I would suggest keeping things the way they are... A visible cantor doesn't always mean that the congregation will sing better. In fact, sometimes it means the opposite.

A cantor in the choir loft other than the Psalm is probably the ideal for most situations... Sometimes having the cantor's voice come from "within the assembly" (or from behind them) is the best situation.

If I were you I'd keep things the way they are and ask some questions:
1) on hymns, is the organist playing in a way that encourages people to sing?
2) are you asking the congregation to sing too much? Sometimes less is more.
3) is the priest/deacon singing their dialogue parts? If not, this should be addressed.
4) are all of the parts of the Mass sung at every Mass, before worrying about hymns (Kyrie, Gloria, Psalm, Alleluia/Acclamation, Sanctus, Mysterium, chanted Amen at the end of the EP, Agnus Dei). If any of those are missing, add them before you worry about hymns.
5) are the propers chanted (English or Latin) regularly at one Mass per weekend? Could it be expanded to more?

Work on the above and worry less about having a visible cantor.

What Jenny said times 4.

What happened to obedience to the documents? It's my impression that the GIRM makes it clear that the cantor's place is in front. Do the red, people!!

Actually, I too prefer the cantor in back, for ease of communication with the organist. The GIRM has a sound liturgical principle in making the cantor's true purpose as proclaiming the Word more clear. However, the GIRM also states this as a preference or norm, not as a strict requirement.

This is why I've been saying of late: documents are all well and good, but can we PLEASE exercise some common sense??

GIRM has accepted the fact that the epistle side lector's stand has disappeared, that the Gospel is no longer the only scripture to be declaimed from the pulpit, and that the psalm is no longer sung from the steps.

Basically, all of the scripture has now been given equal place of honor and all things are equal.

But the mere fact that this is "accepted" does not change the tradition and placing a singer at the Ambo does not make proclaiming the Word more clear, in fact, it is a distraction that has been added to the Mass,

One person saying all the readings, the Gospel and then preaching.

A myriad of people, clad in distracting and even immodest clothing traipsing up and down the steps of the sanctuary, standing silent to drag the solemn moment and them traipsing back down as the next one gets ready to traipse.

"Who's reading today? Who's singing? Who's taking the elements up to the altar?"

Stupid and dividing the congregation rather than bringing them together.

As stupid as thinking that singing Protestant hymns is an ecumenical gesture that will make them consider becoming catholic.

Gavin, maybe I'm not keeping up with GIRM, but I understand Psalmist to be a different office than Cantor. I'm with Mahrt.

Not even that, EAF. I prefer an a cappella psalm. I recently attended an Episcopal church where only the respond, and not even the text of the psalm, was in the bulletin. And the cantor was in the organ loft behind us. And yet, miraculously, the whole congregation joined in the chanted refrain, without audible cue or accompaniment! Magic!

All it takes is an artful and deliberate pause. I do the very same thing with palms myself. Works every time - even with Catholics!

On the other hand, I attended a Mass today where the cantor raised her hands high above her head 2 measures before and throughout each refrain. I had never seen that before, and could not sing the refrain because of my laughter.

So it sure didn't help me sing.

My parish moved into a new church a month ago. The organ and singers were in the back, but now are "at about 10 o'clock" in the front. The congregation sings extremely well, especially in our new acoustic, but I am very worried that the people will start to watch the performance instead of participating, especially if there is a mic'd cantor for the hymns. I've seen it happen too many times - they become, truly, a soloist. Time will tell.

On the other hand, I think it's a no-brainer to have the cantor at the front leading the responsorial Psalm and Alleluia. Just make sure you coach them on their gestures in case Gavin or myself is in the audience.

I disagree, Wies, on this being a "no-brainer", though you can read my objections above. I just want to say that I HAVE seen appropriate gestures in the past during responsorial music:

- a simple lifting of the gaze to the congregation
- at one Episcopal church, the psalm was in a Gregorian responsorial style, and the conductor (in front, in the usual Anglican fashion) turned halfway to the congregation and gave a simple cue, as in conducting, then turned back to the choir
- an arm raised noticeably, just prior to the respond, then returned after the first beat or so

Though I still maintain: good timing will do all the work for you!

On theological grounds, I can't see any logic to being up front: if we are supposed to face God together, shouldn't the cantor face God also?

As to the driving of the bus analogy, I've always thought that the driver should look to the road on which he is driving, not at the children in the car or sheep in the herd.

Remember that it is the Liturgy itself which should govern our actions, not merely practical concerns about this community.

Consider what my young son knew in his first communion year, but which professors of theology forget: "Why, in the English Mass, does the priest have his back to Jesus the whole time?"

If you can, take into account the cantor's location. If he has to be up front, it would be good to keep him off to the side to preserve the prominence of the altar and the priest.

If it's practicable, consider having the cantor move to join the choir after the homily.

Yes they do. The Pastor doesn't want them in front, so that is that. The exception is the very early Sunday morning mass where there is no cantor and no choir. Then the reader reads the psalm after the first reading.

Back, back, back....the GIRM is but a Cliff's notes....and you have to take into consideration what Cliff's position is. Remember, many of the problems with the old translation was the political leaning of the translators.

The GIRM is simply an attempt to try and balance out the perversions of those who have no respect for the liturgy and what the Roman Missal says. They are GENERAL instructions, not specific.

If you want a visual sign for the people to follow from the front, have it been the priest, the servers, people who are already on view participating.

If they all portray the visual impression that they are listening to the psalm and singing the response, they've done their job.

The pulpit is not raised so that they people can see the priest, it is raised so that they will be able to hear the priest, which is also why is was common practice to put a sounding board above it to reflect the sound of the chanted (Gospel) and spoken (Sermon) voice.

If the Mass is truly transcendent then people will close their eyes in wonder so there's be no reason for the cantor to be on display.

Got to go, my wife has to let the donkeys out. In exchange for the farm duties, I am taking her out for pizza.

BG, that line in the GIRM is in the section about church furnishings, not in the procedural section about the various parts of the Mass. So it should be taken as indicative and not prescriptive.

Also, the translation is a little misleading: more correct would be: "From one ambo, readings, the responsorial psalm and the Exsultet are presented." The point is that the priest in the OF no longer has to read the Gospel and the Epistle from the two sides of the altar as in the EF.

GIRM 61 confirms that CharlesW's memory is correct: "Psalmista proinde, seu cantor psalmi, in ambone vel alio loco apto profert versus psalmi..."

Of course, all this depends on your cantor. I have had days when I wanted to put one in the parking lot and lock the door!

I do a lot of cantoring, and I've done it from the loft as well as in front. I've done it when I was too short to see over the ambo, and at my present adult size. The only benefit for being in front as the psalmist is that it is more ceremonious to go up the altar steps and proclaim from the ambo. The most important thing for this is to have people practice walking and bowing in a fitting way, and to have the timing down. The only other important thing is to enunciate clearly and with sufficient volume, neither too loud or too soft, and to sing/chant with understanding.

Having somebody see you or not see you as you sing has no practical effect on whether people sing or don't sing. You don't need to make gestures; as noted above, pauses that are consistent, and clear enunciation, are more important.

Doing the Alleluia is similar. I do think it helps to sing the actual proper Alleluia verse, because that makes people listen up for something different instead of lapsing into coma the 27th time they hear one of the optional every-Sunday verses.

I assume you've already checked speaker levels and are not deafening the congregation, or having them confused by hearing delayed "echoes" or such. Obviously you'll have to think about the latter, if you're playing in back and your cantor's singing up front.

There are some parishes which, for historical or ethnic reasons, are not big on singing. They may be very big on listening -- bigger than you know. There may be things they will sing that you just don't know yet. Or they may just be taking a while to warm up to you. Shrug. It might be helpful to talk to some of the older parishioners who've been there a while, to find out what kind of music experiences the parish has gone through, good or bad.

Good luck!

Absolutely, positively in the back - at least if that's where the leading musical instrument is. Of course, that's where it should be in most cases. (Organ building pun intended!) Music leads the congregation better from behind, and sound carries out over the people better from above, especially when there is carpet on the floor and pew cushions.

If the cantor must be in front, absolutely no hand signals! If the music is not properly (another pun intended) written such that anyone can tell when the verse ends and the antiphons begins, simply don't use that music!

If the congregation is not singing, first and foremost consider what precisely you are asking them to sing, and secondly how you are presenting it - over the long haul. Music is still the universal language - trust that. But the musical leadership needs consistency, especially in style. You cannot keep introducing new things (even if the are actually old), constantly changing up the format and content week to week.

Present the best music possible as the community's offering to God, and the people will eventually become part of it - even if they begin by only accepting it internally. Keep presenting simpler music, attempting to reach their common comfort level gives neither anything good to them or to God.

I used to sing as cantor in a mid sized church, sat about 500.
There never was a choir except for Advent/Christmas, Lent/Easter seasons. So most of the time it was a pianist and a cantor.
The piano was always in the front so the cantor always sang from the ambo.
Then during the choir season the organist would play in the loft and the cantor would stay at the ambo. This caused all kinds of issues due to latency. The organist thought the cantor was dragging and the organist thought the cantor was dragging so the whole thing just sounded horrible.

I say keep the cantor where the accomp. is.

Steve, at my dad's parish where K cantor, I have no accompaniment. It is just me. The pastor has no issue with my being in front. The parish is small.

Now, for the Spanish language Mass, the choir and guitars are in the choir loft. They sing the Responsorial Psalm from up there,but, it is the same melody and tone week in and week out. Tomorrow, I am filling in for them and it will be interesting.