The Recovering Choir Director

Oh, I am so sorry for you.
But not as sorry as I feel for me and the rest of our parish right now.
Our choir director programmed an anthem this morning called “In the Tomb” which carries the direction “lightheartedly”, has lyrics like “in the tomb, there is no weeping; on the floor, ther’s no one sleeping” (I’m not making this up,) and begins with a vamp that is pure Carpenters’ (all the old ladies in the soprano section mock it by singing “Why do birds, suddenly appear…” when the director starts his programmable keyboard…)
By the way, glad to see you posting on RPINet. Another voice of reason to combat Todd Anythinggoesaslongasitisntroman.

Well, the mere fact that you are using the correct words puts you ahead of Messrs. Haugen, Haas, and their pande— uhm, I mean, publishers at GIA.
I wouldn’t worry too much about the fact that Haugen isn’t Catholic — neither was Bach, and I don’t have a problem with his music.
I think whne he says “Holy, holy, holy” he means the same thing the Pope does. That is not to say that everything contained in one of his “Masses” is fit for a Catholic mass.
He plays fast and loose with the words to the Lamb of God, with inserting “acclamations” wherever he chooses (NOT contianed in the Ordo,) among other problems.
And I do have a problem with some of the lyrics (not speaking of Haugen here,) that GIA and OCP, ostensibly Catholic publishing houses, should be presumed to have vetted.
I know what you mean about unnecessary difficulty.
My husband is a professional singer, and recently started cantoring — he is often fuming about the badly written and arranged music.
Don’t despair!
The Church appreciates your work.
And don’t be discouraged by the fact that you are ’self-trained,” but please don’t let your traingin end!
Acquaint yourself with the great history of magnificent music to which Catholic worship has given birth. Don’t assume you have to limit yourself to current pop styles. Begin to see yourself as part of a continuum, a great tradition of music, and strive to create things of lasing value, not ephemeral and of the moment.
Learn Gregorian chant. (The psalm tones could be the answer to your problems with Respond and acclaim.)
Read Sacrosanctum Concilium.
God bless.

No offense, but this is the kind of thing formal training might provide — the knowledge that “Lamb of God” and “Agnus Dei” are the same thing (the latter is the Latin prhase for Lamb of God.)
You aren’t “skipping” one, they are interchangeable, you would probably never do both (unless you had a particularly beautiful polyphonic one, say, that you wanted to do before Mass, in concert, as it were.

Good luck and God bless!

I am interested in knowing when it is necessary to cantor and when it is preferrable to have congregation follow the hymn board.
In our parish the cantor (various people) have been instructed by the choir director (not a trained person) to announce (besides the service music)
• Processional Hymn
• Hymn for Preparation of Gifts
• 2nd Communion Hymn
• Processional Hymn

It is a bit disturbing - and when I am taking my turn as organist I find it just plain silly. I notice other churches I attend do not do this. Please comment.
Thank you!

“when it is necessary to cantor and when it is preferrable to have congregation follow the hymn board.”

IRL, it depends on what the powers that be (usually the pastor, but perhaps the music director or liturgy committee,) think.

I’d prefer that the cantor were unseen and unheard except for the psalm between the readings, but when I came aboard practice was for the cantor to announce all the hymns. They were on mike for virtually everything.
Now, announcing the psalm has been added, as has the page number of the Gloria setting, since it was new (although it has now been sung for 8 1/2 months,) all at the behest of the pastor.

We do post the numbers, but we do have many elderly parishoners who say they need them announced because they can’t see or posted because they can’t hear; so perhpas it’s all for the best.
Most of the cantors are at least backing away from the mike a bit more, now. (As an assembly member I always find it unpleasant to be asked to provide back-up to a soloist on mike, and I assume others do as well.)