Why don't most Catholics sing?

[Cat]

part of the reason i think is most people are unfamiliar with the tunes

when i was growing up in a Catholic school, i know all the hymns as we are taught in religion class and music class. but after school, when the hymn changed you don’t know the new hymns anymore. most people are like me who are not musically inclined. we can’t just open a song book with notes in it and sing in-tune

Many of these “new” hymns are 40 years old.

And if you know how to read music, something that USED to be taught in school, you can open a song book with notes in it and sing.

I believe that the reason a lot of Catholics don’t sing is the same reason a lot of Protestants don’t sing–in the U.S., we have become a culture of spectators rather than participants.

Christians used to attend “singspirations” where they sang along. Now they attend “concerts” where they sit and “worship.”

Children used to play games that involved singing (London Bridge, Ring Around the Rosy, Uncle John, etc.). Now they play video games with realistic sound effects.

Workers used to sing on the job to make the time go faster. Now they listen to the radio or their iPods on the job.

Families used to sing in the car. Now they watch TV in the car.

People used to go to bars and all sing along drunkenly with the juke box or band or lounge singer. Now they go to bars and sit and watch while someone warbles drunkenly along with a karaoke machine. It would be rude to interrupt the singer during his/her “solo.”

Corporations and clubs used to have Theme Songs. Now they don’t. Music is not a part of corporations and most clubs, unless they hire a “star” for a convention or rally or company/club party.

People used to invite other people over to their homes and gather around the piano in the dining room for a sing-a-long. Now we invite people out to dinner at Olive Garden, where we hear Muzak.

And even the television used to feature variety shows where singers would croon and viewers at home would join in (Andy Williams, anyone?). Now we see CSI shows where we examine bones and blood clots and hairs and solve mysteries in less than an hour (very realistic). Or we watch comedies and laugh whenever the laugh track tells us to laugh–good heavens, we don’t even laugh unless something tells us to laugh. Or we watch reality shows where OTHER PEOPLE sing, and we just sit and make judgements about them.

People used to join Community Choirs and Singing Societies. This is happening again, and it’s a ray of hope.

 

[mk8080]

First, it has a lot to do on how the parish is instructed by the priest. The pastor is the head teacher and it rests squarely on his shoulders. If the pastor tolerates rude and irreverant, then that is what people are going to be, and that is what he is going to get. Period.

But the people ARE at Mass and thus continue to fulfill the commandment of keeping the Lord’s Day holy. If they didn’t want to be at Mass, THYE WOULDN’T BE THERE. You are really convoluted in your thinking about this. You are judging people that they do NOT want to be at Mass by their nonparticipation in singing. That’s is really stretching it, and it’s also wrong to make that assumption.

Many people are self-conscious when it comes to singing in Church? Why? Very poor music direction. If a music minister cannot get the people to participate in the singing aspect of the Mass, then it isn’t the people who should not be there - IT’S THE MUSIC MINISTER WHO SHOULD TAKE A HIKE!

Actually, some Catholics go out of habit, ritual, or obligation. Since Catholics are taught that they are obligated to go to Mass, many will go for that reason alone. This is not just the hymns–I see many in the congregation just looking around when “Gloria” is sung. I guess much of this can be chalked up to poor catechesis.

 

[jericho777]

People want to be entertained and be spectators. Plus like some others have said unfamiliar songs. Or this is a revelation of where their hearts are? Do they realize why they sing in the first place?

Song selection should not be a popularity contest but one that brings forth the truth of G-d’s word. Songs should be selected that people can sing as a congregation to praise and worship the King of kings and LORD of lords.

Let’s be honest few songs can withstand the test of time musically. Let me explain, the words will always be relevant but the vehicle that carries the word (the tune) can be out of date. You would not like to sing songs that are exclusivly form the 20’s or 30’s. Styles change for better of worse.

I think there is room for a more contemporary sound as long as it is worshipful, respectful, glorifies G-d and declares unchangable His truth.

PS I love to sing praise and worship songs all day long… to my self because my voice is not great. Find some praise and worship songs you can sing and sing to His glory and praise. Remember let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD!

 

[kalt]

I noticed this at Mass last night (well, I’ve always sort of noticed this, but it particularly annoyed me last night). When I go to my wife’s Lutheran service, the congregation sings all the hymns…even the closing one. AND, the congregation actually waits until the final hymn is over before leaving.

During Catholic Mass, not only do most parishoners not sing, but many leave before the hymn is even over. I find this completely rude and irreverant. I think people that do this are a just non-believing Pharisees. If you don’t want to be at Mass, DON’T GO! You can say that you are obligated to go to Mass; however, if you don’t participate, it doesn’t really count anyway.

Yeah, those who don’t sing really aren’t Catholics. And it’s obvious they don’t want to be there.

I sing, but keep it quiet, because I have a lousy voice. I suppose that makes me only a lukewarm Catholic.

 

[kalt]

Bingo! This is it in a nutshell. For those of us who do like to sing, singing to music with out the “notes” being in front of you, and just words, is a little tuff. I mean you have no idea what’s going to come next. Since you don’t know the song…umm…it’s sing softly, as you have no idea it the song is going to speed up or slow down…and I don’t want to be a solo singer.

When our Church sings a “older song” that most Catholics would know, without a doubt you can hear us outside the walls, bring in a new song…a well, you’d almost think we were singing a prayer, it’s so quiet.

My church decided to do the “Lamb of God” in Latin with no warning. Only the elderly knew what was going on. They never did print the Latin in the bulletin. It had been 40+ years since I had been at a Latin Mass, so I had to look it up on the Net.

 

[MarkBrown]

We had poor singing in my last parish. The reason? Songs people did not know or if they knew they could not stand.

Solution: go to the hymnal and pick out song that match the liturgical calendar and the people know and like.

#2 train the musicians. Not every song is a funeral song…slow and mournful! Some are very upbeat and joyful. The choir sets the tone, tempo and atmosphere. A good music director is a must.

As for those who want to leave with the recessional. Do what many Anglican priests do.
Recess out, and the deacon/priest announces from the back the Mass has ended.
Now how to stop catholics from receiving Eucharist and immediately leaving before the Mass has ended is another issue. Maybe having the Knights at the exits with drawn swords would stop this rude behavior.

Fr.Mark
ACNA

 

[kalt]

Many of these “new” hymns are 40 years old.

And if you know how to read music, something that USED to be taught in school, you can open a song book with notes in it and sing.

I believe that the reason a lot of Catholics don’t sing is the same reason a lot of Protestants don’t sing–in the U.S., we have become a culture of spectators rather than participants.

Christians used to attend “singspirations” where they sang along. Now they attend “concerts” where they sit and “worship.”

Children used to play games that involved singing (London Bridge, Ring Around the Rosy, Uncle John, etc.). Now they play video games with realistic sound effects.

Workers used to sing on the job to make the time go faster. Now they listen to the radio or their iPods on the job.

Families used to sing in the car. Now they watch TV in the car.

People used to go to bars and all sing along drunkenly with the juke box or band or lounge singer. Now they go to bars and sit and watch while someone warbles drunkenly along with a karaoke machine. It would be rude to interrupt the singer during his/her “solo.”

Corporations and clubs used to have Theme Songs. Now they don’t. Music is not a part of corporations and most clubs, unless they hire a “star” for a convention or rally or company/club party.

People used to invite other people over to their homes and gather around the piano in the dining room for a sing-a-long. Now we invite people out to dinner at Olive Garden, where we hear Muzak.

And even the television used to feature variety shows where singers would croon and viewers at home would join in (Andy Williams, anyone?). Now we see CSI shows where we examine bones and blood clots and hairs and solve mysteries in less than an hour (very realistic). Or we watch comedies and laugh whenever the laugh track tells us to laugh–good heavens, we don’t even laugh unless something tells us to laugh. Or we watch reality shows where OTHER PEOPLE sing, and we just sit and make judgements about them.

People used to join Community Choirs and Singing Societies. This is happening again, and it’s a ray of hope.

People where I work listen to their iPods and singalong** very** loudly. Maybe that’s the key. Have each person hooked to an iPod turned up to max volume and let them sing. They have no idea how loud or bad they are.

 

[MarkBrown]

I sing, but keep it quiet, because I have a lousy voice.

My maternal grandmother could not sing at all. As one of my cousins told me, “mama
can’t carry a tune in a bucket…her bucket is full of holes.” It use to embarrass me as a kid and for whatever silly reason never sang out. Seeing my dad just stand there not singing did not help. One Sunday I said, “mama don’t sing you sound horrible. Everyone will look at us.” Her response I remember and pass on today, “God gave me this voice so he must like it…also scripture said make a joyful noise unto the Lord, not sing like an angel.” So sing out, God gave you your voice so he must like it!

Fr.Mark
ACNA

 

[kalt]

My maternal grandmother could not sing at all. As one of my cousins told me, “mama
can’t carry a tune in a bucket…her bucket is full of holes.” It use to embarrass me as a kid and for whatever silly reason never sang out. Seeing my dad just stand there not singing did not help. One Sunday I said, “mama don’t sing you sound horrible. Everyone will look at us.” Her response I remember and pass on today, “God gave me this voice so he must like it…also scripture said make a joyful noise unto the Lord, not sing like an angel.” So sing out, God gave you your voice so he must like it!

Fr.Mark
ACNA

When would you like me to call to share my “joyful noise” with you personally. Your words are nice, but that’s easy to say when you’re not the one I’ll be inflicting this voice on.’

Thinking about it, though, those of us with bad voices aren’t the worst. The worst are those who belt it out, thinking that they have great voices and want to be heard. And when they ever start to trill…

 

[cheese_sdc]

We actually had to read, as part of our seminary curriculum (part of our sacred music class) a book “Why Catholics Don’t Sing”. I’ll try to recall the highlights:

Poorly written music: There are songs that are just too hard for an untrained person to sing - they either have strange rhythmic properties or melodic jumps that are difficult to sing.

The Warbling Soprano Leader: The author stated that men have a hard time following a soprano Cantor and often will not sing. However, 95% of cantors are sopranos. Occasionally, you’ll find an alto, and even less frequently, another man. Men will follow another man most easily, an alto next, and most won’t even try to follow a soprano. It’s just hardwired into their ear/brain and find it difficult.

Syrupy, sappy lyrics: This is more a matter of taste.

Pop Culture: These days normal people don’t sing, we listen to the professionals sing.

Culture: He made an interesting argument that American Catholicism was dominated by Irish immigrants where Catholicism was suppressed by the English. They could not sing at mass, for fear of being discovered and arrested. Thus, silence being inculturated within that Church and it carried over when they immigrated to America. Don’t know how valid that argument is.

Getting the congregation to sing takes a certain attitude by the musical leadership - at my old choir, we’d discard songs that we liked, but the congregation didn’t sing.

 

[manualman]

I think it is a combination of factors:

1. Weeds & Wheat. Catholicism is much more cultural than most protestant denominations, especially evangelicals. When an evangelical’s beliefs cool, so doe church attendence. Catholics seem to keep going out of habit even if they’ve long ceased to have a genuine prayerful relationship with God. This may also be why southern catholics seem to have better singing than those of us from areas with higher concentrations of catholics and a longer history of catholic presence.
2. Critical mass. Because of #1 above, even the real believers get more self conscious about belting it out and dial it back some.
3. We’re cheap. Many to most protestant congregations pay decent wages to musicians to come and lead worship music. We far too often rely on Aunt Beatrice who took 5 years of organ lessons 50 years ago beause she volunteers and is free… When I grew up kids used to tell rude jokes about Jewish people being cheap. Not so, Jews should tell catholic jokes.
4. Focus of Worship. For evangelicals, the music IS the worship experience. It is the center of focus during that time of the service. In mass, music is a sideshow to our worship of Christ present in the Eucharist. There is no reason we can’t worship in song too, but in practice people get it muddled and sometimes think singing would be a distraction.
5. Lack of “push” from leadership. There is no reason we couldn’t have sort of a ‘pep talk’ from the music director right before mass and a nudge from the priest during announcements at the close of mass. Hey, it was OUR St. Augustine who said “He who sings well prays twice.” You’d think we could get a deserved kick in the shorts once in a while…

Sadly, it’s true. But buck up. As the culture gets more and more hostile to our faith and congregations dwindle, we’ll likely get better singing at mass! In the mean time, be agressive. Belt it out louder than you feel comfortable doing. Maybe the family in front of you will be encouraged and sing a bit too. I consider it being a “choir commando.” Seriously! I bet if you got 15 families in a big parish (say 1,200 seat building) to commit to this and sit broadly spread out in the pews you could DOUBLE the volume of singing.

 

[Usbek_de_Perse]

My maternal grandmother could not sing at all. As one of my cousins told me, “mama
can’t carry a tune in a bucket…her bucket is full of holes.” It use to embarrass me as a kid and for whatever silly reason never sang out. Seeing my dad just stand there not singing did not help. One Sunday I said, “mama don’t sing you sound horrible. Everyone will look at us.” Her response I remember and pass on today, “God gave me this voice so he must like it…also scripture said make a joyful noise unto the Lord, not sing like an angel.” So sing out, God gave you your voice so he must like it!

Fr.Mark
ACNA

Although I have not intention of becoming RC, I suspect the ordinariate, if it gets off the groune, will produce a few parishes that will be wonderful musical models.

I suspect that in the RCC, the move from Latin to vernacular and the Novus Ordo, combined with a time of generally bad composition of church music across denominations in the 60s and 70s, further mixed with some really ugly translations into vernacular languages, created a culture where one could not expect Catholics to want to sing much.

This and the general vulgarization (I mean making it more accessible to the people, as in vulgate Bible) of the mass in the late 60s, combined with a secular guitar culture, created a lot of singable but not memorable music. Those of use old enough remember “We are one in the spirit” and “the Lord of the Dance”, with nausea more than nostalgia.

Protestants kept on singing their usual hymns with a few gender neutralized lyrics here and there.

I grew up Methodist, became Episcopalian. In both traditions, congregational singing is highly valued. To get through a psalm in Anglican chant requires no small level of dedication! Since I go to a traditional parish (Note Padre Mark, we use 1928 for most of our services), we don’t go in for modern music, and we sing just fine.

That said, I know a few Episcopal priests who can’t sing, and therefore don’t sing the Sursum Corda, the preface to the Sanctus or anywhere else. I’m not sure how the RCC deals with this.

 

[graceandglory]

I noticed this at Mass last night (well, I’ve always sort of noticed this, but it particularly annoyed me last night). When I go to my wife’s Lutheran service, the congregation sings all the hymns…even the closing one. AND, the congregation actually waits until the final hymn is over before leaving.

During Catholic Mass, not only do most parishoners not sing, but many leave before the hymn is even over. I find this completely rude and irreverant. I think people that do this are a just non-believing Pharisees. If you don’t want to be at Mass, DON’T GO! You can say that you are obligated to go to Mass; however, if you don’t participate, it doesn’t really count anyway.

Walking out of CHRISTMAS DAY Mass, my teenage son said to me, “Mom, we really rocked those songs.” I asked, “you mean we were the only ones singing?”

 

[wmscott]

I noticed this at Mass last night (well, I’ve always sort of noticed this, but it particularly annoyed me last night). When I go to my wife’s Lutheran service, the congregation sings all the hymns…even the closing one. AND, the congregation actually waits until the final hymn is over before leaving.

During Catholic Mass, not only do most parishoners not sing, but many leave before the hymn is even over. I find this completely rude and irreverant. I think people that do this are a just non-believing Pharisees. If you don’t want to be at Mass, DON’T GO! You can say that you are obligated to go to Mass; however, if you don’t participate, it doesn’t really count anyway.

There are even some who bolt for the door after communion. To me this is very rude and shows a general lack of not understanding of exactly where they are (The Lords House).

As for singing there is a city ordinance and a Vatican decree that I am not allowed to sing in public.

 

[RebeccaJ]

I have noticed that if you sing, people around you will sing. I noticed this when I first went to Mass…I would only sing if people around me were.

Our parish has gone to singing the entire hymn before the priest ends Mass. That works out pretty well, and its nice to have our clergy sing with us. Our missal is printed every week, with the songs included. If the song is after the dismissal, there is a big bold instruction to remain where you are until the hymn is finished.

 

[manualman]

There are even some who bolt for the door after communion. To me this is very rude and shows a general lack of not understanding of exactly where they are (The Lords House).

We call that the Judas shuffle! (Judas left the last supper immediately after communion.) A rude and childish name-calling, but hopefully a bit disturbing to those who are guilty of it!

 

[bpcatholic]

Most Catholics don’t sing because those who don’t are obedient. If you open up the hymnal it says refrain. I heard that from a priest once.

 

[kalt]

I was questioning, on my way home from shopping this afternoon, who says that volume is what it’s all about? It seems that in the US bellowing songs is seen as the ultimate in vocal achievement. When a popular singer ends singing and begins yelling, the crowd goes wild. The louder and longer, the better. And if they can hit that long, loud note at a dog-whistle high, all the better. But who says that’s what singing is all about? And if God can hear silent prayers, why do we assume that the joyful noise we make when we sing has to hit 10 on the meter? Is louder really better? Does it really mean more? Is this about singing for God, or are those who complain about Catholics’ quieter style really thinking that our singing should “show” something to those walking by the church on Sunday morning.

IMO, louder isn’t always better. In fact, louder is rarely better–it’s just louder. I think back to the great singers of the 40’s and 50’s. No one was bellowing and their music had so much more feeling when sung than popular music today.

IMO, God prefers quiet singing by people who don’t like their voices than bellowing by people who have inflated opinions of their voices or who are singing loudly so everyone knows their pious.

 

[wmscott]

We call that the Judas shuffle! (Judas left the last supper immediately after communion.) A rude and childish name-calling, but hopefully a bit disturbing to those who are guilty of it!

Thanks for this bit of info, I had wondered what the Judas shuffle was.

 

[wmscott]

Most Catholics don’t sing because those who don’t are obedient. If you open up the hymnal it says refrain. I heard that from a priest once.

Too FUNNY!!!