THE ROLE OF THE CHOIR IN THE CELEBRATION OF

THE MASS: STILL NEGLECTED AND

MISUNDERSTOOD
BY FR. PIERO LAZZARINI SX.
The Mass is a celebration in the real sense of the word. Music and singing are of the utmost
importance in every liturgical celebration. Music and singing give the RITES solemnity,
dignity and beauty. And they give joy and spiritual uplifting to all who are celebrating:
priests, ministers, congregation.
What makes a good choir? Of course, you expect choir members to be able to sing
well, to love singing and to be available to train and practise, and to lead the celebrations in
church at the appropriate times. But since LITURGY, the Mass in particular, is not a free for
all, but it is the "heart and centre of the whole christian life for the Church both universal and
local" (GIRM,n.16) something precious, sacred, holy, 'untouchable' (i.e. not to be grossly and
ignorantly mishandled!), THE RULES AND GUIDELINES OF THE CHURCH are not a
matter of choice, but an obligation of faith and of personal responsibility.

Histories and Practices of Choral Singing in Context

Ursula Geisler and Karin Johansson

Choral activity is described as a combination of music/singing

and dance, and music as such was thought to be so important for the
functioning of the state that it should be regulated. These Platonic texts
illustrate the very early connection between people’s music making and
state regulations, which we recognize as a common feature of Western
European music history during the last three centuries. Choral music
making has otherwise mainly been connected with the church, where a
choral canon and a culturally constructed meaning of religious choral
singing have emerged. A complementary development was initiated by the
French revolution and the Enlightenment ideas, which can be seen as
starting points for community singing with other than religious prefixes.
Choral practice can be seen as a field of simultaneous (re)presentation,
(re)production and (re)creation. These three aspects and discourses interact
on both collective and individual levels. They bring to the fore questions
about how the collective voice represents societal development and change
at the same time as it is conceived as an individual source of
entertainment, relaxation or the experience of fine art.
The Role of Catholic Church Choir
by Andrew Leung

“the primary function of church choirs is to lead the congregation in singing.”

The role of the choir is to pray the Mass. Traditionally, choirs and scholae have always been
clerical groups. The choir sings the Mass just as the priest celebrates the Mass. Sacred Music is
part of the liturgy and the role of the choir is to pray them through singing. Leading others to pray
is the secondary role and it only happens when the choir members themselves are praying. God
should be the center of the liturgy. Whether people can sing along and whether people enjoy our
singing should not be our main concern. The ultimate goal of a choir is to praise and glory God
by singing and praying well.