Tag: choir

The mixed joys of not joining in

Read Kate’s latest for The Tablet :  The mixed joys of not joining in

The choir summer holiday is coming to an end, and I am really pleased.

Not because I like having to spend time and energy on organising and delivering the music, not because I am looking forward to seeing the choir members back again, not because I am looking forward to making music together and creating something beautiful to the glory of God, though all of these things are true, but because I have been feeling increasingly uncomfortable at Mass on Sunday mornings.

We all know priests are in short supply currently, and this is especially true in the summer months, when they are as entitled to holidays as anyone else. This year our parish reduced its number of Sundays Masses for the summer, and instructed the choirs to take a holiday until September. I actually rather like a spoken Mass for a change, it gives me a different angle of focus. Then one of the church music groups decided that since they were mostly still around, they could do ad hoc music at the one remaining Mass. I’m sure that their motivation was just to improve the service for the Lord and for everyone else, but it’s a style of music with which I am very uncomfortable.  I do happen to know all these hymns, they were new and regarded as exciting when I was a student nearly fifty years ago, but I don’t think they have all worn well; or more accurately, some people love them and find them prayerful and helpful, but not all of us do.

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Our choir after a holiday

Read Kate’s latest for The Tablet – Back in the swing after the choir’s summer holiday.

During the month of August, our choir, like many others, was technically on holiday. Some people have even been actually away on holiday for a week or two.

Mostly we’ve seen each other around on Sundays, of course, except when someone daringly goes to a different Mass, which can feel surprisingly restful. It is wonderful to have time to concentrate on what is happening without having to worry about when the next piece of music is coming up and whether everyone is ready for it.

Choirs need holidays, partly for practical reasons (it’s too hard to assemble a full group every Sunday during the main holiday month), but it also means that the congregation gets a month off, either as a respite for those who don’t like singing, or so that they realise how much difference the choir makes, as well as how much work is involved. The choir is there simply to support and lead the congregation, not to be a concert, but it’s still quite hard work, especially for the choir leader and the person who chooses the music week by week and now has to cope with the infelicities of the new lectionary, which are very wearing.

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