Do you like the Our Father and Glory to God, sung or recited?

[whatevergirl]

I prefer them recited. Does your parish sing them, and what do you prefer? I wish that the mass would go back to some its traditional tenets. The singing is very beautiful, but I think that some people are not comfortable singing, so they don’t sing…

When I have attended weekly masses, the prayers are all recited. It seems that there is greater participation that way.

I don’t know, but it seems like the music ministry at my parish, has practically taken over the mass. Really can’t hear anyone singing most of the time–but them.

Are we there to be entertained, or to worship and pray?:ehh: sigh When did the music become such a focal point of mass? Again, it sounds beautiful, but it seems to be taking away from the intent of mass, when nearly every prayer and responsorial psalm is sung.

Just curious as to your thoughts.

 

[rwoehmke]

I have been told that in very early times all of the Mass was sung including the scripture readings. Certainly the Psalms, the Gloria and Creed and other prayers like Kyrie, Sanctus, etc. were usually sung at the TLM High Mass. In the TLM low Mass everything was recited.

Personally I prefer the singing mode, even though people chose not to participate. Now by sung, I do not mean hoot-t-nany style, but rather what I think would be called plain chant which is not all that hard to sing.

 

[whatevergirl]

I have been told that in very early times all of the Mass was sung including the scripture readings. Certainly the Psalms, the Gloria and Creed and other prayers like Kyrie, Sanctus, etc. were usually sung at the TLM High Mass. In the TLM low Mass everything was recited.

Personally I prefer the singing mode, even though people chose not to participate. Now by sung, I do not mean hoot-t-nany style, but rather what I think would be called plain chant which is not all that hard to sing.

That’s a great point, about ‘how’ to sing it. Frankly, if we chanted it more, I wouldn’t mind. But, it changes from week to week…some lines sung twice/three times over again, before proceeding…it’s like, what is the point of all these changes every week? It throws people off, and then you end up not singing it…and just the choir is singing. I read that too, that during the days of the early Church…much of the mass was sung.

 

[DixitDominus]

I prefer the Oratio dominica and Doxologia maior to be recited by the celebrating priest while being chanted by the chior and people.

 

[notsmart]

The church I go recites the Our Father. Come to think of it, so does the one I attend once and a while. I guess I would have to be there to know how I would feel about it.

 

[puzzleannie]

what really irks me, esp when we travel, is that almost never to parishes, cantor, bulletin, wallboard etc. announce which version of Gloria, Sanctus etc we are using. most of them are in the hymnal or missalette, but we can’t follow along, because we don’t know what page

 

[whatevergirl]

what really irks me, esp when we travel, is that almost never to parishes, cantor, bulletin, wallboard etc. announce which version of Gloria, Sanctus etc we are using. most of them are in the hymnal or missalette, but we can’t follow along, because we don’t know what page

THANK YOU–EXACTLY. This happens every Sunday at our parish. Now, if we attend the teen mass, we know what to do. But, we rarely go to morning Sunday masses anymore, but chose to today, because my husband is off from work, and doesn’t like the teen mass all that much. So…here we go again–they just begin singing, and you have no idea how to follow along. I caught on after a while, but it just bugs me.

What is very interesting, is when we have a visiting priest from another parish within our Diocese, he does not like singing much. That is when we recite the Our Father, and Gloria…it’s great. (to me it is) lol He is in his late 70’s I believe, and you can just tell he is not into all the modern music bells and whistles during mass.

 

[turtle18]

I don’t think the Our Father should ever be sung; maybe chanted but not sung; It is a prayer to be recited from the heart. It becomes laborious for most of the congregation to sing it. I don’t think a lot of music ministers realize how truamatic it is for the majortiy of the congregation to sing. I am not a singer but it takes so much concentration for me to focus on music notes and being in key that it becomes a chore to sing & then I start to lose focus on the prayer. In many cases, it makes it harder for me to worship.

The Gloria is so beautiful. I love to sing it. I love to recite it. Sometimes our priest skips even saying it at the Sunday Mass and it makes me sad. The problem with singing the Gloria is that some of the arrangements are so bad they detract from the beauty of the prayer. (And I don’t mean the cantor leading the song–I mean the actual musical arrangement.) I love music and while I am not trained in it professionally, I still wonder why so many of these awful musical scores get chosen to be sung during the Mass. Even to my amateur ear, I can tell the piece is really quite awful. Most music directors are highly trained professionals and I wonder why they chose such muck. Most of the time there is no cantor or organist in the world who can make a bad song sound good. And it seems about 50-60% of the time, the Gloria falls in this category.

 

[whatevergirl]

I don’t think the Our Father should ever be sung; maybe chanted but not sung; It is a prayer to be recited from the heart. It becomes laborious for most of the congregation to sing it. I don’t think a lot of music ministers realize how truamatic it is for the majortiy of the congregation to sing. I am not a singer but it takes so much concentration for me to focus on music notes and being in key that it becomes a chore to sing & then I start to lose focus on the prayer. In many cases, it makes it harder for me to worship.

The Gloria is so beautiful. I love to sing it. I love to recite it. Sometimes our priest skips even saying it at the Sunday Mass and it makes me sad. The problem with singing the Gloria is that some of the arrangements are so bad they detract from the beauty of the prayer. (And I don’t mean the cantor leading the song–I mean the actual musical arrangement.) I love music and while I am not trained in it professionally, I still wonder why so many of these awful musical scores get chosen to be sung during the Mass. Even to my amateur ear, I can tell the piece is really quite awful. Most music directors are highly trained professionals and I wonder why they chose such muck. Most of the time there is no cantor or organist in the world who can make a bad song sound good. And it seems about 50-60% of the time, the Gloria falls in this category.

You hit the nail on the head, as well. I think that I’m focusing on the singing elements, rather than the context, although it’s a prayer I have recited/sung since I can remember when, and I understand it. But, how about those in your midst, who don’t know the words by heart, or who don’t fully understand the meaning, and the music minister is slurring words together…choosing a different version each week to be sung–I find that doing such things, makes it rather confusing for the parish to understand and keep up. Which is why I don’t hear them singing much, just the choir/music minister. The Our Father, thank heavens…they do not do this with.

I really like Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world…sung. At the teen mass, I sometimes feel I am among angels…the teen choir have BEAUTIFUL, angelic voices. The men sound like monks with their deep Gregorian chant voices. I don’t mind listening to just them, at times.

But, overall…I really wish if the Gloria is sung, just pick one version and stay with it.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I prefer them recited. Does your parish sing them, and what do you prefer? I wish that the mass would go back to some its traditional tenets. The singing is very beautiful, but I think that some people are not comfortable singing, so they don’t sing…

When I have attended weekly masses, the prayers are all recited. It seems that there is greater participation that way.

I don’t know, but it seems like the music ministry at my parish, has practically taken over the mass. Really can’t hear anyone singing most of the time–but them.

Are we there to be entertained, or to worship and pray?:ehh: sigh When did the music become such a focal point of mass? Again, it sounds beautiful, but it seems to be taking away from the intent of mass, when nearly every prayer and responsorial psalm is sung.

Just curious as to your thoughts.

Chanting or singing the Our Father is good as long as one takes care not to include the priests part of the Doxology. The laity are strictly prohibited from saying or singing any priestly prayers.

 

[SMHW]

I personally prefer to not to sing the Our Father, with the exception of occasionally chanting it.

But reciting the Gloria rather than singing it just seems unnatural. It seems kind of like reciting one’s national anthem just because not everyone is capable of singing it well.

 

[Phemie]

The Gloria is meant to be sung – I find it most difficult to ‘say’, it’s awkward, like saying the national anthem or ‘Happy Birthday’.

The Lord’s Prayer, OTOH, is a prayer and one the majority of us have recited since our earliest childhood. While I like it chanted, or even sung if done to a tune that fits the words (unlike say, trying to fit the words to the tune of “I Don’t Know How To Love Him” from “Jesus Christ Superstar” as our youth choir used to do), it’s easy to recite.

 

[whatevergirl]

The replies are interesting…I have always recited the Gloria…hmm.Until recent years.

 

[Brendan]

Today we chanted the Gloria and the Pater Noster ( as well as the Sanctus) in Latin using the settings from Pope Paul VI’s Jubilate Deo.

This is at an N.O. Mass.

 

[tnbella7]

We sing everything. Everything that is allowed to be sung, is sung. It makes me crazy at times because my Protestant-raised husband who attends with our family cannot understand the words when they are sung or mumbled by the congregation. The majority of the congregants just allow the cantor to sing (and nothing against them, they are terrific). When we have had visiting Priests, they choose not to sing everything and it just goes along so much smoother versus waiting for the music to cue in. Just my two cents.

 

[kristie_m]

Gloria sung.

Our Father recited.

There’s no reason for the preference, it’s just how I like to pray them.

 

[whatevergirl]

We sing everything. **Everything that is allowed to be sung, is sung. It makes me crazy at times because my Protestant-raised husband who attends with our family cannot understand the words when they are sung or mumbled by the congregation. ** The majority of the congregants just allow the cantor to sing (and nothing against them, they are terrific). When we have had visiting Priests, they choose not to sing everything and it just goes along so much smoother versus waiting for the music to cue in. Just my two cents.

This is precisely my issue with singing ‘everything.’ My kids are still learning the mass. My son is 15, he knows everything by heart, pretty much–but he gets lost when they change the version or whatever. My dd is 12, and is not confirmed yet, and while she knows most of it by heart…she struggles with the various versions too, and we have been going to mass since they were little. Maybe I should have added to my OP, that if it is going to be sung–the music minister should really stick to one version…or at least tell us the page he is looking at, in the various music books.

Oh, we have three music books…so, it can get confusing.

Other than that…I love this parish. I suppose I should just stop my complaining…mass is all about the Eucharist, and worshipping Christ…not about my pet peeves.

 

[whatevergirl]

We sing everything. Everything that is allowed to be sung, is sung. It makes me crazy at times because my Protestant-raised husband who attends with our family cannot understand the words when they are sung or mumbled by the congregation. The majority of the congregants just allow the cantor to sing (and nothing against them, they are terrific). When we have had visiting Priests, they choose not to sing everything and it just goes along so much smoother versus waiting for the music to cue in. Just my two cents.

This is precisely my issue with singing ‘everything.’ My kids are still learning the mass. My son is 15, he knows everything by heart, pretty much–but he gets lost when they change the version or whatever. My dd is 12, and is not confirmed yet, and while she knows most of it by heart…she struggles with the various versions too, and we have been going to mass since they were little. Maybe I should have added to my OP, that if it is going to be sung–the music minister should really stick to one version…or at least tell us the page he is looking at, in the various music books.

Oh, we have three music books…so, it can get confusing.

Other than that…I love this parish. I suppose I should just stop my complaining…mass is all about the Eucharist, and worshipping Christ…not about my pet peeves.

 

[Rabbititus]

I’ve only been to one Sunday mass where the Gloria was recited - it felt very unnatural. The Gloria is a hymn - one of the oldest surviving Christian hymns, in fact.

The parish I attend changes the mass settings with the seasons, and has a rotation of about five mass settings that are used over and over again. The Lord’s prayer is always sung, but they only use two settings - one being the English chant setting.

I prefer for as a much of the mass to be sung (actually chanted) as possible.

Singing the prayers of the mass itself is supposed to take precedence over singing hymns.

 

[bpbasilphx]

** I wish that the mass would go back to some its traditional tenets.**

The ideal of the “traditional tenents” called for them to be sung.