the Church calls for the use of real things rather than artificial representations of them in so many other ways that using an electrically controlled (and programmed) representation of numbers instead of one which uses numbers on some material would seem to go against the spirit of the Church's directives, if not the letter numbers. [fixed]

Just where is one to draw this ambiguous and ill-defined line? Does that preclude singing or playing music from (artificial?) visual representations on electronic tablets or smartphones (something that several of the people who frequent this forum do)? Or should also be banned the use of scanned music or digitized scores prepared using Gregorio, Sibelius, LilyPond, Finale, MuseScore, etc. and printed out in PDF form on an electronic printer, all of which are in some sense artificial when compared to the original way that music was printed or copied out by hand. Shall we bring back the practice of singing with the choir clustered around an giant-size book with all the parts written out by hand?

Could it be that ambient lighting conditions mitigate against the use of traditional hymn boards ... generally more than one ... which must be individually prepared for each liturgy and which may require different hymns for different liturgies, one after another, on the same day?

Where does "taste" end and "utility" begin? In this case, no one has yet addressed the request of the OP. I haven't either, but then this is more of a rant than anything else.

Added note: I am an ardent supporter of print "media" and have yet to use a Kindle that was give to me, since I prefer to read hardbound (or, if necessary, paperback) editions of books. And I have no plans at all of putting the music for any choirs or choruses that I sing with on the Kindle to use for rehearsals and concerts/liturgies ... but I respect the rights and wishes of others who wish to do so.

I wouldn't mind a modestly sized electronic hymn board. My church is huge and they use one tiny little wooden board that is tucked into a corner. Unless you sit right next to it you can't see it!

I also like the idea of giant sized music with the choir huddled around it lol...

OP let us know if you find this newfangled thing!

These are standard equipment in the German-speaking world and have the advantage of also displaying the stanza numbers, which can be edited on the fly instead of having to announce "verses 1, 3 and 7". Here's a picture of a rotary dial model.

The USCCB Committee on Divine Worship reflected on the question of electronic tablets as missals:

In regard to liturgical books, there has been speculation about the future. In the secular world, some envision a paperless society as books and other print media are replaced by tablets, e-readers, and other mobile devices. What would happen to liturgical books? While it is impossible to speculate about the future, liturgists wisely caution about moving too quickly in this direction. On a practical level, such devices are not foolproof and can occasionally freeze up, requiring a restart. On a deeper level, we treat objects admitted for liturgical use with respect and understand that once given over to liturgical use, they are used solely for that purpose. To use an iPad, for example, in place of a printed Missal, what happens after its use in the Mass? Is that same iPad later used to check e-mail, browse the Internet, play games, or watch streaming video?

Charles

Perhaps the electronic boards will remind some folks of this famous image?

http://41.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3y9i1Wnhc1ru8nnoo1_1280.jpg

Actually, our beloved Mary Ann Carr Wilson of St. Ann's (FSSP) in San Diego does in fact have manuscripts enlarged as of old and has used them in the gallery with her wonderful schola. Seen it.

That said, I would caution against an electronic board. First, light bulbs burn out and need replacing. This can be quite a considerable expense. Second, they will add to the electricity bill (which in some places is much more of an issue than in other places). Third, it's truly remarkable what feed-back is created by too many circuits drawing electricity. (If you have a sound system, it should probably be on a dedicated breaker, for example).

I can't imagine how a hymn board with tiny little light bulbs would even work... The illumination would surely be LED, which is super efficient, uses very little power, and has emitters that would probably last longer than the board in question would be in used in the parish. I also agree that citing interference with a sound system is a bit of a stretch.

Well, you have heard from our Amish contingent...

Electronic doo-dads are just great. I homeschooled my children and taught them to program computers, etc., etc..

But no, I'm not particularly interested in seeing LED screens or the like in church. For me, it would make the church feel just that little bit more (or, if poorly done, a lot more) like everywhere else. I'm also not thrilled about the idea of seeing people looking at electronic devices (phones, etc.) during mass, for a similar reason. Everywhere I go people are staring at those things, engaged in everything from important business (but still business) to trivial time-wasting, to things I'd rather not ponder. These devices are nearly always a source of distraction (for their users) from what is happening around oneself, and when I see their tell-tale back-lit screens during mass, it is difficult not to become distracted myself.

I'm certainly not condemning anybody who thinks otherwise; it's just my reaction. So perhaps it's my own hang-up. If that makes me Amish, then pass the sawdust pie.

I'm off to read a book now. On my iPad.

Your argument isn't really with me, or others in the "Amish" group. It's with the Church.

As far as I know, there have been no encyclicals or doctrinal statements from the church on hymn boards. I don't think there ever will be.