Frankly, your pastor sounds like a complete jerk. I would never let a priest talk down to me in that fashion without giving it right back. Some priests are never properly criticized and develop giant egos.

I would start looking elsewhere.

You can't have a music director if you don't respect their pastoral or professional judgement. They're not some sort of vassal.

The last thing I would wish to offer is a contradiction to the august office of the Dauphin, but the brutish truth of our calling does, in point of fact, to accept with grace any treatment of ourselves as vassals, or as is oft-stated in various documents, handmaids or servants. We don't serve the art form itself, nor do we serve any earthly heirarch when we offer our talents in service. We serve the act of worship of Almighty God, Lord and Creator. The history of church composers, singers, musicians et al is replete with accounts of celebrity being afforded them for the genius by gentry patricians and patrons, but who also suffered much shame and derision behind the scenes, earned or otherwise. Bach is the greatest example I'm aware of. He still eeked out his living at ThomasKirche by slaving away his last years chasing delinquents with a staff and still delivering cantata after cantata.
This gentle reminder of the built-in paradoxes between the Church and the City of God has to be in the mind of anyone who serves Christ and the faithful. And since Jackson elsewhere mentioned Robespierre, I'd bring up the fact that we, as servants are not called to make Machiavellian maneuvers to uplift our positions for our Cardinal Richlieux's, but to try to help to bring Christ's love and example to our pastors by our behaviors and discipline.
It is not impossible to be a Christian while being maligned. In fact, it should be an honor.
Thus endeth the pretentious lesson, amen.

If this were about logic and reality, you'd have a point.

I have to agree with PGA here. I've been in the same situation before. At one church, I had a priest instruct me to NEVER use any hymns the congregation didn't know - at an Episcopalian church, none the less! I was fuming. Then I remembered: We have the 1982 Hymnal. I'll take 10 hymns from there over 800 from Worship IV any day.

I can totally see how this stings like heck. Micromanagement always does. But you HAVE TO look at the positives. And you know what those are. If micromanagement gets to you THAT much, you might look for another position, but it doesn't undo the positive aspects of your situation.

To cheer up, just count the years since the last time you played "On Eagle's Wings".

As you say, Gavin, things could be worse. I am going to simply do what he tells me, and let things happen. I have the feeling that he might back-pedal, especially if the people who like the chant tell the pastor how much they dislike its absence, and I also have a feeling that the music (or lack of it) will not change the collection or attendance. I have my own feelings about the reason for the drop in attendance and collection numbers.

He is doctrinally very conservative, (which I think is a good thing) and I think (well, I know from talking with people) that his subtle insistence on Extra ecclesiam nulla salus, and the immorality of voting for pro-abortion politicians, and sin in general, has ruffled the feathers of not a few people. Basically to them, he seems out of step with the perceived new direction that Pope Francis is taking the Church in, and so they have gone to other parishes that are more "welcoming" and "up to date" with the Pope.

I have never in my life played OEW - at this parish, at least; subbing at other places, well, it's money.

And I hope you'll understand that you still have my sincere sympathies as to your situation at present. It never feels good to be artistically stifled. I'd buy you a beer if you were in Texas.

You can still do a lot of AWESOME work in the framework you've been given, so I'm encouraging you not to lose heart.

Salieri

You could also start (morph) a catacomb (garage) schola out of the situation.

So... plan of action thus far:

Four hymn sandwich - trying to pick the hymns that are closest to fulfilling Option Four: "another liturgical chant", or Option Three: a metrical psalm. Decided to alternate the 7 ad lib. communion antiphons from SEP week by week, without the psalm. Kyrie, Gloria, Psalm, will be spoken. Sanctus & Agnus XVIII (as we have done for the past 20 years...).

Thoughts? Do you think this is a good balance? Should I nix the communio, too?

Salieri, I've been reading this thread with both sadness and disgust. I work as the DM for a Cathedral in the upper Midwest and encountered some of what you're going through early in my work. Your plan of action seems to be a nice compromise for now. Patience is difficult sometimes but can bear great fruit. I'm still dumbfounded about the lack of singing the psalm. I'm with PGA regarding the Psalm and Gloria. Best of luck to you in your continued work and hang in there!

Egads!!! The Gloria is a hymn! ... it's THE HYMN of Glory to the Father on High. If it isn't sung it should only be because nobody can sing; in other words, it must be sung.

CHG: My sentiments exactly.

PGA: To be honest, I don't know. There are a few things he is totally unwilling to bend on (like Sanctus XVIII). Is this one of them? He grunts, raises eyebrows and shrugs. Would it be wise in your estimation to play ball for a month or so and NOT sing the Gloria, &c. and then ask (especially if I have pips to back me up) to reinstate it/them? I ask because I don't know. I'd especially like to know if this has happened to anyone at a particular parish.

(Just to be clear, when I say 'hymns' I'm not talking all 8 verses of "For all the Saints", I'm talking a perfunctory verse of OLD HUNDREDTH while the ministers run down the isle at the beginning of Mass.)

Jackson, you should hear the congregation at the 4:00 Saturday Mass when this is recited:

Priest: Glory to God in the highest.
People: Andonearthpeacetmblmblmdlmbl. We prammblmbmlmblmbmlmbmlmblmbl. Lor'Gomblmblmblmblmblmbl....... Foryualomblmblmblmblmbl....gloriaGo'th'Fthr. Amen.

Most edifying. Or should I say "Momblmbling"?

This is going to come across as naive, I'm sure, but I have the question nonetheless: is there some fear that people are going to leave the church en masse? If not, then why the strong-arming into appealing to the PIPs all the time? Good examples of this are: "no Latin, because they can't understand it," "don't do any hymns they don't already know," "no polyphony, because they can't hear the words as well," "don't do The King of Love My Shepherd Is because the triplet is too hard for the [PIPs]," "you can't do that hymn anymore because it's 'too high,'" "people love OEW, so you should do it more," "don't do too much 'traditional' music," "no chant because people 'can't sing it,'" etc.

Salieri, here is a description of a Catholic parish's architecture that drives your point right home [emphasis mine]:

The primary consideration was given to creating exterior spaces which would provide for outdoor gatherings while uniting the various buildings into a unifying whole.

The Church takes shape around its congregation, arranged in a radial seating pattern to enhance the feeling of community and minimize the distance from the Sanctuary.

It's a social club, with residual benefits of Buddy Christ showing up to party with us in the not-too-distant sanctuary.



This is all about you, folks!

The priorities seem out of order here.

POPE FRANCIS AGREES

Unfortunately, how many people will listen to what he says in that fervorino? Very little. Why? Because it doesn't jive with the 'Spirit of Pope Francis' as the Peace-and-Love Modernist of Time Magazine. And they will cling to their 'Spirit of Pope Francis' as the official vehicle of their 'Spirit of Vatican II', their 'Heiliger Zeitgeist'.

I don't really want to dig up this unpleasant thread, however, I have got to share part of an email I received from a choir-member today. I have begun a discussion about changing choir-rehearsal days because of new conflicts (work/school/etc.) in almost every member's life - as part of his response to the question, and in response to this whole "Mass needs to be as short and unadorned as possible" debacle he had this to say:

To me, cutting all of this makes the Mass as a whole seem less Holy for some reason. Perhaps I"m using the wrong words here, but It just seems as though it's taking something from it and I think we have all felt it, so in the interest of our devotion to the Liturgy and our devotion to God, is there any way we can attempt to plead our case?
(Emphasis added)

So I guess, RotR, and the New Liturgical Movement is having some effect (or do I mean affect?) on people. To hear this sort of makes the past 8 years worth-while, that I somehow, despite my many faults and failings, managed to light a spark of love for the Liturgy in someone; this is quite encouraging to me.

I must thank all of you here on the Forum and in the wider world of CMAA - I won't dare try to name you all lest I miss one.

I'm new to the forum and, as an Episcopalian, not familiar with all of the background issues but reading this made me sad. I'm sorry this is happening to you and your choir.

Sorry to dig this up again, but I wanted to share another interesting development - I didn't want to share this too soon, lest I jinx'd it ;).

This past Sunday (XXII OT) we celebrated the 'external solemnities' for the Patronal Feast - Our Lady of Czestochowa. The pastor actually asked us (unfortunately one week ahead of time, so we really had to scramble) to do a 'high Mass' - except the Resp. Ps.

We sang: Kyrie XI, Mozarabic Gloria (in English), Sanctus XVIII, Agnus Ad lib. II, Introit (setting ii) from Fr. Weber's new Gradual, Offertory & Communion from LCSG, mode ii melismatic Alleluia from PBC - only the intonation up to the quarter bar, the jubilus was skipped, plus hymns. We had one rehearsal to learn the propers and dust off the ordinary. The people sang very well, considering they haven't sung most of the Ordinary Time Mass ordinary (no pun intended) since February.

Is this the beginning of the end of the end? Who knows - I have the feeling that the rest of the year we'll be doing 'low Mass' unless he requests otherwise - I suppose it's better than nothing.

If you have been praying for us, please continue. My choir have been invoking: Our Lady (under various titles), St. Jude, St. Rita of Cascia, St. Cecilia, St. Benedict, St. Julian of Norwich, St. Gregory the Great, St. Pius X, Dom Guerranger, Dom Mocquereau, Dom Cardine, and Mary Berry (Mother Thomas More).

This is an amazing development, esp. on the feast day of Our Lady of Czestochowa, though I'm not really surprised since She has bailed us out of numerous scrapes and difficulties. We keep her image with us at all times. Will pray that things continue to improve.

I ran to the church and sang 'Te Deum laudamus'

Thanks for the good news and the great mental picture. This really cheered me up. : )