Leading Liturgical Song
Andrew Goldstein, here! As part of this month's train & equip, I'm writing a refection on a topic familiar to many, yet often completely misunderstood by most: how to lead people in song. As a parish musician myself, I'll be upfront in saying that much of this comes from a liturgical mindset. That is, if you are leading song in other contexts, this might all sound a bit foreign. Let's start with the basics, a gorgeous quote from Pope Benedict XVI where he suggests that song is born at the manger.
Christmas is a feast of restored creation. It is in this context that the Fathers interpret the song of the angels on that holy night: it is an expression of joy over the fact that the height and the depth, Heaven and Earth, are once more united; that man is again united to God. It is the encounter with Jesus Christ that makes us capable of hearing the song of the angels, thus creating the real music that fades away when we lose this singing-with and hearing-with. In the stable at Bethlehem, Heaven and Earth meet. Heaven has come down to Earth. For this reason, a light shines from the stable for all times; for this reason joy is enkindled there; for this reason song is born there.
This is a profound thing to reflect on, before anything else. In the stillness of the night, God became man. In the silence of time, salvation was fulfilled with the sound of a crying babe.Much like the creation account of Genesis, out of the stillness and nothingness came the symphony of creation. In many ways, leading liturgical song bears this same mark. From the silence of the waiting church, something beautiful happens: the gathered faithful together draw a silent breath, from which comes their song of praise.
As musicians, we sense the difference when this happens well. On Christmas, the church erupting with "O Come All Ye Faithful" is inherently different than when the parish muddles through a lesser familiar hymn in ordinary time. The robust, full song of the faithful – actively engaged in the liturgy – truly gives us a sense of the heavenly liturgy; the song of the angels and saints in the presence of the lamb. Every (thoughtful) musician desires an engaged listener, and liturgical musicians – especially – seek the engagement par excellence of congregational song. So, how do we get there?
Before I offer a less-than-exhaustive list of helpful do's and don'ts, I'd like to introduce one important element: the primary instrument of the church is the assembly. Okay, sure, the documents say the organ holds pride of place, and we all know it feels great when a deep bass drum rocks our gut when singing "Great Are You Lord", but let's cut a bit deeper... the voice of the faithful is really the most primary instrument of worship, because if we are truly seeking a heavenly liturgy, we must have a Catholic – i.e. universal and unified – experience of song. It's this essential delegation of primacy to the people that leads to a profound experience of leading liturgical song. When we, as liturgical musicians, forget this inheritance of the people, we become nothing more than talent leading from a stage... rather than a people of God worshiping its creator.
This was truly the core desire of Vatican II: that the faithful enter into a full, active, and conscious participation in praying the liturgy. In future Train & Equip segments, we'll touch more on this desire of Vatican II, and what we can gain from re-reading this seminal documents. But for today, let's return to some helpful do's and don'ts to best encourage this depth of engagement in song.
1. PREPARE
There's a marked difference between the experience of hearing someone who has studied and internalized their music, and someone who is sight reading from the page. Prayerful music takes time; there's no way around it! How can you expect someone to pray with music that you, yourself, are not praying with? Think back to the early Church... the Psalms were such a powerful tool of worship because they were common! People knew them, sang them, lived them... so their prayer of the Psalm was full and complete. Do you do this with your music, in whatever context you share it in?
2. SIMPLIFY
There's a time and place for complex music, and often it's not when leading sung prayer. Take time to truly reinforce a melody... don't be afraid to sing it again and again, and allow people the chance to truly take it in, and then participate in it. I often reflect on JRR Tolkien's The Silmarillion, in which the opening is a sort of account of Genesis. Tolkien's facsimile of God creates a tune, of which all of creation then sings (until of course, there is dischord and the tune falls apart, at which point the God-figure introduces yet another perfect tune). Think about the music that was most powerful and influential to your early life. How often did you hear it? What grabbed you? Was the melody simple to grasp? Was it the words? Spend time in prayer dismantling this a bit. You might be surprised to find that the music that shaped you was (1) simple in itself, (2) reinforced with repetition, and (3) widely embraced by the culture around you at the time. Let your own musical prayer mirror the elements of whatever musical experience of your early life comes to mind.
3. PRAY
At the end of the day, leading people in song comes down to one important thing: prayer. Without prayer, all musical and liturgical knowledge is for naught. Praying in front of people, with music, can't be the only prayer in your life. Carve out one-on-one time in silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament each week. From the silence of your alone time with God, you can draw out beautiful sound and melodies when you're later charged with leading others in prayer. Make prayer routine... I've seen plenty of Catholic musicians begin their work cold turkey. Don't let prayer slip! Begin and end everything you do in prayer.
4. Worry Less
I'm a huge admirer of Jacob Collier and his music. I'm struck by his theory that no note is a wrong note, and that everything in music is interconnected. For me, it removed the anxiety of playing something wrong, and the panic that follows. Take care to worry less about mistakes, or how you look, or how your fellow musicians are doing. It's all in God's hands anyway... the Holy Spirit will make sure people hear what they need to hear to pray well.
Andrew Goldstein is the Director of Mission Advancement for The Vigil Project, a Catholic nonprofit that helps Catholics reclaim their vast heritage of music. Check out www.thevigilproject.com to explore devotional resources, live Eucharistic Renewal events, and tools for Catholic musicians. Questions? Email: agoldstein@thevigilproject.com