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Original poster

I am disappointed there was no choir at 10am mass on Christmas day.

32 replies

LynetteScavo · 26/12/2011 20:44

And because the church was full when we arrived, I didn't have a hymn book, so had to la la la. But no body else seemed to actually sing. Just me and the organist making any nose.

The homily went on sooooo long, we left after communion as I had left food cooking. The service had already been well over an hour long. Surely the Christmas morning mass should be one of the best of the year for families? It's usually lovely, but I'm not sure I will go on Christmas day next year as it won't be on a Sunday. Actually I probably will, for the DC, but may have to ask the priest about the lack of choir.

And yes, this is an AIBU by stealth.

OP posts:

OddBoots · 26/12/2011 20:53

Is there usually a choir at that church? If so it seems strange that there wasn't one today.

JoyceDivision · 26/12/2011 20:56

I wish there wasn't a choir at our church. They are dire

Sirzy · 26/12/2011 21:01

They shouldn't need a choir for the congregation to be able to sing what is usually well known hymns!

They can't force the choir to attend church on Christmas day just to keep you happy!! At our church at services like christmas morning it tends to be if more than 3 of them turn up they have a choir, otherwise they don't bother!!

Lilymaid · 26/12/2011 21:04

Had you considered that members of the choir might have been travelling to or staying with relatives elsewhere or that they may have been singing at the midnight mass and decided not to sing at the morning service as well. When I sang in a church choir these were the usual reasons for a low attendance on Christmas Day.

Original poster

LynetteScavo · 26/12/2011 21:11

I'm sure there is a good reason the choir weren't there, (I've never know a week when they weren't) but yes the congregation could have at least picked up the hymn books and made some effort. I'm inventing a new law that if you have a hymn book in front of you, you have to use it.

OP posts:

Sirzy · 26/12/2011 21:14

If I don't like the hymn I don't sing it, I just stand there quietly!! The vicar knows me and my mum both do this and he just laughs about it!

MollieO · 26/12/2011 21:17

Our church has the only sung choir service in the country on Christmas Day.

It was in the evening and the church was lit by candlelight. And if that wasn't magical enough, ds was singing in the choir and made me cry it was so lovely.

Ellefabulosa · 26/12/2011 21:22

I was disappointed there was no candles and lights out at midnight mass

ZZZenAgain · 26/12/2011 21:24

I usually have a go at the hymns but I don't like it when they spring some obscure thing on us and I just tend to listen to those. I don't see the point in trying to sing something you don't know but if I hear it a few times or it goes on long enough, I'll get into it. Not at the top of my voice though in an otherwise silent church. Not that brave.

MollieO · 26/12/2011 21:28

We had a combined choir - men, boys and girls. 27 in total. Service was about an hour and a quarter. Lots of singing by the choir alone plus carols for congregation to sing. One of those evenings that I'll remember forever (first Christmas ds has sung in the choir - lots of practices last week to make sure the choir was the best it could be).

UglyChristmasJumperJockey · 26/12/2011 21:44

At ours the choirs join forces for midnight mass, so the other masses on Christmas day are organist and congregation left to our own devices. Definitely surprised to hear nobody sang though, did the service not use well known carols? We had Adeste fideles, Away in a manger, and O little town. So most people gave it a bit of a go!

Original poster

LynetteScavo · 26/12/2011 21:49

How lovely MollyO.

I guess I was hoping for something magical. I remember it being a lovely service the last two years (different priest). Usually I don't know the hymns (maybe because I wasn't raised Catholic). Perhaps someone thought the choir wasn't needed because everybody would know the carols.

OP posts:

UglyChristmasJumperJockey · 26/12/2011 21:58

Lynette - what carols did they do? Am surprised people don't know the general christmassy numbers! I know what you mean about hymns, am a convert myself (and grew up with When I needed a neighbour and that sort of thing!
Sorry to hear the mass wasn't what you'd hoped for - was t he rest of your Christmas day good?

shelscrape · 26/12/2011 22:03

I was a chorister when I was a child. We attended 3 services on christmas eve, sang at the local hospital and at least one care home too and rehearsed for the big town carol service somehwere in between it all. As a result, the parish priest made it quite clear we were not expected on christmas day and if we did come with our family we could sit in the congregation if we wanted too. After midnight mass I often felt like I could sleep all week!

But such a shame the congregation didn't sing. Chirstmas carols are such fun to sing!

Northernlurker · 26/12/2011 22:05

Well look - planning and running services is a lot of work. Organising people and resources, week in, week out does NOT happen by magic. The OP is very clear that the majority of the congregation were making feck all effort to worship. Why is this the responsibility of the choir?

If you want something specific at church then make it happen, don't carp but do nothing.

GrimmaTheNome · 26/12/2011 22:05

Switch to a Nonconformist church; I've never been to one where the congregation didn't belt out the hymns

I really dislike it when people don't sing. As an ex-christian, I really only go into a church for weddings, funerals and the odd christening or carol service. I still have to go for it full throttle.

Certainly if you've got a hymn book you should have a stab at it. There should also be a rule that no more than one hymn per service should be unfamiliar though.

Original poster

LynetteScavo · 26/12/2011 22:20

UglyChristmasJumperJockey, I can't remember what the first carol was,but nothing unusual, the second was "Oh come all ye faithful" and I don't know what the last two were as we had left by then. The rest of Christmas day was perfect.

I think they just happen to be a congregation of non - singers. I will make sure I am there early enough to have a book next year, and make the DC sing up.

OP posts:

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 26/12/2011 22:43

"There should also be a rule that no more than one hymn per service should be unfamiliar though."

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

GrimmaTheNome · 26/12/2011 23:53

Sorry Baroque, had no idea hymnal ignorance was that bad! I meant unfamiliar to everyone, not just the odd person. That's the sort to introduce gradually.

My mother was something of an authority on unusual hymn tunes (often lovely old ones which had dropped from common usage) and which tune went best with what. She would actively encourage the choosing of unfamiliar tunes (just not a whole boardful at once). Indeed, she pulled her final trick on us at her funeral - she had specified a tune for the final hymn which none of us knew (she'd actually written it out) - remarkable since the family includes an ordained minister, elders/deacons/churchwardens of various denominations and my bro is an organist. We took it as a challenge and - as you can usually do with hymn tunes - had got it nailed by the third verse. Well done mum, taught us all a new one posthumously!

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 27/12/2011 00:07

ahhh but you see that's just it - you'll (I) play a tune which you KNOW damn well the congregation has sung the hymn to before - and STILL people will say "oooooo we didn't know that one"..........or (as happened with "Christ Triumphant" ) you'll play the tune the people insisted they'd always sung it to for 6yrs. Then suddenly people start complaining (mostly the same congregation)..........oh we usually sing it to the other one.............so the next few times you play the other tune..................and then they come up to you and say "oh we didn't know that tune to it"

GrimmaTheNome · 27/12/2011 00:28

Baroque - That must be annoying, they should be grateful to have a good organist (which I would gather from various posts of yours, you are!). Did you hear on R4 last week someone recommending various alternative carol tunes - wonder how many organists would be brave enough to try them? (Of course I knew them - still got the 'Little Town of Bethlehem' - not the elvis one - running in my head ). And, yes, you would have loved my mum - if you'd managed to produce a tune she didn't know, she'd have asked you about it out of interest, not to criticize!

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 27/12/2011 00:37

well I'm not bad I suppose

No didn't hear the R4 thing - sounds fun...............as long as it wasn't too off the wall...................a few years ago when I wasn't well someone else planned the Carol Servce.............and we ended up doing While Shepherds Watched to the tune of "on Ilkley moor" (was AWFUL)

That said - this coming Sunday we are apparently doing the Gloria to the tune of "Angels from the realms of glory".................retired clergyman that attends our church is leading it as the vicar is away and he's asked if we can do it - yes sounds fun (and I can get away with it by pointing them to him............and no-one will dare argue hehehe)

GrimmaTheNome · 27/12/2011 11:56

Not 'off the wall' at all - there was the Elvis (which is OK) and then the really nice trad 'alternative', sure you know it (and if not, you should....channelling mum!) . Not - as I have heard - O little town to the tune of 'The House of the Rising Sun'!

What a travesty - corrupting a truly great song by trying to put the words of a carol to it!

SauvignonBlanche · 27/12/2011 12:06

The singing at our Christmas day mass was lovely though they sang the wrong tune to In a Bleak Midwinter , IMHO.

GrimmaTheNome · 27/12/2011 12:08

Which one do you prefer then? (I like both the ones I know - somewhat prefer the one where the second note is lower than the first if that is sufficient distinction)

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