Why Catholics Can't Sing

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thann:
…and in my opinion most of the music in our hymnals is just too high for the average (particularly Sunday morning!) voice.

When I lead the music I transpose everything to a lower key and I would bet that 75 percent of the people sing, and they sing LOUD.

I also tend to select several “moldy oldies” that people know and love and can sing without their noses being stuck in the hymnal.

… but sometimes she expects more from the congregation than they really can handle. People shouldn’t struggle to sing at Mass. Congregational singing should be a natural outpouring of worship 'thann
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You sure hit the nail on the head with this one!
I agree with the entire post.

Do you suppose many music directors do not know the music is written too high for the average person? Or do they not know how to transpose?

It is actually written too high for our choir. We hear some really funny squeeks, sometimes.

We really need some good seminars on Congregational singing. At one time we had them, given by some of our better music composers.
 
Adam knows what he is talking about (post #8).
In the ByzCath Church we chant (sing) just about EVERYTHING except the Homily and the Prayer Before Communion.

There are NO musical instruments, so the Cantor needs to know ALL musical Tones (melodies) for ALL Church Services (Divine Liturgies, Matins, Vespers, Molebens, etc.)

Without instruments, this in a way, puts the laity in a position TO sing.

Also, the priest needs to have a decent singing voice too.

go with God!
Edwin
 
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Edwin1961:
In the ByzCath Church we chant (sing) just about EVERYTHING except the Homily and the Prayer Before Communion.

There are NO musical instruments . . , so the Cantor needs to know ALL musical Tones (melodies) . . . this in a way, puts the laity in a position TO sing.

Edwin
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Ah, Edwin! Anyone who has ever attended a Russian/Byzantine liturgy and heard that astounding chant knows how EASY it is to hear one’s line and – even if one has never done it before – join in with the melody. Soon you start to understand and to sing the words . . .

In my RC parish, I am constantly pushing for us to sing the Russian setting of the Beatitudes in WORSHIP III . . . Of course, we never will. Doesn’t have a beat, you know!
 
I would like to visit a Russian Liturgy, just to see what it’s like (I have a strange interest in Russians-long story) I do sing though (except when I’m sick)
 
I went to the link but the excerpt would not load so I do not know what it says.

In my parish, there is singing and instruments at both the Sat evening Mass and the 1030 Sunday Mass. We have acoustic guitar, piano, bass (orchestral), digital horn, and the odd other instument. We also have a choir and a few excellent voices. I think my own is pretty good. I love the music, I love to sing. I do not like “praise” music, the Protestant simple lyric type stuff. I prefer the more reverent type music. It isn’t all stolid and dull, some of it is just beautiful. And yes, some of it “seems” vocally accomplished. But a few practices and it isn’t difficult. Besides, many of the songs are used every Sunday for a month or quarter at a time. A person can’t help but catch on. People do grumble when the songs change though. And there is a song or two that only the choir sings, unless someone else knows the words, then they join in also.
 
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khkhk:
I would like to visit a Russian Liturgy, just to see what it’s like (I have a strange interest in Russians-long story) I do sing though (except when I’m sick)
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Why not, for the time being, find a Byzantine Cath. Church. The Liturgy will be the same (Divine Liturgy of St. John Chysostom).
Go to this site to find a parish near you.parma.org/

go with God!
Edwin
 
I’ve had an interesting experience on this subject lately and submit an experiment that I’ve found to have interesting results:

First - go to your normal Mass and take note who is singing along with you and who is not (you as the experimenter must be of the singing ilk).

Second - at the following week’s Mass, go into the “Quiet Room” (you know the place in the back or off to the side where you can take your kids if they’re acting up, or if you have a bad cough and don’t want to drive everyone crazy with your hacking) and don’t reduce the volume or vigor with which you sang the previous week.

Third - Analyze the results. Invariably, I have found that, while the “Quiet Room” tends to be just that, quiet – when I sing aloud, many others will join in. So, take that experience with you from the “mini-congregation” back to the larger on at future Masses. “If you sing, so will they.”

I think if everyone tried this little experiment, there might be more singing at Mass. Quit busying yourselves watching/listening to what other people are doing in Church. Sing praise to God on High, especially at the liturgical high-points. Lift up your hearts to the Lord. It just might be your singing that brings your neighbors around to do the same. One more thing - when you’re “leading song” in this way, be sure to smile at your neighbors and look them sincerely in the eye. They’ll probably smile back and start singing along with you.

servantofgod
 
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servantofgod:
Quit busying yourselves watching/listening to what other people are doing in Church. Sing praise to God on High, especially at the liturgical high-points. Lift up your hearts to the Lord.
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👍 I love this approach! My dear, dear husband has THE WORST voice ever – simply cannot carry a tune in a bucket – but he sings at Mass! He is usually quite reticent, but has no problem singing along, even songs he’s never heard before (as long as the words are in front of him). I’ll bet he’s got a lot of stars in his Heavenly crown because of that!

'thann
 
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mark1270:
As St. Augustine taught, “singing is praying twice.”
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Actually St. Augustine taught that “he who sings well prays twice” which should not be a discouragement to the rest of us. 😉
 
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thann:
I also tend to select several “moldy oldies” that people know and love and can sing without their noses being stuck in the hymnal.

People shouldn’t struggle to sing at Mass. Congregational singing should be a natural outpouring of worship exhibited in simple, yet theologically and liturgically correct, hymns.
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How do you handle the “moldy oldies” where the words have been changed becuase they need to be PC or were judged to be outmoded (by OCP and others)? Then you really need a hymnal!

I agree that people shouldn’t struggle and too much of contemporary music is melodically and rhythmically challenging thereby discouraging even musicians from singing. Let alone all the non theological stuff.

Lastly, a personal peeve of mine is the cantor who holds up both hands when the congregation should sing 😦 While I understand the making of a gesture to invite people to sing, I think the constant holding up of arms is tiresome :rolleyes: in more ways than one. As a sometime leader of song I rarely if ever use this approach as I notice that if people want to sing, they will sing and know when to sing.

Have you ever encountered the music director type that says: “You will open your hymnals to #465 and you will join in singing the opening hymn…”?
 
(L-ast week was our 25th class reunion.
My brother, a priest, held a special Mass that evening. He chose the traditional songs.
The Church is One Foundation
Now Thank We All Our God

And I was shocked about the word changes!
I remember sing songs in grade school (1968-1975) and the nuns would have us repeat the songs in rote. Well, I heard these now words and they resounded in my like hitting or hearding a BAD note. I felt someone passed out the wrong words.

Traditional songs should be kept traditional.
However I’m in the Byzantine Church now and our songs haven’t changed.

Go with God!
Edwin
 
Ray Marshall:
There’s nary a soul who can’t sing “Jingle Bells”, “Happy Birthday” or “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”, so we could be taught, if somebody took the time.
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I’m sorry, but you should not be singing these at Mass. Only the last of the three was even written by a Catholic (at a Notre Dame victory party) and even should be considered for private devotion.🙂

I appreciate what thann has said about transposing music. So much music is written in sadistic keys that the only approach is to lower them. For a guitarist, this is not difficult. I have noted at daily Mass that when the people in the pew pick a song and start to sing acapella, they always sing it lower than it written. I can’t help but believe if composers would make an effort to lower the songs, more of the congregation would sing.
 
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coyote:
I prefer the more reverent type music. It isn’t all stolid and dull, some of it is just beautiful.
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Amen! After Mass this morning, the bells in the outdoor bell towers of our church were chiming out “Now Thank We All Our God”. It sent chills down my spine and put a big smile on my face in a way that a lot of the newer stuff or praise music couldn’t possibly do.
Nick P.:
Have you ever encountered the music director type that says: “You will open your hymnals to #465 and you will join in singing the opening hymn…”?
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Well…as a cantor, I have been instructed to announce the song numbers before each hymn. Apparently it was a suggestion made by the Parish Council and was passed along to our music director. More people have joined in singing since we’ve started this- maybe they feel invited to join in, and that they won’t be the only ones? I don’t know. And rather than tell people “you WILL do this”, we ask them to “Please turn to page X.”, or say “the communion hymn is number X.” There is definitely a polite way of announcing the hymns.
 
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Edwin1961:
Why not, for the time being, find a Byzantine Cath. Church. The Liturgy will be the same (Divine Liturgy of St. John Chysostom).
Go to this site to find a parish near you.parma.org/

go with God!
Edwin
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Hello Edwin!

My parish has a very strong voice, thankfully. In the tradition practically every word is chanted or sung, like one long contiuum of music. Each element of the liturgy flows into the next in prayerful song non-stop, I am sure this is similar to your experience.

The choir is very nice to, but we have a strict practice of congregational singing and choir singing on alternate Sundays.

The choir will sing pieces that are rich, beautiful and moving (mostly Russian, K’ivan and Bulgarian songs translated to Engish) but the congregation cannot follow where these angels tread! We all get frustrated a little bit just listening, we want to sing! You can hear people all over the nave supporting the choir as best they can.

There are three OCA (Russsian Orthodox) parishes near my home and I have been to them all a number of times. For some reason the Russians prefer choirs exclusively, and these congregations do not sing at all, all three have less than 100 families each (two of them are declining, I think, with mostly siver haired members). The congregations don’t seem to have a voice at all, they just won’t raise their voices in praise!

The smaller congregations have smaller choirs and the quality of the music is declining, I feel if they would have introduced or returned to congregational singing when they were stronger parishes the liturgies would be more vibrant.

I have also attended a Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic liturgy nearby a few times. The English liturgy (only the English one) is always recited, not chanted, something liike a low mass I guess. It is unbearable.
 
I do not sing one word and don’t intend on starting in the near future

Good Grief!!!
 
I cantor at my parish and love getting drowned out by the congregation, which happens regularly!!

In Christ,
Nancy 🙂
 
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Catholic4aReasn:
I cantor at my parish and love getting drowned out by the congregation, which happens regularly!!
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It’s great, isn’t it? I love not being able to hear myself- means I’m not being a “Caruso”.

At our parish, the cantors are often drowned out by our priests, both of whom love to sing and do so with much gusto. 🙂
 
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Catholic4aReasn:
I cantor at my parish and love getting drowned out by the congregation, which happens regularly!!
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Cool! I once thought about pausing after a responsorial verse and intoning in the manner of the Marine Corps drill instructor: “I can’t hear youuuuuuuuuu!”
 
I’m not sure how many are singing in my Parish, but I do know that those near me can’t sing on key… and that includes the priest who’s voice carries over the PA system, but nobody minds 'cause his heart is really in it. :dancing:

I think the Lord has a special place in his heart for those who can’t carry a tune, but still give it their all. :love:
 
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