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

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Okay, for Christ the King, I am going to use

The King of Glory
Crown Him with Many Crowns
(Eucharist song to be decided)
The King of Love
To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King

For Advent, I usually use

Soon and Very Soon (Week 1)
On Jordan’s Bank (the traditional melody)
Like a Shepherd
My Soul and Stillness Waits (Haugen’s best song, imo)
People Look East.

Oh, and we enter on: O Come, O Come Emmanuel each week.
 
Christ the King:

Gathering: Crown Him With Many Crowns
Preparation: TBD
Communion: Behold the Lamb of God
Closing: To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King

Beginning 1st Sunday of Advent, I am introducing Janco’s “Mass of Redemption” to the congregation. One of my favorite settings.​

 
pnewton said:
I do not discern songs, as much as I just try to match the readings. I read through the Scriptures of that Mass, check the calendar, try and guess where the priest will go with it; then I see what comes to mind. If I have no clear idea, sometimes I just go through all the songs I have with all the above info in mind.
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That’s how I typically do it. And then once in a while during the priest’s homily I think “(blank) song wasn’t the greatest fit. This one would of fit better” Oh well…
 
Hymns for Christ the King:

Introit: Dignus est Agnus
Processional: Christ is the King, O friends rejoice
Offertory: Thy Kingdom come, O God
cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/h/y/thykicog.htm
Choir anthem: Gibbons, O clap your hands
Communion: Let all mortal flesh keep silence
Recessional: Crown him with many crowns
Following Benediction: All Hail the Power of Jesu’s name (Miles Lane)

During Advent we alternate the Missa De Angelis and McMillian St Anne Mass and also sing the Advent Prose as an Inroit (which is stunning) youtube.com/watch?v=gT5sIxhdpc4
 
agapewolf said:
I think I’m a bit on the nutty side. It never fails that if I do week to week, I’ll put a song in that has to do with the subject matter of the reading, sometimes its a stretch. The next week-- voila… its the direct scripture quote and would have been a better fit. I do not repeat music 2 weeks in a row unless it is brand new.

Keep in mind I’ve been a music director for 13 years— I get the current lectionary aide, and the one I kept from 3 years ago.I go through the entire church year with the one from 3 years ago and transfer the notes-- the notes are: I underline key words in the readings that “strike a chord” with me (no pun intended, really). I write in the songs with direct scripture quotes… star the ones that absolutely should be sung that day.

So then I have a blueprint, and can plan around the musts… usually several months at a time.
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Then I’m a nut too! It appears that we are a clone. What happens to you, happens to me as well. So weird. I now learned to look ahead a couple of weeks to be sure that the song I am picking is not better fitted for the following week. I, too, have a list of all my songs and acclamations in an excel spreadsheet back to 2001!
 
pianomany2k said:
That’s how I typically do it. And then once in a while during the priest’s homily I think “(blank) song wasn’t the greatest fit. This one would of fit better” Oh well…
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I’ve given up on trying to think where the priest is going to go with the homily. I face 3 masses each weekend and each priest takes the homily in a different direction. Yes, sometimes, there is a key word in a priests homily that say the same thing, but what can you do. Besides songs, we have projection screens for songs and use an appropriate slide from Graceway Media as a background to the scripture. The Gospel slide is left up during the homily. Sometimes it fits perfectly, sometimes a bit off. You just never know.
 
Christ the King:
Entrance:At the Name of Jesus (Walker)
Offertory: Alleluia No. 1
Communion: Jesus the Lord
Recessional: To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King

For Advent, I usually have:
  1. The choir intone (a capella) the Entrance Antiphon and then have the assembly sing it with them a second time.
  2. Silence during the offertory (except for the 3rd Sunday, when the choir sings “E’en So Lord Jesus, Quickly Come” (a capella))
  3. The choir intones (a capella) the Communion Antiphone and then invites the assembly to sing it with them a second time. Then a standard hymn, seasonal, like Soon and Very Soon, The Coming of Our God, Ready the Way or Mary, Woman of the Promise
  4. Recessional hymn - standard seasonal hymn, like O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, Ready the Way, Emmanuel, Let the King of Glory Come
 
Happy Advent to you all!

First Sunday of Advent:

The King Shall Come when Morning Dawns
Waiting in Silence
Christ, be Our Light
The Advent of Our King
 
Hey, guys!

I’m not a music leader. I cantored for a decade after my conversion, but I’ve been in the pews for the last decade because of illness.

Being in the pews has forced me to see the liturgy in a completely different light. I am curious if any of the music leaders here have reached out to parishioners in the pews for feedback, not on song preferences, but on the logistics of singing from the pews.

For instance, it would be helpful if any song that is sung while people are sitting down was written in a lower register - we cannot hit high notes while sitting down.

Also, it is frustrating to have brand new music introduced on a Holy Day. Unlike the choir, which has weeks to practice, the people in the pews do not know the music and cannot join in the sung prayers.

It is beautiful to listen to music leaders passionately deciding the best music for the people in their parish. I did the same on a much smaller scale when I was the lector/cantor for a daily Mass. But I wish that, along with discussions of what melodies are most beautiful and what lyrics are most appropriate, some discussion would take place as to what is practical. Perhaps then, more people would sing.

God bless you for your good work.

Lisa
 
Lisa_Lavadores said:
Being in the pews has forced me to see the liturgy in a completely different light. I am curious if any of the music leaders here have reached out to parishioners in the pews for feedback, not on song preferences, but on the logistics of singing from the pews.
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The logistics of congregational singing is my number one priority. I have (years ago) conducted a survey to see what music was liked/hated/tolerated, in preparation for a hymnal purchase. The feedback was too positive. I think no one wanted to hurt any feelings. I am open to this again if I ever see a need. I frequently transpose hymns. Just this last fall, I have started using a piano instead of a guitar more frequently, as I now have an electronic piano that will do this for me.

I am probably too conservative in introducing new music. I usually on bring two or three new songs on board every year. Major changes, like Mass settings, take place over weeks.
 
I bet your parish truly appreciates that.

You are 100% correct about people wanting to be polite. It is admirable but frustrating when you are looking for honest feedback, lol.

I applaud your move to the piano - again, for practical reasons. It is easier to bring out the notes of the melody on the piano than on the guitar, and we in the pews need reinforcement on those notes!
 
I always try to think of the congregation whenever we have our liturgy committee meetings. Fortunately, I go to a parish that actually has Catholics who sing. If they don’t know a hymn, they won’t sing, and that is our cue to never use that hymn again. Some songs are also written very poorly and cannot be sung by the average congregation. Also, while some songs may be beautiful, they may not be fit for a congregation. Our whole purpose is to pick things that we know people will sing and sing well. Of course, there are always songs we think will go well and don’t, but it’s a learning process. Not everything will be perfect.
 
CatholicZ09 said:
Also, while some songs may be beautiful, they may not be fit for a congregation. Our whole purpose is to pick things that we know people will sing and sing well.
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I love your purpose! And what you said is so true. There are beautiful, moving, and inspiring songs that simply weren’t meant for the Average Joe to sing.
 
CatholicZ09 said:
If they don’t know a hymn, they won’t sing, and that is our cue to never use that hymn again. Some songs are also written very poorly and cannot be sung by the average.
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Very true. But I have to ask, how long will you ‘test the waters’ so to speak on a new hymn? I usually will do it for about four weeks to get a feel for it. If the congregation is picking it up ok after a month, then I’ll break for six weeks and then come back to it.

All about planning, and knowing your congregation. In my case, I grew up in a very old town, my first music director job was in an old town, and I am currently in a VERY old town… So sometimes it isn’t so much what the congregation has the capability to sing, but will they embrace the change.

And to that end, I started Janco’s “Mass of Redemption” last weekend. Three of the five Masses I could tell some people already knew the setting. So that will help those around them. The other two Masses, well, let’s just say it’s difficult to tell when there are only about 75 at one Mass (I am located in a loft), and the other is at 7:30 AM…people aren’t awake yet.
 
I have always tried to choose all hymns that the assembly knows well and seems to pray well with. When I first started leading the one of the choirs at our parish, I attended a National Pastoral Musician’s conference and read up on what the liturgists were saying. They all seemed to say that the choir was like an orchestra director and the assembly was like the orchestra. The patrons who came to the “concert” came to hear the orchestra, not the director. God came to hear the assembly, not the choir. This seemed like a perfectly good analogy to me and I made my hymn choices accordingly.

However, when I read the GIRM, I don’t see that articulated. Have I missed something? Maybe I didn’t read that part. If you have seen it, please point it out to me! I want it to be there! But, had the liturgists just posed what seemed good to them without keeping in mind what the Church actually says?

I have attended only one Mass of the extraordinary form, the “traditional Latin” Mass. It must have been a high Mass. All the singing was done in Latin by a small choir (4 voices). All the prayers were in Latin and the assembly were not encouraged to join their voices to it. The assembly was encouraged to pray quietly, as though in a Eucharistic chapel. After praying the ordinary form for so many years, it seemed very unnatural.

So, I am a little confused. Should there to be times in our ordinary form liturgies when it is appropriate to choose a hymn that the assembly may not know or not be able to sing? Is that time often? The Mass I listen to on Sunday mornings from our Cathedral while getting ready to lead the music at our parish Mass usually features a choir only hymn at the offertory chant time. Is that typical?
 
Please understand that I am answering from my personal reading of the G.I.R.M., and I may not be reading it correctly.

I see a few options to have the choir sing alone, but they are only an options. Lol, the offertory is one of the places where it is*** not*** an option, so I’m not sure why it’s being done there.

I love the GIRM. I wear a shirt to Mass that says, “Love the Mass; Love the GIRM.”

My reaction to the GIRM is the opposite of yours, lol. I find it to be full of concern for the rights of the faithful. Here is my favorite section:

41. All other things being equal, Gregorian chant holds pride of place because it is proper to the Roman Liturgy. Other types of sacred music, in particular polyphony, are in no way excluded, provided that they correspond to the spirit of the liturgical action and that they foster the participation of all the faithful.[50]
Since faithful from different countries come together ever more frequently, it is fitting that they know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, set to the simpler melodies.[51]

In my diocese, there is no love for the GIRM in liturgical circles and no awareness of it outside of them. I’ve been wearing my shirt for a year. People ask me what the GIRM is and grow very bored once the answer begins. Two people knew what it was. Both of them made a face and said, with much disdain in their voices, “You love the* Germ*?” Both of those people make their living from the liturgy.
 
I just have always thought that the congregation should always be invited to sing at all parts of the Mass. Choirs are nice, but when I’m at Mass, I like to sing. We used to do songs where the cantor would sing the verses, and the assembly would sing the refrain. That works nicely during communion because the congregants are receiving, but at any other time during the Mass, the congregation should be singing. I have seen plenty of churches that do a “choir song” at the offertory, but I don’t think it’s fair to have the congregation left in the dark. Save the choir anthems for the prelude, communion meditation, or postlude.
 
pilgrimR said:
I attended a National Pastoral Musician’s conference and read up on what the liturgists were saying.

However, when I read the GIRM, I don’t see that articulated. Have I missed something?
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You didn’t miss anything. I say this with all respect to liturgists - they all have their own interpretation of the GIRM (some dismiss it completely). There was a Diocesan Worship Director (I won’t name the Diocese) that had his own interpretation of the 2011 Transition. It was different from the Bishop (he had absolutely no clue what the Worship Director was telling people), and from a music standpoint, made absolutely NO sense. He resigned two years ago, and even transferred to a different Diocese.

All in all, it’s whatever the local Pastor decides to do. After just eight years doing music, three parishes and seven pastors, you learn to just “go with the flow” of what he wants.
Lisa Lavadores:
I see a few options to have the choir sing alone, but they are only an options. Lol, the offertory is one of the places where it is not an option, so I’m not sure why it’s being done there.
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That is incorrect. Offertory / Preparation of the Gifts is the only place that has no strict guideline. You can have a hymn, a choral piece, instrumental, solo, or even silence. Sort of a “free for all” is you will. Depending on the Pastor, most (the ones I have talked to) prefer choral pieces or a solo during that time. My current Pastor despises what he calls the “four hymn syndrome.” So I usually throw something else in there at least once a month.
 
pianomany2k said:
You didn’t miss anything. I say this with all respect to liturgists - they all have their own interpretation of the GIRM (some dismiss it completely). There was a Diocesan Worship Director (I won’t name the Diocese) that had his own interpretation of the 2011 Transition. It was different from the Bishop (he had absolutely no clue what the Worship Director was telling people), and from a music standpoint, made absolutely NO sense. He resigned two years ago, and even transferred to a different Diocese.

All in all, it’s whatever the local Pastor decides to do. After just eight years doing music, three parishes and seven pastors, you learn to just “go with the flow” of what he wants.

That is incorrect. Offertory / Preparation of the Gifts is the only place that has no strict guideline. You can have a hymn, a choral piece, instrumental, solo, or even silence. Sort of a “free for all” is you will. Depending on the Pastor, most (the ones I have talked to) prefer choral pieces or a solo during that time. My current Pastor despises what he calls the “four hymn syndrome.” So I usually throw something else in there at least once a month.
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We have one of those, but we don’t listen to her. A diocesan worship leader, as far as I’m concerned, is a complete waste of resources. Especially when she picks and chooses at the GIRM as if it were a buffet.

About the offertory, we do that same thing. Every so often we just scrap the hymn and perform some sort of anthem or piece, maybe the organist has an idea and (that being me) he is asked to play a prelude.
 
pianomany2k said:
All in all, it’s whatever the local Pastor decides to do. After just eight years doing music, three parishes and seven pastors, you learn to just “go with the flow” of what he wants.
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The idea of this discussion was and exchange of possibilities, not really suggestions, and definitely not a forum for impressing our own opinions precisely because the authority for the liturgy is in the hands of the bishop, who passes almost all decision down to the pastors. So yes, “go with the flow” is the order of the day for all of us. Or, to put it differently, choose your battles wisely. Always ask yourself, “Is this the field of battle I want to die on?” (metaphorically speaking, of course). 😃
 
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