Recorded
Music at Gatherings for Liturgy
Music players that give high quality
output are quite common these days. The portable ones can easily be brought to
Sunday Liturgies and can provide music with enough volume and quality for people
in a church building that is not too large. Probably many groups make it a
regular practice to include recorded music in their liturgy.
Some years ago recorded music was
regarded as artificial and not appropriate for authentic liturgy. Now the perception
has changed and most people are ready to accept recorded music in the liturgy,
provided the music is well chosen and tastefully presented.
What recorded
music is appropriate for liturgy? Hymns and Sacred Songs
There are many recordings of hymns and
sacred songs on the market. Those songs and hymns that are used in the liturgy
should be carefully and thoughtfully chosen, according the quality of the
music, the demands of the liturgical feast and the place in the liturgical
celebration that the music will be placed.
Sometimes hymns and songs are played to
enable the congregation to sing along with the recording. This can be done when
the celebrating group is small, or does not have persons to lead the singing,
or there is no musician to provide musical accompaniment.
Each congregation can gradually build up
its repertoire of songs and hymns for singing, and its collection of equivalent
recordings. Exchange ideas and information about good CDs and tapes with people
other local church communities.
Sometimes a hymn or song is played simply
to be listened to. This can contribute to a prayerful and enriched liturgy,
provided the recording is chosen carefully and played at an appropriate time
during the liturgy.
Sometimes background music, generally
played softly, can be used, thus contributing to a prayerful atmosphere. This
background music does not have to be formally recognised as sacred music, but
it needs to be chosen carefully so that in fact it does contribute to a
prayerful liturgical atmosphere.
The
recordings —
CDs or Tapes
Generally speaking, CDs are to be
preferred. Not only is the quality of the recording probably better, it is much
easier to find and play the right track – provided one knows how to work the
machine and remembers to read and note the numbering index on the CD cover.
When tapes are used everything needs to
be prepared carefully beforehand so that the tape can begin playing at exactly
the right place at the right time. Again, the operator needs to be very
familiar with the controls on the machine.
Why bother about such details in playing
recorded music?
It is very distracting and it spoils the
liturgy if the operator of the equipment makes mistakes which upset the whole
flow of the liturgy. A gross mistake is playing the wrong music, or playing it
at the wrong time.
It is important not to attract attention
to the music-playing unit or to its operator. The focus is to be on the Liturgy
of the people, on the prayer of the people, on the reflection of the people, on
the participation of the people. Of course the person responsible for the
playing of the music participates in the liturgy in a particular way, but the
mechanics of the participation should not distract from the essence of the
participation, which is prayer and praise and reflection. So the music-playing
unit and its operator should be positioned as discreetly as possible, while
making sure that the music can be heard.
Likewise it is highly desirable that the
music be turned on and off in such a way as not to be jarring to the ears.
Don’t suddenly stop the player in the middle of a song with a loud click of the
controls. Oftentimes it is desirable to fade out the volume at the end before
turning off quietly.
Some practice and attention is needed to
achieve a mastery of the controls, and sense of timing, and a feeling for good
liturgy, so that the music that is played really does contribute to a good
liturgy that involves the congregation in an uplifting way.