Thoughts on Organ Pieces at Offertory and Communion
  • ncicero
    Posts: 38
    Hi all,

    I'm really trying to get away from the 4 hymn sandwich at my parish, for a variety of reasons. Not the least of which is that during this long stretch of Ordinary Time, it's sometimes hard to find hymns that fit in every "slot" so to speak, without repeating things or defaulting to some generic hymn of praise. It would be SO much easier to just use the propers at every Mass, but I'm not entirely sure my congregation is ready for that yet.

    To introduce the idea that we don't have to sing a hymn in every spot in the Mass where we can, I've not only written a bulletin column about the matter, but also started playing organ pieces instead of an offertory hymn occasionally when I find it particularly difficult to find a hymn that works well.

    Although I've seen this practice done at other parishes where I've not been the director, it occurred to me that this technically is not an option that GIRM gives us. If I play organ pieces for offertory or communion, should I at least chant the proper in English or Latin before the organ piece begins?

    My understanding is that playing an organ piece as the "recessional" would always be okay, since GIRM doesn't specify anything about a recessional, hymn or otherwise.

    Any other suggestions on ways I can reduce the amount of hymn singing? Not that I don't love it, but I think singing four or five hymns every Mass is a little daunting to the congregation, and they tend to become complacent. Besides, congregational singing is always the strongest at the entrance and recessional, so I'd really love to have 2 well-known, thoughtfully selected hymns that are sung with vigor than 5 sung anemically, just for the sake of "filling a slot".
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Ncicero,

    So as to be helpful, I'm going to assume that you speak from an OF perspective.

    You're caught in a strange spot because you're trying to reduce the number of hymns which are sung... when the hymns themselves are a stand in for what ought to be sung at various points during the Mass.

    So, let's look back at what's supposed to be sung. There are both Ordinary chants and Proper chants. Hymns (usually, but not exclusively) are used to replace Proper chants. To replace a substitute with a different substitute is, clearly, not the best practice. To replace a substitute a better substitute -- so, replacing a hymn (as you're using the term) with simple psalm tone Propers -- is an improvement, objectively speaking, whether it is well accepted in a particular parish at a particular moment in time or not. Replacing the same hymn with a piece of unrelated organ music is (in my judgment) to move even further down the wrong track, whereas to replace that hymn with a piece of organ music in which the Proper melody is clearly present is, perhaps, arguably, acceptable. To sing a polyphonic setting of the Proper text is, it seems to me, unarguably good, objectively speaking, even if most parishes can't or won't do such a thing.

    You're correct when you say that your proposed option isn't in the GIRM, which -- considering what is in the GIRM -- is noteworthy in itself.

    If I were in your position (which, Deo gratias,I'm not) I would gently introduce the idea of chanted propertexts, and assign a collection of someones to sing it. Once it has been sung, you might improvise on that text's tune, assuming you don't merely use a psalm tone, to give both time for repose and time for attentive listening.
  • maestrodicapella
    Posts: 126
    I think that is over-thinking things a bit.
    Yes, I agree propers (in whatever sung form) are always a better option than a hymn (caveat: a paraphrased proper hymn might tick all the boxes in your particular situation). But once those are sung, we have traditions to guide us and any appropriate organ music, improvised or not, is more than acceptable.
    I do subscribe to the idea that organ itself sings and can take the place of a choir in its absence (think of the Parisian organ tradition or the organ verses of various alternating chant hymns) so using the correct proper melody on the organ could be a good idea, but only if it is not being chanted. Once it has been sung, move on.
    Well done for experimenting with propers and finding the best fit for your parish, and using fewer hymns. Don’t be dissuaded from this path!
    Thanked by 1rich_enough
  • henry
    Posts: 241
    Read the document Musicam Sacram. It spells-out what needs to be sung in three degrees, from the bare minimum to the most solemn. I interpret the places in Degree 1 where no singing is prescribed to be places where the organ can be played.
  • Earl_GreyEarl_Grey
    Posts: 891
    You could also create a printed resource with the proper texts so that people could read and reflect on those texts while you are playing the instrumental piece.

    Even if they have a missalette in the pews it will not include the offertory text and if it does have an entrance and communion antiphon text it is taken from the missal rather than the gradual.
  • GambaGamba
    Posts: 539
    In my parish, we do the following:

    (9:45 Sung Mass with choir, N/A)

    5:30p Saturday and noon Sunday:
    -There is no cantor in the conventional sense of the word.
    -The congregation sing a hymn at the entrance and offertory, and the ICEL chants of the ordinary with organ accompaniment.
    -I trek downstairs and sing the psalm and alleluia without accompaniment.
    - At the priest's communion, the lector reads the Missal communion antiphon; I then play the organ as the people receive. Usually I will improvise on the chant (when it matches up) and/or a familiar hymn with some connection to the text of the antiphon or the homily.
    -During Advent/Lent, when the organ must be played with moderation or not at all except to accompany, I myself sing the communion antiphon with psalm verses.

    7a Sunday:
    -There is no singing whatsoever at this Mass.
    -I improvise before the Gospel (since the Alleluia is omitted if not sung), at the offertory, and during Communion in the same way as at 5:30/noon.

    At all Masses: prelude and postlude, the latter beginning right after the Dismissal; there is no Scattering Song.

    While it certainly would be very nice at 5:30/noon to have a pro cantor present who could sing the Gregorian Communion every week, and chant the psalm ever so sensitively with scrumptious organ accompaniment, and present appropriate selections from the vocal repertory, the cost of obtaining the same 104 times a year in this small town is prohibitive. This way works out passably well; the congregation sings their portions well without being trod upon, and during Communion, they are free to meditate on the antiphon and the Eucharist, rather than experiencing the general unease of "everybody should be singing, but nobody is."
  • ncicero
    Posts: 38
    To be more clear, I already use quite a bit of the propers, more than most OF parishes in the area at least. Every week I utilize some form of the Communion Antiphon, whether it is a chant in English or Latin without congregational participation, or a responsorial antiphon in a congregational setting. I often use a hymn tune paraphrase on the Entrance Antiphon for the "entrance hymn", which to me is kind of like the best of both worlds. Whenever the proper is sung in Latin, a translation is provided. We also have the Lumen Christi Missal in the pews, of which a great asset is having all the antiphons printed.

    My choir is actually quite accustomed and receptive to chant, as is the majority of the parish (there's always a few stragglers) so when they return in the fall, I would always default to a chanted proper or motet/anthem when they are present. Right now, organ it is though, although I don't think it would be a bad idea to chant the offertory proper before the organ piece. I too cannot afford professional cantors every weekend, but we are blessed with very capable volunteers.

    Thanks for your suggestions so far!
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