The Diocesan Music Ministry team is led by Diocesan Director of Music, Steven Maxson, who is also Director of Music at St Mary’s Cathedral.
The Diocesan Choir is formed of singers from across the Diocese, with some coming Bridlington, Hull, Middlesbrough, Scarborough, York as well as some who live just outside the Diocese, but who have links with the Diocese. The choir is non-auditioning and sings primarily for Diocesan liturgies such as Rite of Election and Chrism Mass. The choir rehearses monthly in York and membership is free. New members are always welcome. If you would like to try us out, please contact Steven by emailing musicdept@rcdmidd.org.uk or by telephoning (01642) 850505, extension 266.
We have a YouTube channel, which includes a variety of resources for parishes, clergy, schools, as well as developing tutorials and repertoire suggestions for organists at different levels. If there is something which you would like to see on the YouTube channel, particularly so in the way of training videos, please contact Steven by emailing musicdept@rcdmidd.org.uk or by telephoning (01642) 850505, extension 266.
Useful Links
Liturgy Office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference
Organisations supporting liturgical musicians
The National Network of Pastoral Musicians
The Royal School of Church Music
Choosing appropriate music for the Mass
There are guides for music appropriate for particular Sundays in the indices of most of the popular hymn books. In addition, the following resources may be found to be useful:
Downloadable liturgy planner from Decani Music (the publishers of Laudate, although music resources are taken from all of the well-known hymnals and elsewhere)
Cantica Nova liturgical planning guides (freely available online, described by them as “traditional music for the contemporary church”)
Members of The Society of St Gregory can access the liturgy planner in their Music and Liturgy magazine.
Members of The Royal School of Church Music have online and printed access to their Sunday by Sunday publication.
Responsorial Psalms
The new lectionary, introduce on Advent Sunday 2024, has implications for responsorial psalms, and there is a short article to introduce some of the changes, here. The following resources are available for the new lectionary and translation:
Steven Maxson composes psalms for weekly use at the cathedral and these may be freely used across the Diocese (once the necessary Concordat has been issued). This remains a work in progress, but Steven aims to have these ready a month or so in advance. If you would like to join other parishes in using these resources, please contact Steven as above. Rehearsal recordings of some of these psalms will be released over time in this playlist.
McCrimmon have long published two sets of responsorial psalms, and both are available for pre-order, being revised for the new lectionary. The Revised Psalter, edited by Paul Inwood, can be pre-ordered by clicking here.
Sing Psalms Simply, has also been revised by John Ainslie, and is available to order by clicking here; this is available both as a cantor and guitar version, and as a keyboard version.
The Catholic Truth Society is publishing a complete setting of the psalms as part of their resources for the New Lectionary. This publication, Psalms for All Seasons, is available by clicking here.
Daniel Justin, Director of Music of St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, having previously held positions at Leeds and Norwich Cathedrals in this country, is a fine composer with a keen understanding of the liturgy. He has published a set of resources for the new lectionary, which are available by clicking here.
Martin Foster is well known to liturgists and liturgical musicians and is in the process of updating his own collection of psalms for the New Lectionary. Some are already available and more will be added as he received permission. They are freely available here.
There is also a website containing psalms for download from a range of different composers. This Music for Liturgy Online site now has psalms to purchase, with more being added as soon as each composer receives their Concordat. The website is available by clicking here.
The Clifton Psalter has been revised for the new lectionary by Christopher Walker, sometime Director of Music at Clifton Cathedral and well known as a liturgical composer. The Year C psalms are now available with further information available by clicking here.
Psalms and Canticles for Sundays and Feasts for Year C composed by Deborah J Aitchison are now available for purchase as a published book at this link.
Information about the New Lectionary is available on the relevant page on the website for the Liturgy Office of England and Wales, by clicking here.
If you would like Steven to work with your parish musicians or congregation on the use of responsorial psalms, please contact him, as above.
Organ Music
We are blessed with many talented musicians who enhance the music ministry of our parishes week by week. Some who play the organ do so as pianists, and so would welcome simpler organ music, with little if any use of the pedals.
There is a wonderful volume of short and simple organ pieces, most of which can be played without use of the pedals, and many of which are based upon the traditional Gregorian chants of the Church. This can be downloaded and used freely within Roman Catholic parishes.
Many publishers of organ music publish volumes of music for manuals only. For example, Kevin Mayhew publishes 72 separate volumes of manual organ music!
If you would like Steven to work with your parish musicians on the use of the organ, please contact him, as above. In addition, you might like to visit our dedicated playlist of resources for organists on YouTube.
Liturgical Recordings
We have a number of recordings of liturgical music prepared by Tim Harrison whilst he was Diocesan Director of Music. While it is always preferable for music to be performed and led live, there may be circumstances where this is impossible. If use of these recordings would be helpful, please contact Steven, as above. As an example of what is available, here is a recording of Hail, Queen of heaven.
National Schools’ Singing Programme
The National Schools’ Singing Programme is based upon the Programme which has been pioneered by the Diocese of Leeds for many years, enhancing the musical provision for children in Catholic state schools. Our own Diocesan Schools’ Singing Programme began in October 2020, and our Choral Directors now see approximately 1300 children in schools in three of our four Diocesan Deaneries, from Marske to York. Whole-class singing sessions are delivered, following a carefully structured and sequenced curriculum, which delivers most of the National Curriculum for music, and the majority of the National Plan for Music Education, making use of the voice which all children have: their voice! Children sing a wide range of music covering over 1000 years of musical history, from around the world, including both sacred and secular repertoire. They learn to read music notation in an incremental and structured way, as a natural part of the lesson, learning to read notation by singing it. The sessions support the Catholic life of the school, reflecting key moments in the liturgical year, and supporting schools with their school and parish liturgies. Children are sign-posted to liturgical choirs and singing opportunities: the Programme is unashamedly evangelistic. As part of the Programme, there are opportunities for schools to participate in sung liturgies, whether in their own parishes, or together at the Cathedral or, over time, in other churches across the Diocese.
The aim is to expand the Programme over time, eventually making it available to all Catholic schools in the Diocese. If you are a in a School or Parish and would like to discuss bringing the Programme to your school, please contact musicdept@rcdmidd.org.uk or telephone 01642 850505 (extension 265 or 266).