c. 1998 Religion News Service
HARTFORD, Conn. _ Last March, a crowd of several hundred people packed the pews of St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church in Hartford for a concert by the choral group CONCORA.
The music _ most of it slow-moving, ethereal pieces by such 20th-century “mystical” composers as Arvo Part and Henryk Gorecki _ seemed to resonate from every surface of the sanctuary, almost physically enveloping the audience. After the last note had sounded, many in the audience remained in their seats for a time, as if needing an extra moment or two to absorb it all.
It was a memorable experience, even for veteran concertgoers.
But it may not be repeated anytime soon.
St. Patrick-St. Anthony, like all 222 parishes of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford, has been forbidden to present any concerts at which admission is charged, whether by ticket or even a specified suggested donation.
The policy _ drafted two years ago but only now being vigorously enforced _ has been communicated in a directive from Archbishop Daniel A. Cronin, whose archdiocese comprises the Connecticut counties of Hartford, New Haven and Litchfield.
The directive stipulates that any collection of money can only be done through a freewill offering _ passing the plate after the audience is seated.
Effectively, this means most large-scale concerts such as CONCORA’s can no longer take place at these churches, many of which have a long history of concert presentation. And because suitable alternative spaces are scarce in the area, many of the events simply will not happen.
If the directive is strictly adhered to, among the concerts affected will be those of the Hartford Symphony, as well as performances by touring choirs and soloists.
The economics are straightforward: Church music directors and organists say a freewill offering typically produces one-third or less of the revenue brought in by a reasonably priced ticket or suggested donation. Because most of these concerts _ which can cost thousands of dollars to put on _ can only recoup much of their expense through earned income, freewill arrangements are unworkable.
The policy is causing confusion and, in some quarters, resentment, both within and outside the church.
“I think it’s a great loss for the community, and for everyone who loves this music,” said Richard Coffey, artistic director of CONCORA and music director of South Congregational Church in New Britain, Conn.
Other area church musicians agree.
“It’s such a shame,” said Christa Rakich, music director at St. Justin’s Church in Hartford, a Catholic parish that has a distinguished tradition of concert-giving. “Like many of these churches, St. Justin’s is a gorgeous and ideal place for these kinds of performances. It’s a great treasure of the city, and concerts there really have helped nurture the bond between church and town. It’s so unfortunate.”
CONCORA and its audience have already felt the effects of the directive.
After several years of presenting an annual fall concert with selected area high school choristers at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hartford _ itself a magnificent and reverberant Catholic sanctuary seating about 1,000 _ CONCORA was obliged to move the event in 1997. The only space the group could find was the considerably smaller, acoustically inert auditorium of Rocky Hill High School.
CONCORA also has been forced to quit the St. Thomas Seminary chapel in Bloomfield, where for several years it presented an annual series of Christmas concerts. This Christmas season, those concerts were held in Protestant churches. As grateful for the new spaces as he is, Coffey said he would much rather have stayed in the three Catholic sanctuaries.
“I’ve been in hundreds of churches, and to me, those three sanctuaries can literally claim to have some of the most splendid acoustics in the world,”Coffey said.”In strictly musical terms, it would be hard to find anything their equal, not just in the region but anywhere on Earth.” The controversial directive was drafted by the archdiocese’s committee for divine worship, with Cronin’s approval. But it did not become a point of contention until now because it was not enforced.
The directive is based on a 1987 Vatican letter concerning the use of Catholic churches for functions other than worship.
“That letter addresses how the sacred character of a church must be preserved,” said the Rev. Joseph Ginty, chancellor of the Hartford archdiocese and director of the committee for divine worship.
Ginty, who is also secretary to Cronin, said he speaks for the archbishop on the issue and the archbishop would not comment.
The relevant portion of the Vatican letter says local church officials “can specify (that) entrance to the Church … be without payment and open to all.”
A responding statement published in 1988 by the Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians interpreted the “aim of the letter” as intending to “provide access to everyone, regardless of ability to pay.”
In the Hartford archdiocese, priests and musicians say people unable to pay have always been allowed to enter any church event, including concerts.
Why this new, more narrow reading of a decade-old document?
“The bishop is the chief liturgist of the archdiocese, and in this case Bishop Cronin has been conscious to ensure the sacredness of these churches,” said Ginty. “He has the right and obligation to do that. And where this matter is involved, there are no exceptions.”
Ginty said the directive is not intended to prevent the presentation of concerts in churches.
“It means that they must now get sponsors or others to underwrite the costs,” he said.”They would need to raise the money by other means.”
But presenters and church musicians say this is unrealistic, in part because most arts funders require evidence of substantial earned income.
The policy is also at odds with customary practice outside this archdiocese.
“I am not aware of any other bishop in the country having taken so strict a stand on this point,” said the Rev. Virgil Funk, president of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, a Washington, D.C.-based organization of Catholic church musicians. “It certainly is out of step with what is happening generally in church music.”
Indeed, some of the country’s most eminent Catholic churches boast important _ and expanding _ concert programs.
“God gave us the gift of music, and making music in `His’ house is an appropriate thing to do,” said John-Michael Caprio, director of music and choirmaster at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. The cathedral sponsors several large-scale concert series; admission is charged at each, with space set aside for those who cannot pay.
“These concerts are central to the life of the church,” Caprio said. “But I could never put these concerts on with a freewill offering.”
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The use of churches as concert halls goes back centuries. Indeed, some of the most important sacred choral works in the repertoire were originally commissioned by and first performed in the church.
If there has been a point of contention, it has tended to be repertoire: What music is suitable for sacred spaces, and what is not?
Though most church musicians accept at least the idea of giving concerts in church, there are those who do not.
“I am one of those who thinks it’s important to maintain the separateness of a sanctuary,” said Nicholas Renouf, director of music at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven. “I realize this is an unusual position these days, almost eccentric. But to me, a church is not a concert hall. It seems entirely wrong.”
In the present controversy, the question of repertoire has not been much of an issue.
“There were a few instances where the church was being used for speaking engagements, or secular plays,” said Ginty. But in terms of musical performances, Ginty said he was not aware of any widespread abuses.
Paradoxically, the local directive comes at a time when many churches _ Catholic and otherwise _ are specifically using music as a means of attracting new members, solidifying relations with their communities, or simply preserving and promulgating the vast body of sacred classical music.
Among the devices available for fostering church growth, music is often cited as the most effective.
“I don’t think we should ever see music in the church as a problem,” said Caprio. “I think we should always see it as a great opportunity.”
IR END METCALF
