Music Leader Thread Part IV—Song Lists, Suggestions, and Comments

[JGMendes4049]

Welcome to Part IV of the music leaders’ thread. Below is the little blurb CatholicZ09 put at the beginning of Part III. Happy posting!

1. The previous thread has been able to last for over a year. That is so because of the cooperation of the posters. Any arguments or off-topic posts puts us in the risk of getting the thread closed.
2. EVERYBODY HAS AN OPINION! Just because you do not agree with what someone has to say, you do not have to argue it out over this thread and ruin everybody else’s time on here. IF YOU CHOOSE TO ARGUE WITH SOMEONE REGARDING ANY TOPIC AND/OR POST IN THIS THREAD, PLEASE PRIVATE MESSAGE THEM! It gets to the point of being selfish when two or more people argue about something and the thread gets closed and nobody else can post anymore.
3. Finally and practically restating #2, please respect everyone that posts here. If you disagree with something they pick, something they suggest, something they bring up in this thread, that does not mean to argue about it till kingdom come. Again, senseless arguments put the thread in jeopardy. Please private message someone if you wish to argue.

 

[Sarabande]

Just posting to be subscribed. It’s one of my favorite threads. Here’s to another successful 1000 posts.

 

[pianomany2k]

My parish has now learned four settings in two years. Not bad for an old congregation where the average age is about 55. I told a few of them before the translation went into effect that we would learn and know four settings within three years whether they like it or not. We did it in two The other directors in our cluster aren’t that gutsy, ha. I know one parish that spent an entire year on the revised MoC and then learned Storrington Mass (also taken them a year) after we used it for the Triduum last year (we clustered together at my parish).

The four settings are:

Mass of Creation - Haugen
Storrington Mass - Haugen
Mass of Redemption - Janco
Heritage Mass - Alstott

I am actually leaving my current parish after this weekend, but the new director is going to stick with Heritage through Lent.

 

[pnewton]

Just posting to be subscribed. It’s one of my favorite threads. Here’s to another successful 1000 posts.

DItto.

 

[Sarabande]

My parish has now learned four settings in two years. Not bad for an old congregation where the average age is about 55. I told a few of them before the translation went into effect that we would learn and know four settings within three years whether they like it or not. We did it in two The other directors in our cluster aren’t that gutsy, ha. I know one parish that spent an entire year on the revised MoC and then learned Storrington Mass (also taken them a year) after we used it for the Triduum last year (we clustered together at my parish).

The four settings are:

Mass of Creation - Haugen
Storrington Mass - Haugen
Mass of Redemption - Janco
Heritage Mass - Alstott

I am actually leaving my current parish after this weekend, but the new director is going to stick with Heritage through Lent.

That is definitely a success!!! The one parish I work for is small, but they pick up mass settings more easily. We do a different setting for each season. The other parish learns more slowly. They don’t like change, so my music director has had to move very slowly to encourage learning. They used only the MoC for years when she came on board a little over three years ago and resisted change. They have since learned the Sanctus from the Schubert/Prouls Deutsche Mass, the entire Mass of St. Agnes, the Agnus Dei chant from Missa Jubilate Deo, and they are still learning the revised MoC. (Some are still singing the old Lamb of God from there.) The music director was shooting for the Gloria from the Deutsche Mass as well, but they like singing the Gloria from MoC, so she has to go slowly.

(Edit) I’m sure your parish will miss you. Will you be working at a new parish or taking a break? I sometimes would like to do that.

 

[Sarabande]

I absolutely HATE the revised MoC. However, it is so well known I ONLY use it during the summer (I live in a tourist town), funerals, and weddings. September - June are other settings

My parish got the Sactus down after five weeks, but I refuse to use the Gloria from that Mass. It is so darn difficult. My small choir is really good at learning new songs and revisions of old ones. The Gloria from MoC was so difficult for them that I said forget it.

I took your post from the previous thread.

The music director at the parish which only used the MoC for years, doesn’t like it either, but that is what they are comfortable with and they sing through the whole thing rather than do it at the repeats. So, for her and for myself, actually, it doesn’t really make sense to use it, especially since it is a response Gloria, but, like I said in the previous post, they are resistant to change, so it takes a while.

I should have been more clear in my post on the other thread that the other parish I work for learned the entire revised masses of the Heritage, Deutsche Mass and Community Mass fairly quickly. We don’t do the Mass of Creation at that parish. The first year I was there, the previous music director used to use it during the summer as well despite not liking it, because that is also a tourist parish and it was well known. When he hired me, though, and saw that I could read music, he decided to just do away with it altogether. The new music director also doesn’t like it, so we haven’t used it.

Besides my two regular church jobs, I have freelanced in at least 100 parishes in the 10+ years I have worked as a cantor, either for regular Sunday mass or for weddings, funerals, special masses, etc. It’s funny, because almost all of the organists/music directors at those parishes had expressed their dislike for the MoC. They usually offered that as a mass setting when they didn’t know if the freelancer would know other settings. It really was the go-to setting (at least in the U.S.). Since the new translations, many have taken it as an opportunity not to use that as the go-to setting anymore. I have found that, now, they just tell you what they usually do at the parish and will send you the music if you don’t have it. I guess it’s because there is no real go-to setting that everyone uses at the moment.

 

[CatholicZ09]

Thank you JG for starting Part IV! I am so happy to see this thread evolving. I can’t help but thank our fellow poster hosea for starting the first thread back in 2009.

About Lenten Mass settings -

Our committee picked a hodge podge for Lent. We are not chanting the Kyrie (much to my dismay). We are using Grayson Warren Brown’s setting of the Sanctus, and we are doing the “Save Us” from Heritage Mass for the Memorial Acclamation and a threefold Amen. The composer of that escapes my mind right now. Palm Sunday and Holy Thursday we will use all Heritage, and during Easter we will use Dan Schutte’s Mass of Christ the Savior, and then we revert to Heritage again at Pentecost.

We were going to learn MoC a while ago, but Heritage has always been a favorite of ours and the assembly, so we thought it’d be easy to adjust with. I hope we stay away from MoC as long as possible!

 

[pnewton]

I took your post from the previous thread.

The music director at the parish which only used the MoC for years, doesn’t like it either,…

Our whole deanery uses it, just out of coincidence. I am neutral on it. I neither like it, or dislike it. It was the easiest thing for us to do during the switch, so every opted for easy.

 

[Sarabande]

Our whole deanery uses it, just out of coincidence. I am neutral on it. I neither like it, or dislike it. It was the easiest thing for us to do during the switch, so every opted for easy.

I completely understand trying to make things easier for the congregation during the switch. That is why the music director kept it as well, since she knew they didn’t take to change easily. It took a while, but they finally got the new version of the Gloria. I actually think the easiest for them was the new memorial acclamation. Lamb of God, like I said previously, some are still belting out, “Jesus, Lamb of God…”

 

[pianomany2k]

The other parish learns more slowly. They don’t like change, so my music director has had to move very slowly to encourage learning.

Neither does mine. But the 3rd edition gave my Pastor and I the opportunity to say “like it or not, we’re doing this.” I’ve been very lucky in that my Pastor has allowed me free reign to do whatever I want. He admitted to me that he doesn’t know anything about Mass Settings and what will work/won’t work. We also recently replaced the old Catholic Community Hymnal with Gather 3rd. Bringing this old congregation up to speed

(Edit) I’m sure your parish will miss you. Will you be working at a new parish or taking a break? I sometimes would like to do that.

I’m taking a break. I’ve been doing this since I was 15 (substituting) and my current full-time job for four years. The new director is a bit nervous, so I’m helping him get settled. After that, I’m leaving to work on wireless communications for a while. I will probably get back into the music ministry in a few years.

Originally Posted by pnewton
Our whole deanery uses it, just out of coincidence. I am neutral on it. I neither like it, or dislike it. It was the easiest thing for us to do during the switch, so every opted for easy.

MoC was used so much (I actually started to back off of it) that it would’ve been too difficult for my old congregation to switch from one response to a different with a similar tune. Started with Storrington (“New” translation, new music, right?), MoC, Redemption, and now Heritage. The only problem the congregation has is with the Gloria. Now that this weekend will be the 6th weekend using it and they still don’t get it, I’m going to advise the new guy to drop the Gloria from it.

So I will finish cleaning out my office this week and turn my keys in after Mass on Sunday…

 

[Sarabande]

Neither does mine. But the 3rd edition gave my Pastor and I the opportunity to say “like it or not, we’re doing this.” I’ve been very lucky in that my Pastor has allowed me free reign to do whatever I want. He admitted to me that he doesn’t know anything about Mass Settings and what will work/won’t work. We also recently replaced the old Catholic Community Hymnal with Gather 3rd. Bringing this old congregation up to speed

You were fortunate.

I’m taking a break. I’ve been doing this since I was 15 (substituting) and my current full-time job for four years. The new director is a bit nervous, so I’m helping him get settled. After that, I’m leaving to work on wireless communications for a while. I will probably get back into the music ministry in a few years.

I can relate. I’ve been cantoring since I was 16 and have been working almost every weekend for a little over 10 years since graduating from college. As much as I love doing it, I sometimes would like to have a Sunday just in the pews with my family without any music responsibilities.

 

[pnewton]

I actually think the easiest for them was the new memorial acclamation. Lamb of God, like I said previously, some are still belting out, “Jesus, Lamb of God…”

I didn’t have that, but I still heard, “It is right to give Him thanks and praise for over a year!”

 

[Sarabande]

I didn’t have that, but I still heard, “It is right to give Him thanks and praise for over a year!”

haha! I still hear a few voices say that at mass almost every weekend.

 

[pianomany2k]

haha! I still hear a few voices say that at mass almost every weekend.

So do I. Worst part is, we finally got rid of the worship aids because the new hymnals have all the text in them. And people reverted almost unanimously. It was both sad and impressive at the same time…

 

[pnewton]

So do I. Worst part is, we finally got rid of the worship aids because the new hymnals have all the text in them. And people reverted almost unanimously. It was both sad and impressive at the same time…

We re-ordered the aids to replace the worn ones. I think we plan on keeping them indefinitely. I don’t think the reversion is all that sad. Think about it. It does not so much indicate lack of attendance in the last year as it does the ingrained attendance of decades. I still here the old version play in my head.

 

[Sarabande]

We re-ordered the aids to replace the worn ones. I think we plan on keeping them indefinitely. I don’t think the reversion is all that sad. Think about it. It does not so much indicate lack of attendance in the last year as it does the ingrained attendance of decades. I still here the old version play in my head.

Our one parish had replaced the old ones with laminated ones back in the summer. They’ve been holding up very well.

I’ve been trying to do everything without the aids for the last few weeks. When I’m singing the parts, I have no problem. When I’m reciting them, it depends on how focused I am. When you’ve been doing it since you were old enough to talk, it’s hard to break habits.

 

[pnewton]

I’ve been trying to do everything without the aids for the last few weeks. When I’m singing the parts, I have no problem. When I’m reciting them, it depends on how focused I am.

Focus is a problem for me. The biggest downside to playing for Mass is the lack of focus on some issues. I guess others deal with this too. I even have incorporated my own copies of Mass parts just so I can overcome lack of focus and do not lose track of where we are.

I guess I fool some people into thinking I have it all memorized because I can read my large print copies on the stand. My son likes it because he can look on and not hold a car.

 

[CatholicZ09]

What we’re doing this weekend:

Sunday, February 10, 2013 - Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

Processional Hymn: #744 - “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus” HYFRYDOL
Preparation of the Gifts: #514 - "Lord, You Have Come/Pescador de Hombres Gabarain
Communion Hymn: #526 - “O Beauty, Ever Ancient” O’Connor
Recessional Hymn: #379 - “Celtic Alleluia: Sending Forth” O’Carroll/Walker

We have always chosen “Alleluia-oriented” songs for this weekend because it’s the last weekend in Ordinary Time before Lent and the last Sunday we acclaim the Alleluia until the Easter Vigil. The Celtic Alleluia is a good way to end the Alleluia for now because we will be using it on Easter.

Who can’t believe we will be entering Lent soon? I feel like I was just singing Adeste Fideles!

For Wednesday:

Wednesday, February 13, 2013 - Ash Wednesday - Year C

Processional Hymn: #782 - “Psalm 51: Create in Me” Kendzia
Distribution of the Ashes: #118 - “Ashes” Conry, #116 - “Leave the Past in Ashes” Consiglio
Preparation of the Gifts: #526 - “O Beauty, Ever Ancient” O’Connor
Communion Hymn: #671 - “Loving and Forgiving” Soper
Recessional Hymn: #470 - “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy” IN BABILONE

 

[Sarabande]

I definitely can’t believe Lent is coming up so quickly. I feel like I’ve been caught off guard this year. haha! I haven’t even had a chance to look at what my director chose for this week.

 

[pnewton]

I think I am going to use some advice from this thread. I was going to start with Holy, Holy, Holy, but I think I will switch to Alleluia, Sing to Jesus and bump the other to the offertory. I will not have any Alleluia songs after the homily because we always bury the Alleluia before the Gospel and say goodbye to it until Easter.

For Ash Wed., I always start with Attende Domine. I will probably also us *Were You There. *