Maybe this has come up before and I missed it (I’m new in town), but is anyone out there playing whistle in liturgical music? I keep waiting for the Celtic Alleluia to sound Celtic. (The pipe organ just ain’t cutting it.)
And do any of my fellow R.C.'s have any suggestions for liturgical tunes that sound pretty good on whistle?
We had quite a thread on this topic awhile back with lots of suggestions. As soon as I can locate it…I will post it if somebody else doesn’t in the mean time. Gm
I found it! If you go to search and type in Church Music under subject on the Poststructural Whistle Board…dkehoe was the author of this thread and the date was 10-05-01. There’s 3 pages on that thread.
If that doesn’t answer your question…just ask again and we’ll try to help. Gm
Although a former keyboard and guitar player, since WHOA struck 16 months ago, I now play whistle and Low Whistle in main choir at St. Gregory’s. Typical instumentation is 2 12-strings, bass guitar, drum set, Yamaha Clavinova,and me with assorte whistles, about 10 vocalists. I use my WaterWeasel to back up the vocals on the Celtic Alleluia (Gather #117). I play unison first round and harmony after that. It sounds terrific, and Celtic, IMHO. Our CHurch, in fat our whole Diocese, is rapidly moving towards including more whistle into liturgical music. I may be playing whistle as part of World Youth Day events down the road from us in Toronto next summer. My Choir Director (she’s a professional flute teacher) is fascinated with my introduction of the whistle and encouraging me to play any of my whistles to any of our liturgical music (we share the guideline understanding that music should support the Mass celebration, and not be a performance distraction). I usually use my waterWeasel, because of its great sound and good breakthrough volume. I have no special miking. I use my Clarke tweaked for quieter breathier sound requirements (reflection songs), and the Low Whistle to back up Psalms and others that seem suitable. I end up using a whistle on about 50% or more of our liturgical music. Our 2 parish priests and the congregation have reacted positively and supportively.
A follow up thought on whistle in Catholic liturgy. During a Wedding Mass at a neighbouring Church 2 weeks ago, I played keyboard and whistle with a guitarist/vocalist.
We played what is described as an old Celtic tune “Bride & Bridegroom”, and I played first and last verse solo on my Waterweasel Eb, and harmony/fill during the remainder behind the vocalist (who played guitar with Capo 1). This was first time I’d ever played this song, as my musical partner just found the song the week before in some David Haas collection of wedding music. It was one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever played at any wedding. Many heads turned to the Choirloft at the lively whistle intro (I hope for all the right reasons), and even my wife (who doesn’t fully share my passion for whistle sounds) told us after our practice session that this song was the best wedding song we’ve ever played. So, the whistle was introduced/re-introduced in Catholic wedding Mass in our area. The French priest, and the Bride’s irish family especially appreciated the whistle inclusion, and we’ll probably use “Bride & Bridegroom” a lot (probably during signing of register), as the words are beautiful and focus on God’s blessing of the marital sacrament and the relationship of all involved.
Bob ~ do you have a clue where I might find the score for Celtic Alleluia and Bride & Bridegroom? They sound wonderful. Gm
Thanks to one an all. A huge help.
On 2001-11-15 18:34, Grannymouse wrote:
Bob ~ do you have a clue where I might find the score for Celtic Alleluia and Bride & Bridegroom? They sound wonderful. Gm
I’m not Bob nor do I know about Bride & Bridegroom, but you can find ordering information for the whole Celtic Mass and .au file samples of many parts, including the Alleluia, at Oregon Catholic Press’s web page for it:
http://www.ocp.org/catalog/collection/celtic-mass/celtic-mass.html
The Celtic Alleluia by itself (without the rest of the Mass setting) is also in Gather Comprehensive from GIA, # 258, and is probably in other hymnals too.
That was the Alleluia we used for many years at our parish and the music director at the time would strike a triangle at certain strategic points in the melody. Our toaster oven’s “done” bell sounds very much like the church triangle, so when it goes off we often start up a round of “Alleluia! Alleluia!” in the kitchen.
John
Granny mouse
I will look up details of the David Haas & his collaborator sheet music at home tonight and post on the weekend, but I did inadvertently cite the wrong title, its actually “Bridegroom & Bride”, not the reverse.
Many thanks, Bob… and John…I will check out that site …thanx Gm
Although not as active in Musical Ministry as we once were, have at times contributed to various services with whistle (usually Clarke “C”) and / or fife & open-holed Irish flute in low “G”, doing old Hymns or Gospel tunes. These are usually solos, and a bit out of the “mainstream” of our Church’s tradition, but they are quite ecclectic and open when it comes to music. Feedback so far has been positive.
I suppose as American Baptists we can’t really call it “Liturgical”, can we?
the last such music I played was at the shore of a New Hampshire lake recently, fairly early in the Morning; A Mother duck and her two juviniles came over to listen from the opposite end of the lake, as a pair of beaver had done for the previous Evening’s concert. That was about it for the “Congregation”; good enough for me, I reckon.
“Bridegroom and Bride” aka “God in the Planning” loosely based on John 2:2 (Cana)
Irish Traditional
Arranged by David Haas and Marty Haugen
copyrighted G.I.A. Publications,Inc Chicago
http://giamusic.com
song aparently from Haas workbook “When Love Is Found…Music for Weddings”, available from GIA, one of Catholic community’s largest music publishers
relying on reasonable excerpt/review exemption from copyright, one of verses reads
“Praise then the Maker, the Spirit, the Son
Source of the love through which two are made one
God’s is the glory, the goodness, and grace
Seen in this marriage and known in this place.”
Playing the whistle is appropriate on most church tunes in the R.C. liturgy. I did it for over 10 years. Once you’ve got the melody, do that “playing around” the melody that we whistlefolk are so fond of doing. And the rewards are that people will come up to you and say that they got more from the service and not ask you what the “tin horn” is that you’re playing. Best tunes? All of them. It will force you to buy whistles in the odd keys, which is wonderful too.
Good luck.