Need for liturgical musicians becoming great

The music director at Blessed Sacrament Church in Albany is also the dean of the Eastern New York Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. He gets frequent requests from parishes looking for organists.

"We see that there is a shortage of organists," he said. "I get a lot of calls for churches looking for full-time, part-time and substitute organists. There truly is a shortage."

Key change

The causes of the shortage include low pay for Church musicians, a lack of encouragement on the part of the Church for future organists and the complexity of the instrument itself.

Some parishes have done away with the organ because of the costs involved. This, Mr. Giaquinto said, should not be a deterrent for parishes. "The initial cost of the pipe organ is a little bit more than a piano," he said. "But a good quality organ will help lead congregational music where a piano can get lost."

A good quality organ will also attract more proficient organists, he said, because "wonderful instruments attract talented musicians."

Practice

"We want to encourage as many parishes as possible to send people, whether they are beginning organists or pianists," he said.

Mr. Giaquinto has watched as many parishes deal with the organist shortage by turning to other instruments, like the guitar and piano.

"Contemporary music is not the answer," he said. "Contemporary music is part of entertainment. People need to broaden their horizons musically. People need to increase their appreciation [for the organ]. It's part of the treasure of the Church. If we don't, we're losing that gift."

Lesson plan

The music should not overpower the congregational singing, she said, adding that there should be good leadership so that the assembly knows when and what they are singing.

Liturgical music has changed over the years, including over the last 15 years, as it has become more versatile and able to be sung by a choir or the congregation. A lot of "the music coming out today will be more lasting," she said. "We've learned a lot over the past 35 years."

Ms. Bernadett would like to see another change. Currently, there are two camps regarding liturgical music: those in favor of traditional music and those who prefer contemporary. "I'd like to see less division between traditional and contemporary," she said. "All can be used. I use piano, organ and guitar."

New melody

When young people volunteer to play an instrument during worship, she explained, sometimes they are not given training and support. The result can be that the volunteer doesn't enjoy the experience and the parish is not pleased with the music.

To help encourage young people, Ms. Bernadett said, the Albany Chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians is sponsoring a scholarship that will send two youth to the National Association of Pastoral Musicians Convention in Pittsburgh this summer.

Mr. Giaquinto wants young people to know that being a parish music minister is "a position that's honorable and exciting."

(The Eastern New York Chapter of the American Guild of Organists' workshop "Organ Music Refresher for the Klutzy and Time-Impaired" will be held April 19 at 7 p.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church, Albany. A donation of $5 is suggested. Call 383-3595. Youth interested in applying for the Liturgical Music Youth Award can get more information by contacting their parish music director, youth minister or pastor. Information on the National Association of Pastoral Musicians convention can be found at www.npm.org/convention99.html.)

(04-08-99) [[In-content Ad]]