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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

The Difficulty of Cultivating a Prayerful Focus for Musicians

Richard J. Clark · August 12, 2016

AM NO EXPERT. Ironically, prayer can be a struggle for church musicians. Grueling schedules, juggling personalities, and navigating politics (as normal routine) can rob prayerful focus. Musical focus is challenging enough. Add to it the vulnerability of being on display and judged on a weekly basis by anyone and everyone. (When it comes to music, everyone is an expert.) Sometimes, this can be spiritually draining, if not edifying.

So where does prayer come in? It only comes in the quiet, and it may have to come when the Sunday Masses are over. Or we need to “block out the noise” during Mass—challenging to do over the course of seven or eight Masses per weekend for some.

I don’t have an answer, or good advice. However, I have found prayer in a few things I will list here. I need these reminders for myself. Perhaps this list may be of some help. What is on your list?

1 • Preparation is prayer. Every bit of it. Be forever mindful of this.

2 • Being patient with all kinds of people and personalities, including those who get on your nerves—is prayer. I am mindful that I get on theirs too. I ask for their patience as well.

3 • Expressing gratitude to God for the opportunity to serve Him week in and week out is prayer.

4 • Composing on scripture is wellspring of prayer. I have come to rely upon this to save my life.

5 • Bringing the scriptures alive for your choir (and hopefully all the faithful) is prayer.

6 • Teaching is nothing but prayer.

7 • Continuing to serve God cheerfully (and very often flexibly) in the midst of professional crisis or adversity is prayer. Since dealing with some level of adversity is the norm, there is great opportunity for personal sanctification!

8 • Remember we are deeply flawed sinners—a most humbling state. This reality calls us to greater compassion to those who may appear to be easy to judge. Mindfulness of this is mercy, and is prayer.

9 • In humility, seek strength and nourishment from the sacraments.

LSO IRONIC, PRAYING WITH FAMILY AT MASS is rather impossible when working for the Church. It is especially challenging with small children. Again, I have no easy answers, but to take every available opportunity to cultivate prayer with your children. Teaching your children is a powerful form of prayer, for there are no greater prayers than those that spring from children. They may take to prayer reluctantly at times, but at others, it pours forth with powerful innocence and purity.

Children are also far more sensitive than adults realize to the needs of those around them. They understand the need for prayer. Take every opportunity to encourage children to not only learn specific prayers, but to cultivate a personal prayer life by speaking to God in their own words. These are powerful words.

Finally, prayer that seems to have nothing to do with music, or prayer that is far away from our jobs, will make us better musicians. More importantly, it will make us better servants of God, his people, our families, and each other.

Oremus pro invicem
Pray for each other.

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

    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 30th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 26 October 2025, which is the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). 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 top-notch feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Little Encouragement?
    In the Gospel, our Savior tells about 10 lepers who were healed. Only one went back to give thanks. Precious few express gratitude, yet many have endless energy to complain. For that reason, I deeply appreciate receiving messages like the following, which arrived a few days ago (about the parish where I direct in Michigan): “Last Sunday, a couple I knew from Grand Rapids was at Mass at 10:00 a.m. I got a chance to talk to them after Mass. I wanted to let you know what they said about the choir. They were absolutely floored by our sound!!!!! They both said they could continuously listen to our choir and the beauty of it. They asked me: “Do you always sound like that?” And they were also very surprised at how packed the church was. They said it was nice for them to be in such a full church. I just thought you would be interested to know their thoughts about our choir.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

Random Quote

When Christ gave the bread, he did not say, “This is the symbol of my body,” but, “This is my body.” In the same way, when he gave the cup of his blood he did not say, “This is the symbol of my blood,” but, “This is my blood.”

— Theodore, Bishop of Mopsuestia, writing in the 5th Century

Recent Posts

  • Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
  • “Music List” • 30th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
  • Little Encouragement?
  • Children’s Repertoire • Mueller’s Recommendations

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