I need to get something off my chest. It’s been a large burden to me for a long time, and I feel like I’d be better off “confessing” it to St. Blog’s Parish rather than keep it inside.
I really love daily Masses with no music. Or very, very simple music. There’s a couple of reasons, but first and foremost – parish musicians, who have responsibility for the quality of the music and for the music selections, tend to not be able to separate themselves from those duties, even at a Mass they are simply participating it. Heck, I was trained to have a critical ear about music and performance at all times. Any trained musician struggles with this at some point: you can’t just sing, play or participate. There’s always a critical ear, whether it’s to style or execution. And if you are looking for communion with God, the last thing you want is to be wondering – why the heck are we singing this schlock? It’s not even the right words for the memorial acclamation. (That very thing happened to me at a Monday evening Mass recently.)
So for those of you who feel like music must be done everywhere, at every Mass, somehow: sometimes music ministers need a break. Our training handicaps us in some ways: if I’m going to strive for quality on Sundays I can’t just turn that off and listen to the congregation howl thru “Let There Be Peace on Earth” on the Monday of the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary time. Every Sunday we are responsible for the organ, the choir, the repertiore, the timing, the tempos: everything that allows Joe Congregant to engage in full and active participation in the liturgy. Sometimes we need a little quiet time where our minds are free from our normal ministry.
A related issue from a singing standpoint: based on my training, I have a very loud voice. I was trained to fill concert halls and opera houses – which means if I’m going to sing “Here I am Lord” during daily Mass and use my normal voice, the people directly in front of me will have their ear wax dislodged in no time. If I try to sing soft or like the folks around me, it can be very uncomfortable. After long periods, it can even hurt my throat. So – if I’m really going to sing in the congregation, I’m happy to have no one in front of me and a few people scattered around me. After all, I don’t want to stick out in the same way that the person who does the Our Father slower than everyone else does…
I’d love to know your thoughts. In the mean time, please understand: daily Mass can be quiet, peaceful and without much music. And music ministers need a little quite time around the Eucharist as well.