What's going well?

[Nick Baty]

We have yet to sing any of the new Mass settings... in anticipation of being instructed to do so.

Do you mean you are singing older settings or that you're not singing at all? I know of a few places where the latter has happened.

[kerrezza]

We have only been singing hymns and the Responsorial psalm

[VML]

We have sung the Belmont seven weeks, Missal chant once and today, (other leader) Belmont Gloria, but St Bernadette CJM Holy and Lamb of God. Belmont and Chant are sung unaccompanied, and have really taken off.

[SOP]

At the music day held in Salford yesterday it was interesting to hear that choirs/music groups can carry on singing the 'old' music while they are learning the new. This is a period of transition, we are not banned from singing what we have been doing.

We had been singing the Belmont Mass and it has grown on me. I prefer the newly written things to the adapted ones at the moment. I do not rely on sight reading, I prefer to learn the music and the words so I can watch the conductor as much as possible so part of me is 'disturbed' by the adaptations. Takes me back to the 60s when attempts were made to sing things like Palestrina and Vittoria Masses but with the English words - eeeekkkk. Pretty awful. Early on we had thought we would not be allowed to sing the Latin settings and we had a choice between Michael Row the Boat Ashore or fitting English words to our Masses. Of course, that was wrong, we were able to continue singing the Masses we knew.

[alan29]

Slowly, slowly catchee monkey in this neck of the woods. Still using the old spoken responses, but the PP is using the new texts, to a very mixed response. (We have quite a few linguists and even a smattering of latinists in our pews.) He handled yesterdays mammoth one sentence postcommunion with great aplomb - I almost felt like giving him a round of applause.
We started the New Gathering Mass yesterday - people sang lustily until the first change of words. Then there was a communal "oops, cough, cough" and peoples' eyes headed for the sheets, this despite a pre-Mass run-through. As ever the singing suffered when eyes and heads are down. They still can't quite manage to raise their eye-brows for the capitalisations, but that will come.
A home-grown Gloria is going quite lustily, the congregation even taking up the challenge to fill out the Amen with a "big fat chord."

[Ros Wood]

Have been using an adapted Lourdes Gloria and a home grown set of accalamations since September. These have gone down well although sensing some boredom, I introduced the Belmont Gloria yesterday alternating between cantor and congregation. We sang this unaccompanied and it went really well. We have also been singing the viarious dialogues and I think this has helped people adapt to the new words. Our older organists and cantors are finding it difficult to adapt but otherwise no real problems.

[Gedackt flute]

Regrettably, the liturgy police arrived at the 10.00 mass this Sunday.

The Alleluia and RP were recited by their children (very badly). However,
we were allowed to sing the Gloria, Sanctus, MM & Agnes Dei.

[musicus]

Who are these people, GF?

[Gedackt flute]

Who are these people, GF?

Mainly RC teachers. But also parents. They 'choose' the music for pre-confirmation / confirmation -- pre 1st communion / first communion. They excise all reference to the liturgical year, and generally (not always) insist on having the children recite the RP & Alleluia.

The liturgy police also exist as isolated individuals who (in their own words) think that 'Vatican 2 was rubbish', and insist on having their own way. Thankfully, this branch of the police are not active in the parish in which I serve.

Do not underestimate these people.

[musicus]

Oh, I see. Not so much 'police', then, upholding due law and process, but a mafia with its own agenda. You have used the term many times on this forum, but I am sure most folks took it that you intended to convey the former meaning, not the latter. I know I did. Very confusing.

Anyway, back to the topic...

[kerrezza]

We sang the Missal chant Glory to God, Holy, Holy and Lamb of God today, unaccompanied. Didn't run through with the congregation before Mass as most arrive last minute so were not enough there to make it worth while; no sheets were provided for them. I could hear many hesitantly singing along, more confidently with the Holy, Holy and Lamb of God as those tunes are very close to the plainchant that has been sung here before, and got the impression that some might have done some looking up on the internet.