Peter Gunstone
Page 286 | 2025
Abstract
The Archbishops’ Commission on Racial Justice examined the potential for broadening cultural expression within the liturgy. The idea of incorporating other ‘musicks’ can be challenging for exponents of the English Choral Tradition. The cultural gap between the so called ‘popular’ and ‘classical’ musical traditions is sometimes a repellent, rather than an attraction. Furthermore, the ongoing challenge of maintaining our distinctive and precious choral tradition means that cathedral musicians may have little capacity to do the cross-cultural work of exploring, understanding, and then arranging the musicks of other emerging cultural traditions in a way that is accessible for the inherited culture of our choirs and appropriate to the context. Why should cathedrals be interested in exploring and engaging with the musicks of other worshipping traditions? What is their current practice? What are some possible developments?
