Singing Celebrants...

[Peter Jones]

With the introduction of the RM, is your priest singing more of the Mass?

I ask because I now regularly sing the opening Greeting and Penitential Act, and the Blessing and Dismissal on a Sunday. The assembly are enthusiastic in their responses. (I've always sung the Preface.)

[Nick Baty]

At the moment, less because he's having to relearn everything. Why the tune (particularly the end) of the Per Ipsum had to change is beyond me – the new words would work quite well with the old music. A retired, recently visiting, priest said to me, "I just can't sing the new one. Will they mind if I sing the old one just for today?" To be honest, not sure anyone noticed!

[alan29]

Ours has only ever sung the Per Ipsum (and Exultet). Was very confident and uplifting. Is now still struggling with the new one. He always seems to end up with too few words to get to the end of the tune and finds himself ululating.

[Southern Comfort]

Why the tune (particularly the end) of the Per Ipsum had to change is beyond me

The reason was to bring it into line with the Preface tone — cf. the end of the Preface, which ends on lah not soh. After all, the doxology is part of the EP, just as the Preface is.

[JW]

Rightly or wrongly, I've formed the opinion that new priests have had insufficient musical training in my part of the world. They seem to have little confidence in their ability to sing solo.

[Peter]

My PP learned the Missal chants for the new Mystery of Faith announcements and the Doxology, and has sung them from Day 1 of the new translation. I think he knows other Missal chants as well but we very rarely use them in my church.

[kerrezza]

Was singing the Doxology now singing nothing at all on a Sunday.

[Ros Wood]

Our PP decided to sing more from day 1. Before he usually sang the Doxology. From the introduction of the new translation he has sung the Greeting, Introduction to Gospel, "The Gospel of the Lord", the Preface dialogue (but not the preface itself) , Mystery of Faith, Doxology, Final Blessing and Dismissal. It's really helped the congregation to get the new words right and not go into auto pilot.

[John Ainslie]

Our PP decided to sing more from day 1. Before he usually sang the Doxology. From the introduction of the new translation he has sung the Greeting, Introduction to Gospel, "The Gospel of the Lord", the Preface dialogue (but not the preface itself) , Mystery of Faith, Doxology, Final Blessing and Dismissal. It's really helped the congregation to get the new words right and not go into auto pilot.

...moreover, he has made it clear (without saying so) that music is an integral part of the Roman rite, not just an optional extra provided by musicians. Bravo!

[Ros Wood]

He also makes the point of linking the Entrance Hymn to the Mass during his introduction or homily.

[FrGareth]

I am now singing less of the Mass than I was. With the pre-2012 text, on Solemnities, I would normally sing the whole Eucharistic Prayer using either Philip Gaisford's EP2 or Mass of Creation (EP3). I haven't yet learned to sing a Eucharistic Prayer all the way through using the new words.

In the transition period, I tended to chant "The Lord be With You" to cue the congregation into the new response, but dropped back to the said form in Advent once it had bedded in.

It goes without saying that the principal Mass parts are always sung - except when it is me and two others for lunchtime Mass at the University Chaplaincy, if the day happens to be a Feast, since I will not expect students or staff who don't worship at my church to know the Gloria from Mass of Christ the Savior, and I haven't yet learned the twiddly bits at the end of the Missal's Gloria chant!