Organist sings praises of Church musicians

The key reason hymns are included at Mass is: (a) to allow priests to enter and exit the church in style; (b) to discern which parishioners have been blessed with the best voices; (c) to glorify God.

If you answered "yes" to either of the first two choices, it may be time to tune into a liturgical music refresher course, courtesy of Dominick Giaquinto.

As the new dean of the Eastern New York State Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) and director of music at Blessed Sacrament Church in Albany, Mr. Giaquinto is sometimes dismayed by the off-beat notions people have about the role music plays in Church services. Some of the misconceptions hit an especially sour note with him.

Meaning of hymns

"Hymns," he says, "are to be sung for praise, prayer and petition to God -- not simply to cover up some action or to get Father down the aisle. They should be viewed as any prayer, and sung respectfully, and, in most cases, in their entirety. All of the music which is part of the liturgy beginning with the prelude and ending with the postlude is prayer. It is not background music and should never become liturgical Muzak."

The most obvious part of what Church musicians do, says Mr. Giaquinto, is "to provide meaningful music for worship in the form of preludes, postludes, hymn accompaniments, service music and choral music."

Glory to God

It's not necessary, stresses Mr. Giaquinto, who is also Blessed Sacrament's organist and choir director, for a piece of organ or instrumental music to be "understood" by the average congregation. It is, however, necessary for the arrangement to be heard since "music has the power to bring people into a closer relationship with God."

He notes that the motto of the American Organist's Guild is "Soli Deo Gloria" (To God Alone the Glory). "Church musicians," he emphasizes, "are not there to perform. We are there to glorify God."

Underscoring that the liturgy "should be the focal point of our week from which all else flows," Mr. Giaquinto urges Church musicians and others in leadership roles to "always bring the best that we have to offer" into God's house.

It is also important, he says, "to exercise discipline and practice to hone the skills necessary to make worship flow smoothly. From organist, choir member, instrumentalist, cantor, lector, greeter, usher, Eucharistic Minister, congregant and presider, we are all responsible to make the liturgy meaningful for one another."

Appreciation

During his term as an AGO dean, Mr. Giaquinto hopes to build bridges of understanding between parishioners and Church musicians.

"Organists, Church musicians and choir members are sometimes taken for granted by the average parishioner," he points out. "That's a shame, because these talented individuals give so much of themselves to help make worship services more meaningful for others."

The average parishioner, he says, has little appreciation of the amount of time and energy it takes to prepare for a typical Sunday service.

"What you see and hear during that one short hour on Sunday," he explains, "is typically the result of hours and hours of preparation and practice."

Commitment

That so many singers and musicians remain as positive and steadfast as they do when their efforts are often taken for granted week in and week out speaks volumes about the depth of their commitment, Mr. Giaquinto says.

"Many of the musicians in our Diocese could easily be singing or playing instruments for financial profit or other personal gain," he says. "Instead, they choose to use their talents to glorify God."

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