Quite a mass of Masses

Just got back from NPM last week, which is why there was no blog. Not surprisingly, the hot topic was new mass settings.  Lots and lots and lots of new mass settings.  Some new, some revised. Whatever you're looking for, I'm sure it's out there!  Of course, everyone has their own idea about what will be the right setting for their own parish. What may work well in one parish may or may not work well in another.  But that is what is so great...there are lots of options.

I started thinking about what were are currently using in my parish. At present we are singing the following:

1. Glory to God (Haas) from "Mass of Light"

2. Love Has Come (Maher) - specifically the Refrain ("Word of God enthroned...")

3. Holy (Bolduc) - one of mine that is not published

4. Christ Has Died (Booth) from "Mass of Life"

   or Dying You Destroyed Our Death (Bolduc) from "Mass of Celebration"

5. Amen (Booth) from "Mass of Life"

6. Lamb of God (Maher) from "Mass of St. Timothy"

   or Lamb of God (Bolduc) from "Mass of Celebration"

Wow.  So that is made up of 4 mass settings, one unpublished piece, and part of a song.  How did we end up with all of these different selections?  And who's to say we won't somehow end up doing the same thing all over again...taking the Gloria from this setting, the Holy from another, and so on?

It's quite possible that may be the case.  Maybe on paper it doesn't seem like all of those different pieces I mentioned go together in one 'setting,' but they sure work well together in our parish.  They certainly don't all have the same thematic elements binding them together. Maybe that's what makes them so interesting to sing throughout the liturgy. Or perhaps individually they work so well that you don't even notice they aren't musically tied together. Whichever the case, the assembly sings these very, very well.  It never seems like we are missing something greater because they aren't from the same musical setting.

The first choice, of course, would be to use a complete mass setting that is thematically tied together. The challenge there is to find one where all of the acclamations are well-crafted, singable, musically interesting...and they all fit the musical style of your parish.

I'd really like to go with the 'single mass setting approach' beginning this September. Right now we are planning on using Mass of St. Ann at our parish, especially as the text begins to change. I have a good feeling that it will 'stick' for us and be used for awhile, but I will not be afraid to create a mix of different settings as time goes on, especially to keep things fresh, and to bring back tried-and-true favorites that are still useable.

Song Suggestions...

A few Sundays ago, on Corpus Christi, we decided to introduce "O Saving Lamb" by my good, good friend Tom Booth as a second communion song. I've always known it was a nice setting; we've just never gotten around to using it. If you don't know this piece...PLEASE check it out here: O Saving Lamb (Booth)   This is one of these songs that takes something very traditional and marries it with something new. In this case, Tom has used both the melody and the English translation of "O Salutaris Hostia" as the verses of the song. He then composed a new Refrain, music and text. The Refrain (to me) fits beautifully with the verses, creating a nice lift while adding simple 3 part harmony. It sounds great and the assembly jumps right in! It's very simple, very beautiful, and very appropriate in multiple settings.

We sang this at the teen mass on this particular Sunday. I remember saying to the teens, "If you don't know the melody of this verse...well...you should.  It's a very important part of our Catholic tradition. And, if you haven't heard it here before...well, that's my fault.  So let's sing it together."  (or something like that)

"O Saving Lamb" is a good example of combining a well-known traditional hymn (text and melody) with new music and text. There are other examples of incorporating traditional music in a contemporary style as well. Chris Tomlin did the same thing with his arrangements of "Take My Life" (and let it be) and "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)."  David Crowder took "All Creatures of Our God and King" and put a contemporary spin to the performance. It's essentially the same song, just repackaged in a different style.  I kind of went a different route and just used the text to "At the Name of Jesus" by Caroline Maria Noel.  I set it to my own original music and added a refrain as well. At the Name of Jesus (Face of God CD)

I encourage you to seek out these arrangements if you haven't already. I've found that once we've introduced them in a more contemporary style, they are just as well-received when played traditionally, or unaccompanied...the way they were originally written.

Good songs: it always comes down to the text and melody.

"Word."

So...June is over. Wow. Summer is flying by!

Last Sunday as I was sitting at the piano, listening to the lector proclaim the first reading, I was dismayed that the volume wasn't very strong coming from either the person reading or the microphone itself. Also, they seemed to speed through it a bit. Perhaps they were nervous, or just simply read too quickly. It just seemed that we rushed through the first reading. Before I knew it we were all saying "Thanks be to God," and it was time for the Psalm.
Now, the Psalm is supposed to be part of the Liturgy of the Word. In other words, it should share equal weight with the first and second reading, right? Quite often, though, it seems that the musical setting tends to overshadow the spoken word. Sometimes even, the musical setting might be too long, too robust, or maybe just too much for that part of the Liturgy. I think a few simple guidelines can help us, and perhaps your parish as well, in this situation.

PROCLAIMING THE WORD:
1. Wait a little longer before the lector approaches the ambo for the first reading. This doesn't have to be a long time, just enough time that everyone is seated before the reader approaches. We should all see that person walking up to the ambo. It tells us that something is about to happen. It 'sets up' the moment.

2. Proclaim the word, don't rush through it. Encourage your lectors to practice reading the scripture slowly and clearly. That's pretty self-explanatory.

3. Work on microphone technique. Get close enough to the microphone so that it picks up the voice well enough to amplify it. Otherwise, what's the point?  People need to hear what you are saying!

THE RESPONSORIAL PSALM:
4. After the first reading, don't rush into the Repsonsorial Psalm. Allow the lector time to leave the ambo, bow, and begin walking back to their seat.

5. Begin appropriately with the music.  Don't try and out-do the Gospel Acclamation or the Song of Thanksgiving.  That doesn't mean "I will praise your name" needs to be subdued...just balanced.  Find a good setting that really does justice to the text of the psalm of the day. A good setting will lead you in the right direction. Remember, the assembly needs to sing this!

6. Be careful how you end. You probably don't want to come crashing down with cymbals and a gliss on the piano all the time. (Maybe once in a while? :-)) Remember, you are setting up the next moment: the second reading.

If we’re not careful our enthusiasm for our music can sometimes outbalance what is happening in the rest of the liturgy. We should always try and be conscious of what is going on around the many musical moments of the Mass.