The only singing I hear at Mass comes from cantors

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Beno

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Hello again, it’s been a while. (Computer crashed and died.)

As a musician and devoted Catholic, my cross is to attend Sunday Mass and experience what appears to be dead, obligatory worship. I play and sing at a Presbyterian church with a continuing history of excellent congregational, choral, and solo singing. I then go to Mass at any of several area churches and experience a near total lack of sound coming from the assembly. They seem too willing to let the cantor/song leader do all the singing and in turn the cantor is too willing to sing for them. The role of the cantor has turned into that as a soloist for the entire Mass. What can we do to change this so that the assembly can take ownership of what is rightfully theirs?
 
Beno said:
Hello again, it’s been a while. (Computer crashed and died.)

As a musician and devoted Catholic, my cross is to attend Sunday Mass and experience what appears to be dead, obligatory worship. I play and sing at a Presbyterian church with a continuing history of excellent congregational, choral, and solo singing. I then go to Mass at any of several area churches and experience a near total lack of sound coming from the assembly. They seem too willing to let the cantor/song leader do all the singing and in turn the cantor is too willing to sing for them. The role of the cantor has turned into that as a soloist for the entire Mass. What can we do to change this so that the assembly can take ownership of what is rightfully theirs?
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To take up the practice of the call and response, and to endure the long pauses between verses as the cantor waits for the rest of the Church to respond.
Or, to make sure that the songs that are being used are well known by the congregation, are not chosen to showcase the abilities of the cantor/choir (as seems to be the case in some churches)
Or, to go to every parishioner and whack them over the head with a song book and say “Open this and sing along!” (that’s a joke, btw)

Honestly, other than my first two suggestions, I just don’t know.
Perhaps it is your preoccupation with the desire of everyone else to sing, and with your experiences with the Presbyterian church, that is making you upset with the rest of the parish. Are you singing and responding? If not, start. Others go by example. We are the Lord’s sheep after all 😃
 
PatienceAndLove said:
… to make sure that the songs that are being used are well known by the congregation, are not chosen to showcase the abilities of the cantor/choir (as seems to be the case in some churches)
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Additionally, but along the same lines, it might be helpful to:
  • choose songs that are musically appropriate and theologically sound;
  • reposition the musicians/vocal group/choir so they are not facing the congregation as though it were a performance;
  • keep the arrangements simple.
 
Servulus said:
Additionally, but along the same lines, it might be helpful to:
  • choose songs that are musically appropriate and theologically sound;
  • reposition the musicians/vocal group/choir so they are not facing the congregation as though it were a performance;
  • keep the arrangements simple.
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Can I add to please consider your congregation - most of us don’t have well-trained and well-warmed up voices capable of hitting high notes first thing on a Sunday morning (or at any time for that matter!)
 
We don’t even have a cantor, and our pastor has told us many times, that he does not want to be the only one singing.
 
love4mary said:
We don’t even have a cantor, and our pastor has told us many times, that he does not want to be the only one singing.
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Always a good response about congregations not singing along.
 
LilyM said:
Can I add to please consider your congregation - most of us don’t have well-trained and well-warmed up voices capable of hitting high notes first thing on a Sunday morning (or at any time for that matter!)
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:amen:

I am not nearly as troubled by silence as I am by the caterwauling that passes as singing from some in the congregation. It is a wise man (or woman) who knows and respects the limits of his/her god-given talents when in communion with others. 😉
 
Island_Oak said:
:amen:

I am not nearly as troubled by silence as I am by the caterwauling that passes as singing from some in the congregation. It is a wise man (or woman) who knows and respects the limits of his/her god-given talents when in communion with others. 😉
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Yes, but we are called to make a joyful noise unto the Lord, He never said it had to sound good 😉
 
I always remember at my old Church of Scotland church where I grew up, an elderly man who was going deaf, he would still sing the psalms at the top of his voice. Someone told me he used to be a presenter (like a cantor for a church with no organ) in his old church as a younger man. There was something really inspiring about his out-of-tune booming. It always made me feel less self-conscious in church, it also gave everybody else good cause to sing loudly to drown him out 😉

You could always try that tactic 😛
 
Another suggestions: pick some cantors who are baritones or altos. My experience is that very few people in the congregation are first sopranos or first tenors. Even those of us who can sing will give up after realizing that everything is half an octave too high.
 
Beno said:
What can we do to change this so that the assembly can take ownership of what is rightfully theirs?
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As the old adage goes…

You can lead a horse to water…but…

Same thing holds true for this. Quite frankly we are not a singing culture for the most part. We have a “star” culture…pop stars…American Idol. Group/congregational singing is not part of our heritage as much as it once was. For the most part we are an “entertained” culture. Sit back and take it in. That permeates so many aspects of our society.

You probably begin your church meetings with some kind of prayer, but does anybody ever do a hymn or song? How many Families sing together in the house? How many are taught to or at least have that experience somewhere else?

Musicianship in this day and age is pathethic in the mainstream. Be thankful you have anything at all…

Music and singing is a reflection of our culture and given the state that our culture is in, perhaps you can see why there is not alot of singing going on.

The phenomenon you are experiencing is just a small symptom of the much greater problem we are all experiencing. Are there bright spots?..Of course, but on the whole you’re not going to get there until there are some radical changes.

Everybody wants a quick fix and are not prepared to do what is necessary because we have become accustomed to having the coffee made for us rather than having to get up and make it ourselves. It’s the same with singing AND it is not a high cultural priority…

Joe B
 
This problem drives our Msgr. up the wall. He frequently tells us before a song that he expects us to “do it justice” by singing loudly and enthusiastically.

There has been more than one occasion after a lackluster effort by us that he has had the organist start over and we get to sing the song again.😃

Mabye your priest could encourage the congretation to participate more.
 
Some observations:
  1. I have never been to a Catholic Church that has 4 part pew hymnals - yet EVERY Presbyterian Church I’ve been to has pew hymnals with 4 part music. Maybe, just maybe, not everyone can sing soprano.
  2. VERY OFTEN - there is no music AT ALL attached to the words (generously correctly provided only MOST of the time - at my own church at least 25% of the time the words being sung for the Responsorial Psalm are NOT what is printed). I can’t imagine why people won’t sing when they don’t know the music or lyrics.
  3. The hymns are unknown, syncopated, with too a wide a range or just plain lousy. My guess is most of the people in the pews would have an easier time with simple familiar songs that are not so assinine as is the usual dreck at most Masses.
  4. Sometimes the choir deserves to be listened to - and that can well be full and active participation when listened to prayerfully.
Just a few thoughts on the subject.
 
johnnykins said:
  1. The hymns are unknown, syncopated, with too a wide a range or just plain lousy. My guess is most of the people in the pews would have an easier time with simple familiar songs that are not so assinine as is the usual dreck at most Masses.
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Some of the modern songs I’ve hear are over-syncopated, or weirdly syncopated. Lots of syncopation just for the sake of syncopation. These songs aren’t even that easy for the choir to sing (not to mention sounding lousy); I would never expect the congregation to keep up with the unpredictability.
 
Maybe instead of the choir congregating in one area, have them sit with their families and sing from the pews. This may encourafe others to sing. I know that I have been asked numerous times to join the choir and be a cantor, but since I am a single parent to a toddler, that is not possible so I just enjoy being one of the fews voices who actually sings from the pews.
 
I’ve noticed that the number of people singing increases 100% when they use a traditional hymn people actually know, rather than some new-agey thing.

People sing along to “Jesus Christ is risen today”, “Immaculate Mary” etc.
 
CarolAnnSFO said:
Another suggestions: pick some cantors who are baritones or altos. My experience is that very few people in the congregation are first sopranos or first tenors. Even those of us who can sing will give up after realizing that everything is half an octave too high.
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Another problem is that Catholic hymnals do not have the 4 parts. They will usually only show the soprano part in the hymnal. Most Protestant hymnals have all 4 parts so those of us with lower registers can easily see the notes we can sing.
 
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