touches upon the one point which seems to be ignored by many of our choristers. He says, "The choir has an important role to play in leading the people to sing."
Many of our choirs seem to consider that their role is to sing that to which the congregation can only listen. How 1 for one should appreciate being able to sing as a member of a completely united group instead of having to spend portions of the Mass fighting against "Palestrinaic distractions"!
No doubt it would be boring to a choir to have to sing de Angelis every week until a congregation had learned it. However. is not this preferable to the congregation's having to spend long stretches of sung Masses waiting for the singing to finish so that the Mass can go on?
Gregoran chant has largely been ousted from its rightful place as the music of the Church, and that place has been taken by music which belongs in the concert hall rather than in the parish church. While this continues choirs can never lead the people in singing and, thus, will not fulfil their proper rote.