Comments on: How to chant II http://arscatholica.wordpress.com/2008/04/28/how-to-chant-ii/ Promoting Catholic art and architecture, literature and liturgy Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:49:32 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: arscatholica http://arscatholica.wordpress.com/2008/04/28/how-to-chant-ii/#comment-5 arscatholica Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:43:10 +0000 http://arscatholica.wordpress.com/?p=15#comment-5 I've had something of this experience at Notre Dame, actually. Every Holy Thursday the Folk Choir sings Pange Lingua Gloriosi during the transfer of the Holy Eucharist. It's actually plainchant both in Latin and and English (alternating verses). It may sound a bit funny, but even though I had never had Latin or at the time knew how to chant when I first heard this, I felt it was in my veins somehow. Now at ND, the congregation is always very good about singing, but every year I have to go to the Basilica on Holy Thursday for this one moment. I’ve had something of this experience at Notre Dame, actually. Every Holy Thursday the Folk Choir sings Pange Lingua Gloriosi during the transfer of the Holy Eucharist. It’s actually plainchant both in Latin and and English (alternating verses). It may sound a bit funny, but even though I had never had Latin or at the time knew how to chant when I first heard this, I felt it was in my veins somehow. Now at ND, the congregation is always very good about singing, but every year I have to go to the Basilica on Holy Thursday for this one moment.

]]> By: Argent http://arscatholica.wordpress.com/2008/04/28/how-to-chant-ii/#comment-3 Argent Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:59:57 +0000 http://arscatholica.wordpress.com/?p=15#comment-3 In a previous parish where I worked, the resistance to plainchant was mostly from the choir. Whenever the Kyrie or Sanctus (Mass XVIII which is amazingly in the OCP missalettes) was programmed for that day, the congregation sang pretty well. Even unaccompanied. There is some primordial instinct that causes even the most reluctant singer to respond with the chant. What I found interesting is that when the Ordinary was changed back to Haugen's M.O.C. the congregation stopped singing and watched the choir instead. The choir was quite happy with M.O.C. because they were able to jazz it up and sing the wretched descants with full-on coloratura. All with over-the-top amplification...a mic for every two people....thus fulfilling Thomas Day's "Why Catholics Can't Sing" scenario. In a previous parish where I worked, the resistance to plainchant was mostly from the choir. Whenever the Kyrie or Sanctus (Mass XVIII which is amazingly in the OCP missalettes) was programmed for that day, the congregation sang pretty well. Even unaccompanied. There is some primordial instinct that causes even the most reluctant singer to respond with the chant.

What I found interesting is that when the Ordinary was changed back to Haugen’s M.O.C. the congregation stopped singing and watched the choir instead. The choir was quite happy with M.O.C. because they were able to jazz it up and sing the wretched descants with full-on coloratura. All with over-the-top amplification…a mic for every two people….thus fulfilling Thomas Day’s “Why Catholics Can’t Sing” scenario.

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