THE
P RTAL
October 2016
Page 7
Music at
Westminster Abbey
Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane meet the Director of Music,
James O’Donnell
T
he Abbey is a wonderful place
and steeped in history. We were a
trifle over-awed as we made our way to
James’ study. Yet once settled in our chairs
his “matter of fact” way put us all at ease.
Ronald began by asking about his move
from Westminster Cathedral to the Abbey.
“What happened was, I had been Master
of Music at the Cathedral for about 11
years when I was appointed to the job at
the Abbey. Martin Baker had been running
the Abbey music as Acting Organist
and was then appointed to succeed me
at Westminster Cathedral, so it was a very nice
transfusion up and down Victoria Street.”
Cathedral liturgy when I moved to the Abbey. I didn’t
miss it, exactly, but I certainly noticed that I wasn’t doing
it anymore. I loved it and I’m now doing something
There must be differences between music at the which is, in a different way, equally satisfying. I also
Cathedral and the Abbey? James hesitated before enjoy the great musical variety – the wealth of music
saying, “Yes, I’m hesitating because it’s quite a that has grown up over the centuries in the Anglican
straightforward question on some levels and difficult tradition and is ever increasing. Working at the Abbey
on other levels. The key thing is that the central choral you can play a part in its further development.”
service at Westminster Cathedral, involving the choir
every day, was the Capitular Mass.
Many question the whole idea of “Cathedral style”
music. James addressed the question head-on. “I don’t
“The choir’s participation in that was appropriate to think you can make any bones about it. If you come
the rite of Mass, whereas in most Anglican foundations, to Evensong in a Cathedral or Cathedral-like setting,
including the Abbey, the choir’s main role, by which like the Abbey, you’re going to spend most of that 45
I mean the bulk of its singing, is the Daily Office of minutes listening to the choir singing.
Evensong. So there’s a big difference of emphasis in the
repertoire and there’s quite a big difference in the role
“Fundamentally, therefore, choral music is one of
of the choir.
the mediums through which that Office is celebrated
in that tradition. If you like that idea, find it spiritually
“When you’re singing the Divine Office, you are inspiring or satisfying or interesting, intriguing, or
singing the Psalms and the Canticles. In Mass you’re pleasurable, and that it holds your attention, then
singing the ordinary of the Mass, and of course the that’s great. If you spend your whole time wondering
whole emphasis of the Eucharist is different.
why you are having to listen to this choir singing, then
you’re probably in the wrong place!
“There are big musical differences. At Westminster
Cathedral there’s a wonderful tradition of singing the
“I think there’s room for lots of different approaches
Gregorian chant in Latin, which rather few churches to worship and one of the things I used to find troubling
maintain. I really enjoyed that. At the Abbey we do is this feeling that everybody had to do everything in
sing some Gregorian chant, and although we sing the same way everywhere, all the time. Westminster
some of it in Latin, we do much of it in English.
Cathedral was occasionally criticised for ‘not being
like a Parish’ but I always found this comment rather
“People sometimes ask whether I ‘missed’ the puzzling!