Monday 3 May 2010

Berenike relays the good news for Scots

James MacMillan is writing a setting of the new translation of the Mass for the Papal Mass in Scotland.

Lucky them.

I hope B&H publish it quickly too,, so that it takes hold before anything err iffy takes hold.

Maybe we are returing to times when the best composers write for the Church. We are just lucky that James MacM is a Catholic.

UPDATE also from Berenike

The Scottish Catholic Observer can exclusively reveal that it is this new translation of the Roman Missal that renowned Scottish composer James MacMillan is now setting to music for the Papal visit. His arrangement will be used when Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Mass at Bellahouston on September 16, an exciting first for Scotland, and again when the Holy Father beatifies Cardinal John Henry Newman later in his visit
.

A good plan, methinks.

3 comments:

Dominic Mary said...

However good James MacMillan's Mass setting is - and I'm sure it will be splendid - I'm afraid I'd still rather have chant for the Beatification !

leutgeb said...

Maybe music is being written for the Beatification, I know not.

Being purely utilitarian however, having a Mass setting by Britain's (Scotland's!) best living Catholic composer using the new translation, before that translation comes into use in Parishes and having it sung at two massive Masses is to quote '1066 and all that,' a good thing.

Dominic Mary said...

Oh; absolutely 'a good thing' - I hope I didn't appear to be suggesting otherwise; anything by MacMillan will, I'm sure, be a great treasure for the Church in the future.

I was just having a 'reactionary moment' ! ;-)