OF MICS AND POPPING AND SHORTING OUT...

...and other resulting consequences

Rhode Island's own Eden Casteel, a lyric coloratura soprano (and a very good one - check her blog out and give a listen) and librettist, wrote a snarky little post that is actually a great teaching moment for high school musical stars who are seeking to continue doing musicals at the college level and beyond.

Luckily, we had no microphones on stage when I played my role as Jud Fry in Cumberland High's production of Oklahoma during my junior year in high school. Eden's fourth paragraph goes thus:

Did you know that if you have no idea how to sing or project your voice without a microphone, you are completely out of luck if the battery goes dead in the middle of your two-measure solo? Did you know that when you use microphones you tend to forget how to execute basic blocking, and sometimes you sing with your butt to the audience? Did you know that about half the time, microphones short out or crackle and pop loudly? You didn’t know that? I didn’t think so.

Now, Oklahoma was the only musical I ever did. Auditions for The King and I during my senior year fell on the week of my father's funeral. Oh well (well, at least that was my attitude at 17; turning 47 pretty soon, I'm sure I'd have a different 'tude now)!

However, the reason I point out Eden's paragraph regarding microphones is that the same message could AND SHOULD AND MUST point very easily toward cantors at Holy Mass. I've had people tell me, "Wow! You have a good strong voice!" more times than Bill Gates has collected dollar bills. That's because thanks to Mrs. Nectar Lennox, my high school choral director, learning to project was not an option. It was REQUIRED! And it's helped to the point where I can sing, facing a pipe case, over a generously-registered organ (I mean 8'-4'-2' foundations, a four-rank fourniture or plein jeu, and possibly a good chorus reed, plus a good deep pedal registration - I LOVE a good 32' resultant or contra bourdon!) without any amplication. I use the mic to announce hymns only - organ mic on, announce hymn, organ mic off. Simple as that!

Nowadays, unfortunately, it's all about the mic. It's all about (in the words of Happy Bunny) "let's focus on ME!" In high school, it's all about wanting to be Britney Spears, prancing around the stage with a damn headset wrapped around her head. At Mass, it's about wanting to be heard over everyone - the priest, the choir, the congregation, and maybe even loud enough for the diocese next door to hear ya!

So, I reiterate this message to cantors: For the sake of good liturgy, step away from the microphone. And for the sake of good liturgy AND good hygiene, please, KEEP YOUR DAMN ARMS DOWN!

Peace,
BMP

BRIAN MICHAEL PAGE IS NOW AVAILABLE...

...to play and/or sing at WEEKDAY Masses as well as weekend Masses (funerals/weddings included) within the Diocese of Providence, and within a reasonable distance in the Archdiocese of Boston, and the Dioceses of Fall River, Worcester, and Norwich.

I'll even be glad to become your parish's music director, if you so wish.

28-1/2 years experience
primarily traditional
will play pipe or electronic organ

Combox or e-mail at bpage69(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Don't leave your parish music program in the dark. HIRE A SNARK!

Peace,
BMP

LOSE THE VIBRATIC CANTOR

Video highlights of the funeral of the Most Reverend Daniel A. Hart, Bishop Emeritus of Norwich, Connecticut, can be found at The Day.

Doug Green's an excellent music director, serving at Norwich's St. Patrick's Cathedral for an x-amount of years now. Music selections (at least shown here) are excellent. Choir, organ, and orchestra were very good. That dang cantor and her vibrato has to go! There was absolutely NO reason she should be at the microphone drowning out the choir like this. None whatsoever. Sing your Psalm verses and BACK AWAY FROM THE DAMN MIC PLEASE!

GIA used to sell buttons that said BACK OFF! LET THE PEOPLE SING! What ever happened to them???

Peace,
BMP

CANTOR REFORM

Well, not so much the cantors themselves, but their roles.

In one of the best articles yet since I've started blogging a couple of years ago, Michael Lawrence over at the NLM proposes a reformed role for cantors.

In this writer's experience, the cantor is usually responsible for the following: a) leading the hymns--which typically replace the Propers--and the Ordinary, much of which, if in a responsorial format (particularly contemporary hymns and settings of the Gloria), requires a great deal of solo singing on the part of the cantor; b) singing the Responsorial Psalm and the Alleluia; c) encouraging the congregation to sing via bodily gestures; and d) announcing the hymns. In many places, the cantor must do all of this from a podium or an "ambo" (sic)* which is located in the sanctuary, or in some area in the front of the church that is rarely conducive to working with the organist. In addition, the cantor usually makes use of a microphone for every word that is sung.

At Holy Ghost, C and D are omitted from a cantor's duties, thankfully. C has never happened, and I stopped the practice of D last Spring. My practice for A and B is to play the people's parts fairly loud (with a few exceptions, namely something that might not be meant to be played all that loud to begin with), toning down only for those parts that were meant strictly for a cantor (namely intonation and verses to the Psalm and the Alleluia). Most of the hymnody we use is through-composed, with the exception of Communion, where I often program something a little more on the responsorial side.

At one time, it was common for lectors to double as "commentators" and and take on the role of announcing (until the misconceived role of cantor came to practice, at least). Some of the announcements you'd hear are often hilariously dumb, about as dumb as one would put the average congregant out to be. Here's an example of a variety show host at work (this actually happened at the parish I grew up in as a teen):

(Before Mass begins):
Good morning. I'm Bill L., my partner is my wife Clara.
Our Ministers of the Eucharist (note wrong term) are Bob L. and Jim T.
Our Acolytes are Chris and Jim T.
Our Minister of music is Jerry A., assisted by our soloist, Pauline M.
Our Celebrant is Father Joe. Let us stand and greet him as we sing "Hail, Holy Queen", number 307 in your song books.
and
(At the Offertory):
As our ushers collect our thank-offerings and present them to the altar, let us sing "Kumbaya", number 42 in your small missalettes.

I've seen parishes where cantors are trained to pull something similar. Michael states in his post: It seems plausible, too, that many of them are only following orders from someone in authority over them.

He's absolutely right. In some cases, that authority is the music director. In a good amount of cases, that authority is the pastor, or a curate that the pastor has put in charge of liturgy, or that highly paid "liturgist", hired to "custom create" the liturgy. I've said it before: hire me as your liturgist and I'll do two things - 1) train all involved to "do the red and say the black", and 2) subsequently eliminate my own position. Because once you've successfully done step 1, there is no need for a lay liturgist. (OK, so I added some liturgist reform too!)

Back to cantoring. Michael proposes this idea (which is a very good one, I might add):
There are instances, however, in which cantors might lead the hymns or the Ordinary profitably. Generally this would be in the absence of the organ. Even still, the cantor should not dominate the whole piece, but should rather get the music started by singing the first few notes or the first line of the song. The same applies in much of the Gregorian chant repertoire, where, traditionally, the music is begun by a cantor or a smaller group of singers. For our convenience, let us file both of these situations under the category of "incipits."

BAM! Speaking of which? How many parishes have music directors who know what the Graduale Romanum or Gregorian Missal is for? Ever see that little asterisk (*) after the first word or two in a proper, or after the first bar of the alleluia? That's when the "cantor" part of it ends. We should do the same with hymn singing, and even the Ordinary.

Since I'm leaving in a little bit to take my daughter to her regularly scheduled eye doc's appointment, I'll let you read the entire post by Michael Lawrence. Excellent reading!

Peace,
BMP

THE UBITIQUOUS SONG LEADER

This in from Pontifications.

First of all, this is one popular article, obviously (109 comments as I write this, and Alvin Kimmel only wrote it YESTERDAY). But so true in many circuits. Them cantors (song leaders) like to fly now don't they? They look even more winged in vestments. They want YOU IN THE PEW to sing, but they still want themselves to sing louder - even louder than the choir, who are probably singing their hearts out!

Mr. Kimmel even quotes the famous "Mr. Caruso" chapter in Thomas Day's Why Catholics Can't Sing, a book I STILL think should be required reading in the seminaries, and for those laity studying liturgy or church music.

"Bring back the cantor and put her into the choir. Restore her to her proper role. Catholic liturgy would improve a hundred-fold over night!", concludes Mr. Kimmel.

Kudos for a great article.

Peace,
BMP