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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

Quick Takes: Saying No

Andrew R. Motyka · January 15, 2014

UST BECAUSE you shouldn’t be indiscriminate about which arguments you are willing to go to the wall for doesn’t mean that you should never take a stand for principle. I had a conversation with several music directors yesterday about funeral preparation, and the conversation naturally had a sidebar about funerals, weddings, and how to turn down a request from a family.

Naturally, both situations are fraught with peril. On one hand, with funerals you have a grieving family that doesn’t need extra trouble while planning a liturgy for the death of their loved one. On the other hand, you have an angry bride or (shudder) her mother. Nevertheless, sometimes you have to put your foot down and say, “I’m sorry, but perhaps ‘My Humps’ isn’t the best choice we can make for your bridal procession.” Here are some things to keep in mind, my brave fellow director:

1. Be clear that you’re saying no. Here’s a trap I’ve fallen into before. I try to let a bride down gently regarding her choice for a particular piece of music, but what she really hears is, “It isn’t the best choice, but I’ll do it anyway.” When you say No, make sure that it is understood that you really aren’t going to do it.

2. Offer an alternative. It stinks to be in the position of Gatekeeper of the Liturgy, and it also stinks to be on the receiving end, where a bride or family has suggestions that have genuine connections for them, but they feel like they are just trying to get past the censors. Every time you say no, counter with a suggestion and, most importantly, explain why your suggestion fits better without attacking theirs. If you say No, but provide a way out, it’s often all that is needed to diffuse the situation.

3. Take the opportunity to teach. Often, the people with whom we are discussing such matters are people who have not been to Mass in a long time; sometimes they aren’t Catholic at all. Even if they are, usually all they know about liturgical music is that they like That Song and really want it at “their liturgy.” This can be a great opportunity to teach a bit about liturgy, solemnity, and the dignity of our worship. Sometimes they won’t listen, and sometimes (like in the case of a funeral) you have to use your best judgment to determine what will sink in at this particular moment. Once again, many of these problems arise because they just don’t know.

I am currently trying to absorb as much as I can about this skill. Our archdiocesan Director of Worship is the master here. He can not only steer people away from bad choices, but can make them feel like a million dollars while following his guidelines. The trick is to avoid making them feel silly while gently guiding them in the right direction.

And don’t even meet with the mothers.

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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser
    To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“Oh, the happy choir director who is hired to start work on a brand new choir, or who walks into his first rehearsal a total stranger to the existing group—what a fortunate man he is! The new choir director who is a former member of the choir, or a member of the congregation, or the nephew of the alto soloist, or a former altar boy, or otherwise well acquainted with the choir, is in for a few headaches.”

— Paul Hume (1956)

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