A gentleman wrote me this evening with a plea for help. I was flattered that he would ask my advice, but I assured him that any answer I gave him would be highly subjective and blissfully untouched by practical experience. So I turn it over to you folks to help this man, who we will call the “On-Deck Director.” Read his message, which was edited to protect his identity:
I will try to be concise. Our parish has had different types of music at each Mass for as long as I can remember. The [morning] group is the aging folkies (not that there’s anything wrong with that). The [evening] group is the rockin’ teenagers. The [mid-morning] group, of which I am a member, is the “some semblance of tradition and absence of triteness” choir.
We’ve been using the Collegeville hymnal for quite a few years now. We also sing various pieces of sacred music at the Offertory each week. For a long time, we were pretty good – about 30 members, sang things like “Ave Verum Corpus” and Handel and other sacred music written before 1960. Over time, however, we have lost more than half of our members due to death, sickness, old age, moving out of town, and leaving for a different parish (a huge can of worms I will not open at this juncture). We now have a group of 6-10 women, and we do our best each week. We have an AMAZING organist. We can’t get more choir members to save our lives. No man wants to join what he perceives to be a women’s choir. So, there is the background sketch.
Well, apparently, our pastor of a little over a year has been telling various people that the music at our Mass is a disaster. We sing hymns unfamiliar to the congregation (i.e., not “Here I Am, Lord,” every single Sunday). The organ isn’t loud enough. The singers aren’t miked. The organ should be incredibly loud, and the singers should be miked, because this will make the congregation sing, since they won’t have to worry about anyone hearing them. And we need to sing different music.
I fear it is about to be legislated that 1. our director will be fired and 2. we will have to sing from the Gather hymnal. If our director quits, and our pastor even decides it’s a worthy expenditure to fill the vacancy, I’ll most likely be the new director. What on earth do I do?
How do I start to educate myself about liturgical music? What’s a good “compromise hymnal?” Simple, sacred music that the congregation might not know, but can learn. What’s Taize? How do I learn chant? What’s shape-singing? Help! What would your “five steps to learning enough about the liturgy and sacred music to save our Mass from guitars and pablum” be?
I enjoy your blog…
Blessings,
On-Deck Director
OD Director, the first thing I would say is to confront the Pastor as a group. Many times I have experienced “rumors” like these which did not, in fact, come from the Pastor, but from those trying to influence him. Having the entire choir tell him how important it is to them might have the effect of slowing down the Folk train.
But to prepare for the worst, the Web is a marvelous source of knowledge. Read up on any subject imaginable – I have personally learned all about the new ICEL, the GIRM, the USCCB, and lots of other areas just by searching for Catholic sites and topics.
Don’t give up! More people sympathize with you and appreciate the kind of music you sing than you know!
Thanks! Sadly, this is no rumor. :( Horse’s mouth.
I appreciate any and all advice!!!
This looks like a case for the ever-diplomatic John Schultz!
John? Where are you?
By the way, some quick answers to the miscellaneous questions:
A good “compromise hymnal”: in my opinion, “Worship” from GIA (preferably “Worship II” rather than the newer one, as it has fewer p.c. changes to the hymns); but Collegeville’s probably better.
Taize is the name of an ecumenical monastery in France that produced some pleasant multi-lingual songs, often with Latin refrains. They’re OK for big crowd events but they’re rather simple and repetitive.
The “accidental choir director”‘s blog has info on learning chant, including a proposed program for learning chant repertoire in a series of phases.
“Shape-note singing” refers to early American hymnals (late 1700s-early 1800s) in which the musical notes were printed with heads of various shapes, some round, some triangular, etc., as a learning device. I don’t find the note-shapes helpful, but some people do. There are groups around the country where people meet to sing these fine hymns just for fun. Do a Google search, and you’ll find more info.
If I may be the devil’s advocate here… I’m in a parish where the music is excruciating and no one sings. The music director works with the pastor and chooses hymns every week that connect with the readings, but not with the people. They are rarely familiar, although he chooses a range of styles from old Latin hymns (which I love BTW) to the post-60’s drivel. The trouble is many, many of these selections are not very singable, especially when led by his operatic voice. I can tell that this man is taking great care in his selections, but he is out of touch with the people in the pew. This also applies for his selections for the regular sung prayers (Gloria, Amen, Etc.) They are very elaborate arrangements. The people are supposed to sing, and the job of the music director, it seems to me, is to facillitate that. If the choices you make do not resonate with the community then you’re not doing the job, no matter how beautiful the music is that you produce.
Good luck to you! I can’t think of a more thankless job.
God bless,
Regina
The book “Why Catholics Can’t Sing” by Thomas Day, although a little towards the fringe at times, is overall a good summary of why the things your pastor wants to do are exactly what will not result in better participation at the parish. Highly recommended.
Dear OD Director, Music in the english speaking church is a disaster and one of the main reasons is the Gather and Glory & Praise hymnals. The music is seventies oriented and, therefore, the spirituality is 70’s oriented. I cannot tell you how much of a disaster it would be for the spirituality of the parish if the pastor goes that route. However, if that is his choice, it is best for you to find a another parish anyway.
Unfortunately, he is going to make the disastrous decision of so many before him. Not only is the music bad, the hymnals become a permanent fixture so the music in the church stays bad for decades. Some songs are good. But how many churches during this trying time are thoughtlessly singing One Bread, One Body when in fact we are neither.
Before you go to your next parish, check out what the Iberoamerican Communities do. If possible translate some of their music into English and bring that gift to your next place.
I suggest that you pick up an Anglican 1940 hymnal and search in your hymnal for the songs that are in common. The anglican hymns are eminently singable and in good keys for the average congregation.
I also suggest that you consider ‘raiding’ the folk group for voices. Some of them might actually appreciate a chance to sing something different for a change, to say nothing of being able to sleep in a little later on Sunday. You might also ask to speak to the High School and Middle School CCD/youth group and ask if any of the ‘kids’ want a chance to learn more traditional music especially if you try to do 4 part harmony. You might be surprised at kids that want to do this but thought that they were ‘too young’.
Try to sing at least one ‘old chestnut’ of a hymn every Sunday preferably during the middle of Mass (ie not entrance or recessional) so that the come late, leave early types will have less to complain about. Some of the hymns in the Adoremus hymnal might be appropriate. Lift High the Cross, one of the many sets of words to the tune Hyfrodol, the hymns listed in the Magnificat periodical, etc. Golden Oldies, not the moldy oldies of the 70s.
We’ll be praying for you.
Hey there – busy day today but I will post tonite!
From the Recovering Choir Director
Stylistic compromise, substantial integrity?
This discussion seeks to prescind from arguments about which musical styles are superior, and focus rather on more fundamental questions: Why have the prescribed texts for sacred music (i.e. the antipho…
I overheard (oops) someone talking about this yesterday.. and perhaps someone can expand on it..
But they were talking about Pius X and what he has written about sacred music? A certain someone who has brought awful music into our parish is now studying Pius X and themusic has gotten so uplifting and really reflects the Glory given to God.
We use the OCP music issue and amidst all the dreck there is actually some good music, including, amazingly enough, all the Mass parts in chant (except the Credo).
Chances are your pastor isn’t going to want to change hymnals though, it’s usually quite expensive to do so and most pastors would rather spend the money elsewhere.
OD Director,
Pray much.
I invite you to read my weblog. Take advantage of my study on the General Instruction of the Roman Missal as it pertains to music, but with the full understanding that an immediate implementation without the pastor’s blessing may do more harm than good.
The chant proposal as mentioned above by RC is a good resource that includes relevant MP3s and sheet music.
I’d invite you to read my entire site from the beginning, but it doesn’t sound like you have too much time.
thoughts about liturgy and music
One of the wonderful things about the internet is that one has the opportunity to interact with all sorts of folks. I’m on an email list that is primarily supposed to discuss the Pope’s Theology of the Body, but often…