Do I need to be able to read music
to join a choir?
No,
you don’t. Many of our choir members learn by “ear” or by rote. The
ability to read music, however, is not difficult and does make learning go a bit quicker and easier. Most of our music ministers
are only too happy help new members with learning this skill. Either way, by ear or by sight, your gift
for music will improve greatly the more that you use it…join us! Your gifts are needed.
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How can I join a choir
if I go away for the holidays?
We welcome choir members who can serve only at our weekly
liturgies, can serve only for our holiday celebrations or can serve at all of these. Just let the director
know of your obligations, so they can plan accordingly.
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I’d like to
join a choir, but my spouse doesn’t sing and would have to sit all alone in the pew.
Many spouses of our choir members over the years have sat in the first few pews,
so they are still near each other or have sat in the same pew with other spouses. They could be a caretaker
of the music or folders for that group (handing out and collecting back) or a fellowship coordinator who organized get-togethers
or outings that build up the camaraderie and synergy of a choir. We even have had choir members who joined
just because their spouse did, and they ended up being as good a blessing to our choirs as their “singing” spouse.
Choir voices are meant to blend and as long as your spouse wasn’t completely tone deaf—they could add their “average”
voice to everyone else’s and be amazed at the results.
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I can play the
piano (or keyboard) and would like to serve, but, the organ—no way!
Our organists all started
out first as pianists and then carried these skills over to the organ. In fact, it is required from most
organ teachers that you first learn on the piano. The organ is not so overwhelming once you actually sit
down and look it over. We have handouts that briefly explain the basics and are always eager to pass on
our love for the “King of Instruments” and the great blessings of OURSELVES being an instrument that our Lord
uses for the benefit of His people. Call our Director of Music to take your skills to a whole new level.
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Why can’t we sing the name “Yahweh”
anymore?
In June 2008, the Vatican announced a directive that the word “Yahweh” may no longer be used or pronounced in songs
and prayers during liturgical celebrations.The primary motive for
this decision was to “remain faithful to the Church’s tradition, from the beginning, that the sacred Tetragrammaton
was never pronounced in the Christian context nor translated into any of the languages into which the Bible was translated.”
This early tradition followed the long-standing Jewish tradition of great
reverence towards the holy and powerful name of the Lord. This change affects three hymns that we are used to singing: I Lift Up My Soul,
Sing a New Song and You Are Near. The composers of these songs have sent us the changes that they wanted
made to their texts and these changes have been made to our Glory & Praise hymnals. This will be very strange and difficult as
many of us know these hymns by heart, but the changes are not too drastic and, hopefully, the new changes will soon become
part of our hearts as well.
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Why don’t we sing more Mary songs in May?
Marian hymns are usually chosen when the liturgy of the
day is a Marian feast, such as Mary, the Mother of God (Jan. 1), the Assumption (Aug. 15), the Immaculate Conception (Dec.
8), Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12) or a celebration such as the Fourth Sunday of Advent or Mother’s Day. Sunday liturgies
during May have music chosen that coincides with the antiphons, scriptures and themes for the day, which take priority over
devotions outside the mass.
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Why don’t we
sing more new music?
We are encouraged (Psalm 98) to “Sing to the Lord a new
song…” and we do try to introduce new pieces each year that the Holy Spirit inspires in today’s composers.
Prudence urges us to do this with care and depth so that our assembly, who are the main leaders of song at mass, keep
their confidence and sing with full, active and conscious participation. If there are hymns that you like and are used to
singing that have not been done here at Precious Blood, tell our Director of Music—it could become a new favorite here
as well.
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Why don’t we sing more latin/traditional/praise/contemporary
music? and I hate the hymn “xxx”
and think we shouldn’t sing it anymore.
Our
liturgies are gatherings of a parish family. A family comprised of little ones, teenagers, adults and senior
citizens all gathering together to hear God’s Word, receive the Eucharist and give thanks and praise to our one Lord.
As such, we try to strike a balance between maintaining the traditional heritage of beautiful music written throughout
our church’s history and the discovery of fresh, inspired creations that should be included in our parish’s repertoire.
We hope to have our music program reflect the great variety and diversity that our Lord himself shows in all His creations.
He himself uses different music in different ways to bring different hearts closer to Him. A hymn that
one finds to be an obstacle, another parishioner may find to be just the one that they needed to hear/sing that day. With
charity, we can have diversity and unity coexisting in His love.
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Any more
questions?
Please call our director of music, Mrs. Hannah Masson,
at 825-9650
