A favor, please about music

[Cat]

We have a wonderful priest who usually chants “The Lord Be With You, and also with you. Lift your hearts to the Lord.”

And the congregation attempts to respond in kind, with chant.

The first two phrases are not too bad.

But when we get to the third phrase–“We lift them up to the Lord,” it sounds dreadful. So weak and wimpy and cacaphonic and just awful. I don’t know the notes and apparently neither does anyone else.

I’ve tried listening to the cantor (when present) or other people around me, but it’s obvious they all have “Catholic Disease” and don’t know how to sing and/or don’t know or don’t remember the melody.

I’ve looked in our hymnal, but can’t find anything written out.

It’s very frustrating. I find myself wishing that the priest would just not bother, since it’s completely distracting to have this complete break in the flow of the Mass.

I think this respone is one of those things that is just traditional, but apparently most people living today in our parish have never been exposed to this tradition on a regular basis so they don’t know what to do.

Would anyone please be able to sketch out the notes (melody line) to this response and post it in this thread? I will copy it and then use it whenever this priest says Mass. Perhaps if one person actually knows the actual notes and is willing to sing out, all the other people will be cured of “Catholic Disease” and start singing, too.

Thanks a million!

 

[The_Old_Medic]

This is something that your director of Music and Liturgy should be addressing.

In my Parish, if a new piece of Liturgical Music is introduced, we generally practice it before the Mass.

We have one Priest that can not carry a tune in a bucket (his singing is truly dreadful, he has a totally tin ear). He tries to chant, where appropriate, but can’t even follow the piano accompaniment. That’s OK, we love him anyway. As he says, “God does not make everyone with the same ability to sing”.

Our pastor on the other hand is a wonderful singer. He trained in Rome, and learned to truly sing the various forms of Chant.

Bring this up to whoever is in charge of your music. If necessary, volunteer yourself, learn the music, and become a Cantor and teach the people.

Sometimes the answer to a problem is to become involved yourself, and to help solve it.

 

[TheMc]

We have a wonderful priest who usually chants “The Lord Be With You, and also with you. Lift your hearts to the Lord.”

And the congregation attempts to respond in kind, with chant.

The first two phrases are not too bad.

But when we get to the third phrase–“We lift them up to the Lord,” it sounds dreadful. So weak and wimpy and cacaphonic and just awful. I don’t know the notes and apparently neither does anyone else.

I’ve tried listening to the cantor (when present) or other people around me, but it’s obvious they all have “Catholic Disease” and don’t know how to sing and/or don’t know or don’t remember the melody.

I’ve looked in our hymnal, but can’t find anything written out.

It’s very frustrating. I find myself wishing that the priest would just not bother, since it’s completely distracting to have this complete break in the flow of the Mass.

I think this respone is one of those things that is just traditional, but apparently most people living today in our parish have never been exposed to this tradition on a regular basis so they don’t know what to do.

Would anyone please be able to sketch out the notes (melody line) to this response and post it in this thread? I will copy it and then use it whenever this priest says Mass. Perhaps if one person actually knows the actual notes and is willing to sing out, all the other people will be cured of “Catholic Disease” and start singing, too.

Thanks a million!

Here’s the preface dialog that I notated. I envy you! Our parish has awesome music, but we almost never sing this, but it’s so easy! I’ve uploaded one for you, you could even print it out for people!

 

[MarkThompson]

Here’s the preface dialog that I notated. I envy you! Our parish has awesome music, but we almost never sing this, but it’s so easy! I’ve uploaded one for you, you could even print it out for people!

Your last line isn’t what I’m familiar with, for the priest’s part at least. I would have had, for the syllables “Let us give thanks to the Lo-ord”, C B A B B B G-A.

Maybe I’ve just always heard it wrong?

 

[TheMc]

Your last line isn’t what I’m familiar with, for the priest’s part at least. I would have had, for the syllables “Let us give thanks to the Lo-ord”, C B A B B B G-A.

Maybe I’ve just always heard it wrong?

Nope. You’re right. I was just notated this based on ear and memory. Since I hadn’t heard it for a while, I was a little rusty with it. I had thought something was weird with that phrase, I just couldn’t figure it out…

Corrected version attached…

 

[Cat]

Nope. You’re right. I was just notated this based on ear and memory. Since I hadn’t heard it for a while, I was a little rusty with it. I had thought something was weird with that phrase, I just couldn’t figure it out…

Corrected version attached…

Thanks so much. This is just what I was looking for. I really appreciate your work.

Next time this priest says Mass, I will use this, and then afterwards, ask him if perhaps it can be copied and distributed in the pews for all the people like me who were not raised with this stuff and have no clue whatsoever.

I’m guessing that after the Mass, others sitting around me will ask me where I got the music!

BTW, The Old Medic, this priest has a magnificent voice and I think that the Lord’s Heart melts with pleasure when He hears Father sing/pray! I, on the other hand, play piano very well, and I can sing on pitch and correctly. But I do not have a pleasant voice and I think that cantoring is definitely out of the question if we want the parish to continue to thrive. But now that I have the music, I can perhaps become “part of the solution” if the pastor and liturgical director can come up with an appropriate action plan.

 

[Kolbelover]

Mark…MC… good work!

carry on…

 

[SMHW]

Thanks so much. This is just what I was looking for. I really appreciate your work.

Next time this priest says Mass, I will use this, and then afterwards, ask him if perhaps it can be copied and distributed in the pews for all the people like me who were not raised with this stuff and have no clue whatsoever.

I’m guessing that after the Mass, others sitting around me will ask me where I got the music!

BTW, The Old Medic, this priest has a magnificent voice and I think that the Lord’s Heart melts with pleasure when He hears Father sing/pray! I, on the other hand, play piano very well, and I can sing on pitch and correctly. But I do not have a pleasant voice and I think that cantoring is definitely out of the question if we want the parish to continue to thrive. But now that I have the music, I can perhaps become “part of the solution” if the pastor and liturgical director can come up with an appropriate action plan.

Hi Cat. Just some advice from someone in a parish where we actually sing this fairly well.

A lot of Catholics *think *they (kind of) know how to sing/chant this. But many of them have heard it done incorrectly. And too many Catholics (including cantors) start off below the pitch and keep right on dropping…

It really does help if you have a cantor lead this, at least until the people are comfortable with it. I know you don’t want to be put into that role but if you can push to at least lead the people with the pitch that would be fantastic.

 

[Cat]

Hi Cat. Just some advice from someone in a parish where we actually sing this fairly well.

A lot of Catholics *think *they (kind of) know how to sing/chant this. But many of them have heard it done incorrectly. And too many Catholics (including cantors) start off below the pitch and keep right on dropping…

It really does help if you have a cantor lead this, at least until the people are comfortable with it. I know you don’t want to be put into that role but if you can push to at least lead the people with the pitch that would be fantastic.

I agree with you;. The Mass this morning was a school Mass, but there was a lovely children’s choir singing. I’m going to suggest that the choir director teach the choir the responses and then they can lead the congregation.

 

[TheMc]

I agree with you;. The Mass this morning was a school Mass, but there was a lovely children’s choir singing. I’m going to suggest that the choir director teach the choir the responses and then they can lead the congregation.

Good idea! At my homeschool’s group first Friday Mass, we have a schola, and one of the main things they do is leading the congregation in the ordinary of the mass.