Am I being a pedantic bore ? (yes)

[keitha]

They would be useful for getting the Easter Vigil fire going!

My experience has been very similar to that of dmu3tem, but we burnt the missalettes! The '4-hymn sandwich' was the starting point (I think it had to be, or we would have started with nothing) and we gradually added to it, and with the support of a liturgy-savvy assistant priest, and now a liturgist as PP, the four hymns no longer appear every week as we have moved on. I am looking at 'Psallite' at the moment (see Magnificat Music website) to move us more in the direction of 'singing the mass' and will probably make a little more use of plainchant to this end as well. We will not, however, be reforming the reform!

If a visitor is celebrant they are expected to go with what we normally do, save that he will be 'let off' having to sing items with which he may not be familiar (eg Penitential Rite, introductions to acclamations and the like); if we have enough notice of their presence, visiting celebrants will be asked if they have any 'requests' that they would like us to do (making no commitment to do them, but we usually do have them). With Archbishops/Bishops from our Archdiocese, I usually send them a draft booklet a couple of week or so in advance and, so far, I have never been asked to change anything, and they have even learnt their parts in advance for me when asked (very nicely)!

I prepare a single sheet each Sunday with all the people's melody lines (thank the Lord for the Calamus licensing system), except for items in Laudate, which are referred to on the sheet. For major liturgies, we will prepare a full booklet with melody lines for all items other than well-known hymns. I no longer run through psalm responses before mass because our congregation has learnt to pick them up from the cantor.

If anyone tried to impose on me in the way johnquinn39 was imposed upon, my teddy would be out of my pram big time and it just would not happen. What puzzles me is that he and I are, I think, in the same archdiocese and I seem to be having a much easier time of it!

[Nick Baty]

I follow a similar pattern to Keitha.

Unless there's been a last minute swap for some reason – illness etc – all visiting clergy get the service sheet in advance.

We've had two bishops recently, one on visitation and the other filling in during the PP's holiday. In both cases I emailed the service sheet four or five weeks in advance and, in once case, sent a sound file of the bits we hoped he learn – which he duly did.

I've certainly never experienced the problems JQ39 has.

[nazard]

this was wholly unrealistic with my parish because it used a weekly 'Missellette'.

Easily solved – pile up the Missalettes, add liberal amount of lighter fuel, add match and stand back.

Its much safer, and produces a longer lasting fire with a truly revolting smell if you use a heavier oil.

[presbyter]

The choir changed the words of the communion song from 'here in bread and wine for me' to 'here in flesh and blood for me'.

They should, of course, have changed them to "for us". That is a major problem with this evangelical-character song: it talks about "us" in the first half of the refrain and then switches (still in the same sentence) to "me", presumably for rhyming purposes (certainly not for theological purposes), before continuing with a very personalistic "me" for verse 1 (yes, I know vv. 2 and 3 are better in this respect).

On those grounds alone this song should be banned from our communion repertoire ─ and cf. GIRM 86: "...the Communion chant is begun. Its purpose is to express the communicants' union in spirit ... and to highlight more clearly the 'communitarian' nature of the procession to receive Communion."

One might comment on another offering from this stable - have a look at Behold the Lamb (which is in the full Celebration (for everyone) Hymnal - or whatever it's called these days.

[dmu3tem]

Yes, I was often sorely tempted to get out the matches. Misselettes are wretched things; but I would probably have been lynched by the parish priest afterwards. In any case you still have the problem of what to do with people who rely on their missals.

More seriously, the only realistic way forward is to have a volume like a hymnal with numbered items of every 'common core' text. Has any such (cheap and handy) volume been published yet?

Note that raking through the complex common core indexes provided in some hymnals is not quite the same thing, especially when one finds that a given 'text' is in fact something that has been adapted to fit an existing hymn tune - something I am sure that Liturgiam Authenticam enthusiasts would disapprove of.

Otherwise, as I suggested above, you can each week produce a special sheet with the relevant common core texts (and matching music). I know some parishes have done this. Note though that, if the object is a throw-away item, this is very labour intensive. If, on the other hand, you keep back copies, this can result in considerable rigidity of approach, and in any case any such work done now will be rendered redundant in 2-3 years time as the new liturgy is phased in (no doubt with numerous amendments thereafter). This sort of problem, of course, also applies to the standard volume of common core texts suggested above.

Thomas (Muir)

[Nick Baty]

a special sheet...this is very labour intensive.

I needn't be. I've produced one a week since the first Sunday of Advent and find I can now produce them in 10-15 minutes by simply dragging items from previous sheets. I then email a pdf to the parish secretary for copying (with strict instructions that she's not to use that awful pink paper we have reams of and which reminds me of Andrex!).

[Southern Comfort]

One might comment on another offering from this stable - have a look at Behold the Lamb (which is in the full Celebration (for everyone) Hymnal - or whatever it's called these days.

But let's not. It's the same wearisome stuff, with poor word-setting, crude harmonies and that mixture of "my" and "we" in the refrain. Whoops ─ I think I just commented.

[dmu3tem]

I am surprised that a weekly sheet of the type I am thinking of takes only 10-15 minutes to produce. Note that I am not thinking of a little interpolation of the Responsorial Psalm and Gospel Acclamation response in a weekly parish newsletter. If I remember rightly even the common core texts consist of at least 30 psalms with matching gospel acclamations and (for the ambitious or purists) Entrance and Communion Antiphon texts. The congregation would have to be supplied with not just the text they sing but ideally (so that they can follow the whole) the other texts sung by the choir/cantors. It would also be beneficial to provide the music they are expected to sing, given that at first it will often be wholly unfamiliar to them, and even those who cannot read music surely will benefit slightly just from following the shape of made by the dots on the stave. You therefore have to type out texts and basic matching music that will cover an A4 sized sheet of paper.

However, once the basic bank of texts have been prepared, then obviously the necessary adaptations to fit a given sunday would be quick and easy. The labour lies in preparing the texts and matching music (just a single congregational melody line) in the first place. If gradually done on a week by week basis I would imagine a skilled computer operator would need about 45 minutes each time, plus the time spent asembling the texts and processing the music you need onto files that can then be dropped into the whole document beforehand (say 30 minutes). On this calculation the whole job would take a minimum of 35-40 hours work.

Thomas (Muir)

[Nick Baty]

Honestly, Thomas, it doesn't.
As you build up a bank of material you simply copy-past or click-drag and it's done.
Have to do one later today so will time it.

[Gabriel]

I think two different leaflets are being suggested here.

I produce a weekly A5 sheet with Mass parts, Readings (reference and Lectionary 'caption') and psalm response. Like Nick with the Mass parts not changing frequently it can be done in 10-15 mins a week.

I'm not wholly clear what Thomas is seeking to provide but a half way house might be a seasonal card with, say, the Advent repertoire.

There is a tyranny of the Missalette particularly when it limits legitimate choice, for example where only one Eucharistic Prayer is given. I think I am right that the verses for the Gospel Acclamation were only allocated to particular Sundays in the second edition of the Lectionary. Often they are well chosen and appropriate but it is legitimate to use one of the other 40 verses or so provided in the Lectionary.

[Nick Baty]

I only include what the people need. So, for example, the response to the psalm, not the verses as these are declaimed by the cantor.
If there's a Holy where phrases are repeated – eg, heaven and earth are full, heaven and earth are full, heaven and earth are full of your glory – then I'll include this until it's well known.
I certainly wouldn't think of including eucharistic or other presidential prayers as the focus of the assembly should not be on a piece of paper at this point.

[musicus]

I, for one, have quite forgotten what the topic is!

A small virtual prize for anyone who can get us back to it.

[Nick Baty]

As promised, timed how long it took me to produce Sunday's service sheet.

Working from existing materials, with the exception of the psalm response which I prepared beforehand (as it's one we've not used before) it took 6mins 28sec.

That doesn't include the various copyright notices I need to add but it still shows that this isn't a major task. In fact, when you compare it with the many hours we spend planning and rehearsing, it's the blink of an eye.

[Gabriel]

To draw the conversation back, I think.

What is behind this conversation is a set of principles about what are priorities for singing at Mass. Now do we follow these principles because they taught by the Church or because they make some sort of sense - and if so, how would we express it?

My fear is that we too often present this as inflexible Church law that we are guardians of - why don't people know the wisdom we know. It means that clergy and even bishops can view musicians as inflexible and therefore best left to get on with their music. However there have been examples here of both parish good practice (where priests and musicians share common understanding of principles), also of how to engage with visiting priests and bishops. Not having the level of organisation of some I only speak to supply priests before Mass. I know which ones will sing a doxology, which are better being given a note and those who should be left to their own devices. One recent visitor said in a pleasant conversational way that musicians were a bit of nuisance and all this music was too much fuss - I could reassure that the music would not add to the length and he would be done in 50 minutes and that satisfied him!

Before we bemoan too much the state of clergy formation and what others don't know I wonder it may be better reflect on the why. After all liturgical principles generally make more sense when they are complemented by liturgical experience.

[Nick Baty]

After all liturgical principles generally make more sense when they are complemented by liturgical experience.

By which, do you mean "show" instead of "tell"?

I remember having seriously sticky problems with the family when planning my father's funeral – they were horrifed when they saw what I was planning and at least one sibling tried to stop me. Needless to say I went ahead because I'm a bolshie git. On the day itself it was hugs and thanks from everyone.

We certainly get plenty of compliments from visitors (clergy and laity alike) and it's not to do with the standard of our music (we wouldn't make any great claims there) but the way we use it.

As with any rules, there has to be reason behind them. When the assembly is used to singing the Holy every week, it feels flat if they don't. It's the very first thing we sang when we started just over five years ago and has become the norm. It's nothing to do with forms, textures and styles (as we called it at college – and boring lectures they were!) but to do with functionality.