Post intelligent and civil comments. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the NLM
I have always wondered what I would think about the Traditional Mass if the first one I attended had not been so well done.
This is reason number one why we must do away with all mediocrity *today*. I'll leave other aspects up to those more competent than I, but as to the music:
1. Go to the choir loft. 2. Go to the file cabinet. 3. Look for music written by the Cecilians and by the Rev. Carlo Rossini. 4. Obtain trash can. 5. Place dusty old zeitbedingt Cecilian music in said trash receptacle. 6. Go to cpdl.org 7. Download Palestrina, Victoria, and Byrd.
Sing in chant, maybe some polyphony, with the celebrant using the solemn tones, and musically you can't go wrong.
This is really something of a "Brave New World". There may come a time, sooner than many think, when even parish musicians will have to familiarize themselves with the use of chant, polyphony and all that other "latin stuff" in the old filing cabinet. In spite of the wonderful organizations such as the CMAA, and even the less wonderful like NPM, parish musicians remain, by and large, a group of independently working individuals. Are we really prepared to come together for something like "standardized training" on a Diocesan, or perhaps National level, or like so much else that has caused havoc in the past 40 years, will it just be a "voluntary" process...
As a life long singer and musician, I understand, love and appreciate the importance of Latin in the Mass. In this little article posted by Jeffrey Tucker, it speaks of the High Mass being performed in a "large city". As a music educator living in a small rural community, and as a Church Choir Director, I would love to have the opportunity to sing works by composers such as Palestrina, Mozart, Schubert, and the like. However, finding singers with enough musical knowledge and vocal technique to sing them WELL (not just sing them) is an extremely difficult challenge. While I agree that a properly sung Mass will promote and encourage the beauty of the High Mass, I also know that with a choir of 6 ladies and myself singing the only male part, it's ridiculous to expect "large city" performance in a small community Catholic Church.
Geoffrey,
I don't think Dr. Mahrt is saying exactly that. Rather, expectations for quality will be raised. IOW find the best music that is suited for you and the 6 ladies (frankly, I'd lay out and experience the purity of only female voices) and do it really well and very reverently. I'm not suggesting that you don't already do this, but this is a challenge to all of us to bring the musical realization and content up a notch. Start from wherever you are. Quality attracts quality. There some wonderful 2-part conductus from the Codex of Las Huelgas that might take a little work, but the result is so satisfying.
Since a post is put up about the rising quality of music for mass, i'd like to put this forward for discussion: Has anyone else noticed a trend, (maybe just in some places) with the revival of chant that men are still preferred, even if you have women at a parish to sing it too? I question the preference of men over women to sing the propers or an elaborate chant mass because i feel that it would alienate women in the regular parish setting who may want to get involved in better music but find a pre-Vat. II approach to music. Why not have a mixed choir to sing the chants, or have a men AND a women's choir? I know the CMAA had two choirs, but from my own experience in parishes, women singing the proper chants, or learning how, isn't promoted, although nothing is said against it either. It seems to be more of an unspoken thing. As a young, serious musician, i have become slightly annoyed at this, as well as sometimes frustrated. In our modern times and with so much involvement of women in music now in the normal parish setting, what do others think? Should women chanting really be kept for convents (which are mostly not doing it anymore anyway) or only done if men aren't available to do it? What good is my learning to chant the propers well, if men are given preference? I know not all church musicians hold this view as evident by the CMAA, but how widespread is the view i have mentioned?
Well, one thing is for sure. The men and women should never sing the chant at the same time. That ruins the texture of the music.
Michael, that's a wonderful suggestion. A great deal of good can come of using simpler polyphonic techniques. They sound strange to us now, which is good, and they can be bent to help illuminate the text, which is even better.
Ave Maria
I don't know what the prevailing attitude is, or if there even is one, so I'll just say personally that I'd be happy to hear women chant during the Mass. I don't much like hearing the chant done in octaves -- alternatim singing is nicer to me because of the consistency of pitch and blend. Plus, it's more of an announcement that women are welcome and participating, to hear them join forces and present a communal "women's" voice. Really nice.
Don't forget why the men wear the cassock and (rounded) surplice while singing. If anyone doesn't know cantors are a clerical role we laymen are privileged to serve where needed, I recommend reading Pope Saint Pius X:
http://www.unavoce.org/
intersoll...licitudines.htm
(specifically, V:14)
Ken,
I guess in some ways i don't agree with that anymore, especially since liturgical documents before Vatican II started to accept women to be able to sing. I do not consider myself a liberal when it comes to clerical things, since i really do not agree with altar girls or women priests, or women being in the sanctuary, but as far as i can tell, music is not considered a clerical role anymore, except in monasteries probably. And i believe that music provides a wonderful area for women involvement that doesn't give them the wrong impression of their role in the liturgy in general. Also, i personally know i have been given a gift by God to serve the church through music, but in my home parish, i would currently be the only one capable of doing the more elaborate chants, and to teach others. I think much consideration should be given to the regular parish situation and how we are going to truly change the musical situation there.
I would agree with other posts, that it would probably be best, at least for the propers, to have either all men, or all women chanting.
By the way Ken, i have read the document by Pope St. Pius X. However, there are also other music directives in other documents following that one as well.
In 1956, Pius XII declared that women could sing in church choirs, overturning any earlier prohibitions. Pius X's rules, therefore, no longer apply.
And what are the implications of singing no longer being considered a clerical role?
If that's really, the case, that is. I'm not sure that the fact that lay women can substitute for clerics just like lay men means that this is not fundamentally a clerical role.
In Prof. Mahrt's own choir, The Saint Ann Choir http://www.stannchoir.org/
the men and women have been singing, with the exception of the verses which are sung by male or female cantors, the chant at the same time since, to the best of my knoweldge, its founding in 1963.
Ave Maria: Every time the question of women singing at the Tridentine Mass comes up on discussion lists, someone is bound to bring up two claims: 1) Pope St. Pius X forbade women from singing in choirs, period -- we've already dealt with that one; and 2) women can sing the Ordinary and other parts of the Mass, etc., but the Propers are reserved to men only. Regarding the second claim, I've always asked for a citation to the papal legislation on sacred music, and have never gotten an answer other than "well, that's how we do it here" or "that's what choir director X told me." I have searched through Hayburn's compilation on sacred music legislation and have never found any such thing. I think the source of this claim is that in some places a choir of seminarians in the sanctuary chanted the Propers while a mixed choir in the choir loft sang the rest of the Mass. This is a perfectly sensible arrangement where a choir of seminarians or well-trained laymen is available, but some people seem to confuse it with a liturgical requirement. For mixed or all-female choirs outside of the sanctuary, there appears to be no basis for saying that they can't sing all the texts of the Holy Mass, including the Propers.
Particularly since women have since time immemorial chanted in convents for Mass, and held the office of cantrix there.
Rossini, Montani, Ravanello, Griesbacher, McGrath, etc. WROTE for SMALL amateur volunteer choirs in SMALL parishes with AMATEUR organists and SMALL organs, and they did it VERY well. Far better to sing Fr. Rossini's propers or some of his unison motets with organ than stumble through the chants of the Graduale or "fall on" Byrd's motets from the Gradualia.
We all know what the IDEAL is; but that must be tempered to circumstances, budget, acoustics, personnel, the tastes of the congregation, etc. etc. etc. ... after all, we ARE supposed to be "pastoral musicians."
Cheers,
Bud Clark
San Diego CA USA
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