The Recovering Choir Director

Dr. William Mahrt of Stanford University, in his latest editorial for the Church Music Association’s Sacred Music quarterly journal, writes: “In the 1940s Marshall McLuhan said that the microphone would be the death of the Latin Mass, a very astute and prophetic observation.”^[1]  While he is talking about the practical necessity before the era of electric amplification to proclaim — via chanting — the liturgical texts, he also says, “It must also be acknowledged that this [singing] is only a part of the picture — the elements of beauty, transcendence, and the sacred are essential aspects of that same singing.”^[2]

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Last Friday on her blog, Mara Joy wrote (emphases added):

As seems to happen about once a year out in the sticks, there was a series of storms and last Sunday morning St. P was without power.

After my initial freak-out, I realized that this would be a good opportunity to make the best of.  I know from experience that Mass without electricity is…beautiful. We are…going back to our roots.  The way people lived for thousands of years. (Minus the manually pumped organ bellows )

I knew that the 10:30 Mass with the full choir was particularly an opportunity to make the most of.

After listing the music selection for that Sunday, she continues:

[A]ll a capella unless noted.  It works quite well, especially having the men in the choir.  As a matter of fact,  I’m sure it makes the congregation sing more; they’re like, “Oh yeah, we’re supposed to be singing here…”

Even though it wasn’t really dark, everything down to the candles on the altar were just even more beautiful than usual. No humming of the organ or the fans…every noise is even more noticeable.  Silence is beautiful.  It reminds you of the sacred.  Where else is there silence?

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Finally, here’s a post of mine from 2003 that touches on this topic from the other extreme of excessive amplification.