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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

How Do I Get Them to Sing? Part 2 of 2

Andrew R. Motyka · March 13, 2013

hat do you do when the congregation just won’t sing? Here are a few more practical tips to encourage reluctant singers.

CLICK HERE to read Part 1 of this article.

4. Sing a cappella from time to time. Sometimes the best accompaniment for congregational singing is none at all. Once you’ve started down the road to making your parish responsible for communal song, try a verse of a hymn a cappella. Learn a plainchant Mass ordinary. A cappella singing adds a layer of reverence in the liturgy that is simple yet underutilized. When you do use the organ, however,

5. Choose appropriate registrations. You want to support the singing, not bury it. In my experience, though, congregations aren’t avoiding singing because the organ is too loud, but because it isn’t loud enough. Singing is an act of responsibility, but very few people like feeling exposed while they sing. They like to be surrounded with other sound. For this reason, a congregation that sings well is, to some degree, self-supporting. It’s easy to join in singing when the people around you help cover your less-than-confident voice, and that cycle continues. Unfortunately, the converse is also true: fewer people singing means people will be uncomfortable singing. No one wants to be the first. For this reason, a robust organ registration can help bridge the gap between wimpy and confident song.

6. Choose singable keys and tempos. Your congregational literature has to be in a middle-of-the-road tessitura. Extremely high or low keys will cause people to drop out, especially very high ones. That said, don’t let your parish get lazy, either. A congregation can sing as high as a D (although I wouldn’t push them further except with some very popular hymns that they’ll sing anyway. I’m looking at you, Jesus Christ is Risen Today). Do not choose music or keys that hang in that high register, but don’t avoid it entirely, either. A congregation that never sings D’s will never be able to, either.
Tempos are even more critical. Practice singing while you play. You don’t have to sing while you play at Mass, but singing while practicing is a good way to understand the phrasing that the singers will need to have. Too fast, and they’ll be hyperventillating; too slow, they’ll never make it to the end of reasonable phrases. Be sure that your organ playing breathes with the singers. Using lifts, be extremebly clear and obvious at the ends of phrases where breathing is necessary. If you just slur right through them, congregations will unconsciously receive the message that they never get to breathe.

7. Be consistent with repertoire and sparing with new hymns. This doens’t mean that you can never introduce new music. Don’t go overboard, though. 2 or 3 brand new hymns a year is plenty. You can get away with quite a bit more in the realm of responsorial-style music, where repeating a short phrase or antiphon is the only new information, and with the “same tune, different text” approach (Tip: learn to use the Metrical Index in your hymnal). With psalms and mix-and-match hymnody, your repertoire can increase exponentially without actually “teaching” a thing.

8. Be patient. Even if you were to implement all of this advice and more tomorrow, it will still take time for your parish to start singing well. Singing is a cultural thing, and it will take patience and, most of all, consistency to get a good result. In the end, it might have nothing to do with the music. Some people are sticks-in-the-mud and won’t sing under any circumstances. It’s unlikely that your entire parish is made up of these people, though, and if it is, I’ll pray for you.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Andrew R. Motyka

Andrew Motyka is the Archdiocesan Director of Liturgical Music and Cathedral Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.—(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on what each translator wants to emphasize and which source text is chosen. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF example) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The sun’s disc did not remain immobile. This was not the sparkling of a heavenly body, for it spun round on itself in a mad whirl, when suddenly a clamor was heard from all the people. The sun, whirling, seemed to loosen itself from the firmament and advance threateningly upon the earth as if to crush us with its huge fiery weight. The sensation during those moments was terrible.”

— ‘Dr. Almeida Garrett, professor of natural sciences at the University of Coimbra (1917)’

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