NOVEMBER 2022


because it was “bland.” She needed to season “to taste.” My mother was not the only Black mother to engage in this practice. Black people do this, as well, with music we adapt and adopt from outside our community. We need to “season it to taste.” Tis is not to say that other music beyond our own is bland. Rather, in order for it to suit our purposes, we need it to sound like us so that we can enter into it more authentically. We need to make it ours. I recently adapted a piece by Marty Haugen that I would consider a classic: “Shepherd Me, O God.” (See forthcoming G-10804.) It’s a great piece and stands on its own merits. When I performed it at the NPM 2022 Convention, I just felt like I needed to make it my own, and so I adapted it to fit my own musical personality and expression. In effect, I “blackened” it.


Te How


How do we incorporate music from the African American experience into the liturgy? Begin by consulting Black Catholic sources that are available. Your primary source should be the only Black Catholic hymnal available, Lead Me, Guide Me, Second Edition, published by GIA Publications, Inc. Te hymnal has multiple indices inclusive of topical, liturgical, scripture reference, and service music, among others. Tese can be invaluable as you plan music for the liturgy. Your second resource is the In Spirit and Truth octavo series, also published by GIA. In Spirit and Truth focuses on music that is relevant to the Black Catholic community in ethos, style, and musical expression. Also realize that Black Catholics are not limited in expression to gospel music or spirituals. We are not monolithic. Te African American Church Music Series published by GIA is another resource. Tis series is not geared toward the Catholic community, but it can be a valuable resource for identifying music by Black composers of multiple genres. Currently, GIA publishes the only Black Catholic hymnal, the only choral series that highlights the music of African American and Black Catholics, and has branched out to collaborate with Black Protestants in a significant way. Teir actions and their track record speak volumes regarding their support of the Black and Black Catholic community. Tey were one of the few publishers nationally to speak out in


support of the Black Lives Matter movement when George Floyd was killed in May 2020. “Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).


In selecting music for use in the liturgy, be sure to not only consider its “blackness,” but also do not overlook the three judgments as articulated in Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship. Consider what is appropriate for the liturgy, just as you would for any music. Simply add the cultural lens to your discernment process. Other resources you may consider for Black music include websites that promote Black composers who write in the Western classical tradition. A few are: Music by Black Composers musicbyblackcomposers. org; All Classical, Portland, and their article “Nineteen Black Composers You Should Know” allclassical.org/ nineteen-black-composers-you-should-know/; and an article by Dr. Marques L. A. Garrett, titled “Beyond Elijah Rock: Non-Idiomatic Classical Music of Black Composers,” available for free download at nafme.org/ wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Non-Idiomatic-Choral- Music-of-Black-Composers-Handout_Marques-L-A- Garrett.pdf.


Consider being intentional about programming spirituals for use in the liturgy, either as music for the assembly (congregational settings found in Lead Me, Guide Me) or concert settings for the choir. I encourage you when selecting arranged spirituals to privilege those arrangements by Black composers. Tese arrangements are more likely to be authentic in nature


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“Equity and justice involve amplifying source voices that exist within the culture, rather than privileging voices outside the culture that speak for the community.”


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