accompanying preface
  • henry
    Posts: 244
    I don't have perfect pitch, and in our parish the priest has begun to sing the Preface Dialogue (just a small step towards complying with Musicam Sacram). I would like to accompany the dialogue, but giving him a starting pitch seems awkward. Are there any tricks to this? Without perfect pitch, I don't know how I can do it.
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    I don't find giving a pitch to be awkward. Just give him the note on an exposed Principal, or play the Do-Re-Mi on a soft flute. If you still don't wish to do this, just make a point to always end the offertory music on the key you want him to chant in, and have him chant the prayers before the preface as well. You should also work with your priest to make sure he can match the key and hold it! Of course, I would argue there's no need to accompany something so simple as the preface. Just make sure there's a choir (or other group of knowledgeable parishioners) present that will make sure the congregation doesn't muddle it up.
  • David AndrewDavid Andrew
    Posts: 1,206
    I'm so very lucky. I have a pastor with excellent pitch memory. I typically play one pitch (or the first several pitches of the intonation to aid his memory) for the versicles ("Let us proclaim . . " etc.,) and he retains the pitch throughout the eucharistic prayer. Our newly-assigned parochial vicar is showing a similar talent.

    The history for our parish was for the celebrant to sing the preface dialogue, et. seq. from "Mass of Creation" on solemnities. We're working towards using the propers from the sacramentary (with their tones) in their place. I'm hoping with a little training up, they'll be able to do it for Easter.

    Slow and steady sets the pace, slow and steady wins the race, as they say.
  • enchamade
    Posts: 11
    The rule of thumb here: the schola or choir starts in relation to where the priest lands. Match it. If it's high, be ready to arch! Our former pastor had an excellent singing voice, but, for some reason, always went flat on the sursum corda. A former associate priest was a composer and made up the sursum corda as he went along, usually some variation of the actual setting. Here again, whatever pitch he landed on, the choir would sing the correct response from there. When the sursum comes in the exultet, same story: be ready for anything. You know you're sunk when you give a pitch, and the priest comes in a third above or below...

    JP
  • Lawrence
    Posts: 123
    As far as I know, the accompaniment of the priest in the preface or any of the presidential prayers is not allowed.
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    Lawrence is correct. I really think that prohibition could and should be reviewed and amended, though.
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    If one reads henry carefully, he'll note that henry wasn't asking about accompanying the priest. He was referring to accompanying the responses.
  • henry
    Posts: 244
    Yes, Gavin is right. I'm referring to accompanying the responses. I don't know if it's correct or not, as Lawrence questions, but whenever I hear a Mass from St. Peter's in Rome the organist accompanies everything, even the Pater Noster. It certainly adds a beautiful solemnity to the Mass. I think I'll try what Gavin suggested earlier: if I can get him to sing the Prayer over the Gifts, I should have enough time to figure out what note he's on before he gets to the Preface, which follows immediately. Thanks!
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    Well, what exactly I'm referring to, in practice, is this: Say you prefer to accompany the responses starting on G. Your offertory hymn is in Eb. Immediately after the hymn is over, improvise and modulate to a strong cadence in G, and end it on that. Your priest chants the prayer over the gifts in G, then intones the preface dialog in G, with you responding with your accompaniment in G. Meanwhile, you must - MUST work with him on being able to pick up the key that the organ ended in. My boss is superb at chanting the Mass, and yet I make it a point to rehearse him monthly. Rehearsal of these things will really make them go well.
  • Lawrence
    Posts: 123
    I would think that it would be allowed to accompany the congregation's response, although I would far prefer not, to not only for aesthetic but also practical reasons; but that's just my opinion.

    I don't recall the exact wording of the GIRM or whatever it is that bans the accompaniment of the priest's prayers. I gave up on these documents once I realized that they'd be changing every five years;)

    But again, I would think that it would be allowed to accompany the congregation.
  • Carlos Foggin
    Posts: 23
    If you want to accompany the responses (and that's a debate in itself)...

    Trust that the choir/congregation will come in right where they're supposed to, relative to where the celebrant sings. The real trick is to get the organ coming in in the proper key. It just takes practice. You can develop this kind of relative pitch with practice. To start with, use the softest stop on the swell to quickly "check" yourself as the celebrant sings. No-one will hear it (and if they do, you can chalk it up to overtones from the celebrant's beautiful voice). You are not supposed to "accompany" the preface, but checking the pitch for the response is not addressed - so use the loophole to start. You should have the Great built up to a confident level (which means up to 2' and even mixtures with high attendance) and come in with gusto.

    Regular rehearsal will help - and there's no prohibition on giving an intonation to begin with.
  • Steve CollinsSteve Collins
    Posts: 1,022
    "Trust that the choir/congregation will come in right where they're supposed to, relative to where the celebrant sings."

    To a great extent, yes. I have a real problem with the congregation imitating the tempo of the celebrant, rather their problem in doing so. It aggravates me to hear: "...through Christ our Lord." "Aaaahhhhhhhh - - - mmeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnn."

    Please, keep the speach rhythm MOVING!
  • Carlos Foggin
    Posts: 23
    Sorry, Steve...

    As this post was about not having "perfect pitch", and thus how to actually get the pitch, I was referring to the congregation being able to match the celebrant's pitch, not tempo.
    But I must agree - that speech rhythm is important, especially during sung psalms, otherwise verspers takes an hour...however, at mass, I'd be inclined to simply thank the congregation for actually singing, fast, slow, or indifferent!
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,986
    I don't accompany any of the preface, either priest or congregation. Out pastor is a good musician and we begin on the pitch he ends with. However, when our associate begins the Our Father, I have to give the choir a pitch. He will be on a pitch that's out of most of the choir's range. When we come in again on "for the kingdom" etc., he will have dropped a couple of steps, so I give a pitch there for the choir out of necessity.
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