That's a ridiculous situation to have to contend with. It's sad you don't get more backing from your pastor. I am often asked to play for weddings, but I always refuse. Life is too short and I don't need the money that badly.

A fitting story to explain the need for The Year For Priests
which began this day.
Saint John Vianney, pray for us!

http://www.vatican.va/special/anno_sac/index_en.html

I was drafted into the US Army back in the late 1960's, went from living in NYC in the middle of the rarefied air of some greatly inspiring sacred music to standing at attention each morning at 6 AM staring at the trees across the way at Fort Knox, KY, watching them change color as the seasons passed.

I hated being in the Army. Eventually, I ended up in Germany, got into an Army band to finish out my two years. Stayed another 2 years working as a musician in Germany after I was discharged. Those two years of my life were essentially wasted, but they did get me to Germany. My goal the entire time I was in the army was to exist until it was over. But I realize that I would have never gotten to Germany if it were not for the Army, so I understand that although being in the army was the pits, something good came out of it.

At this parish, the pastor with the support of his associate at the time gave me a free hand to reform the musical liturgy. He and I together have had to put up with lots of criticism of our projects...mine the music program, his the new romanesque basilica-style building. The building is now complete and my goal was to prepare the choir to sing music for that building.

Any choir can sing any music if you work hard enough at it and encourage them and choose music that teaches them what it takes to sing even more difficult and challenging music. But you have to stick it out with the knowledge that you are doing good,

The choir is now singing at a high level, able to sing Palestrina mid-level pieces, the more difficult ones are still beyond us. cpdl.org has been a blessing, since I can pick exactly what i want them to sing, I can choose something and if it turns out to be beyond them, back off to a simpler piece that will teach them what is needed for that more difficult work in the future. In a year I will pull it out and they will be able to sight read it and I have to remind them that a year ago they were unable to sing it.

The choir has gone from about 16 regular singers to as many as 46. We've lost a few but gained many.

The pastor has gone through the agony of having a vision and sticking it out through all that one can imagine when building a church that looks like a church in a diocese which has buildings as contemporary of the music we all prefer to avoid. A church of great beauty.

It has not been easy for him and he has stuck it out. There is not a mean bone in his body and he has many jewels in his crown, as the Baptists say. While it may appear at first glance that the pastor's at fault with this wedding business, he's not. And sticking it to realize my vision is a challenge to me as he has taken upon his own challenge. We've both been beaten down but both have stuck it out.

I am sure that he has reasons for not having someone in charge of the music for weddings. I may be too difficult for Brides to deal with? But he also does not want Moon River wafting through the columns and up into the 45' dome of the church.

And maybe this unfortunate experience, like many in my 2 years in the army, will result in a policy that will work to plug the loopholes that people will find to get around what the church wants played and sung in the church.

My companions that got me through the two years in the army were 2 Lea pocket scores of the Well Tempered Clavier of Bach. Those 48 preludes and fugues were always there for me to study and, sometimes on the weekends, play.

This forum, along with Mary Mezzo, has kept me at this church, working toward my goals. Mary's sung with us, left for very valid reasons, and some day I hope that the situation will become atractive for her to return. Instead she is fighting the good fight with B-16, her Schola, and doing good.

I should be clearer when I use the word FIGHT.

To me anyone who sings chant is FIGHTING to bring chant to the attention and appreciation of all. I have been fond of calling Mary a Chant Terrorist, but that's no longer politically correct. Chant Maven?

Yes! Chant Maven or, in Hebrew: זמר מייוון


Mary Mezzo, זמר מייוון

I can think of no stronger team that the one you now have in place there...if you feel overcome with waves of jealously they are coming from the west.

Would you care to supply some points for the Hebrew? Otherwise I have to guess at the vowels, and after the hubbub with the Tetragrammaton I'm a bit gunshy about making them up.

Today's Saga...very, very fine early music vocal quartet sings wedding at the church (I was not invited to play, rather I was playing at CharlesW's church for choir members (husband and wife) lovely daughter's wedding.

So after all the beautiful music, the custodian tells me, the organist (not associated with this group..have no idea how she was located, aside from the fact that the parish does not seem to tell them to call me) the organist begins the wedding recessional....which turned into ROCKY TOP, the bluegrass theme of this end of the state and the UT football team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTj5cJJ-yiU&feature=related

Notice, among other things that the band can sing.

A Mass with music of the finest ends with Rocky Top.

I'm amazed she could get away with that. Among PIPs, committing liturgical abuses and invalidating the Mass is one thing, but screw up Mendelssohn's Wedding March and you've just gone too far!!

I hate weddings, too! But I take it you haven't been asked by a widow at a funeral, to play, "Brighten the Corner Where You Are." It was her deceased husband's favorite. One of you is going to have to let me know who this modern-day Ethel Smith of the organ is, so I can make sure she never plays at my church.

I could suggest she add that to her repertory.

:)

I always suggest "Baby Got Back" as an example of an inappropriate recessional - followed by the stated requirement that where the line is drawn between that and chant is my decision alone if they want to have music for their wedding.

I personally prefer weddings. With a funeral, you just CAN'T challenge a bad request - in the mind of most grieving family members, you may as well tell them what the epitaph on the tombstone will read as tell them that the deceased's favorite song can't be played. Yes, we eliminate the reprehensible, but it takes a moral monster not to have his heart ache at having to do such a thing to the non-understanding grieving. As for the personally offensive but not heretical requests, I remember that the mercy I show them is the same that may be given to me by a "Spirit of Vatican II Liturgist" when I want chanted propers at one of my relatives' funerals.

As I've mentioned before, with a wedding, I stipulate out front that I approve of the music or it doesn't happen (with the mention that I'm "more lenient" than for a Sunday Mass to assure them of my good faith). Of course, this goes back to what I said above: I had full faith and credit given to my decisions on suitability at my last job. If you don't have it, save the church some money and quit so they can just buy a jukebox.

Also there's the age thing. Most couples are around my age, so when I tell them "I can't do that", they're more likely to assume me sympathetic than some frumpy old man. And if I suggest something, the element of peer pressure adds more weight to it. However, this tends to bite me on nearly any other "request/demand" situation, since I've found anyone over 30 (by which I mean "old people") tends to think they can give me a direct order and expect me to do it. Weddings are definitely easier on me right now.

I was referring to weddings and funerals I have played in the past. One post had nothing to do with crazy Mona of Rocky Top fame. I had never heard of her, but Mary filled me in. You're right, it probably is residual radiation, or beryllium poisoning.

Hah! ROFL :-)

Hello, I'm Bernard, and I am a former choir director.

For my sins, I must confess that one of my brothers long ago asked me to sing at his (secular) wedding at the wedding chapel. The piece that he wanted me to sing was "But will you love me tomorrow", by Carole King.

Because I loved my brother, I did so; but after that I vowed never to be involved again in another such tasteless display, either inside or outside a Catholic Church. I have never found grounds to regret that decision.

P.S.: my brother's insight about his intended alas bore itself out perhaps ten years later. She divorced him. That was probably the best thing that she could have done for him, save for not having married him in the first place. But that is another story, and one I think it best not to tell.