Practice singing before Mass

[Edmundus1581]

Hm…maybe I sometimes think that I am pius but most of the times I think that most people are so great singers that they need no practice.
I feel that I should sing very good but I need practice.
…
The question arose because…some Priest tell us that Reading the Bible Reading before Mass. I hate being unprepared and want to dö this with music as well. I hate going to Mass and learn the tunes there. I learn at home or with teachers.

How do People learn the hymns by just singing at Mass?

I hope you don’t mind if I take a guess at where your question is coming from, as I think I can relate.

I think that you are very interested in the Catholic church, as a potential convert, and are “throwing yourself” into it.

That was very much me, as a 21 year old, nearly fourty years ago.

I was coming as an Anglican and enthusiastic “born again” Christian, who had, quite suddenly and unexpectedly, been attracted to the Catholic Church.

I started to attend Mass, at least on Sundays and sometimes more often. Nearly everything was new and wonderful, and I read a lot and paid more attention at Mass than most of the congregation. Or so it seemed to me - it takes a while for a single person to understand the “busyness” of other members, and also the different types of piety. That is no fault to you - just a common misunderstanding. Newcomers are often surprised that regular Catholics are not as keen as them.

For you, the music and singing is part of the journey. It wasn’t for me, because my background included music that was often the same, or had very much in common. I picked up the Catholic hymns easily and liked some of them and others I didn’t, but I joined in quite well. (I should add that there were a small number of ancient very Catholic hymns which drew me into the Church, and I learned these)

Now, to answer your question.

Yes, it’s great that you prepare yourself by getting the music before Mass, and it’s great that the parish assists you in this. All credit to you!

Most people don’t both because they are already familiar with most of the hymns, and are also too busy to add this preparation to their lives. For them, the main thing is to turn up and be spiritually prepared. They’ll take the music as it comes and just do their best.

The parish (probably) won’t publish the hymns on the website because they already know there will be little demand, so they won’t give someone this extra job.

I hope that explains it all, from both my experience as a Catholic enquirer, and now with nearly fourty years as a regular churchgoer.

Oh, one last point, I nearly forgot. It is a widely acknowledged problem that the music in Catholic parishes and the congregational participation is often not as good as it should be. Maybe “good enough”, all things considered, but less than it should be. The various issues are deep and are regularly discussed, even here in CAF, and there is no simple solution. Maybe, in time, publishing the hymns beforehand will become standard practice. It’s possible

Best wishes, and Merry Christmas from Australia.

 

[GospelOfMatthew]

The most important part of Mass is the Eucharist, not the music. So if I only have time to prepare for the Eucharist or music during the week the choice is obvious. Go to confession if needed, read scripture, pray the rosary and other prayers.

Mass without music is still a mass. Mass without the Eucharist isn’t Catholic. There are priorities here. And I for one sing well and like church music and subsequently have pretty much all the songs used memorized

 

[jesusmademe]

Very nicely explained!
I was drawn to the Church by the Liturgical mystery. Especially the esthetical. Early on I started going to the EF because of this but I go to the OF now.
I like to and that a simple tune can be extremely esthetical. The most simple Kyrie Elieson can be the greatest. Now, I take singing lessons so music is important to me.
What I dont get is those who never sing Dyring the week, ie only in Sundays.
I always sing when I pray in the morning. Lord’s prayer is at that time always sung.
I guess you can be too focused on intonation rather then the meaning behind the prayer.

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

There are many catechetical materials that suggest we have a responsibility to read the readings for Mass before we go so that we can listen (and they mean listen, not follow along) with more attentiveness to the meanings of the scripture. I would venture that there are few who do that — so even fewer who would do likewise with the music. As pointed out above, eventually, there’s little new to it other than what we might be able to reflect upon, which is hopefully aided by a skillful homilist.

Another consideration that would be true in my area: posting the music online or even sharing via email might violate copyright laws. The hymnals have been appropriately purchased but other reproduction rights have typically not been included.

 

[cmscms]

I don’t sing at the mass because God did NOT give me a good voice. Different people have different talents and we are one body. I love letting the choir do the singing because I have witness some really good singer I often wonder why they are on the top 40 list. If anything I personally feel sorry for the choir. While I am receiving the body of Christ and making a spiritual communiion, they have to focus on singing. That is where I can use my gifts and pray for them

And as a side note, I never hear the Lord’s prayer sung until I was pushing 30. And IMO it annoys me. I feel a lot more comfort just reading the words. I honestly don’t see the necessity of singing

 

[Anne1964]

I am the website manager for my parish. Hymns are not published on parish websites due to copyright issues.

You obviously love music and it sounds like singing is a way of prayer for you, which is wonderful. However, it is not the same for everyone. I pray much better in total silence and I often wish there was no hymn during Communion.

I can’t read music so the only way for me to learn a hymn is to hear it and memorize the melody. Even once I have it memorized I often cannot sing it by myself without singing along with a recording. In my mind I know the proper pitch but I can’t make my voice cooperate. lol

At my parish we chant the Gloria in Latin every Sunday and I did listen to a recording of it in my car over and over so I could memorize the words. We also sing a rather complicated (to me) Sanctus and I still can’t get that one right even though I have listened to it repeatedly.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I was drawn to the Church by the Liturgical mystery. Especially the esthetical. Early on I started going to the EF because of this but I go to the OF now.
I like to and that a simple tune can be extremely esthetical.

Aesthetics are a nice thing, but they should never, ever be the main reason somebody is attending the Catholic Church.
The reason being that you may very well find yourself in some place where the only Masses available are severely lacking in aethetics, or in the type of aethetics you are drawn to. You might be having Mass in a school gym rather than a nice old church, the music might be provided by a couple of high school guitarists who sing too softly and off-key rather than by a PhD in music playing an antique organ. The important thing is for us to focus on Jesus in the Eucharist who is present at every Mass and is the reason we are there, even if the Mass itself is visually and audibly unappealing.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I often wish there was no hymn during Communion.

I completely agree with you. I have several preparatory prayers I say before receiving. I also have several prayers I say after receiving; some of them are indulgenced. I don’t think people should be having to choose between praying before and after Communion, and joining in a song. Apart from the prayer aspect, it is also hard to be joining in song when you are focused on the logistics of getting yourself up the aisle to Communion and then back to your seat, which can be tricky in view of crowds, the layout of the church, the option to receive the Precious Blood in a second line, etc.

I would prefer it if at Communion time, we had some instrumental music or a song performed by the choir or cantor only. As it is, because of all the factors above I am rarely able to join in the Communion hymn.

 

[Annie]

I often wish there was no hymn during Communion.

I agree! For the same reasons as @Tis_Bearself, but also because it is very hard to hold the heavy hymnal in a readable position while kneeling in the pews.

So I generally do not sing and just pray.

 

[Annie]

I have recently started taking an interest in the hymns myself, because I started attending a different church which sings more traditional hymns. I want to ask the choir director if they have a messed-up copy of the hymnal they would sell me so I can read the words and maybe learn some if I can find a recording.

But I see that that is a personal interest of mine. Other people have other paths or are on a different point in their path.

I try not to worry too much about what others are doing at Mass because of those same reasons.

So carry on with your studies of our beautiful hymns, maybe someday you will join the choir