Choral Cathedral Music in the Church of England: An examination into the diversity and potential of contemporary choral-writing at the end of the twentieth century

Abstract

In 1964, Erik Routley (1917-1982) published a book entitled Twentieth Century Church Music, an expansive solo debate on the nature and development of contemporary writing for the Church. Routley said, 'this is the beginning of a discussion', yet this remark was to prove ironic: serious criticism of new church music has been minimal since that day, especially within cathedral and high-church circles. However, this is not to say that cathedral music has become static, or that its new repertoire is unworthy of comment. Indeed, in consideration of the wealth of material produced by composers for the Cathedral in recent years, musical assessment following Routley's ideas seems long overdue. Thus, to facilitate an accurate assessment of cathedral music in the present day, the thesis begins by recalling Routley's 'discussion', and detailing the pathway of contemporary cathedral music repertoire over the last thirty-six years. The appendix, the Sacred Choral Music Catalogue, compiled by the author, takes 1965 as its starting point, listing the majority of modem choral cathedral music currently in British circulation to aid the reader's knowledge of the repertoire. Thus, guiding the reader through the diversity associated with contemporary cathedral music, assessing the style and potential of contemporary composers and evaluating the place of the Cathedral in modern-day secular society, the thesis examines the contributions of six composers: Tavener, Part, Harvey, Weir, Swayne and Ridout. It seeks to show that cathedral music continues to thrive, and that despite the age-old conflict between tradition and innovation, the genre remains far from the decline that many have predicted.