Then I would think that either (1) you had three incompetent accompanists, all unable to prepare a page or two of music given ages in advance, or (2) they really just meant that they didn't have time to prepare because school or work or other obligations were keeping them too busy to do anything else, not that there was anything particularly trying about the music in question here, or (3) the reason they cited, "lack of time to prepare," was not the real reason they left.

exactly, Mark. It may have been too much for them, but that says more about them and their situation than it what it says about the psalm.

Well, considering that the ur Catholic model for staffing involves a combination of clerics and religious as a default setting, this is not shocking at all.

Well, there is an issue about accompanying plainsong and even strophic hymnody: the opportunity for the accompanist to shine is typically diminished. (Overdoing the organ for strophic hymns drives many Catholics in the pews crazy.) The accompanist provides the support; but is not a soloist in concerto with the congregation, as it were. The Catholic liturgical sensibility requires a detachment from the need to be seen and known as something grander. Particularly if you employe a preference for music that doesn't *need* accompaniment to be successful, which is a wise and prudent filter.

Exactly Mark. The reason cited was not the reason. It boils down to they don't like the hymns. They want praise and worship music that is "upbeat". (I'm beginning to despise that perfectly innocent little word.)

Although I have to state for the record...I do not use Respond and Acclaim. For psalms we use something from Chabanel...it usually rotates between Royce Nickel, Richard Rice and Matthew Meloche, with the occasional Jeff Ostrowski thrown in if we don't have time to learn parts.

Perhaps because "the opportunity for the accompanist to shine is typically diminished" is exactly why so many of today's younger musicians are leaving church jobs. To too many musicians, church jobs become opportunities in lieu of concerts where they can use their skills and wait for the praise that comes after the mass.

And, for the record, I would advocate an unaccompanied mass.

Perhaps because "the opportunity for the accompanist to shine is typically diminished" is exactly why so many of today's younger musicians are leaving church jobs. To too many musicians, church jobs become opportunities in lieu of concerts where they can use their skills and wait for the praise that comes after the mass.

There is NO praise after mass. There is appreciation in Protestant churches which is totally absent in Catholic churches. Always has been always will be.

People leave and play at Protestant churches because there is money there, there is appreciation for music there, there are better instruments there and the workload is greatly diminished. Plus the chance of getting fired by the influence of shitty people with money in the congregation is greatly diminished.

The problem is not the people. It's the clergy. CharlesW has a better chance of being in his position next year because his pastor has been there and probably be there for a long time. It's a golden situation. Rare as they are, especially in a diocese with many Catholic/Marriage converts and priests who are also converts.

Catholics are herded in and out. Playing for a rodeo. However, a trip to France shows a different side of the coin. Catholic churches there...tradition.

Yes, the responsorial psalm changes every week, but, for the most part, the psalms are easy enough and should be able to be sight-read

IF the psalm was sing by the same singer at every Mass and the organist liked to sight read, yes. The stress comes not from the psalm but having to prepare to play it for a variety of singers in front of an entire congregation who, when the psalm gets screwed, look at the organist!

In re: Noel Jones' remarks above regarding organists coming and leaving

As a person who is not a DoM or organist, may I offer an outsider's opinion? My parish has a high quality music program with sung and chanted Anglican Use (Roman Catholic) Masses in the morning and sung Latin OF Mass in the evening.

Here is the rub: the pastor has been here for 30 years. We do not have to worry about the music changing every five year's due to the vision of a new priest. The DoM has been here for at least since I arrived in town seven years ago. Do things change around here? Sure, we just got a new schola in residence to sing choral Evensong (Vespers) several years ago. But the overall vision of the music program offering the highest music for the highest purpose (worship of His Majesty our God) does not change.

While there may not be anything we lay people can do about it, the fact that pastors change every five years in many dioceses may contribute to the problem. But even that may not be unworkable if it weren't for another thing:

The Roman rite has a lot of variety, at least according to contemporary interpretations of Church documents, built into it. Propers, they say (or "other suitable music"), are to be sung. The variety of music written by Western composers (and the Latin Church's perchance for variety in general) may be our greatest strength.....and also our greatest weakness. Let's face it: usually the only similarity between the Sunday Roman Catholic Mass offered at one parish and that of another is the spoken (emphasis) dialogue of the priest and faithful (let's leave aside other peculiars, such as the touchy feely stuff around the Our Father). There is no overall "feel", if you will, to the Roman liturgy.

In contrast, a Byzantine Catholic Divine Liturgy (according to its own rite, Ruthenian, Melkite-Greek, etc.) is not likely to change too much from one church to another. We have liturgical books which state precisely what is to be sung. Sure, there is some discretion allowed. But overall, the overall feel, of the Divine Liturgy remains the same. The same is true, overall, with the Maronite Catholics (with some OCP material occasionally inserted). There is a characteristic Maronite or Byzantine chant. I can go to any Maronite Catholic church in the world on Sunday and expect the same Qadishat Aloho ("Holy Are You"-Trisaigon) to the same tune, for example. Consequently, a new pastor for a Byzantine or Maronite Catholic church is not likely to cause too much disturbance in the liturgical life of a parish.

The Roman rite also has its own music (the ancient Gregorian chants and music derivative thereof, namely polyphonic choral music). We just need pastors who are willing to help us recover our tradition. I mean no disrespect to DoMs or organists. But as it has already been said time and time again on these forums, without the pastors' support, we gain little. This cannot be overemphasized. On that note, in the five years I have been on these forums, I am surprised that the seminary music programs have rarely been discussed.

Then I would think that either (1) you had three incompetent accompanists, all unable to prepare a page or two of music given ages in advance,

I believe that anyone criticizing organists should let us know first if they are organists themselves and what their training is. It's easy to criticize if you've never sat on the bench. In England, Inland Revenue used to let organists write off the cost of trousers, due to wear.

Prayers for you, Padster. But for every rotten priest, there is a good one somewhere. I hope you find the better ones to work for.

"Titter ye not" was a stock phrase uttered to unduly raucous audiences by the late British comedian Frankie Howerd, who was very popular during the 1960s and 1970s in Australia as well as Britain, but unknown, I believe, in the States.

Between the pants factoid, and "titter ye not," this was a most educational thread.
Thanks, all!

(Save the Liturgy, Save the World)

All that twitters is not gold.

"All that twitters is not gold" ... unless your a "Twitter" stockholder. Alas, even the twitterers might be better off, so it seems from the tone of this thread. There must be some good purpose for the Hobbits of "Middle Earth".

Musical notation: the original anti-bullying technology.

What a spectacular video and account of the history and development of musical notation. Splendid examples, too!

Padster...your post was excellent and thought inspiring. I got your humor, and especially liked "twitter ye not".

I wonder sometimes if a chief priority of Clergy is to keep people in the pews and that they are afraid that the music has great influence on that. Specifically, that people will leave the church (or at least their parish). Could this be why proper music is seemingly not allowed?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkRIbUT6u7Q

Well, Blaise, you may have heard that there's an old joke told among Byzantine-rite Catholics, which plays off the fact that deacons have a prominent singing role in the Byzantine liturgy, namely this:

If a young man has a good voice, you make him a deacon.
And when he loses his voice, then you make him a priest.
Later, when he loses his mind . . .

:-)

That was some epic thread drift. :)

Unfortunately it is about the money in many cases. It shouldn't be...but it is.

In Canada, job priority goes to citizens. Catholic priests should be forced to worked with resident musicians in the parish and, if the resident musicians are not up to his liking, a long, drawn out process to get around this rule should take place.

Catholic priests tend to come and go, parishioners tend to stay - after all, it is their parish. IF a priest were forced to accept the local talent, things could be different.

At this point an organist or director of music is a necessary evil in the minds of many. Like a custodian. Or a wife. [oh, they've already felt with that evil....]

The fact is, most people in a parish and most people on the parish finance committee think that the music "just happens".

Many of them refuse to volunteer themselves, but get resentful if anyone is paid to do the music. Yet these same people have no issue with complaining if they don't "like" the music.

Capable people is not the issue here. It's the mindset that musicians shouldn't be compensated for their time. Sometimes, I've actually contemplated just telling all of the cantors and accompanists to stay home and letting the congregation make the music "just happen".

I'm not saying that I live in utopia. Where I'm at has it's challenges and from time to time one of those challenges is cranky people and complainers.

But reading some of the posts on this and other threads - the people in the pews don't appreciate you, most think the music "just happens," they have no interest in music, they feel that you shouldn't even be paid, etc. - makes me wonder where in the world all of you work and why you are still there!

Like I said, I'm not in some situation where every time I walk into the church I'm showered with praise and every time the finance council meets, they talk about increasing the music budget. But I do feel appreciated. I've had a small but steady amount of compliments directed my way (we come here because of the music, the choir sounds better than ever, thank you for what you do, I love hearing you play the organ before mass.)

It's like I've said before; if you're in one of those bad situations you should probably get out. Yes, I know that that doesn't happen overnight, especially with a family to support. But to some of the people who have been talking for months and years about how under appreciated they are and how bad their conditions are, have you been looking for another opportunity? Because if it's really as bad as all that you probably should be!

IF a priest were forced to accept the local talent, things could be different.

I strongly disagree with this. This is de facto what most parishes have now. They don't pay a full time (or even half time) musician because they can get the local elementary school music teacher to sit at the piano, pick 4 songs and a psalm from Today's Liturgy, and "do music" for the Masses on the weekend.

Meanwhile, a half dozen classically trained and talented musicians show up every week, sit in the back with their arms folded, and grimace through the goofiness before rushing off to their jobs at the local Episcopal, Presbyterian, or Lutheran church.