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Corpus Christi Watershed

“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

The Economics of Jobs in Sacred Music

Richard J. Clark · January 24, 2014

EFFREY TUCKER IS PASSIONATE about many things. In addition to his signature bowtie, he also wears many hats. Among them, he is a champion of Gregorian Chant, a conductor, economist, author, and publisher. He recently penned an article “How to Apply for a Job.” While not directed towards musicians, this is a must read for every church musician, whether looking for a job or holding on to one.

Tucker distills his point with an economy of words:

“In case you read no more of this article, please read the following sentence. The reason a company hires you is because it expects to obtain more value from you than it pays out to you in the form of wages and salary. If you understand that one point, you are well positioned to apply for a job and capture the right tone in your application.” (emphasis added)

Since those in the sacred music profession are generally underpaid (See this post on CNNMoney: “Stressful Jobs that pay badly”) how can we not contribute more value than we are paid in wages? However true, the economics of sacred music is relative. Supply and demand rules the day. (Never make the mistake that supply and demand doesn’t apply in religious institutions. Never.)

Demand within the Church for beautiful sacred music is low leaving a surplus of highly qualified musicians quite capable of offering such beauty. (How many Catholic musicians do you know work for other denominations because that is where their skills are valued?) See a job advertised with a good pipe organ and a full-time salary? Expect to be competing with seventy-five to one hundred other musicians from around the country. Trying to hold onto a full-time position? Take a look behind you at the line of people more than willing to relieve you of your duties.

O HOW DOES ONE SEPARATE oneself from the pack? Remember, the politics of sacred music go hand in hand with the economics of sacred music. One may even survive political turmoil simply because one brings a lot more to the table relative to compensation. Therefore, whether looking for a job, or trying to keep one, one must do more than one is paid for. Why? This is an investment in your future. Most importantly, it is an investment in your reputation, your most valuable asset.

What is doing more than you are paid for? Musically, that’s usually easy to answer since church musicians tend to be overworked to begin with. Therefore, the answer often lies elsewhere in the form of pastoral and personal interactions—things we didn’t study in music school. One can do “more” by being more than just a musician—by being a leader. This is quite different from being a boss.

All leadership is essentially a personal and emotional process. This kind of leadership combines treating people respectfully and decently while being firm and clearly communicating your expectations. It also means admitting mistakes and taking responsibility for them. Being supremely talented or having authority doesn’t give one license to be a jerk.

Knowing how to conduct or play better than most is easy. Getting a large number of diverse volunteers to respect your leadership is not. Conducting from the organ console or learning Gregorian semiology is easy compared to convincing a pastor, finance council and parishioners to invest money in sacred music. Beauty in liturgy, an intangible commodity, is an investment that pays itself back spiritually and financially. This truth is happily discovered by parishes who make this investment. Beauty brings inestimable value.

INALLY, YOUR PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL REPUTATION is your most valuable asset. Treat people decently, be very good at what you do, and assuredly decent people will want to hire you and keep you even if you don’t agree on every point. Do this and the value you bring to your boss will be seen as very difficult to replace.

If not, then you will earn the respect of those who matter.

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 Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 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 propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —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

It was thought important that the song should actually accompany the distribution of Communion. A Carolingian explanation of the Mass remarks that during the Communion “soft melody should touch the ear [of the faithful] so that hearing this sound they would busy themselves less with distracting thoughts and … their hearts would be moved to humble love for that which they receive.”

— Father Josef Andreas Jungmann

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