Are folk groups acolytes of the Dark Lord?

I would like to start this post by clarifying exactly what I mean by folk groups. I am not referring to folk musicians who are professionals. I am, however, referring to music groups who play in church.  I am also throwing into this pit of despond choirs. Church choirs span a huge spectrum of ability and talent. These range from the virtually professional choirs through to those where they are the only people in the parish community who would do it but don’t really have the vocal ability to do the job.

I can hear some of you reaching for your keyboards with steam coming from your ears. You are probably saying something along the lines of ‘Stop downplaying the importance of these people. They contribute greatly to the spiritual life of the community’.

I do not deny the faith or otherwise of these people merely their musical talent. Those of you who read these pages  occasionally will know that I am Catholic with Buddhist tendencies. Within the Catholic church folk groups and parish choirs really started to appear in the 1970s. My sister played in one. Billy Connolly used to refer to the people who played as ‘having Czechoslovakian guitars’.  When I lived in Huddersfield there was one Mass I dreaded going to. It was the Sunday evening Mass known locally as the ‘happy clappy’. We were always led to believe that the folk groups and choirs were there to aid the liturgical process and lead the singing. This particular folk group seemed to think that this involved the following:-

1       1.      Playing songs that weren’t in the hymnal

2       2.      Playing songs that were in the hymnal but to tunes that nobody else knew

3       3.      Generally taking over proceedings to the extent that not even the priest joined in

They acted like they were a rock band on stage the only thing missing from the performance were shouts “Huddersfield you’ve been a fantastic audience and we’ll see you soon!!” These groups blithely assume that people wish to worship in the way that they dictate.

In the same parish there was a director of music who spent a great deal of time and energy creating a choir which aided the liturgy. Within the Catholic church though there is a current trend to sing everything. I am sure they would sing the newsletter if they thought anybody would listen. This gets away from the beauty of what is the ‘Low Mass’.

I am not now , never have been and in all likelihood, never will be a happy clappy type. I don’t like being told that I should clap during prayer. I like simplicity. The other problem with choirs and folk groups is that they discourage universality. If you have the misfortune to stumble upon a Mass in a church which you have never visited before you probably won’t know what the hell is going on if you get one of these groups.

In an episode of the television series Babylon 5 called ‘And The Rock Cried No Hiding Place’ a group of religious leaders meet together on the station. A Pentecostal leader delivers the line ‘Make a joyful noise to the Lord’. One of his contemporaries retorts ‘I’ve heard you sing. It is anything but joyful’.

If you are going to join a choir it should at least be a basic standard that you can carry a note. If you can then fine because as the group develops a place will be found for your voice. The church where I grew up applied this principle. They had a very good musician leading the group who over time took the group and developed them and that development has continued. Whilst it was not of the calibre of the group in Huddersfield at least it is better than what we have in my current parish which is an excellent organist and half a dozen people with weak voices. In addition they are not conifdent singers which adds to the pain.

When done well these groups can add to the spiritual experience of the community but too often they are more caught up in proclaiming ‘Look at me’ and turning people off. One of the nicest Masses I have attended recently was in my old hometown. I arrived and picked up a hymnal and was told ‘You won’t need that it’s too early for singing’.