Does your parish have music before Christmas masses?

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Gertabelle

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I am speaking of 20 or more minutes of singing/playing music before mass, usually (or originally) because people arrived so early for mass on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The choir I play for does a “concert” before mass, about 30 - 45 minutes of Christmas music. Some of it is really lovely and sets the mood for mass, and some of it (although “sacred” in text) is more appropriate for a choral concert than mass. Of course, the music is sung before mass, but I’m not sure all these songs led the faithful in preparing their hearts for mass.

I’ve also been at parishes that have more contemporary songs before mass, and another parish that did Christmas hymns, sometimes just the choir, sometimes invited those already gathered to join in.

Just curious.

If you are doing this at your parish and you are part of the music group, would you please post the music your group will be doing before mass? I won’t know until Saturday when I attend our first extra rehearsal.

Gertie
 
We have 30 minutes of carols before Midnight (10 p.m. :() Mass. Not ‘Christmas songs’ but real religious carols.
 
Phemie said:
We have 30 minutes of carols before Midnight (10 p.m. :() Mass. Not ‘Christmas songs’ but real religious carols.
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Same here - roughly thirty minutes… We still focus on Advent carols at that stage, though, since the Vigil Mass itself marks the birth of Christ. “Midnight” Mass is at 22:00 for us too.

I’m not sure of the list yet, Gertie. Generally it would be carols such as “Corde Natus ex Parentis”(Of the Father’s Heart Begotten), “Hail Blessed Virgin Mary”, “Zion Hears the Watchmen’s Voices” (Sung to the chorale and chorale prelude “Wachet Auf” by J.S. Bach), “Veni Emmanuel”…probably some of the more sombre Christmas carols too, such as “Lully, Lullay, thou little tiny Child”, “O Little Town of Bethlehem”… Some carols, however, are strictly kept for the Holy Mass, such as “Adeste Fidelis”, “Hark the Herald”, “The Wexford Carol” (at the procession to the crib) and “Silent Night” (when the Christ-figure has been placed in the crib & the crib is blessed).

It’s far better, in my opinion, to leave the more “upbeat” (I mean this in the most positive sense, not “happy-clappy”), joyful music until the Mass itself - as I said, we are still in Advent until we begin the Vigil Mass!
 
Since our parish is the cathedral, people from all over the diocese tend to arrive about 2 hours before midnight mass in order to get parking and to find a seat, since it is usually standing room only and in the city where there is limited parking. For almost most of that time, there is a mixture of organ, choral and brass sacred Christmas music and instrumental music. It tends to be more of a mix of Advent motets and more reserved instrumental works prior to mass. After mass and during it’s much more jubilant and joyous. I used to sing in that choir and have also been in the congregation when I wasn’t singing in the choir and have found that this has kept the congregation quiet and reserved and focused on why we’re there for mass as people will tend to talk and socialize if the music stops. I love it because it helps me focus on prayer and the birth of Christ and not have to deal with blocking out chatter, which will inevitably happen when you have 3000 people in one place and there is nothing which will keep them from being quiet. I think part of it is the mix of the reverent music and the awe-inspiring architecture and religious beauty of the cathedral, as some visitors I have met have related to me. It helps remind them of where they are.

The music has spanned from Rennaisance polyphony and through the centuries. No contemporary religious music. Since it is a cathedral, the music director has to keep the standard of sacred music quality very high and really be sure nothing is innappropriate to the sacredness and reverence of the church either before mass or during mass.
 
We usually have twenty minutes of carols and other songs before Midnight Mass. This is not the case with the earlier Masses on Christmas Eve.

We usually incorporate some of the songs from our concert. So far I don’t know what songs we have been practicing will be done simply at the concert, what will be done prior to Mass, what will be sung at Midnight Mass, what will be sung for Christmas Day Mass and what will be sung in multiple cases. (We sometimes use shorter versions of concert music for Mass.)
 
Yes, my parish’s Schola Cantorum does this. However, it is liturgically ideal that the choir sings Matins (the Office of Readings) prior to Midnight Mass instead, although the common pre-Mass caroling is acceptable. The Divine Office ideally prepares the people for the Mass, and the Divine Office is the #2 most important liturgy of the Church (second only to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, of course). It is public prayer and public worship, not a concert. The Church allows for a “festival of carols” during the last week of Advent instead.
 
At first I was going to say no, but I just remembered that we sort of do. We have an electronic carrolin for bells, and the pastor has free reign for what type of bells he plays, so you can hear the bells outside from inside the church (the speakers are on the roof) and he has the bells play Christmas Carols before and after the 5pm Mass on Christmas Eve, and before and after the 8:30 and 11am Masses on Christmas Day. The bells playing the carols sounds SO beautiful! It always sets the mood and makes me happy. Usually the hymns are “O Come, All Ye Faithful”, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”, “Joy to the World”, “Silent Night, Holy Night”, “The Snow Lay on the Ground” and some others. It’s really beautiful. They don’t do it however before Midnight Mass since we have the choir sing carols.
 
My family (two grown daughters and husband singing, me playing piano) will provide the music and cantoring for the 6:00 P.M. Christmas Eve Mass. Our parish has several Vigil Masses beginning at 4:30 P.M., and six Christmas Day Masses. Our family volunteered to provide the music for this Mass, and we have hopes that many Protestant members of our family will come to Mass to hear their granddaughters/nieces/son, etc. make music. All the other Christmas Masses will have different music–one Mass will have the regular choir, another will have the contemporary choir, and one (the early Sunday Mass) will have no music at all.

At this point, we are planning on a Prelude consisting of “Alleluia” by Mozart, “O Holy Night,” and “Rejoice Greatly” (from the Messiah) by Handel. (My younger daughter has had years of training in voice, has a music minor, and has sung Rejoice several times in concert and in churches–she can do it. Whether I can still play it well is another question :rolleyes:)

I’ve called the priest in charge of music for our diocese to check, and so far, he hasn’t called me back to object to any of this.

During the Mass, I hope to use the People’s Mass instead of Creation, as it is older and more melodic. Also, if there are Protestant visitors, they will recognize the melodies, as many of the People’s Mass melodies are used in evangelical and other Protestant worship services.

The hymns have been selected by the church Music Minister, and they are traditional Christmas carols.

My daughters will present a Communion Meditation that I wrote called “It’s Time To Hold The Baby.” We’ve done it twice in another Catholic church, and it always makes people cry as they remember the Reason for the Season and focus on HIM.

I will play a lively piano postlude a medley of joyous Christmas carols: O Come All Ye Faithful, O Sanctissima, It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, Silent Night.

It’s not fancy stuff by a long shot–our parish has a rather dismal music program at this time and believe it or not, we will probably be applauded as people in the parish are starving for music that is pretty and well-done. The music will be offered by us with love for God and His people and we will “play (and sing) our best for Him.”
 
Cat said:
…our parish has a rather dismal music program at this time … people in the parish are starving for music that is pretty and well-done.
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It sounds like you are doing a lot to change this. 👍

James
 
This is one of the things I miss over the years as I had to change parishes due to life situations. I do not know if there is any liturgical violations, but I think it is something well approved because the parish I attended are very devotional oriented and was Vietnamese.

We would have Mass from 10PM to pass midnight. Before the Mass would be 45 minutes of prayer and carols (we have particular choirs form for Christmas and Easter Season from the usual choirs). Before that would be a reenactment of the first Nativity Story with shepherds, angels, the three wise men, a donkey (two people dressed as the mule), Mary, Joseph, and of course Baby Jesus (the only non actor). The Reenactment has prayers, scriptural readings (the actors all pause in place and the lights dim for the readings), and lots of singing. Lasting 45 minutes.

These were really great for us kids. The enactment was done in the space between the sanctuary and the end of the pews. While kids, the elderly, and visiting priests gets priority seating at the first dozen pews.
 
StillWondering said:
We would have Mass from 10PM to pass midnight. Before the Mass would be 45 minutes of prayer and carols (we have particular choirs form for Christmas and Easter Season from the usual choirs). **Before that would be a reenactment of the first Nativity Story with shepherds, angels, the three wise men, a donkey (two people dressed as the mule), Mary, Joseph, and of course Baby Jesus (the only non actor). The Reenactment has prayers, scriptural readings (the actors all pause in place and the lights dim for the readings), and lots of singing. Lasting 45 minutes. **
These were really great for us kids. The enactment was done in the space between the sanctuary and the end of the pews. While kids, the elderly, and visiting priests gets priority seating at the first dozen pews.
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That sounds so lovely. I wish the parish where I play the piano would have their nativity reenactment (done by the children) before mass instead of during the gospel. The children are adorable and it helps them focus on Jesus’ birth and not just presents for a few moments. But I so dislike the performance taking part during mass 😦

This year, I’m taking my son to mass at our official parish (the one where he attends school) and going by myself to play for Midnight Mass. No nativity plays for us this year, I guess.

Gertie
 
Yes, our choir will be singing about 1/2 hour before Midnight Mass and 1/2 before the Christmas Day Mass at 11pm. We have been doing this for the last 30 some years or as long as I have been in the choir and I understand it was done before I joined. 😃
 
Yes, we sing before Mass. In the past we’ve alternated a familiar carol from the hymnal and then a choral piece. We sang a different Silent Night, very dramatic and the people loved it. And even though every year the director said to sing O Come All Ye Faithful in English, we’d sing one verse in Latin with him starting it.

We have a new music director this year, and he does things very differently. He’s chosen some songs that combine familiar carols like Child of the Poor with What Child is This. There are others that incorporate Silent Night, Away in the Manger and O Come O Come Emannuel with other songs. He has plans for the men to sing Rise Up Shepherds and Follow and the women to sing Light in the Stable. The other thing I can think of off the top of my head is The Snow Lay on the Ground.

Sadly, we are not going to be ready to sing. I’m afraid that on the 23rd, he’s going to have to say we’re singing some carols out of the hymnal instead.
 
Gertabelle said:
That sounds so lovely. I wish the parish where I play the piano would have their nativity reenactment (done by the children) before mass instead of during the gospel. The children are adorable and it helps them focus on Jesus’ birth and not just presents for a few moments. But I so dislike the performance taking part during mass 😦

This year, I’m taking my son to mass at our official parish (the one where he attends school) and going by myself to play for Midnight Mass. No nativity plays for us this year, I guess.

Gertie
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😦 Yeah, I’ve been to other parishes where there are full-on performances during Mass. It’s nice, but it so misses the mark. Bad bad bad.
 
I’m trying to recruit students and alums from my band program, as well as a few community members to put together a massive brass choir to play carols before Christmas Morning Mass. I’m calling it “Pep Band for Church,” because we’ll be using a similar format (and this amuses my young recruits). If I get enough of the right people, in our accoustics it will sound incredible and will really bring some positive cheer to those gathered.
 
MusicMan said:
I’m trying to recruit students and alums from my band program, as well as a few community members to put together a massive brass choir to play carols before Christmas Morning Mass. I’m calling it “Pep Band for Church,” because we’ll be using a similar format (and this amuses my young recruits). If I get enough of the right people, in our accoustics it will sound incredible and will really bring some positive cheer to those gathered.
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What a great idea! I hope it works out 😃

Gertie
 
I have several former students interested as well as several current ones. I’m looking at an instrumentation right now of 6 trumpets, 2 trombones, 2 baritones, and two tubas.

I could use another couple of baritones, but I’m excited. Father was even kind enough to locate a generous benefactor to pay $10 per person to help encourage the kids to play. Which then makes this a “professional” performance, which becomes more educationally valuable to me as an educator, etc. etc etc.
 
I attend Midnight Mass at the local Trappist abbey. They have the chanted recitiation of the Divine Office before Mass.
 
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