Voices in the choir, unite
Posted: 04.23.08
KAREN OSBORNE | FC
Dr. Jennifer Pascual, originally from Jacksonville, Fla., is the director of music at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
NEW YORK | During Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to New York City, I had the honor of singing with the choirs for the papal Masses in Yankee Stadium and the Cathedral of St. Patrick. Singing with these accomplished choirs for such historic events was a once–in–a–lifetime experience I’ll never forget.
A number of Floridians were involved in the musical end of the pope’s visit, including Jacksonville native Dr. Jennifer Pascual, the director of music at the Cathedral of St. Patrick, who was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the music for the papal visit, from repertoire choice to rehearsing the 200-voice Yankee Stadium combined choir; Glenn Osborne, director of liturgical music for the Diocese of Orlando, who arranged Alleluias and Mass parts; and Orlando native Carl MaultsBy, an Episcopalian who arranged Communion hymns for the Yankee Stadium Mass.
KAREN OSBORNE | FC
Carl MaultsBy, a native of Orlando, arranged Communion hymns for the Yankee Stadium Mass.
“It was an honor,” MaultsBy said. “As a composer, one doesn’t frequently get called to write for 200-voice choir and 50-piece orchestra. It’s a dream come true.”
Singing with the combined choirs was thrilling, whether with the smaller group during the April 19 Mass at St. Patrick’s or in the large, powerful volume of the April 20 stadium Mass choir composed of singers from around the Archdiocese of New York and beyond. The endurance of the choir members after the seven-hour Saturday rehearsal was impressive.
I’ve been involved in music ministry in one way or another since I was 13, so I still find it rather strange these days when I sit in a spot in the congregation rather than with the choir and instrumentalists. Being a musician allows me to express my faith in an open, creative manner and I appreciate that. I also love all sorts of liturgical music, from old chants to contemporary rock hymns. Music is such an important part of Catholic life. I find it disappointing when music becomes more of a dividing line than the unifier it should be, with parishes firmly separated into the “traditional” camp and the “contemporary” camp. Some hold separate Masses for different musical tastes.
That wasn’t the case over the pope’s New York weekend. Benedict and the thousands of other people in attendance at the two Masses at which I sang heard Gregorian chant alongside recently composed works; old Latin classics and new Spanish melodies; and works by long-dead composers programmed right before arrangements by composers who are still very much alive. It was an extraordinarily diverse selection of quality music, a program that was rigorously rehearsed to performance standards — something that echoed the calls for unity and respect that the pope made throughout his stay.
I saw the papal choir as an example of that message, with different voices singing different parts, all blending together to form a cohesive whole. The Mass at Yankee Stadium was more than a chance for Catholics across the country to see a pontiff in person: It was a chance for different people with different cultures, life experiences and preferences to be together in harmony, if only for a few hours.
I learned quite a few lessons from my short time in the papal choir. I learned to watch my German vowel pronunciation, for one thing. I learned to mind the vibrato in my Gregorian chant. I learned that contemporary hymns can be incredibly powerful when sung in unison, and that the right chord combination on a pipe organ can rock a person’s soul as well as the ground underneath their feet. I learned that the quiet moments have just as much a place as those that are filled with music, and that I really, really like Palestrina (a 16th-century composer of liturgical music).
Some say singing is praying twice. Some say that sung lyrics hit the heart with a force stronger than mere poetry. After my experience participating in the excellent liturgical music of the papal liturgies, I say we should start to look across our own personal divisions to the other side of the story, whether we’re taking about musical or cultural differences, or any other differences we experience in our relationships with others.
The pope wants ordinary Catholics to go beyond our walls and to learn to sing together in the choir of life. More than 50,000 people did this for two-plus hours in Yankee Stadium; hopefully, they’ll take home what they experienced and implement those feelings in their communities and daily lives.
Editor’s Note: Glenn Osborne is the writer’s husband.