rogue63, although the FSSP does a lot of good, it has its own (serious) set of problems.....please continue doing what you know our Savior wants you to do....our Lord was crucified by his friends, those He came to save....it would have been bad enough had it been done by His enemies, but He gave His last drop of Blood to save those who crucified Him.....

Old habits die hard, even in Traditional Catholic communities.

Once when I took over the music program of a small Tridentine Mass who had sung nothing but Mass VIII for years and years, I decided to introduce Mass I during the Easter season. I got tons of complaints that I was flooding the liturgy with "new" music. Eventually they overcame it. That, plus an upgrade to a new building, has seen that community grow by 10 fold in just 3 or 4 years.

Jeffrey Tucker, have you been coming to Mass with me? 'Cause your appraisal is 100% correct. The pastor has indeed addressed this topic----he made it a 4-part sermon series where he encouraged congregational singing and publicly stated his desire for a men's schola, after he discussed it with me. I know I'm doing the right thing here, I was just feeling discouraged after last night's mixed choir rehearsal, where there was a lot of discussion.

On a side note about "legacy traditonalist communities", this was one of the first traditionalist communities in the country. They built their own nice little chapel, hired their own priests, and even spawned two popes (seriously---Pope Pius XIII and Pope Michael I-----google them for some laughs). So there is a very strong ethos that "we've always done it this way, and anything else is heretical and/or Novus Ordo".

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement and support. After a long fitful night of anger and frustration, waking up to these cheering words was a considerable help. May God continue to richly bless the work of CMAA. Ad multos annos!

Soldier on! I had very similar problems when I started full time at the FSSP parish in Sacramento. Now the level of the music is a draw for the non trad Catholics looking for decent liturgy and good music and has swelled the ranks of the parishioners. There are still a few old cranks left that miss the days when the parish was 20 families and they were isolated from the local Church, and only every other choir member could match pitch, and they still walk around with that "siege" mentality, but for the most part the congregation is wonderfully balanced now. The now superior general of the FSSP, Fr John Berg, was the one who hired me and is a firm supporter of good music and fostering good choirs. When confronted with the naggers and haters, I just smile blissfully and continue on my path. Of course, a good and strong pastor is wonderful to have behind one, but in the absence of that rare bird, one must be strong all the same in resisting those who would only destroy while remaining always peaceful and serene.

An update:


Our first performance on the Feast of the Assumption was a great success! No doubt due to your kind prayers. We're pressing onward and singing the Introit, Alleluia, and Communion for the 17th Sunday after Pentecost. The female choir director has changed her attitude towards us----very kind and helpful, and she willingly worked out a schedule with me of who sings when for the rest of the year. We'll be singing at least monthly from now on, so please keep us in your prayers. Many thanks for all the help and support!

Great news!

If the schola is vested and choir'd in the sanctuary, rsven, I believe they function as a clerical choir in an EF Mass and would, therefore, be solely comprised of guys. (Just had to rhyme it for Kathy!)

Beautiful news, rogue63! There'll be peace in the valley someday! :-)

MA, thank you for being patient with this issue. Mine has run out, sad to say.

Dear rogue, The reason I entered this discussion is that have been in "Trad" parish situations with a few kamikaze women who ruled according to Rossini. ( I am a woman myself). Add to this the usual tensions resulting from male-female dynamics (toilet training etc), and I can well sympathize with men's utter frustration with this sort of situation. HOWEVER, as a case in point of something different: I now sing in a (FSSP) schola that is of necessity composed of both men and women (rumblings from the pews about women in the choir loft), although we hope to break into separate groups when numbers allow. But, the great leveler is the chant itself. To sing the Propers from the Liber every Sunday is such an awesome task, that we just go for it and pray for the best. The women in your situation must not be singing the Propers, because if they were,they would be ecstatic for help. But you must be sure that you are not relying solely on your male identity as credential. The thing is the Propers themselves, not whether they are sung by a man, woman, or mixed schola. Over time, they, the Propers themselves, will create unity. I think back to this summer's Colloquium in Pittsburgh, where there was a (heavenly) mixed beginning schola, really beautiful, as well as equally beautiful intermediate men's and women's scholas, and, then, the advanced groups sent us over the top. Often, in local choirs, there is infighting before you even get to the music itself. It is the music that unites you

Dear rsven,
You have provided so much wisdom in your last post. I totally embrace the concept of chant being the "great leveler." And the beginning scholas at Dusquene were heavenly, as were all the groupings. Five years ago, I wasn't a scoffer at the notion of "restoration of the sacred" or "six days of heaven," but I was a skeptic. No mas, no mas.
A few of us have the good fortune of being DM's and not just a cantor or director of one program among a number of others. I really believe that if parishes (and maybe some cathedrals) are afforded pastors who realize that the "management" of whatever parish entities and ministries they watch over depend upon their realizing that the church, and I mean the people, will thrive if the pastor esteems every Sunday Mass as the nexus of success; what happens at the altar on the Lord's Day is both Alpha and Omega for all other pastoral endeavors. That pastor, such as our friend at St. Edward's in Newark, CA., will then find his musical compliment in someone qualified to be a director of music. And political, territorial disputes and other pettiness should wane as united goals are articulated and malefactors are converted of heart or move elsewhere as progress is achieved. As you imply, a thriving liturgical life is quite self-evident.
In my experience, our choir's core members have sung under my direction for over 17 years. As we have increased the proportion of chant, the gender issue was a non-starter. The precision and detail required of unison chant is likewise required in polyphony and other forms. So, ultimately, as Jeff Ostrowski's instructions to the intermediate men proved, it comes down to the singers' intent to discipline themselves to the director's will and skills. And that schola/choir will make every chant live, breath, move and have its being in service to Christ and for His faithful.
All that said is well and fine in theory. Just as in priestly vocations, young men and women (like my newest adopted daughter Jessica in Lincoln NB) who come out of BMus, BMusEd, or BA programs ought to consider dedicating their talents to developing thriving orthodox music programs in parishes and parochial schools as a career.


Addendum:
http://www.catholicnewworld.com/cnwonline/2010/0912/13.aspx

Your Honor, the prosecution rests.