Have you ever had a tune stuck in your head, playing over and over again? Music has a way of embedding itself in our minds, and a good teacher can use that tendency. So over the past few months our Director of Music, Laurie Lanz, has been using a tune for a prelude before Mass that I had suggested to her. I didn’t suggest it as a prelude, but this has been a way for her to get the tune running through our heads. Soon she will be introducing it to the parish for us to sing together. The music was composed by Steven Warner, and the lyrics were written by Jesus Christ. It is a musical setting of the Lord’s Prayer that I have heard sung at a number of parishes in our diocese, and it should help to enhance our beautiful liturgies even more. The introduction of this new setting of the Our Father gives me a chance to reflect upon the role of music in our worship.
We often hear people quote Saint Augustine as saying, “He who sings prays twice.” I always heard the quotation as “He who sings well prays twice.” But that does not mean that you have to sound like Diana Krall or Elvis Presley. It means that we sing from the heart, making a sound that is as pleasing as we can and then not worrying if someone else has a better voice. I always liked the story of the parish that hired a renowned soprano to do a solo of the Ave Maria for a special Mass. Just as she began, a drunk stumbled into church, walked up to the microphone and joined in. One of the parishioners asked, “Why didn’t you stop him?” The priest responded, “I was about to, but then I wondered which version God liked better.” So if you think you cannot sing, sing anyway. And if you can sing, please consider joining the choir.
As for the new setting of the Lord’s Prayer, I have suggested to Laurie that we fit that in with some of the other parts of the Mass that we sing. You may have noticed that some days I sing certain parts of the Mass, and at other times I will sing something different. I look at the Mass parts in three categories. There are some parts that, liturgical norms teach us, should always be sung when there is music. The Alleluia before the Gospel, for instance, must be sung. If there is no music at Mass, it is omitted. Similarly, the Preface Acclamation (“Holy, Holy”), the Memorial Acclamation and the Great Amen at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer are to be sung regularly. Other parts, principally the “Glory to God” and the Responsorial Psalm are designed to be sung, and so I feel we should sing them at almost all Masses. There are occasions, though, when they can be recited. Finally, there are many other places, such as the Collect or the Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer, where music can enhance the Liturgy. Singing a certain part one week and a different part the next not only adds to the solemnity of what we do but also introduces a certain variety that can help keep the Mass fresh each time. (Besides, I must admit that I simply enjoy singing. Our office staff has learned to be careful about giving me a song cue lest I burst into a Gershwin ballad or a Gilbert & Sullivan patter song.)
Father H
