You can rate the quality of singing in the Church

  • Thread starter Thread starter jblair
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jblair

Guest
Here is an online poll opportunity to express your thoughts about the quality of singing in the Catholic Church.

New online survey asks Catholics to rate quality of singing in church
9/20/2007

catholicnews.com/data/briefs/cns/20070919.htm

Catholic News Service
SILVER SPRING, Md. (CNS) – The National Association of Pastoral Musicians is polling Catholics online, asking them to rate the quality of singing of their fellow Catholics in the pews.
The two big questions in the survey are “How would you rate the congregational singing in your own parish or worshipping community?” and “Based on your own experience of participating in the liturgy of other parishes and communities, how would you rate congregational singing generally in the United States?”
Survey participants are also asked to describe the setting of their parish, what kinds of music books are available for use in their parish, and whether they participate in their parish’s music ministry.
The survey is available at www.npm.org, the Web site of the pastoral musicians’ group, based in the Washington suburb of Silver Spring. The survey also was published in the association’s membership magazine, Pastoral Music. Voting continues through Nov. 30. The results will be published in early 2008.
The association has conducted similar surveys in each of the past two years. In 2005, it asked what song most affected the faith life of the respondent. Last year, the association surveyed Catholics on what factors encourage – and discourage – singing in church.
 
I just voted. But unlike many online polls, you will have to wait for the “official” results.
 
When I go to Mass @ 9:30, PQ sits behind me and it is great. When I go to Saturday night Mass, I sit by KK and it is dismal.

Unfortunately, everyone who sits by me says it is horrific.
 
I read something on AmericanCatholic.org about this. The article said it is unfortunate that many Catholics are so introverted about their spirituality, and we need more people to not be afraid to sing.

I remember the pastor at my parish say the best seats at mass are in the front, where I noticed most who sat there were singing.

I think it is good thing to sing because it shows you are participating.
 
Singing in Church is a personal choice. Lest we forget, attending Mass is about worshipping God, not who sings the best or the loudest. Most of the churches that I have attended where there is a lot of singing (where they sing everything from the Gloria to the Our Father and after communion), do not leave any quite time to pray and thank God for all that He has done for me in my life during the week. Also singing during the offertory after the gifts have been presented, is annoying. I think many people who do not sing feel the same way and I frequently hear from fellow parishioners regarding the lack of reverence that singing all of the Mass has generated.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing better than having a talented organist play Bach’s mass at the appropriate times. But more reverence for worship is far more important than who is singing and who is not.
 
An important thing to remember is Catholics have very little tradition of singing hymns, at least during Mass. Catholics always had chant, usually by a choir.

God Bless
 
I was disappointed - it was only US. I also think that, as with all questionnaires, only people with strong opinions will participate, especially negative opinions. Therefore I think the results will be skewed.
 
I’m not going to vote because I can’t carry a tune very well myself, though I do try. As to the music ministry at my parish, they are gifted, and most importantly they volunteer many hours to do what they do. If I can’t do a better job myself, I’m going to keep my lips sealed. 😉
 
kell0618 said:
I’m not going to vote because I can’t carry a tune very well myself, though I do try. As to the music ministry at my parish, they are gifted, and most importantly they volunteer many hours to do what they do. If I can’t do a better job myself, I’m going to keep my lips sealed. 😉
Click to expand...
Lol- the musicians at my church think every song is an opportunity for folk music! The parish ioners just love it when there is no musicians and we can all sing unaccompanied. It sound much better without the worship group.
 
LucyLou said:
Singing in Church is a personal choice. Lest we forget, attending Mass is about worshipping God, not who sings the best or the loudest. Most of the churches that I have attended where there is a lot of singing (where they sing everything from the Gloria to the Our Father and after communion), do not leave any quite time to pray and thank God for all that He has done for me in my life during the week. Also singing during the offertory after the gifts have been presented, is annoying. I think many people who do not sing feel the same way and I frequently hear from fellow parishioners regarding the lack of reverence that singing all of the Mass has generated.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing better than having a talented organist play Bach’s mass at the appropriate times. But more reverence for worship is far more important than who is singing and who is not.
Click to expand...
I always like to have the best talents of the parish given in the music ministry, but I also realize that nothing should take precendence over the mass itself. So, if it is overdone with the congregation singing every single part of the mass, that might be too much. Totally different story if the choir does it, though. Our high mass has the Kyrie, Gloria sung, only by the choir, with congregation singing or chanting for the Sanctus, Mortem tuam and the Amen and Agnus Dei although the Agnus dei is usually done by the choir for the Latin masses. We usually have hymns for the processional and recessional. Offertory is usually a choral motet or organ instrumental and communion is also a choral motet. For the low mass, there are three congregation hymns - processional, communion, recessional with the mass parts and usually an organ instrumental for the Offertory.

That said, at least with the choice of music we have at our place, I do not believe there is a lack of reverence with the singing. It is usually very reverent. But then again, it is a fairly conservative parish in terms of the music program.
 
LucyLou said:
Singing in Church is a personal choice. Lest we forget, attending Mass is about worshipping God, not who sings the best or the loudest. Most of the churches that I have attended where there is a lot of singing (where they sing everything from the Gloria to the Our Father and after communion), do not leave any quite time to pray and thank God for all that He has done for me in my life during the week. Also singing during the offertory after the gifts have been presented, is annoying. I think many people who do not sing feel the same way and I frequently hear from fellow parishioners regarding the lack of reverence that singing all of the Mass has generated.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing better than having a talented organist play Bach’s mass at the appropriate times. But more reverence for worship is far more important than who is singing and who is not.
Click to expand...
You are right that goint to church is about worshipping God but you have to acknowledge that singing is part of that worship too. After all, in the Bible, David sang to God in worship, the angels and saints sing to God, we are even tole to ‘praise Him on the trumpets, psaltery and harp’. Therefore, we can conclude that the singing is worship too. However, some worship leaders massacre songs by turning them into folk tunes! I am talking about the ‘Our Father’ and the Gloria!:eek: Since when were they folk tunes?
 
LucyLou said:
Singing in Church is a personal choice. Lest we forget, attending Mass is about worshipping God, not who sings the best or the loudest. Most of the churches that I have attended where there is a lot of singing (where they sing everything from the Gloria to the Our Father and after communion), do not leave any quite time to pray and thank God for all that He has done for me in my life during the week. Also singing during the offertory after the gifts have been presented, is annoying. I think many people who do not sing feel the same way and I frequently hear from fellow parishioners regarding the lack of reverence that singing all of the Mass has generated.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing better than having a talented organist play Bach’s mass at the appropriate times. But more reverence for worship is far more important than who is singing and who is not.
Click to expand...
We do not sing AT the liturgy, we SING THE LITURGY.

Singing is not a personal choice; to not do so is to defy the Church - in fact, you might even say that to not sing at mass is a “liturgical innovation”, or an “abuse”, as is often claimed around here for things far less serious.
 
manila said:
I read something on AmericanCatholic.org about this. The article said it is unfortunate that many Catholics are so introverted about their spirituality, and we need more people to not be afraid to sing.

I .
Click to expand...
we had a thread or two on this when the poll was first announced. I don’t sing when I hate the songs, the songs are irreverent or shockingly bad theologically, the instrumental music is in the wrong key or tempo, the songs are in a key accessible only to a handful of trained singers (or to dogs who hear higher pitches), or the music is banal and idiotic (Peace is flowing like a river, for example). I sing just find when the hymn is a good one, serves the liturgy, and is singable.
 
I think it was St. Augustine who said something like, “Those who sing, pray twice.” As an act of charity to my neighbors, I just pray twice 😛
 
There is a book on this called “Why Catholics Can’t Sing.” And the fact that most people are silent when some songs are sung during the mass reflects a problem in this regard.
I think that it is a shame that there are problems in this regards. One thing that I noticed in parishes that I have had mass in in recent years is that the songs sometimes are more suitable to performances in a music hall than congregational singing. They are for more technically able singers. I also dislike songs that are used that are banal. The Protestant are better off in this regards, often using songs with good religious quality and are enjoyable to sing by the congregation–the most notable one to me being “Amazing Grace.” I hope this whole situation will change in time so that people sing and enjoy it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top