And “Now We Remain” is from the theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
How would that be part of the solution, though? The members of a choir usually don’t tell the director what they’d want to sing. (I’ve sung in enough church and secular choirs to know this. And I was a children’s choir director that worked for two different pastors.) It’s the director and sometimes the pastor who says what gets performed and what doesn’t. And unfortunately or fortunately, if the pastor is involved and the director and he have a different idea of what the music should be, the pastor, for obvious reasons (i.e. he’s paying your paycheck) wins out. A choir member would still just have to sing what they’re told to sing. It doesn’t help with the problem of people complaining about bad music. Only problem it does help is if the voices in a choir or cantor program are pretty bad and the person complaining actually does have a nice voice. Then, let’s try to recruit him/her.
Then how about taking it one step further and make the offer to choose, prepare and lead the music at sometimes at Mass, if one wants things taken in a new direction. I, for one, will always listen to legitimate (name removed by moderator)ut, but if someone wanted a complete change, this will be my answer. I would never dare criticize, but make a tolally honest offer.
HUH???
I can only imagine the music director’s reaction when someone from the congregation comes up and says in essence, “I don’t like the way you are doing your job, so why don’t you step aside and let me take over.” Offering to help choose the music is one thing, but offering to help prepare and lead it would not be well-received, believe me. Simply wanting things done differently does not qualify someone to be a music director. One doesn’t just stand up there in front of the choir and wave their arms in order to keep the beat; choral conducting is an art which requires a thorough knowledge of vocal technique as well as conducting technique. Vocal technique, choral technique, and conducting took up at least four courses at the university where I received my music degree, if that tells you anything. Most non-musicians have no idea of how much they don’t know about music. If you happen to be a professionally-trained choral conductor and you know that the church’s choir director is truly incompetent, a chat with the priest might be in order, but remember, this is somebody else’s job you are messing with here.HUH???
Me. I’d do it. In a heartbeat.Read the rest of CarrieH’s post. Music directors are generally hired because choral/church music is their field of expertise and they have worked very hard to make it so. She is correct that choral conducting requires a lot of training and in fact, I recently read a study indicating that conductors’ brains work differently than those of the rest of us when listening to complicated pieces of music: essentially, their visual functions diminish and more neural capacity is diverted to auditory processing.
What I do not have patience with are those who want us to do more of this or that and do not want to step forward to help. Volunteering an extra work load for others is not very helpful.
I guess I am just in a unique situation. We have no one of the talent level some of you here talk about. Maybe I was just trying to bait brotherhrolf into coming and taking over for a while.
Fair enough. Our music director started playing the organ for Masses at age 10 and has a degree in church/sacred music plus nearly 25 years of experience post-baccalaureate. I wish all parishes could have someone like him, as his talent and dedication to the parish are quite amazing. Unfortunately church music doesn’t usually pay well.
Fair enough too. We have a talented organist/choir director and four paid section leaders. That’s five out of twenty-five to 28. The rest of us are all parishoners w/ some exposure to music.
What??? While Stephen Colbert equates America to God, I am shocked to hear it actually be done in a church! That really is to bad that this has been used as the Communion Song.
I agree with this and Carrie’s post.
It’s a solo piece. Y’know, for the cabaret Mass. Sappy, sappy, sappy.
America the Beautiful and the Battle Hymn of the Republic have been used as recessionals in my parish. My ancestors would probably have a thing or three to say about the Battle Hymn of the Republic.
I understand this. That’s why for me, personally, I wouldn’t complain to the director. I know what many have to put up with - from lack of good musicians/singers to just a pure lack of support in general. But I also know that many of the directors I know would not want someone to jump right in and want to take over with the planning, directing and/or performing. What does help is if the pastor is supportive of the director. Sometimes directors can’t change the direction of the liturgical music because the pastor won’t allow him/her. I’ve seen this happen and it happened to me when I directed a children’s choir.
Probably not any more!
I have to agree that America the Beautiful would have to be near the top of my list for the worst possible communion hymn, although that was our recessional yesterday. But I think that BHR would be worse, especially where we still call the “Civil War” the War of Northern Aggression."America the Beautiful and the Battle Hymn of the Republic have been used as recessionals in my parish. My ancestors would probably have a thing or three to say about the Battle Hymn of the Republic.
