Where should the choir sit

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zuzu

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At my parish in the UK, we have two masses on Sunday mornings. At 11.00, the music is provided from the choir loft, by a senior choir accompanied by a supremely competant organist. Their music is what most would consider ‘traditional’.

At 9.30, however, the Mass is directed more towards children and young people (although all ages attend), and the ‘choir’ consists of two or three accoustic guitars, an electronic keyboard, and three or four vocalists.
I have nothing personal against them or the music they play during Mass, but i do have a problem with where they position themselves.
They line up behind the altar, but infront of the Tabernacle, and this surely cannot be right? I once asked their ‘leader’ why they did this, and he told me that it was “litugically correct for them to be there in order to lead the congregation in song, from the front”. I could hardly believe my ears, especially as i have never seen one member of that choir give due respect and reverence to the Tabernacle. They chat etc, and even make calls on cell-phones as they are ‘setting up’
In addition to this abuse, there are amplifiers, boom stands and cables which the poor altar servers have to negotiate.
It is an accident waiting to happen, yet the PP allows it to continue.
🤷
Are there any good resources i could use to strengthen my case in pointing out these errors?
 
zuzu said:
At my parish in the UK, we have two masses on Sunday mornings. At 11.00, the music is provided from the choir loft, by a senior choir accompanied by a supremely competant organist. Their music is what most would consider ‘traditional’.

At 9.30, however, the Mass is directed more towards children and young people (although all ages attend), and the ‘choir’ consists of two or three accoustic guitars, an electronic keyboard, and three or four vocalists.
I have nothing personal against them or the music they play during Mass, but i do have a problem with where they position themselves.
They line up behind the altar, but infront of the Tabernacle, and this surely cannot be right? I once asked their ‘leader’ why they did this, and he told me that it was “litugically correct for them to be there in order to lead the congregation in song, from the front”. I could hardly believe my ears, especially as i have never seen one member of that choir give due respect and reverence to the Tabernacle. They chat etc, and even make calls on cell-phones as they are ‘setting up’
In addition to this abuse, there are amplifiers, boom stands and cables which the poor altar servers have to negotiate.
It is an accident waiting to happen, yet the PP allows it to continue.
🤷
Are there any good resources i could use to strengthen my case in pointing out these errors?
Click to expand...
Due focus must be given to the Eucharist in the Tabernacle. I don’t have GIRM passages for you (I wouldn’t even know where to find them), but I am sure someone will provide them.

If it continues, talk to the leader again and say that you have noticed irreverence towards our Lord, and while you understand why they are where they are (even if you don’t. Baby steps), ask that they give our Lord the reverence He needs.
 
My friend and I recently were discussing this exact topic. We are in choir and feel uncomfortable about being placed right on the altar (off to one side, but even so…). One time I was about 5 feet away from the priest saying mass and I felt strongly that I shouldn’t have been placed there. We have a beautiful choir loft that remains empty because the monsignor wants people to see us. I don’t know why. Most of the choir has a sad look on their faces; some chat about sports while seated on the altar waiting for mass to begin.
My friend was going to present our view to the monsignor; but it seems he doesn’t like change. Does anyone have anything “official” I can show to my friend so she can present it to the monsignor? She sent off to “zenit” to try and get something in writing. Thanks!
👍
 
Speaking from my experience as a choir director and organist, even the most carefully rehearsed choir has last minute changes in the music in any service. The director has to give unexpected last minute instructions, make monkey faces to get the choir’s attention, and so on.

Even without these, there are still books and music to juggle, stands to move around, falling sheets, and such.

As a strictly practical matter the choir should be in the back to avoid distracting the congregation.
 
Thanks, Rosalie, for the link. What was said really does make sense. I’ve sung and been a normal congregant in churches with choirs in the front and choirs in the loft. I’ve found that the most “effective” were the ones in the loft. First, on a technical level, they never need microphones, thus never drowning out the congregation. Acoustics are almost always better from up and above. One good example was a funeral mass I did last week. For Sunday masses we have the cantor up front, but for funerals and weddings we do them in the choir loft with the organist, mainly because there is almost always something that changes and we have to be able to communicate with each other. For the funeral, the sound system was out in the chapel (which is the size of a regular church - I cantor at a cathedral). So, I had to sing from the edge of the choir loft. The sound carried and soared much better without the microphone as well as helped with leading than it would have had I been up front in the sanctuary. And these were all hymns that sit in the middle part of the voice.

Second, having them in a loft does show that they do have a special place during the liturgy. I’m not saying that isn’t always the case if the choir is built up front. I’ve attended plenty of Anglican masses where the choir is up front and they do a very good job of not bringing any attention to themselves.
If I’m just a congregant, it’s wonderful to hear heavenly voices coming from above and behind as if the angels were singing. There is something very spiritually ethereal about it.

Also on a technical level, as bpbasil pointed out, sometimes choir directors may need to make the last minute changes or give additional directions for whatever reason, especially if you are doing a very special mass with difficult music. There were plenty of times when our director had to do things like that. Even in the loft, he’d be mouthing everything to us and using sign-language - Something that could be seen if we were up front.

As a former chorister I also always loved the idea of being in the loft because it took ALL focus OFF of us. I never felt like we were being watched or paid more attention to. Once in a while you get the child or a visitor turn around, but that’s it. We were up there creating prayerful music for God and it never felt like anything else.

That said, I’m not saying that it is wrong to have choirs up front. It won’t kill me if they are up front. Some churches just don’t have the room or choir lofts for that matter. It’s good enough that they would even have a choir.
 
Sarabande,
Your reply is very thoughtful and I thank you. My parish has a wonderful choir loft which is empty. It was filled with parishioners at Christmas and Easter only.
My friend and I are left with the question of how to present this to our dear, yet stubborn, Monsignor who thinks the choir should be seen. This situation reminds me of when I was a kid presenting something to my Dad and I didn’t want him to say “no”.
🤷
 
RosalieM said:
Sarabande,
Your reply is very thoughtful and I thank you. My parish has a wonderful choir loft which is empty. It was filled with parishioners at Christmas and Easter only.
My friend and I are left with the question of how to present this to our dear, yet stubborn, Monsignor who thinks the choir should be seen. This situation reminds me of when I was a kid presenting something to my Dad and I didn’t want him to say “no”.
🤷
Click to expand...
I always got my own way with my Dad by saying “Mom thinks …” 😉

In this case, “Mom” (the Church) thinks the choir should be in the choir loft. If the United States GIRM doesn’t have anything, I expect that there might be something in Redemptionis Sacramentum.
 
We kind of split the difference at my Church, although we have no choir loft. We sit in front, but off the altar area and to the side, facing the celebrant, altar and tabernacle. There is no significant distraction, at least no more than members who sit in pews on the opposite side of the altar. The most that ever happens is an occasional child becoming enamoured of the instruments.
 
Ah zuzu- Your description sounds much like the 10:30 Mass in my old parish. My husband referred to them as “the Nairobi Trio” (search it on youtube.com and see what he means). They positioned themselves- electric keyboard, an assortment of guitars, sometimes a flute, sometimes a trumpet- in front of the side altar of St. Joseph.

In my new parish, the choir is on Mary’s side, but not directly in front of her altar. Rather- and this is early post-Vatican II architecture- in chairs directly in front of the pews. Our Lady’s side has 3 or 4 pews less because of this music area. The sound is better, too.
 
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