Why don't people sing?

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In my parish if we would sing Holy God We Praise Thy Name the whole church would join in, and never get sick of it, instead we are expected to sing songs like Lord of the Dance. Where I am many just let the choir do its thing and let it pass. We don’t seem to have any (name removed by moderator)ut. There seems to be an agenda and move away from the reverent. It seems to me they want participation, but not participation into anything too reverent.
 
I’m somewhat new to the Church, only having converted not too long ago. So I’m not familiar with many of the songs.

However, even when I am familiar with a song, I whisper-sing (non-audible). I want to sing from the mountaintops for Jesus, but I’m shy, shy, shy. And even though I somewhat know how to read music, I’m not sure my voice knows how to.

I am concerned about this though. I don’t know if we are required to vocally sing at Sunday mass. I hope I’m not mortally sinning if I don’t. But definitely, Jesus is worthy of our worship, including our singing (or at least or singing effort).
 
It is better to sing badly than not at all. But I have also encountered songs that I just can’t sing - they warble all over the place in unexpected ways, and I just can’t keep up or follow along.

(I don’t remember if that just started with my head injury, or what, but this morning there was one hymn we were singing, and I literally could not pick out the tune of it, it was just so “all over the place.”)
 
Cathryn said:
In my parish if we would sing Holy God We Praise Thy Name the whole church would join in, and never get sick of it, instead we are expected to sing songs like Lord of the Dance. Where I am many just let the choir do its thing and let it pass. We don’t seem to have any (name removed by moderator)ut. There seems to be an agenda and move away from the reverent. It seems to me they want participation, but not participation into anything too reverent.
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The choir doesn’t want to sing that thing either. That’s the worst one in my opinion out of all rotten ones we name on these threads. However, as much as I fuss about it, we still sing it.
 
La-Petite-Fleur, just sing anyway you can. You’re not committing a mortal sin if you don’t sing out. Half the place isn’t singing at all, so you’re way ahead of them.
 
daeve said:
The choir doesn’t want to sing that thing either. That’s the worst one in my opinion out of all rotten ones we name on these threads. However, as much as I fuss about it, we still sing it.
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Try “To Jesus Christ, Our Sovreign King” or “Immaculate Mary” and see what kind of response you get. Raise the roof top. We sing a choral prelude version of “Praise to the Lord” and then move straight into a processional version - and, yes, the congregation sings - loudly and with grins on their faces. Give us back our traditional Catholic hymns!
 
La-Petite-Fleur said:
I’m somewhat new to the Church, only having converted not too long ago. So I’m not familiar with many of the songs.
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That happens frequently even to those of us who have been Catholic for a long time. Last Saturday, the organist chose a setting of the Sanctus (in English) that I never heard before. I had no clue how to sing it. Also, if I go to another parish and they use different settings that I have never heard before, I have no idea how to sing them. That may happen tonight, since I am going to my mother’s parish for Christmas Eve Mass.
 
:confused:
brotherhrolf said:
Try “To Jesus Christ, Our Sovreign King” or “Immaculate Mary” and see what kind of response you get. Raise the roof top. We sing a choral prelude version of “Praise to the Lord” and then move straight into a processional version - and, yes, the congregation sings - loudly and with grins on their faces. Give us back our traditional Catholic hymns!
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We did sing Immaculate Mary at the 5:30 Mass on Dec 8. We sing at least one of the oldies every week. But if someone tore “THAT” song out of every hymnal, we’d all be a lot happier.
 
lak611 said:
That happens frequently even to those of us who have been Catholic for a long time. Last Saturday, the organist chose a setting of the Sanctus (in English) that I never heard before. I had no clue how to sing it. Also, if I go to another parish and they use different settings that I have never heard before, I have no idea how to sing them. That may happen tonight, since I am going to my mother’s parish for Christmas Eve Mass.
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This happens to me every time I go to the neighborhood parish instead of the one where I sing. The neighborhood parish does sing…even at the left over hippie Mass although the music is way too high for most human beings. The same guy has been playing the guitar for this Mass since the mid 1960s, and even though he’s at least 60, he still sounds like a boy tenor. You have a choice of singing way out of normal range, or dropping an octave.
 
My son, 12, has an amazing voice and his choir coach at school always wants him to try out for city events. The reasons he has given for not singing in church are some of the reasons already mentioned, tempo/pitch is off and they[choir] aren’t reading the music correctly.

That was true on the 3rd Sunday of Advent, our choir actually interrupted mass to correct O come, O come, Emmanuel. This is one of my favorite songs and I know the music for just about any instrument. sigh It was butchered. They tried again this week and they sang it amazingly!

I do make it a point to sing. Give me traditional songs any day!
 
puzzleannie;2985756[COLOR=red said:
]#1
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I will not sing a song with heretical lyrics
#2 I will not sing when the pitch is too high for ordinary voices
I will not sing when the organ or musicians are not in sync or even in the same key with the cantor and choir it is impossible, although i might hum a bit

#3 I will not sing when they are going at a funeral pace that requires a breath after every 3 words.

#4 I will not sing songs that make me gag (Peace is flowing like a river is the example that comes to mind).

#5 when singing traditional hymns I sing the traditional words I refuse to sing PC words. that is because I am a stubborn old rhymes with witch.

#6 I don’t sing during the communion time, being otherwise occupied in preparing for reception and thanksgiving.

I don’t sing when I am working off a cold or asthma flairs up because I will invariably start coughing.

#7 I don’t sing songs in another language unless the hymn number is announced in English so I can find it.

RIGHT ON!!

re: #1 applies to most of the lyrics in the Breaking Bread Missal

#2 The music was not WRITTEN for us to sing - the new stuff is mostly solo material - (not very “community like” do you think?)

#3 most of the time the organist is playing, not for the choir or the people in the pews - they’re playing for an organ recital - a whole different concept

#4 One Bread One Body is mine

#5 the traditional (authentically Catholic) lyrics were mostly written by saints, bishops and priests, before modernism took hold - warned about in the 1800’ and 1900’s. - most of the new lyrics were written since then by lay people, and protestants and even protestant priests and bishops - I don’t even want to consider singing those.

#6 There are indulgences prayers to be said after communion (NOT after Mass - after communion) Anima Christi and prayers at the foot of the Cross - PLENARY INDULGENCES- I don’t know why the choir, cantor, organist, priests, laity think this “community” thing can be better than that!!

#7 Other than the old OLD English translation of hymns written by the saints and nuns, only Latin for me - I can count on it being authentically Catholic - just about anything other than these 2 are questionable.
 
Meximo said:
My son, 12, has an amazing voice and his choir coach at school always wants him to try out for city events. The reasons he has given for not singing in church are some of the reasons already mentioned, tempo/pitch is off and they[choir] aren’t reading the music correctly.

That was true on the 3rd Sunday of Advent, our choir actually interrupted mass to correct O come, O come, Emmanuel. This is one of my favorite songs and I know the music for just about any instrument. sigh It was butchered. They tried again this week and they sang it amazingly!

I do make it a point to sing. Give me traditional songs any day!
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Mis hermanos y hermanas across the Sabine join with their French counterparts. Forty five years ago, we sang pretty much the same thing.
 
My parish uses the Oregon Catholic Press. I try to attend Masses which have no choir or music. 😦
 
JMJ_coder said:
Hello,

If what many who love the decrepit music of today assert, that because of modern “liturgical music” (which is almost universally anything but) that people can follow what Vatican II called for - that is full and active participation of the people - why does almost nobody sing at Mass? Why don’t the people belt out with glee those favorites of the past 40 years - especially since their claimed to be so loved and easy to sing?
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Did they sing at Calvary when Our Savours Blood drained from His Body ?

Did they sing when they rested Him in a tomb ?

I invite all those singers to tell me when they sang at the Crucifixion.
 
snowfly said:
Did they sing at Calvary when Our Savours Blood drained from His Body ?

Did they sing when they rested Him in a tomb ?

I invite all those singers to tell me when they sang at the Crucifixion.
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No, there’s no record of anyone singing at the crucifixion, but Jes and his disciples sang before going to to Gethsemane (Matt. 26:30), and in John’s vision, the elders in heaven sing a new song to the Lamb, who stands but appears as if it had been slain (Rev. 5:6-10).
 
EHRAM said:
No, there’s no record of anyone singing at the crucifixion, but Jes and his disciples sang before going to to Gethsemane (Matt. 26:30), and in John’s vision, the elders in heaven sing a new song to the Lamb, who stands but appears as if it had been slain (Rev. 5:6-10).
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Where they at Mass ?
 
I’m not an Adoremus reader, but I have to agree with their picks:

Adoremus Readers’ Top 10
  1. Holy God We Praise Thy Name (AH* 461)
  2. Ave Verum Corpus (chant AH 514)
  3. Immaculate Mary (AH 532)
  4. Come Holy Ghost (AH 443)
  5. Hail Holy Queen, Enthroned Above (AH 530)
  6. Jesus Christ Is Risen Today (AH 410)
  7. Panis Angelicus (AH 523)
  8. Salve Regina (AH 547)
  9. Soul of My Savior (AH 522)
  10. To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King (AH 480)
Romans 15-9.
;as it is written, “THEREFORE I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO YOU AMONG THE GENTILES,
AND I WILL SING TO YOUR NAME.”
 
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