Pope’s iPod

By Simon Caldwell

British musicians recorded the classic Irish hymn Sweet Heart of Jesus in a calypso, disco style and sent it to Pope Benedict on an iPod nano.

Pope Benedict might like it or he might become the first pontiff in history to throw an iPod into the rubbish.

The musicians intention, however, was to soften the pope’s attitude toward modern Church music. The gift is from contemporary Catholic songwriters Jo Boyce and Mike Stanley, and it features a new album of classic hymns reworked in modern forms of music, such as gospel, folk, funk, soul and lounge-music styles.

The album, Age to Age, was downloaded on to an iPod and sent to Pope Benedict in the hope of gaining a papal seal of approval.

The move is something of a gamble given that Pope Benedict, an aficionado of classical music, said in 1996 that rock music was not very uplifting for the soul and certainly did not belong in church.

Last year, Pope Benedict said that an authentic updating of sacred music cannot occur except in line with the great tradition of the past.

But the artists see the new album as a chance to demonstrate to Pope Benedict just how good modern church music can be.

“We wanted Pope Benedict to hear how some of the more traditional songs can be interpreted in a contemporary way without doing an injustice to the truth they contain,” said Mike.

Jo added: “There is much talk in Church circles at the moment about the inappropriateness of contemporary instruments like drums and guitars in favour of the more traditional sounds of organ and choir. However, our experience over the last 11 years suggests it need not be an either/or situation, but rather both/and what really matters is the standard of musicianship and the ageless truth it seeks to express.”

Birmingham-based Jo and Mike have also contacted Apple, the manufacturer of iPods and the controller of a large percentage of the international digital music download market, in the hope that it may offer Pope Benedict some free downloads from its online iTunes store.

“We’d be delighted to know that the pope enjoyed our versions of classic hymns. But it got us wondering what he listens to himself. My guess would be classical or choral music, but it would be fascinating to find out what other tunes he would add,” Mike said.

The album, which was released on September 15, features Soul of Saviour, written by Pope John XXII seven centuries ago, and Make Me A Channel, based on the prayer of St Francis of Assisi, both recreated as soul ballads.

How Great Thou Art, written by a Swedish pastor after he was awestruck by a walk in a thunderstorm, is reproduced as a rousing folk duet, along with Be Not Afraid, written by the Jesuit Father Robert Dufford and billed by Jo and Mike as one of the best-loved hymns in the United States.

Pope Benedict is already the owner of an iPod; last year, a group of Vatican Radio employees gave him a device loaded with Vatican Radio programming and classical music.

It included musical compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Frederic Chopin, Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky and Igor Stravinsky.-CNS

– Check out Boyce & Stanley at www.cjmmusic.co.uk