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Views from the Choir Loft

An Organ-Less Advent

Dr. Lucas Tappan · December 12, 2024

AST SPRING, the interior of our church underwent some minor renovations, including new paint, which required removing the pipes from the organ on the west wall, and left us without the KING OF INSTRUMENTS for three or four weeks. My request to have the removal coincide with the last few weeks of Lent was granted, and for the first time in my life I experienced lenten Sunday Masses in the Ordinary Form a cappella. Owing to enormous amounts of scaffolding that filled the choir loft (there is more than 40 feet of wall soaring up from the loft floor) it was impossible to fit in the choir—so I led the music myself. This unfortunately necessitated the use of the microphone to keep starts and stops together, but I purposely avoided overpowering the congregation. While we’ve always had healthy congregational singing, I was amazed how powerful it remained in the absence of the organ. In some small ways, it grew. The congregation responded favorably as well, noting that Easter was all the more joyful because of the organ’s return. Therefore, I thought we’d try something similar this Advent, and I wish to share the results (and some insights) with our readers.

A Mixed Bag • I placed a short introduction at the top of the worship aid on the first Sunday of Advent explaining the Church’s reasons for curtailing the use of the organ during penitential seasons, but nobody read it (including my own wife!) and there were a lot of questions after Mass from quizzical parishioners as to why they didn’t hear the organ.  Neither did it help matters that we no longer look upon Advent as a penitential season, which begged the question why the Church would remove the use of instruments in the first place. Last Lent, it behoved us to forego instrumental music and everyone understood why (mostly from necessity, but also from ancient practice), whereas this Advent it didn’t make sense to our congregation.

I also chose to attempt the practice only at our principal choral Mass in Advent, as a way of “introducing” it to the congregation. This was a mistake because people don’t always attend the same Mass each Sunday.1 I’d like to attempt this again next Lent, but feel it should be applied to all Sunday Masses (and it wouldn’t hurt if their could be a word of explanation from the pulpit). All of this is to say that … it hasn’t gone so well this time around.

A Choir and One Cantor are Two Different Animals • As the lone musician leading music last Lent, it was very simple to begin music utilizing the pitch pipe on my phone and the power I wielded via the microphone—but it wasn’t so easy with the choir. Because I’m both organist and choir director at the same time (and because the organ is positioned at a weird angle to the choir) I’ve never realized how many singers wait until the organ introduction to the ENTRANCE HYMN to open their music … but I realized it acutely when the bell rang to begin Mass and I hummed the beginning pitches. Half the choir wasn’t ready and it was noticeable. I swore we wouldn’t have another difficult start … until we did at the Mystérium Fídei. We are currently using Paul Jernberg’s Mass in Honor of Saint Philip Neri (which is in four parts) and following the CONSECRATION in that moment of intimate quiet I softly gave the pitches … and singers mouthed back that they couldn’t hear the notes. I jumped in with the acclamation from the Roman Missal instead of trying to give more pitches. At the same time, my choir is very used to singing a cappella—so once they were personally prepared and had their pitches, everything went swimmingly.

The Right “Atmosphere” • I hate to discuss the “atmosphere” or “feel” of a Mass, but unfortunately this matters to a lot of people (priests included) in the Novus Ordo—so I believe I must. While there are various reasons for this worry, some more well founded than others, it results in a heavy burden being placed upon musicians to ensure that whatever they do is well-liked by all … lest the faithful complain (seemingly the great worry of many priests). Unfortunately I have had to note that the “atmosphere” hasn’t been the best in two weeks we have tried this. No one has particularly complained, but congregational singing is not what it usually is and upon inquiry I have noted that even stalwart supporters seems to be indifferent to an a cappella Advent, which has led me to question whether or not I will attempt it again in the future. I do believe we should move in this direction, but might there be a smoother road for us to trod.

Some Considerations • If you plan to take the plunge in your parish, I would suggest you first try it during the season of Lent, which even the most ‘unchurched’ intuitively understand to be a time of penance. In time, as more and more Catholics return to the tradition of a penitential Advent, it will be easier to extend the practice to Advent as well. Secondly, I would ask your priest to give a short explanation to the congregation. I would mentally rehearse a Mass with choir, but without organ, in order to alert yourself to any trouble spots. Thirdly, practice through those points with your singers ahead of time. I would especially recommend giving only a chord, as opposed to rolling pitches, but this will need to be rehearsed. If you plan to cantor the Mass by yourself, you will have to decide if you need a microphone or if you can adequately lead the music without it, but this will take little effort on your part.

As a parting note, I personally found a renewed love for playing the organ at Mass after having had several weeks without it last Lent. Moreover, the congregation certainly enjoyed hearing it on Easter.

1 Or they talk to their friends and can’t understand why the organ is used at other Masses.

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: December 12, 2024

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About Dr. Lucas Tappan

Dr. Lucas Tappan is a conductor and organist whose specialty is working with children. He lives in Kansas with his wife and four children.—(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —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

“We cannot approve of the attitude of those who use the problems raised and discussed by the Council to create in themselves and in others an attitude of unrest and a desire for radical reformation, as if the Council gives every private opinion a chance to destroy the heritage of the Church. acquired during Her many centuries of history and experience.”

— Pope Paul VI (30 June 1965)

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