Where Should Musicians Sing From

This article is the third article in a series on music at Mass.  The first article, “Why We Sing at Mass”, discussed the reasons there is music at Mass.  My second article, “Who Sings at Mass”, discussed how we are all called to join in the singing at Mass while relying on those with the gift of music to lead us.  Now, we take a look at where the musicians should sing from at Mass.

Where Should Musicians Sing From?

The two most common options are the choir loft and in/near the sanctuary.  In some churches, the latter is eliminated from consideration because the sanctuary is physically too small to allow room for the musicians.  Conversely, structural issues in an old church may make it unsafe to use the choir loft.

As evident by their name, choir lofts were specifically designed for choirs.  Choir lofts were designed to take advantage of the natural acoustics in the traditional design of church buildings before the days of modern sound systems.  Choir lofts also became the space where the parish could place a large organ to support the music.  With organs placed in the choir loft, it only made sense to keep the choir there next to the organ.

Of course, choir lofts are not without disadvantages.  One is the separation it puts between the musicians and the congregation.  We must remember that the musicians are not there to provide a performance.  The musicians are there to sing with us, not to us (see last week’s article “Who Sings at Mass”). 

With this in mind, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) says, “The choir should be positioned with respect to the design of each church so as to make clearly evident its character as a part of the gathered community of the faithful fulfilling a specific function. The location should also assist the choir to exercise its function more easily and conveniently allow each choir member full, sacramental participation in the Mass” (GIRM, 312, emphasis added.  cf. USCCB, Sing to the Lord, 98).  We need to ask, if they are in the choir loft, how do they receive Communion?

When musicians sing from the sanctuary, they are more readily seen as part of the whole Mass.  The sanctuary is where all other regular liturgical action happens at Mass.  The altar stands in the center of the sanctuary because it is the place where the most important action in the Mass, the Eucharistic sacrifice happens.  It clearly needs to be seen. 

Also located in the sanctuary, is the ambo.  The ambo (sometimes referred to as the pulpit) is the place where the Word of God is proclaimed.  We place the ambo in the sanctuary where it can be seen as the Word of God is read. 

Of course, the priest as the presider, along with other clergy and the altar servers, are all seated in the sanctuary.  This serves a functional purpose in that they are near where their liturgical ministries are performed.  In fact, the presider’s chair becomes a focal point itself.  Why would we also not have the musicians in the sanctuary where they too can be seen?

In fact, the USCCB writes, “Cantors should lead the assembly from a place where they can be seen by all without drawing attention from the liturgical action” (USCCB, Sing to the Lord, 39, emphasis added, cf. 47).  There are times that the cantor will use gestures like the raising of an arm to invite the congregation to join in singing, whether it be at the beginning of a hymn or in the response given to the psalm.  For this to occur, the congregation must be able to see the cantor.  This favors the cantor being located in or near the sanctuary.

Of course, placing musicians within the sanctuary has disadvantages too.  I receive occasional comments from parishioners saying they are distracted by the musicians.  I understand this is possible but I struggle to see it.  Yes, musicians who are seen moving around can be distracting.  The same can be said of altar servers or lectors.  It can even be said of deacons and even the priest who is presiding.  It is the responsibility of anyone positioned in the sanctuary to perform their ministry in a way that does not cause distraction.

I do not intend in any way to say anyone is wrong when they say they are distracted by the presence of musicians in or near the sanctuary.  The USCCB invites us to find a way to ensure that musicians “remain attentive members of the gathered assembly and should never constitute a distraction” (USCCB, Sing to the Lord, 96).

I welcome dialogue that will help me understand in what way musicians as well as anyone else in the sanctuary are distracting.  Only then can we make the best adjustments, whether it means modifying their actions or relocating them.

As we discuss the topic of where musicians sing from, I need to bring a present-day consideration forward.  Is the choir loft safely and easily accessible?  Choir lofts are typically the equivalent of more than one floor up.  However, the staircases to the choir loft are often narrow and small.  This results in staircases that are difficult to ascend for even the most agile.  This much is not new.  What is new is the aging population in our pews and this is true of many musicians as well.  Thus, many musicians are not able to safely or easily use the stairs.  In new churches, if we are to build choir lofts, we need to provide safe and easy access.  Elevators are costly and a handicap ramp to a choir loft would be long and likely impractical.  At the very least, we need to build staircases that meet building codes.  (I am not sure if modern building code would allow choir lofts that are not one hundred percent handicap accessible).  However safe, even the best of staircases can exclude those with physical disabilities from being part of music ministry if the choir loft is the only place they are allowed to offer their gift of music from.

Returning to the idea that the cantor needs to be seen, a person may agree to this but say that only applies to the cantor, feeling the choir and any instrumental accompaniment do not need to be seen and can be in the choir loft to minimize distraction.  In response, I offer two challenges in dividing the musicians.

The first is the sound delay in large churches.  I served in a church with a capacity of over seven hundred people.  Sound takes time to travel.  In this church, the time lag of the sound from one end of the church to the other was sufficient that when I began processing in from the back, it would seem like the cantor in front was always behind the organist in the choir loft.  However, when I reached the front of the church, this would change and it would appear that the organ was now lagging behind the cantor.  Modern sound systems can help mitigate the sound lag so that the congregation is not aware of it but it is more difficult to eliminate the lag for the musicians who are hearing the natural sound.  Thus, it can be best for the musicians to be near one another. 

The second consideration against dividing the musicians is that they should be near enough to communicate with one another.  For example, when the musicians plan for a specific number of verses of a hymn, only to need to change that during the hymn for some reason.  If they are at opposite ends of the church, how are they to communicate that to one another?

Now, I would like to turn to the location of the organ and its use.  In old churches, the organ is typically in the choir loft and there is no easy way to change this, especially in a parish with an old large pipe organ that will simply not fit in the sanctuary.  One should also realize that organists who can properly play the pipe organs are in decreasing numbers.  A parish may wish to use the organ in the choir loft but be unable to find anyone to play it.  It sometimes becomes necessary for a parish to purchase a piano.  Even if the pianist wants to play from the choir loft, it is not possible to place a piano in most choir lofts I have seen. 

In considering the location of the organ, the USCCB writes “Placement of the organ console and pipes, speaks of amplified instruments, and acoustic instruments such as the piano is determined by visual considerations, so that there is no distraction from the liturgical action, and by acoustical considerations, so that the sound can support the congregation and so that the instrumentalist is readily able to accompany cantors, psalmists, and choirs” (USCCB, Sing to the Lord, 99, cf. GIRM, 313).

Other considerations for the location of musicians includes the fact that the Responsorial Psalm is from the Bible as the Word of God (see GIRM 61, USCCB, Sing to the Lord, 97).  Thus, it can be proclaimed from the ambo.  However, this is difficult when the pianist is also the one singing the psalm or if the cantor attempts to sing the psalm from the ambo and is distant from the accompanist.

One must also realize that “If the space occupied by the choir and instruments is visible to the assembly, it must reflect the sacredness of the music ministry.  Any appearance of clutter or disorganization must be avoided” (USCCB, Sing to the Lord, 100).

Another consideration for those with a good ear for sound is whether the natural (unamplified) sound from a choir loft is better than the sound produced using a microphone.  Some feel a cantor in the choir loft does not need to use a microphone.  My experience disagrees with that.  I firmly think that the sound is clearer with the microphone, assisting the congregation to sing with the musicians.

There is one further thing that every parish must do when deciding where the musicians are positioned.  Ask the musicians what they think.  It is their ministry.  They need to be involved in decision processes affecting them.  They know what works best for them.

I suspect some readers of this article began reading it hoping for a clearcut decision on where musicians should sing from.  The decision is not that simple.  The answer can be different in different church buildings.  Each parish must study the rubrics, evaluate the physical space, and acoustics, so that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, they may discern the proper location for musicians to fulfill what the USCCB writes, “Musicians and musical instruments should be located so as to enable proper interaction with the liturgical action, with the rest of the assembly and among the various musicians” (USCCB, Sing to the Lord, 95, emphasis added).

This leaves me with one article yet to come in this series, the question of appropriate styles of music in churches.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Bibliography

Compendium:  Catechism of the Catholic Church. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. USCCB, 2006.  Also available online at https://www.vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) including Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of America (USCCB: Washington, DC).  2011.  https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20030317_ordinamento-messale_en.html

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Sing to the Lord Music in Divine Worship.  Washington, DC: USCCB.  2007.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Doctrine (USCCB Doctrine), “Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church:  An Aid for Evaluating Hymn Lyrics.”. September 2020.