What kind of music do you prefer at Mass?

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We have a beautiful old church, but the loft isn’t usable anymore. So we musicians have to be up in front to the side of the altar. I have to say, if it gets to be too big of a group it starts to look like a stage. That bothers me a little. We do the best we can. We are trying to fund a new church. I hope it will have a nice choir/music area that’s out of the way of the altar.

Don’t you get goosebumps when it sounds like the roof is going to open up from the voices? We sang Hail Mary a while back and the voices were so in unison, that we just kind of stopped singing to listen. That’s what it’s all about.
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Pumpkin:
That is so wonderful you have a wonderful gift and blessing. I can minimally play the piano and would love to play the violin, so I stick to the singing. When they rebuilt my parents parish they put the choir in the back, I find that is the most appropriate place for them. However, my niece and nephew are 2 and 3 and do so much better in mass when they sit near the Choir, they even sing along.
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I heartily agree. Our cathdral has a vaulted ceiling and re-constructed a choir loft in the back (original choir loft torn down during remodeling in the 60s). I LOVE sacred polyphony from a listening point and from a singing point. Monteverdi does not equate to Marty Haugen.
 
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Catholicguy:
Gregorian Chant, Plainchant, Sacred Polyphony - in other words, things I am refused in my Parish.
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I prefer the same. My parish usually tries to go for a traditional hymn approach at the Masses I attend, but I’ve had the misfortune of going to the Life Teen Mass, and just being affronted with absolutely no concentration ability - it was like a concert in there.

Kind of funny, really. Outside of church, I enjoy electronic rock music, and my opinion here almost makes me sound like a hypocrite. I just think Mass is not the place to try to entertain, it’s a place of worship.
 
Anything that maintains a reverent atmosphere for our Lord in the Eucharist. Definitely no drum sets, no electric guitars, and no noise-makers randomly handed out to the congregation (my parish has all three, and boy are they annoying and distracting). You can achieve a celebratory atmosphere without such nonsense. In case you’re wondering, I’m only 34 and boy do I wish we had musical reverence back in our masses!
 
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PJR:
We are supposed to be PARTICIPATING in the Sacrifice of the Mass. We are offering ourselves too. Not just listening to the priest. We are expected to “Lift up our hearts”, as we are made present at Calvary, and we are singing with “all the choirs of angels…in their unending hymn of praise”
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I totally agree. Unfortunately our choir thinks the angels in heaven are equipped with electric bass guitars, drum sets, and noise makers, and that they’re playing some light form of Christian rock. How silly of a picture is that?
 
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Chris-WA:
Anything that maintains a reverent atmosphere for our Lord in the Eucharist. Definitely no drum sets, no electric guitars, and no noise-makers randomly handed out to the congregation (my parish has all three, and boy are they annoying and distracting). You can achieve a celebratory atmosphere without such nonsense. In case you’re wondering, I’m only 34 and boy do I wish we had musical reverence back in our masses!
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What about clapping? At my previous parish sometimes, they clapped at the end of mass for the choir. None of us in the choir really cared for it and the priest and choir director asked the congregation not to clap, because it was not a concert, but mass!
 
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Pumpkin:
What about clapping? At my previous parish sometimes, they clapped at the end of mass for the choir. None of us in the choir really cared for it and the priest and choir director asked the congregation not to clap, because it was not a concert, but mass!
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Our parish claps for the choir at the end of every mass. It’s inappropriate, but I’ve yet to hear a priest say anything.
 
I agree, that is sooo inappropriate. Unless of course they are clapping for Jesus in the Eucharist-which I doubt. It has happened to us several times, and someone said that they just wanted to express how much good music was appreciated. That’s fine and I am glad they thought we aided their worship, but I am NOT comfortable feeling like we have just “performed” for the crowd. If the focus is on us, we’ve missed the mark as cantors anyway.

The last time it happened, I was so embarrassed and uncomfortable I just turned around and knelt. I refuse to participate in clapping for other music groups too. Everyone probably thinks I’m just jealous.

We have a group with all the noise-maker percussion stuff. It is so distracting. It is hard to make suggestions to the liturgy committees without sounding like sour grapes.

And what about the music off the radio and other popular christian stuff? Not only can it be theologically bad, liturgically incorrect, it does NOT lend itself to participation by the congregation. Everyone just listens to the performance because it is too hard to sing with. I really want to complain about that. The last straw for me was when one of the groups sang the Agnus Dei in a VERY vibrant round, with in unison finger snapping. They looked like Pips. Here we are at one of the most solemn and reverent moments of the Mass and everyone got the embarrassed giggles, or tried to find a Kleenex or looked at their shoes. YIKES

And while I’m venting…I really don’t like some of the acclamations that go on and on and on. The poor deacon has to ceremoniously walk around with the book elevated for an an awkward amount of time. It really takes away a reverent tone when you just want to say “alleluia already!!”

I’m starting to sound as cranky as the guy who wants to draw and quarter all musicians. PS our new Bishop really is starting to rein in some of the silliness.
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Chris-WA:
Our parish claps for the choir at the end of every mass. It’s inappropriate, but I’ve yet to hear a priest say anything.
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PJR:
The last time it happened, I was so embarrassed and uncomfortable I just turned around and knelt. I refuse to participate in clapping for other music groups too.
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I totally agree!
And what about the music off the radio and other popular christian stuff?
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Our parish is very strict the only music for weddings is liturgical music specifically approved and they have a list. A lot of girls in the parish actually will go to other church’s to get the ‘radio’ love songs they want played at their wedding, it is such a shame. My husband and I wanted only traditional music. The only place for the popular radio love songs is the reception and if people really listend to all of the lyrics and payed attention to the meaning they would be so embarrased for their choice of ther first dance song. So not even always appropriate in the reception!
~P
 
Its crazy because, It all depends for me on how i am feeling with the lord on that particular day. It’s all good to me.
 
I would love to hear some of the older hymns plus Gregorian Chant, but that wasn’t an option. Most of the music leaves me unsatisfied, feeling like I am in a pop concert of sorts. Piano is becoming more prevalent, the organ in many Parishes seem to be gathering dust bunnies. I would love to hear more of the adult choir type of music that is so reverently done, in Latin, or English of some of the older hymns. I would also love to hear more of the Gregorian, contemplative chants.

The one hymn I miss, that always stirred my soul, is Holy God We Praise Thy Name. As a child, it was sung as the recessional. When we picked my mother’s funeral music, it was one of the hymns I picked to be played and sung at the recessional of her funeral mass. If I can recall, we even supplied the sheet music for it. I remember one old man clear in the back of the Church, had to be in his 80’s, belt it out clear and strong. She died in '86, so that was probably the first time in 20 years that the Church walls reverberated with that particular hymn.
 
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Chris-WA:
I totally agree. Unfortunately our choir thinks the angels in heaven are equipped with electric bass guitars, drum sets, and noise makers, and that they’re playing some light form of Christian rock. How silly of a picture is that?
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Just as silly as imagining that they are equipped with organs and playing J.S. Bach. Granted, I like organs playing J.S. Bach more than a lot of rock music (assuming the organists can play well!), but the two concepts are equally silly (or not silly, however you choose to think about it.)
 
I love what we’re (choir) rehearsing right now for Pentecost:

Mozart: Ave Verum Corpus
Beethoven: O Sanctissima
Bach: Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring
and a very old arrangement of Dona Nobis Pacem

👍
 
I like some of each category/genre… depends on the particular song and how it helps me to “connect”
 
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CarolAnnSFO:
I love what we’re (choir) rehearsing right now for Pentecost:

Mozart: Ave Verum Corpus
Beethoven: O Sanctissima
Bach: Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring
and a very old arrangement of Dona Nobis Pacem

👍
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I’m so jealous!!
 
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TheGrowingGrape:
I prefer Gregorian chants, but the Vatican II indult was cancelled due to low attendance.

Yet … I hate to admit this, being a strict traditional and all … but I REALLY love singing that Baptist song (forget the title) that goes "O Lord My God. I’m filled with awesome wonder … blah blah “…I hear that rolling thunder … blah blah … how Great Thou art!” The “blah blah” parts indictate the words I don’t know.

And I hate to admit this one, but I like that catchy song “Over my head … I see angels in the air … over my head … blah blah … There must be a God somewhere over my head.”

I really love singing both of those songs during Mass. *** cant believe I’m admitting to it!!! ***

And by golly, if it I didn’t consider it a sin to clap during Mass, I’d be clapping and stomping my feet to the beat.

I’m so ashamed. LOL!!!
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HOW GREAT THOU ART!!!
 
GREGORIAN CHANT!

eventhough i havent heard one in my parish but i know that it will make the Mass very solemn.!!
I prefer Gregorian chants, but the Vatican II indult was cancelled due to low attendance.
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Because many people dont understand the real meaning of the Holy Mass and when they are attending the mass they always in a hurry to go somewhere else.
 
Andreas Hofer:
About the 10th time I’ve heard the same 10 syllables repeated I’m losing track of the message of the prayer .
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Agreed. This is why I listen to this type of music on my CD, rather than hearing it at Mass. It’s also difficult for the congregation to sing, I’d rather hear it sung by a trained choir.

My wish is that when the music master hears that the congregation isn’t singing along, he gets the hint and changes the music. Either the music is too challenging for your average Joe/Josephine, or the people just don’t care for it. It saddens my heart to attend a Mass where people are just sort of mumbling along with the hymnal. That’s why I enjoyed attending an Hispanic Mass one time in Fresno CA (quite by happy accident). EVERYBODY was singing EVERY song and EVERY response! It was glorious, even though I hadn’t a clue what was being said/sung.
Just my humble opinion (with it and $2.00, you might be able to get a small coffee at Starbuck’s 😃 )
nianka
 
What amuses the most about the poll results so far is that more people voted for having no music at all than did having a “folk” Mass.

Has anyone informed the American bishops about these results?

And how soon can we expect to see bonfires at every parish, made up of blazing piles of Glory and Praise and Gather songbooks, which are also being used to burn Marty Haugen and David Haas in effigy?
 
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Wolseley:
What amuses the most about the poll results so far is that more people voted for having no music at all than did having a “folk” Mass.
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Doesn’t surprise me at all! The music that passes for “folk music” in the church is laughable (it has about as much in common with real folk music as does punk rock). I’m glad we have no “folk” Masses in my church.

I read a little booklet about church music ministry once, and it mentioned something about a period of time in recent history when everyone who could strum a few chords on the guitar fancied him/herself a composer. We are paying the price for that now.

As far as the congregation singing, give them something decent to sing, and they will sing it. I notice everybody seems to sing when the song is something like “Holy, Holy, Holy”.

Another tip for music ministries – if you really want the congregation to sing, stop keying every single song to first soprano and first tenor voices. Nobody in the congregation can get up that high, and they can’t always go down a whole octave, either, so they just give up trying.
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