Mass without Singing/Music

[Nelka]

I do not enjoy singing at Mass and I also do not like a lot of hymns, especially the modern ones which are somewhat effeminate.

Is it possible to have a Mass that has no singing and no music? Which could perhaps leave more room in the service time for better preaching?

I realise that many if not most will disagree with me.

Thank you to all who can assist.

I like the signing of traditional hymns but the bad thing is we only have this every other week as the remainder we have folk music.

I am not a fan of folk music and certainly not in church.

 

[elgar]

My anecdotal experience has been that women like this music more than men do. I should also say that a lot of men really get into choral and chant, which I do not like either. My view is that if the early Church did not have to suffer through church music, why do I have to? I particularly object - as I wrote in an earlier post - to the protected species status of choirs and chants.

It’s because we are much more advanced today (wink, wink) and the Church has become committee driven.

 

[KnightIHSV]

I guess the good thing about these discussions is that, for all our disagreements, we at least go to Mass and want Mass to be better worship. The worst result would be if no one cared about the quality of Mass and said nothing and silently left the Church.

 

[pnewton]

I like the signing of traditional hymns but the bad thing is we only have this every other week as the remainder we have folk music.

I am not a fan of folk music and certainly not in church.

I like a little bit of everything, but I do profess a bias to hymns.

One thing that is often missed is that even when a Mass has the best music, it should also have time of silence.

 

[CarrieH]

Of course, there are masses without music. I’ve found that the very early Sunday masses would often times be without music. And as a musician and someone who does sing for a living and views singing as a prayer and connection to God, even I sometimes like to be able to attend a “quiet” mass. Just because I’m not singing, doesn’t mean I’m not “participating”.

I agree! We who make music for a living are “on the job” at Mass, and even when we are sitting in the congregation, we have a hard time turning off our “professional ears” and just singing. I am probably participating more in a spoken Mass because I am not thinking about the mechanics of music-making, especially when I am the organist and I have to focus on my playing and on the choir director’s cues rather than on the text of the hymns and service music. Fortunately, our weekday Masses are spoken, so I can attend one of those when I feel a need to worship without this distraction.

 

[Sarabande]

One thing that is often missed is that even when a Mass has the best music, it should also have time of silence.

I completely agree with that. I have especially seen this in weddings when the instrumentalists will always play something whenever the couple or the bridal party gets up to do something. Many have basically called it “filler” music because the priest doesn’t want any silence.

I’ve seen similar things done during regular Sunday masses as well when the instrumentalist will play “filler” music when lectors go to read and after they read, when the priest walks to the ambo to read the Gospel, etc. I always love silence after a communion motet or hymn, but many times you often hear more instrumental music or the repeat of a hymn. I know, basically from freelancing at so many parishes, that this is often at the request of the priest saying the mass, so I don’t always blame this on the instrumentalist or the music director.

In a small way, I liken it to the silence that is heard after a piece of music is played. I can’t remember what the scientific definition is called, but I read once that silence after a piece is played or sung is a necessary component to the actual entire listening experience of the entire composition. The listener’s ears often needs that period of silence to let the music settle. When it is interrupted immediately by something else, whether another movement to the piece, a completely different song, applause, talking, etc., it actually causes a discomfort to the listener. I found that very interesting and thought back to masses where EVERYTHING was sung or music played during almost every part of the mass, or when a reader or the priest immediately jumps right into the rest of the mass hardly before the music stops, which could have been a silent pause. There was never any room to “breathe” so to speak, and I remember feeling very uncomfortable because of it.

 

[pnewton]

In a small way, I liken it to the silence that is heard after a piece of music is played. I can’t remember what the scientific definition is called, but I read once that silence after a piece is played or sung is a necessary component to the actual entire listening experience of the entire composition. The listener’s ears often needs that period of silence to let the music settle.

We have all heard the phrase, “the silence was deafening.” Our bishop a few years ago sent a message that we wanted any meditation hymn to consist of only one verse so that the altar is cleared in silence and a couple of minutes of silence will transition to the concluding rite. I also think silence is very good after the homily.

 

[CarrieH]

I always love silence after a communion motet or hymn, but many times you often hear more instrumental music or the repeat of a hymn. I know, basically from freelancing at so many parishes, that this is often at the request of the priest saying the mass, so I don’t always blame this on the instrumentalist or the music director.

Yes, we do as we are told. Our priest demands all sorts of filler music, and he sat me down with a missal one day and told me exactly how long to play during each part of the Mass (he is an organist of sorts himself). At least I get a break from this during Advent and Lent, when I play only to accompany the singing.

I envy the poster above, whose priest wants to clear the altar in silence!