical translation are as beautiful as language (probably not), and whether beautiful language is fundamental to worship (rather than merely desirable for some worshippers in some times and places). There is also an argument that continuity in forms of worship (beautiful or otherwise) is important to the church's sense of itself in time (see earlier post on Rowan Williams).

There is, however, some way to go yet to establish from those arguments that the 'preservation' of these texts requires their continued 'vicarious' use (in Grace Davie's sense) by the Church on behalf of those who don't attend the services for which the texts were composed. Historic churches will fall down if not maintained, but do the AV and the 1662 not remain beautiful in the library ?

William Empson against the Christians

A fascinating review by Eric Griffiths in the TLS of the second volume of John Haffenden's biography of Empson. This is at the very edge of my reading to date, but I was fascinated by the picture drawn of Empson's visceral loathing of Christianity, and his crusade (not my word) in the 1950s against "the sick new literary orthodoxy of neo-Christianity". All sorts of very interesting questions arise about the place of Christian themes in the fiction of the period; who these new Christian gatekeepers were, and precisely to what degree Empson thought Christian conviction was simply objectionable in itself, or whether such conviction on the part of the author compromised the work itself.

William Morris and 'skills'

An interesting exchange in the New Statesman, with Conservative MP John Hayes using the current debate over the future of the William Morris museum in London as an example of Labour's failing 'skills agenda', and to argue that it is the Conservatives who are the "true guardians of Morris' legacy." See also the subsequent, rather incredulous letter in reply on November 8th.

Paul Roche

At the risk of turning this blog into a round-up of recent obituaries, I note the passing of the poet and novelist Paul Roche. Perhaps his chief interest in this connection was his long relationship with Duncan Grant, and in particular his appearance in Grant's controversial 1958 mural in Lincoln cathedral. Obituaries have appeared in the Telegraph and Independent. An account of the murals is given by Edward Mayor, The Duncant Grant Murals in Lincoln cathedral (Lincoln, 2001), including a reminiscence by Roche himself, available direct from the cathedral

Reading Camus in Salford

The October issue of Prospect has this column by Paul Lay about the atmosphere surrounding "the young working-class intellectual" in the late 70s and early 80s. He makes an interesting point about the Christian imagery in Ian Curtis' lyrics for Joy Division, and suggests (probably correctly) that "Curtis' generation was among the last to be brought up in Britain where religious language was ubiquitous, transmitted through school assemblies, religious studies classes, and the shared landmarks of baptisms, wedding and funerals".
I'm interested by this point, since much discussion of the religion-pop connection in that period has tended to regard pop as an autonomous, religiously neutral phenomenon, which the churches could domesticate for their own use, injecting Christian themes into a vacant 'container'. In contrast, Lay's point suggests that fruitful research might be done on what happens to the lyrics of the more self-consciously intelligent pop of the period, and to identify when it is that access is lost to this "vocabulary of transcendence", as Lay puts it.

If.. and the Missa Luba

Courtesy of the free Film Four, I watched Lindsay Anderson's 1968 public school rebellion film If.. a few days ago, and was intrigued by the use of music. Of course, the oppressed boys in the school sing hymns en masse. What was more interesting was the music used at the points at which Malcolm McDowell is most 'free': not the Beatles or the Stones, or any of the 'rebellious' music of the period. Instead, the music that recurs is the Missa Luba: a recording of Congolese children singing the Mass (in this case the Sanctus). Not only does this occur as incidental music, but Mick (McDowell) has a recording of it, which he plays in his room.

I'm intrigued by this, as hitherto I've found no trace of the Missa Luba in any of the literature on church music of the period. Granted, it wasn't published until 1969, and so it couldn't yet be proposed for use in British churches. Nonetheless, I'm still surprised that a piece, integral to a controversial (indeed X-rated) film, and which had a single release in 1965, excited no comment at all, especially given the sheer diversity of experimentation with forms of music for worship at the time.

I realise that there is a substantial body of film criticism about If.., , with which I've yet to engage. I would be very intrigued to know if anyone knows more of the reception of the Mass. Did anyone out there buy it, and what did they think ? At least one person did - whilst in seminary in the 1960s.

Wikipedia, always invaluable for matters like this, has articles both on the film and on the mass. The sleeve notes for the original single release may be found here.

Ursula Vaughan Williams

I note the passing of Ursula Vaughan Williams, poet, and RVW's second wife, aide and biographer. Obituaries have appeared in the Times, Telegraph and Guardian.

Henry Moore's mothers and children at Kew

Have recently been to the excellent exhibition of Henry Moore outdoor works at Kew Gardens, and was struck by the preponderance of the Mother and Child in his work. He described it as one of his ‘inexhaustible subjects’ and there are two examples on show at Kew, both from the 1980s, and splendidly documented in the catalogue. I was reminded of his most explicit piece of religious art, the ‘Madonna and Child’ for Walter Hussey at St. Matthew’s Northampton (1943-4) and a later piece for the church at Claydon in Suffolk.

My thoughts have come to this interaction between ‘secular’ mother-and-child figures and Christianised representations of Christ and Mary whilst preparing an article on war memorials after 1945. Jay Winter usefully pointed out the use of the mother weeping over a fallen (adult) son in memorials after 1918, and the Claydon figure was explicitly glossed at the time (by Hussey) as being a memorial figure. There is also an Epstein mother and son figure, made for the TUC Congress House HQ in London.

Part of my ongoing project on memorials ought probably to look for other examples, as perhaps the very ambiguity of the mother/Madonna relationship made it the most accessible of all the ‘big’ Christian themes for an artist on the fringes of the church to take up. As Moore put it (to Hussey): ‘I think it is only through our art that we artists can come to understand your theology.’ (Hussey, Patron of Art p.24.)

Should anyone be interested, the war memorials article should appear next year in the Forum for Modern Language Studies. Some of Moore’s own thoughts on the difference between a religious and secular mother and child were printed in Wilkinson (ed.), Henry Moore. Writings and Conversations 213, 267-8

Ugliness

Was very struck by two pieces in the October issue of The Ecologist. One feature gathered together a 'Grumpy Old Men' series of comments on all that is ugly in modern life. Some of these were not really aesthetic objections, but more about symbolism - bike lanes as symbolic of wrong-headed transport policy, intensive farming showing that we are ‘a long way from civilisation.’ etc. I was rather more interested in those comments about the battlefield chic of the Hummer, or boxy supermarket buildings, because they seem to me to indicate a connection being made between cultural ‘healthiness’ and beauty/ugliness in the arts and design.
The earlier column in the same issue by ‘Cassandra’ (‘The architecture of life’) made the linkage explicit: beauty is produced when a culture is ‘living in harmony with the purposes for which God evoked the universe.’ He asks then ‘what has died in the human soul that our collective consciousness no longer soars, but wallows in swamps of mediocrity ?’ He recalls the medieval cathedrals as an example of the integration he recommends, and contrasts them with ugly school buildings and chaotic urban design; the products of ‘the first ugly civilization.’
From a historical point of view, I find this particularly interesting, as it seems to be part of a recovery of a much older rhetoric of ‘malfunctioning society = ugly art/architecture’, which was very prevalent in the earlier part of the 20th century. Cassandra mentions William Morris and Ruskin, but the feeling persisted. During the planning for reconstruction after 1945, there was a consciousness, at least among clergy, that unless the reconstruction of society was first and foremost a inward, moral one, then ugly buildings and art would be the inevitable outward result.
Where I think things are less clear, and need more research, is what happened to this integral conception of ‘national spirit’ and culture as the century went on. One contributor notes the problem that to call anything ugly is a value judgment, and thus not ‘politically correct.’ That fracture of shared criteria of artistic judgement must have some bearing, but there remains much work to be done on the subject. When and how did such a loss of confidence in judgement occur ? Did this rhetoric disappear entirely, or was it simply obscured, or channelled in other directions ?

Anthony Padgett vs Tate Modern

I note with interest a case coming before an employment tribunal on November 16th. The artist Anthony Padgett argues that Tate Modern, despite being a publicly funded gallery, predominantly selects work by artists critical of Christianity, and has unfairly refused over a number of years to commission Padgett himself. The Guardian picked up the story last week, and there is substantial material about the case provided on Padgett's own site.

I find this one rather puzzling. It may well be the case that there is a preponderance of anti-religious art being produced. It may also be the case that galleries show more critical work than is proportionate (although it very much remains to be demonstrated). There is certainly a propensity amongst many Christians to see active anti-Christian bias when there is merely indifference to what is a minority faith.
It seems to me, though, that the Tate is charged to select the work which it thinks is most vital, interesting, and "the best" (however that might be determined.) I'm no critic, but it may be that the decision-makers simply don't regard Padgett's work as interesting enough to commission. If it is the case that most of the "best" art is critical of religion, then perhaps that simply represents where our culture is at. Instead of relying on diversity law, perhaps Christian artists need to produce work that is compelling enough to hold attention on its own merits. After all, there is no shortage of "religious" music being commissioned from composers like John Tavener and receiving the attention of the critical establishment on even terms. We don't hear many complaints about systematic anti-religious bias there.

Football, hymns and funerals

The Guardian report on the funeral of Rhys Jones, the boy murdered in Liverpool last month, spent some time on the use of music. It was interesting in that it showed the re-embedding of pieces of music in new contexts, in three different ways. The playing of the Z-Cars theme (a terrace anthem at Everton, of whom he was a fan) on the organ, is in one sense relatively conventional - the use of a favourite piece of secular music at a funeral, and one which many of those present would previously have sung at Goodison Park. Also quite usual was the choice of hymns which he probably sang at school. Most interesting, I thought, was 'Abide with me' - a hymn of the nineteenth century, translated many years ago into use at the Cup Final, and now transferred back into church again.

Evangelicals and the arts

Following from my earlier post about a recent lecture on music at the St Paul's Theological Centre, an interesting story picked up by the online Guardian about recent ventures in evangelical engagement with the visual arts in the US, under the headline 'Evangelicals start push in the arts'. It is interesting both in itself, and for the fact that the Guardian picked the story up.

The abstract and the figurative in stained glass

Not very British, but I note a dispute over a new window in Cologne cathedral, being of an abstract, non-representational style, by Gerhard Richter. The Times reports opposition from the cardinal of Cologne, as well as some suggestion of the design being 'too Islamic' (because it eschews representation), which strikes me as something of a red herring in this context.

Stephen Bicknell

I note the Telegraph obituary of Stephen Bicknell, organ builder and historian. His most famous work is his history of the English organ, for CUP in 1996, which is still perhaps the most authoritative single-volume study.

Worship, language and the 'family history'

While reading Alana Harris's exploration of changes in language, and the arguments about maintaining tradition (in Redefining Christian Britain), I was reminded of part of Rowan Williams's recent Why study the past ?. I reviewed it a while back (for the Christianity and History Forum Bulletin), an extract of which reads:

"Williams sees the task of engaging with the past as one not purely of historical empathy for its own sake, but as a form of understanding and engaging with one’s fellow Christians in a way as necessary and as profound as cross-cultural and ecumenical conversation in the present. [....] Ever mindful of a constant and profound tension between the strangeness of the past and its urgency as our ‘family history’, it is the case that ‘our immersion in the ways in which they responded becomes part of the way we actually hear the call ourselves …’ (p.31) This leads Williams to a brief, yet to this reviewer, profoundly important, consideration of the degree to which the worship and conversation of the churches should embody languages and visible practices that both act as symbols of contemporary unity and enable a continuing ‘conversation’ with Christians of previous generations."

I'm sure there's a lot here that might help us understand conservative reactions to liturgical change in the 1960s and 1970s. Although it is rarely expressed in quite these terms, perhaps part of the opposition to the sidelining of the Book of Common Prayer is to do with a sense that some means of cross-generational communication is being lost. It puts the arguments about the Book of Common Prayer being part of a 'linguistic heritage' into a new light - it is quite easy to read these appeals to 'save the language of Shakespeare' purely as aesthetic arguments, or as more secular appeals to a national cultural inheritance.

Eric Gill at Ditchling

There is a very interesting exhibition at the Ditchling Museum in Sussex, on the time Gill spent in this small (and rather idyllic) Sussex village. It includes various pieces of Gill's work, sketches, models and letters, as well as exploring Ditchling connections with others including David Jones and the engraver Joseph Cribb. The exhibition itself is not huge, but when viewed alongside the museum's permanent exhibits relating to the subject, it is well worth a visit. There is, I understand, a catalogue in production, which should be ready in the autumn.

Redefining Christian Britain

I've recently received a copy of a new book: Redefining Christian Britain. Post 1945 perspectives, edited by Garnett, Grimley, Harris, Whyte and Williams. It is a very interesting collection of essays which together explore some different conceptual frameworks in which to consider the transformation of Christian Britain. From the point of view of the arts, there are five pieces of particular interest:

• Bernice Martin on Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy
• George Pattison on the visual arts
• William Whyte on church building
• Alana Harris on changes in liturgical language, and
• (and here's the advertising), Ian Jones' and my own piece on the idea of authenticity in music for worship.

SCM Press have very helpfully provided a PDF version of the Introduction which helps to place the overall intent of the book in relation to trends in the literature on the period.

Wesley the musical

The Guardian recently included an obituary of the actor Gordon Gostelow, principally known for a number of TV and film roles. He also took the lead in Ride ! Ride !, a musical about John Wesley, which was first produced in 1976. Whilst I knew about the churches producing works for their own use, this had a successful run at the Westminster Theatre. I shall try to find out a little more about how it was received, as I think this cross-over of religious work into the mainstream theatre would probably bear further work.

Callum Brown on twentieth-century Britain

There are some interesting points made by Callum Brown in his Religion and Society.. book of 2006 about the motivating factors behind the adoption of 'pop' music by the churches in the 1960s. See my review of it, and his response (both of which discuss music) at Reviews in History.

The emotional power of music

The St Paul's Theological Centre, part of Holy Trinity Brompton, have just released a sound recording of their annual lecture. Given by James Steven, it addresses the emotional power of music in worship, and whether this is something to be feared. I've yet to listen to it, but it is another example of the debates going on within the contemporary Christian music scene, and, I think, a sign of increased self-awareness within the scene as a whole (difficult to imagine the same debate happening amongst evangelicals in 1970, say).

The churches and the theatre

A question occurs to me whilst reading a review of a play (The Christ of Coldharbour Lane at the Soho Theatre): what is the current narrative of the-churches-and-theatre ? It seems that there is a great deal of commentary (and some academic work) on the positions relating to church music, and a growing interest (since the 1980s) in the visual arts, but rather less on the theatre. The churches have used drama amongst themselves very creatively, both within congregations and as a mission tool, but I wonder what happened to the treatment of Christian symbols and ideas within art theatre outside the churches ? We know a bit about clerical objections to the moral behaviour of characters in plays, but there must be a broader story to be told about how the secular theatre handles religious themes. Any pointers to relevant literature would be very welcome.

John Tavener's latest

Interesting note from Stephen Bates in today's Guardian, on Tavener's new piece The Beautiful Names, due to premiere at Westminster Cathedral this week. Apparently a meditation on the names of Allah, it has caused quite a stir, judging by next week's Catholic Herald. A little too early to judge the piece, of course, but a surprising (at least to me) move from Tavener's usual work. All sorts of interesting questions arise, to do with the nature of this type of 'sacred' music, which is produced primarily outside church patronage. It should come as no surprise that it is the location of the premiere, rather than the principle of the piece, that seems to have caused the stir. I shall keep a look-out for further developments.

Theology and the arts: welcome

Just a few words about the scope of this new blog. My purpose is to provide a space in which to share information about the relationship between Christian theology and the arts in Britain since 1945. My own research interests are as an historian, particularly of the period up until 1980, and particularly in music. However, this space may well be used as a forum for debate about present-day artistic thought and practice, since it is informed by the past at every turn. The kind of things I have in mind are:

• notices and reports of events, seminars and conferences in the general field
• news of recent publications, in print and online. I have been involved for several years with a colleague, Dr Ian Jones (Director of the Saltley Trust) in investigating the adoption of popular music by the churches, and so news of this will likely appear here
• appeals for information, and attempts to begin discussions of topics so far neglected
• other things germane to the topic that catch my eye.

This is an area with a relatively under-developed presence in the 'blogosphere' so far, and so comments are enabled and very welcome.

[April 2008: Since beginning this blog, I found that there were enough issues that arose in my mind to merit another blog, with a wider scope - see Christianity, law and culture in Britain since 1945

New blog under construction

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