Music settings for EF mass

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I was at the Latin Mass yesterday. I’m not sure what it’s called but the choir was singing the Ordinaries in a way that I found unappealing: kind of operatic, lots of repetition of prayers, and virtually unsingable for an average congregant. I talked to a couple of people, and I got different opinions.

What do you guys think of these kinds of settings for Mass? I myself would prefer to be able to sing along with the choir.
 
jdconvert said:
I was at the Latin Mass yesterday. I’m not sure what it’s called but the choir was singing the Ordinaries in a way that I found unappealing: kind of operatic, lots of repetition of prayers, and virtually unsingable for an average congregant. I talked to a couple of people, and I got different opinions.

What do you guys think of these kinds of settings for Mass? I myself would prefer to be able to sing along with the choir.
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It’s hard to know what you’re referring to. Is this your first Latin Mass? There are lots of Mass settings that are proper for different parts of the liturgical year. Some scholas choose to not do them and pretty much stick to Mass VIII, which is very melodic and people can sing along. However, there are other Mass settings that are recommended in the Liber Usualis.

I happen to highly like and encourage congregational singing, but in the TLM, it is not mandatory for the congregants to sing along.

In terms of an operatic sound, that has to do with the singers themselves. Gregorian chant sounds better straight tone, but not every singer is trained enough to control his vibrato.
 
No. This wasn’t my first Latin Mass. I don’t really know anything about the different music settings, but I do know that the choir in this parish has used settings that are good for congregational singing, and those, like yesterday that aren’t(a lot of flourish, repetition).

I was just wondering about peoples’ preference one way or the other.
 
I’m sure it was a polyphonic setting, then, considering the repetition. Considering what it was, an operatic sound was likely entirely appropriate. Classical polyphonic settings are virtually non-existent in most parishes, and even in the ones that have them, it is usually only a few times a year. In a select few parishes, these settings are used for most or many Sundays of the year. It is really not possible for the people to sing these and, in many cases, I would say perhaps not appropriate.

Go again; I bet it will be some Gregorian setting that you can sing along with.
 
jdconvert said:
No. This wasn’t my first Latin Mass. I don’t really know anything about the different music settings, but I do know that the choir in this parish has used settings that are good for congregational singing, and those, like yesterday that aren’t(a lot of flourish, repetition).

I was just wondering about peoples’ preference one way or the other.
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Right. I’m confused with the “repetition” part. Were they singing motets or are you referring to the ordinary alone (Kyrie, Gloria, Santus, Agnus Dei).

For example,The Kyrie from Mass XIII may be not as singable, but it is a valid Mass option.

Personally, I like to do as many of the Mass options as possible based on what’s recommended in the Liber. But I do agree that makes it harder for the congregation to learn them. So a nice middle ground would be to do one of the unfamiliar ones for a couple of weeks so that people get used to it and then move on to the next one.

I do not like when choirs only do Mass VIII.
 
Something like this?
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It wasn’t like that, no. It was upbeat and quick. I don’t have a musical background so it’s hard for me to describe.

By the way, how do I quote forum posts so that it indicates who I’m quoting(e.g. Originally posted by TrueLight)?
 
jdconvert said:
It wasn’t like that, no. It was upbeat and quick. I don’t have a musical background so it’s hard for me to describe.

By the way, how do I quote forum posts so that it indicates who I’m quoting(e.g. Originally posted by TrueLight)?
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Did it have singing in “parts?” As in, were there some points at which different “voices” were singing the music in a “staggered” way? Listen to the Kyrie at the above link again. That would be polyphony. Or was there only one “voice” throughout, with the whole choir singing the exact same thing at exactly the same time? That would be a Gregorian setting.

To quote, click “Quote” at the bottom of the post you wish to quote.
 
jdconvert said:
It wasn’t like that, no. It was upbeat and quick. I don’t have a musical background so it’s hard for me to describe.

By the way, how do I quote forum posts so that it indicates who I’m quoting(e.g. Originally posted by TrueLight)?
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You click on the QUOTE icon on the lower right of someone’s post. It will automatically put that quote into a new reply box for you.

As for sacred polyphony, it is part of the Church’s repetoire. Ideally, sacred polyphony and Gregorian chant should exist side-by-side in the EF, with chant taking the front seat and polyphony the back. My parish uses both, depending on the day and season.
 
jdconvert said:
No. This wasn’t my first Latin Mass. I don’t really know anything about the different music settings, but I do know that the choir in this parish has used settings that are good for congregational singing, and those, like yesterday that aren’t(a lot of flourish, repetition).

I was just wondering about peoples’ preference one way or the other.
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It was probably a special setting that they had prepared for the feast of Christ the King. (Wasn’t that yesterday in the EF?) I like a mixture. I love to sing, but an occasional EF Mass where I can’t sing along reminds me that it is not all about me, and I listen and pray. 🙂 (Although actually I usually go to the OF–but when I go to the EF, it seems to be a mixture, sometimes chant (sing along) and sometimes polyphony.)

–Jen
 
jdconvert said:
I was at the Latin Mass yesterday. I’m not sure what it’s called but the choir was singing the Ordinaries in a way that I found unappealing: kind of operatic, lots of repetition of prayers, and virtually unsingable for an average congregant. I talked to a couple of people, and I got different opinions.

What do you guys think of these kinds of settings for Mass? I myself would prefer to be able to sing along with the choir.
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It was probably some setting from the 19th century, maybe the 18th. There was a lot of operatic-style service music written at the time. (It’s not polyphony, so people can stop suggesting that – when you listen to a Mass by, say, Haydn or Mozart, it is simply not within the ambit of what the term “polyphony” refers to.) Since there was no such thing as recorded music at the time and most people couldn’t afford to go to the symphony or opera, this was folks’ big opportunity to hear concert-type music. The Church regularly tried to stamp out this sort of thing, but it persisted unabated until, of course, changing tastes meant that people just weren’t interested in hearing opera-type music at Mass any longer. It does still get dredged up sometimes. Feel free to provide polite feedback about your preferences to the music director, though they probably won’t be making any big changes based on the tastes of one person.
 
YoungTradCath said:
Classical polyphonic settings are virtually non-existent in most parishes, and even in the ones that have them, it is usually only a few times a year. In a select few parishes, these settings are used for most or many Sundays of the year. It is really not possible for the people to sing these and, in many cases, I would say perhaps not appropriate.
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The opposite is true here in London - at the Latin masses polyphony reigns supreme (as indeed it does in the Anglican churches) and the congregations know not to sing as you daid above. Westminster Cathedral has a polyphonic mass every single day, though the Sanctus is sung congregationally to chant.
 
liturgyluver said:
The opposite is true here in London - at the Latin masses polyphony reigns supreme (as indeed it does in the Anglican churches) and the congregations know not to sing as you daid above. Westminster Cathedral has a polyphonic mass every single day, though the Sanctus is sung congregationally to chant.
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Yes, London is a very interesting place, liturgically.
 
Sounds like sacred polyphony. Its hauntingly beautiful, in my opinion, especially the some of the Glorias. It also seems very atttractive to first-timers, in my experience. I don’t like to sing along so the complexity of it doesn’t bother me.
 
I really, really, really, wish I had more opportunity to sing sacred polyphony.

This thread just reminded me of that!
 
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