Master of Ceremonies

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"MC" redirects here. For other uses, see MC (disambiguation).

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A Master of Ceremonies or MC (sometimes spelled emcee), sometimes called a compere, is the host of an official public or private staged event or other performance. The MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving. The master of ceremonies sometimes also acts as the protocol officer during an official state function.

[edit] Origins

The term originates from the Catholic Church. The Master of Ceremonies is an official of the Papal Court responsible for the proper and smooth conduct of the elegant and elaborate rituals involving the Pope and the Sacred Liturgy. He may also be an official involved in the proper conduct of protocols and ceremonials involving the Roman Pontiff, the Papal Court, and other dignitaries and potentates. Examples of official liturgical books prescribing the rules and regulations of liturgical celebrations are, "Cæremoniale Romanum" and "Cæremoniale Episcoporum".

The office of the Master of Ceremonies itself is very old. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the most ancient ceremonials and rituals of the Roman Church are the so-called "Ordines Romani". Names of Masters of Ceremonies are known since the late Middle Ages (15th century) and the Renaissance (16th century). However, copies of books prescribing the forms of rituals, rites and customs of pontifical ceremonies are known to have been given to Charles Martel in the 8th century. The rules and rituals themselves are known to have been compiled or written by the pontifical masters of ceremonies whose contents date back to the time of Pope Gelasius I (died 496) with modifications and additions made by Pope Gregory the Great (died 604). It is logically reasonable to assume that the ceremonials themselves pre-date Gelasius I and the origins of the Master of Ceremonies may have developed from the time Emperor Constantine the Great gave the Lateran Palace to the popes (324) or from the time Catholic Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire (380), influenced no doubt by imperial practices, customs and norms. However, documentary evidence from the late Roman period are scarce or lost. The ceremonies and practices of the Byzantine emperors are also known to have influenced the papal court. The accumulation of elaboration and complication since the Renaissance and Baroque were carried well into the 20th century until some of the ceremonies themselves, the court, the rituals and norms were simplified or completely eliminated by Pope Paul VI in the 1970s after Vatican II and most of the Renaissance pomp and ceremony have been almost completely abandoned by the present-day popes.

At a large Catholic church or cathedral, the Master of Ceremonies organizes and rehearses the proceedings and ritual of each mass. He may also have responsibility for the physical security of the place of worship during the liturgy. At major festivities such as Christmas and Easter, when the liturgies are long and complex, the Master of Ceremonies plays a vital role in ensuring that everything runs smoothly.

The current papal Master of Ceremonies is His Excellency Archbishop Piero Marini.

[edit] Adoption in popular culture

In the 1970s and 1980s, the term MC became associated with hip-hop music, and is the traditional title for a person who today is commonly called a rapper. Traditionally, an MC uses rhyming verses, whether pre-written or freestyled, to introduce and praise the DJ he works with, and hype up the crowd. Within hip-hop, "MC" is also a backronym for "Microphone Controller", "Mic Checka", "Music Commentator" and one who "Moves the Crowd".

Uncertainty over the acronym's expansion may be considered evidence for the ubiquity of the acronym: the full "Master of Ceremonies" is very rarely used in the hip hop scene. This confusion prompted the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest to include this statement on their 1993 Midnight Marauders album:

The title 'MC' means 'Master of Ceremonies'. Some people who MC don't know what this term means. Agreed.

Note the use of MC as a verb.

The use of the term MC when referring to a rapper originates from the dance halls of Jamaica. At each event, there would be an announcer or 'Master of Ceremonies' who would introduce the different musical acts and would say a toast in style of a rap, directed at the audience and to the performers. He would also make announcements such as the schedule of other events or advertisements from local sponsors. The term MC continued to be used by the children of women who moved to New York to work as maids in the 1970s. These MCs eventually created a new style of music called hip-hop based on the rapping they used to do in Jamaica. MC has also recently been accepted to refer to all who engineer music.

A "wack" MC is a rapper who lacks talent, integrity, or is in some other way disrespectable as an MC. To be labeled a wack MC is considered very insulting. Wack is a common hip hop slang expression meaning inauthentic or "lame."