Don’t be too quick to wish for an organ. Many churches that I have attended that have an Organ also have an organist that drones on the base chords so that the melody we are supposed to sing is undiscoverable. The worst I have heard is a where an excellent cantor was drowned out by another professional musicain, his wife, on the organ. Actually drowned out the Gospel Acclamation.
This is not to disparage the many excellent organists that are out there. But to some the power of an organ is just irresistible. When someone suggested we get an organ or a piano with organ voices, my reply was: First we need to know who is going to play it and how well. It is too easy for an organist to cover lack of skill with volume and slurred bass chords. The human voice is the most important instrument in church. All other instruments should support it, echo the words just sung, etc.
In my opinion, Chant can become so formalized that it is weak. Chant of Scripture should first and foremost strongly express the meaning of the Scripture. If the point made in a line or verse is strong, it should be strongly sung, if hopeful, the voice should exude hope, if sad or pleading as in De Profundis, Out of the Depths, a little pleading and a bit of blues fits. I sometimes find that the music offered for the responsorial psalm verses does not express the mood of the psalm well. Then I adjust it. The Word of God trumps musical perfection.
Again, my opinion is that the piano or organ backs up the singer. It should be loud enough to help the cantor but should be background only to the congregation.
We have a congregation of 120 regularly and 170 Christmas and Easter. We have 6 cantors. By allowing imperfections at first and encouraging them to sing with force and confidence even when making a mistake we have gone from not singing the psalm and Gospel acclamation to never, never not singing them. And we have 6 cantors for 120 active parishioners. Changes and mistakes sung with confidence sound perfectly fine to the congregation since they don’t have the music. The cantors sing solo. It is easier singing in a group and they can develop a better interpretation of the psalm and Gospel acclamation. We are beginning now to sing these parts together, but we spent three years improving individually first. Cantoring solo is as easy as singing in the shower. We sing the Gospel acclamation at weekday masses so that provides a place to practice and gain confidence. It works.
For great English chant, look at the Gelineau Psalms from the 1950s. The music and the meaning of the words are in complete harmony.
