Ad In Catholic Herald

[Peter Clark]

The current issue of The Catholic Herald carries an advert for a company called Hymn Technologies offering one of those computerised hymn playing gizmos, which it describes as "the ultimate worship music solution". Adding insult to injury it heads this advert with the strap line "No organist? No musicians?"

 

Really, what can be done about this? It would be irresponsible of me to suggest that members call the company on their freefone number to complain about such insensitivity. The freefone number is 0800 043 0503.

 

Peter

[nachthorn]

I suppose it's only an extension of the mentality amongst some church circles that prefixes anything 'pop' with the word 'worship' (worship song, worship band, worship music etc.) thus implying that non-pop music is not worship and therefore undesirable. Howells' Gloucester Service is worship music, but you'd never hear it described as such. It's only one step on to knock off the word 'worship' again, and then song, music, band, musicians all automatically imply 'pop' music.

 

Mind you, "No organist? No band?" would have done the job without displaying such casual ignorance.

 

Perhaps this advert could be brought to the attention of Damian Thompson (the editor in chief) who certainly seems to have sympathy with traditional music and liturgy. Maybe that would carry some weight with the company concerned.

 

The current issue of The Catholic Herald carries an advert for a company called Hymn Technologies offering one of those computerised hymn playing gizmos, which it describes as "the ultimate worship music solution". Adding insult to injury it heads this advert with the strap line "No organist? No musicians?"

 

Really, what can be done about this? It would be irresponsible of me to suggest that members call the company on their freefone number to complain about such insensitivity. The freefone number is 0800 043 0503.

 

Peter