The trouble with Communion Processionals

[contrabordun]

Yeeeessss, but (from your name) I assume you enjoy singing, are good at it and find that it enhances your spiritual life. Is it fair to deprive others of that?

Do you have any explanation for why Catholics in general seem so disinclined to sing: certainly in comparison to CofE and Nonconformist traditions?

[alan29]

Yeeeessss, but (from your name) I assume you enjoy singing, are good at it and find that it enhances your spiritual life. Is it fair to deprive others of that?

Do you have any explanation for why Catholics in general seem so disinclined to sing: certainly in comparison to CofE and Nonconformist traditions?

Maybe it drowned out the sound of the rosary beads?

[gedcap]

Possbily because we haven't had such good track record in singing the Communion Processional from the beginning of the reformed liturgy (1969)congregations are reluctant to take the plunge (so to speak) and sing whilst on the move. Nonetheless I have had some success with a repeated antiphon - perhaps 3 or 4 times - until sufficient folk have received communion in order to keep it going and to move on to the verses - eg Farrell's "Bread of Life". Something else that is helpful is to have everyone remain standing until the communion procession is finished - that is to remain standing in their place in church - this keeps people focused on the text. Since Holy Communion concerns a congregation receiving the body and blood of Christ - rather than just "me and Jesus" - this common posture for the procession helps to maintain that sense - then once everyone has received, everyone is then seated (or kneels) for his/her private prayer which occurs during the silence after communion. It's a matter of catechizing about the rite of Communion...good music for the processional and a generous portion of silence afterwards...before the Oration after Communion or the dreaded 2nd collection.

[NorthernTenor]

Maybe it drowned out the sound of the rosary beads?

Alan, I think that shows disrespect to those who differ from us in our understanding of active participation. It also rather begs the question.

[NorthernTenor]

Yeeeessss, but (from your name) I assume you enjoy singing, are good at it and find that it enhances your spiritual life. Is it fair to deprive others of that?

Do you have any explanation for why Catholics in general seem so disinclined to sing: certainly in comparison to CofE and Nonconformist traditions?

Contra,

I do indeed like a good sing. I grew up in a non-Catholic religious tradition and even now, many years later, I sometimes find myself wondering why Catholics can’t sing. I found myself thinking about this last Sunday, when I stood in for a missing choir as cantor and found it hard work. I don’t suggest the congregation have no business singing. Rather, I don’t think we should insist they sing as Protestants do. We have a different liturgical tradition, in which we contemplate the making real again of Our Lord’s sacrifice, through a set of texts and ritual acts that have been given to us down the centuries through a process of development and reform. This differs considerably from the Protestant approach, in which the focus is on the individual’s reception of and emotional response to the word. Protestants attest that response when they write and sing hymns, often with considerable gusto.

That is not to say that I believe the congregation has no business singing in the Liturgy. Rather, I fear the Church of the late 20th century has taken a good and ancient idea – that our worship is enhanced when we participate in the liturgy in song – and beaten it to death; and that the strange reluctance of most Catholics to sing, despite all our efforts and cajoling, reflects a deep, unspoken understanding of this.

[HallamPhil]

There are so many generalisations in NT's comments aimed at catholics and protestants alike.

From the specific context of a Catholic cathedral in Sheffield I would say that Catholics do indeed sing. Every week I step out in front of the congregation and invite them into the song which is rightfully theirs and they respond to this invitation. Sometimes I can see them singing more obviously than hear them. Our buildings are not intimate places but often rather cold and intimidating and responses spoken or sung can be affected by this and subdued. Admittedly there are a very few who remain tight-lipped when I offer them music from particular stables which they may determine to be akin to the anti-Christ but the intransigent and ignorant have always been welcome in our churches!

If it is your experience that Catholics do not sing then thank God for the refugees from many parts of the world who now grace our worship spaces! Not only will many of these sing but, in my experience, they will also improvise harmonies at will (not always mine .. but there you go!). The Poles can hardly be said to be silent when it comes to singing the Mass. If they were not instructed to worship in their national grouping then the volume level of even my context would surely rise beyond measure!

If these recent arrivals are not in your church then perhaps it may be because they might not feel welcomed. I was recently in an Anglican Cathedral for choral evensong. I was one of two persons in the 'congregation' as the magnificent choir of 30 persons went about their business. It clearly was not intended to be mine and perhaps that may be why people might appear to have voted with their feet?

I believe in people's ability to offer their praise to God in song. Perhaps when we embody that belief as Cantors and animators we bring out the best in folk?

[Nick Baty]

I’m just about old enough (only just, you understand) to remember the days when there was only music at High Mass. Some of us sang along with Trotman (later Murray) and Missa de Angelis but it was OK to leave it to the choir in the west gallery. But for many people (I’m guessing at the majority) their church-going experience was morning Mass with no music at all.

And for many of us, "the changes”, as they were often called, happened overnight with no explanation. As Bill Tamblyn wrote in Sing Up in 1971: “Now, just because the Pope says ‘Sing!’ people are not going to change instantly to full-throated songsters calling out the glad news.”

Our own hymnody wasn't generally suited to Mass, so we looked to “our separated brethren” – as they were called in those days – for inspiration and made many of their hymns our own. But we didn't have their history of hymn-singing.

Our focus should have been on singing the liturgy, rather than adding hymns to it! But the the hymn-sandwich – which, I think, had been encouraged as a temporary measure, can anyone confirm this? – stuck.

Looking at my own community, it's taken us seven years to build up a repertoire of eight sets of acclamations and, perhaps, six Gospel greetings. We're only really just getting in to everything else – including Communion songs, just to keep to the topic. I wonder how many other parishes are in the same situation.

In a very short time all that we do will be swept away and we'll have to start from scratch. I'm sure the new translation is excellent but its timing couldn't be worse. So much that has been built up will soon disappear. I was slightly heartened today by a priest friend in a nearby parish. "I wouldn't worry too much," he said. "Most of them round here have started using the present translation yet!"

So perhaps the Communion processionals must remain a pipe dream while we get on with the priority stuff. (What's the emoticon for "bloomin' big sigh!"?)

[alan29]

Maybe it drowned out the sound of the rosary beads?

Alan, I think that shows disrespect to those who differ from us in our understanding of active participation. It also rather begs the question.

Sorry. My tongue was firmly in my cheek. Didn't mean to offend at all.

[alan29]

I don't want to quote Nick at length, but my memories are slightly different .... maybe because I am slightly older.
Yes there was High Mass where the choir did De Angelis etc from a gallery. But there were also plenty of devotional services - benediction, novenas, stations etc where there was no choir and where people did sing. And they sang hymns - Westminster Hymnal, anyone.
Maybe the rot set in when those devotions dropped over the horizon because they were seen as being "old hat," and the choir continued the High Mass but in English.
Where I am now, there is no choir and never has been as far as I am aware. In fact the congregation sing very willingly - even improvising harmonies at times.
Luxury, I know.

[nazard]

Nick,

A mass before 1965 did not have to be "high mass" to have music, vide http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missa_Cantata. High mass involves a deacon and subdeacon, and their rubrics involve a lot of moving around, which I puts me off. Nevertheless, you are right. There wasn't a lot of singing before 1965 at mass in England, and what there was was almost always mass VIII.

In current times, I share your experience. They will sing a few very well known hymns, O Bread of Heaven, Soul of my Saviour, Jesus my Lord, my God, my all, Sweet Sacrament Divine. I don't think any of those appeal to you, and I don't want to play one of four things every week. I have tried Taizé chants and psalms, and a variety of hymns of varying ages and styles, but with no success. We have tried singing the communion antiphon, then playing a quiet voluntary until communion is over, and then singing a hymn during the ablutions. They sing that well, but it gives you two hymns in very quick succession. I think the GIRM suggests a hymn after communion and recessing to instrumental music. We did try it, but people moaned. They like their final "belter" - the louder the better.

[Nick Baty]

But there were also plenty of devotional services - benediction, novenas, stations etc where there was no choir and where people did sing.

Yes, Alan, totally agree. Remember it well. Some of those hymns were magnificent. That's what I meant when I said, "Our own hymnody wasn't generally suited to Mass".

From the age of 11-ish to 18 I played the organ for devotions and Benediction every Sunday afternoon and Wednesday evening. I can still feel the scrumptious harmonies of O Godhead hid under my fingers! Yummy!

[Nick Baty]

They will sing a few very well known hymns, O Bread of Heaven, Soul of my Saviour, Jesus my Lord, my God, my all, Sweet Sacrament Divine.

I'm really not sure that such hymns are that singable while processing. Although we used Soul of my Saviour last Good Friday and the roof was well and truly raised – without books and while walking!

[nazard]

Nick,

You have set me thinking. You have had success with "Soul of my Saviour", as have I. I gave another three examples that I have had success with, but you make the point that none of them are suitable for processing. This begs the question "What criteria must a hymn satisfy to be suitable for processing?" The only one we have so far is that it has to be extremely well known, so that people can manage without their books, at least for communion. That is not true generally: on Maunday Thursday they process to Pange Lingua without too much trouble. There must be more criteria.

I've always had a devilish wish to play "The Dambusters" for processing to, but my courage always fails. There are many stories of organists who have had bishops and other noteworthys process in to "O Mensch bewein dein Sunde gross," but they may well be urban legends. My organ teacher has a neat trick of playing the children out for children's liturgy to "Girls and Boys go out to play" in the pedals with a french toccata in the style of C M Widor above it. One day I would love to be good enough to get away with it.

Back to serious matters: what makes a hymn suitable for the communion procession? Examples please everyone.

[John Ainslie]

I've tried everything... and they just won't sing

Perhaps we're judging the result simply from the volume.
I've often seen lips moving in time with the music even though there's not much sound coming out!
Perhaps we shouldn't seek anything more.

Yes, I'm satisfied with this. A well-chosen, thoughtful, prayerful refrain - prayerful both textually and musically - can be simply allowed to sink into the congregation's psyche and become their united if largely silent prayer. Composing imaginatively for this purpose could result in something quite different from the standard communion antiphon with psalm verses. A mantra with varied instrumental interludes?

[Nick Baty]

I gave another three examples that I have had success with, but you make the point that none of them are suitable for processing.

Simply that our community wouldn't know some of them. And, while I've known them all my life, I doubt I could sing my way right the way through them from memory. Also, aren't Jesus my Lord, my God, my all and Sweet Sacrament Divine hymns for Eucharistic devotion rather than for Communion?

This begs the question "What criteria must a hymn satisfy to be suitable for processing?"

I would say that, in terms of Communion processionals, no hymns are that successful. Yes, I gave an example of one which worked – but that is one in particular.

That is not true generally: on Maunday Thursday they process to Pange Lingua without too much trouble.

If you're talking about the Transfer of the Eucharist, there would be nothing to stop people have service sheets or hymnbooks with them at that point.

what makes a hymn suitable for the communion procession? Examples please everyone.

I remain convinced that the hymn is completely the wrong form for the communion procession. But I have to be honest and say that, generally, I believe hymns don't really have a place in our celebration of the Mass – obvious exceptions being Easter sequence etc – and that we transplanted them from a very different sort of worship. Having said that, if I deprived our bunch of hymns at Mass they'd lynch me!