It's Sunday morning, and Catholics aren't singing. Maybe,
Don Embling thinks, it's a bit too early -- and they need a little
encouragement from a supportive cantor.
Maybe, mulls Nancy La Fave, parishioners are a little
embarrassed or self-conscious about their voices.
Maybe, considers Sally Scuderi, they just don't think
singing is important.
Do-re-mi
Forty years after the shift from choral to congregational
singing during the liturgy, and despite numerous official liturgical
documents promoting that change, many Catholics still come to Mass with
closed mouths that frustrate music ministers.
"A lot of Catholics feel like they can't do it, and
they don't even try," said Mr. Embling, music minister at St. Mary's
Church in Oneonta. "But it's important that we sing."
According to Glenn Osborne, director of music at the
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany and chair of the music
subcommittee for the Albany diocesan Liturgical Commission, singing isn't
only a crucial means of participation; it also "gives voice to our
faith, creates a sense of community and gives movement to the
liturgy."
Silence; pleas
Many of the music ministers agreed that the long tradition
of non-participation at Mass and an abrupt shift to congregational
participation played a part in the negative attitude towards singing.
"In some places, they tossed the baby out with the
bathwater," said Mr. Osborne, explaining how, in some churches,
overzealous efforts were employed to get people to participate,
"instead of trying to develop music that had some coherence with the
rest of the liturgy."
"In the very beginning, the music we had to sing was
dreadful," noted Mrs. Scuderi, music minister at St. Michael the
Archangel Church in South Glens Falls. "Now, we have people who write
really good music. [But] it's not in [some Catholics'] nature to
sing."
According to Mr. Osborne, good liturgical music -- music
that congregations are more likely to sing -- adheres to the Scriptures of
the day. Together with prayers and readings, music forms a
"comprehensive packet" whose parts relate to one another.
Many styles
Sometimes, say the music ministers, the blame lies with
the music itself. If they move too much on either side of the liturgical
music spectrum -- traditional and contemporary -- the congregation can end
up feeling alienated.
"You need to include different styles,"
explained Mr. Osborne. "If you limit yourself to one style of music,
you limit yourself to that group of people. Catholics are an eclectic
group who need an eclectic variety of music."
At St. Alphonsus in Glens Falls, where Mrs. La Fave is the
music minister, she has "built up quite a repertoire of songs the
people love to sing."
At St. Mary's in Oneonta, Mr. Embling caters to a wide
variety of age groups, tastes and desires: from elderly parishioners who
crave the old standards accompanied by the organ to college students and
teenagers who look forward to the drum set, guitars and keyboards he uses
one Sunday a month.
Picking the best
No matter what style she chooses, Mrs. La Fave notes that
her parishioners like smooth, easier rhythms with melodies that aren't
choppy or jumpy. That makes it simpler for the parishioners who can't read
music to participate. She likes traditional hymns, Taize pieces and
contemporary composers.
She speaks with parishioners regularly about their likes,
dislikes and suggestions for the music program.
When St. Mary's purchased a set of newly-published
hardbound hymnals in 1996, said Mr. Embling, the pastor talked to the
congregation about the importance of communal singing and musical
participation in the Mass. The music ministry took the opportunity to
introduce unfamiliar pieces from the new hymnal.
A new song
The introduction of new songs to congregations, most of
whom cannot read music, happens in different ways across the Diocese. In
some places, general songs about praise, love and the Eucharist are sung
repeatedly for a number of weeks. At the Cathedral, Mr. Osborne sets
different words to the same tune to help the community familiarize itself
with the melody while staying true to the Lectionary.
"If they're not familiar with it, they won't
sing," said Mr. Embling.
Leader of pack
People need a role model, such as the pastor or cantor,
the experts said.
"The priest is the role model for the community. If
he doesn't sing, it'll be an uphill battle to get the assembly to
sing," Mr. Osborne said.
According to Mrs. La Fave, cantors "raise their hands
to tell people when to come in and sing loud and clear, so that people can
understand the words and melody."
It should be easy to see and hear the cantor, she said,
noting that "closeness with the people gives you more familiarity.
You want to show people that you are a part of them and that they are a
significant part in what you are doing."
"It would be tough to get enthusiastic singing
without a cantor," agreed Mr. Embling, who noted that some Mass
attendees need "someone up there to say, 'Join right in; be a part of
this.'"
All together now
More than anything, say the music ministers, churches need
to have an attitude of openness and encouragement when it comes to
breaking out in song.
A strong sense of community, said Mr. Osborne, can
overcome any embarrassment that crops up, and Mrs. Scuderi recommends that
churches establish a tradition of singing early in life by founding a
children's choir and having families sing at home.
Mr. Embling says that pastors and church musicians should
"make it a priority to teach new music." Mrs. La Fave urges an
attitude of encouragement throughout the parish so that feelings of
self-consciousness don't surface and people feel comfortable.
"What I see as most important to make wholehearted
congregational singing is having trained musicians and choosing quality
music with theologically sound texts that fit with the rest of the
liturgy. Those are the fundamentals," said Mr. Osborne.
(6/24/04)