The Sacred Music at Notre Dame initiative and DeBartolo Performing Arts Center will host composer James MacMillan and the Musical Modes of Mary and the Cross at a conference exploring contemporary issues in sacred music from September 13 through 16.  The concert coincides with the liturgical memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, the patroness of the Congregation of Holy Cross, and will feature presentations, discussions, and concerts.

Scottish composer MacMillan has written numerous instrumental, choral and operatic works.  He was commissioned to compose music for Pope Benedict XVI’s 2010 visit to Great Britain.  The conference will include the premiere of MacMillan’s “Cum vidisset Jesus,” which Sacred Music at Notre Dame commissioned him to write for the conference.  MacMillan responds to questions in an email interview with The Rover.

Bellafiore: How did you become involved with sacred music at Notre Dame?
MacMillan: I received an invitation from Margot Fassler, whom I got to know during a visit to Yale some years ago, and Carmen Tellez, who had invited me to Indiana recently.

Your Last Seven Words from the Cross has diverse sounds and emotions.  Who and what influenced this composition?
I have always been interested in the great musical works of the past which told the story of the Crucifixion. There are various ways of doing this, even today. The Seven Last Words is a liturgical form that has largely fallen into disuse. However it is well known through musical approaches from the past by the likes of Schutz and Haydn. I was keen to rediscover the form in my own way.

What is the text of the Cum vidisset Jesus?  Were you asked to set that text?  Does it have personal significance to you?
“Cum vidisset Jesus” is that moment in John’s Gospel when Jesus addresses his mother and his beloved disciple from the Cross. I have set it before, in English, in my own St. John Passion, but Margot Fassler suggested it would be a good text to use for this event at Notre Dame.

Do you have a relationship with the Congregation of Holy Cross?
Not yet! As far as I am aware the Congregation of Holy Cross does not have a presence in the UK, so I am on a journey of discovery.

How has your Roman Catholic faith influenced your composing?
It seems to be there in much of what I do. Most of my music is concert music, and sometimes in abstract forms, but even there the inspiration can be theological and sometimes with an oblique liturgical starting point of some sort, which comes directly from my experience as a Catholic Christian.

In addition to your composing career, you direct music at your parish.  What is the greatest challenge church musicians face today?
Church musicians should respect the heritage and traditions of the liturgy. This means that they should be open to the great treasury of Catholic music and especially the great paradigm of Gregorian chant. This can then inform their authentic choices of music when it comes to newer forms from our own time. These chant forms are perfect for congregations – i.e. the people in the church who are not musical specialists but sing their praises in the liturgy.

You are in the unique position of writing music for both professional musicians and congregations.  Is there a difference in composing for these two groups?
Yes. One has to be respectful of the required simplicity of melodic line that ordinary people need for their sung prayers.

The conference will include a session on congregational singing.  How do you foster congregational singing in your liturgical music?
It has been said that Catholics don’t sing as well as Protestants in church! There may be deep cultural and historical reasons for this. However, the 2nd Vatican Council began a serious enquiry into this phenomenon and the Church has been in the process of trying to improve the situation. Sometimes, we have taken wrong turnings, and sometimes for the most well-meaning reasons. Nevertheless, the doors to greater authenticity, better practice and truer Catholic reflection on these issues have been well and truly opened.

You’ve written in favor of Pope Benedict’s call for a liturgical “reform of the reform” of the Second Vatican Council.  How has this call influenced your work in the liturgy and with liturgical music?
In my own parish in Glasgow I am trying to infuse the liturgy with chant again. This can be done in English as well as Latin and can involve everyone. It is important to stress a) this strategy is NOT elitist, and b) NOT reactionary. I find a couple of American sources very useful – By Flowing Waters and the Simple English Propers by Adam Bartlett, published by Musica Sacra. There is now a new English Graduale Parvum for use in the UK. All these encourage the Church to sing the Propers, which largely does not happen yet.

What role should music and musical beauty have in our culture?
It should be central!

To what are you looking forward for your visit to Notre Dame?
I have always wanted to visit the famous University, and I am excited about meeting old friends and making new ones.

More information on the conference schedule is available at theology.nd.edu/maryandthecross.

Sam Bellafiore is a sophomore studying philosophy and vocal performance.  To friends’ bemusement he maintains a nearly full-hearted and full-throated fascination with Gregorian chant.  Even though e-mail is not a form of chant, you can contact him at sbellafi@nd.edu.