VIDEO: Congregational Singing: Yea or Nay? Part 1

6 thoughts on “VIDEO: Congregational Singing: Yea or Nay? Part 1”

1. Yes, congregation should sing to make the prayer stronger. And to help learn the prayers.

2. in the Car-Rus Tradition congragational singing is the Norm not the exception

3. In our OCA parishes (I have been a member for the last 43 years at parishes in about 4 states East and West Coast USA) we all sing along with the choir. Everyone memorizes all the hymns naturally. I'd say that 60-70% sing all the time, others listen. It is wonderful. In the Greek parishes I've attended they have a psaltis or antiphonal choir and people do not sing along as much, although at the Paraklesis, evenings separate from regular worship, everyone sang along.

4. Hard to believe this is even a question.
   Many of us participate in the Liturgy by joining the choir in song. Who would say “only the choir”?! We have one of the best choirs you’ll hear, and the director certainly encourages parishioners to sing along.
   Maybe the focus should be on encouraging a strong, vibrant choir (to lead the way).
   Hopefully they come to this point, but I can’t finish watching this.

5. I'm unsure about what they mean by congretional singing and this leads me into confusion. For us, we have a choir, a cantor and people join along. Is this congretional singing? I don't come from protestant or anglophone background, so it's a bit puzzling. Are they implying that having everyone singing with the choir is difficult it shouldn't be done? If so, I just don't understand where this arguments comes from. We see in the Acts that everyone sings, the Angels in heaven all sings and we are to join them, even saints suggested that everyone sings (St Ignatius: "You must every man of you join in a choir so that being harmonious and in concord and taking the keynote of God in unison, you may sing with one voice through Jesus Christ to the Father, so that He may hear you and through your good deeds recognize that you are parts of His Son."). I'm pretty sure in monastery most if not everyone sings or participate. Sure, some people might not feel comfortable and don't want to, that's pretty fair. Or are they saying that music shouldn't rest on the shoulders of the whole group and still have choirs/cantor? Could you please ask more details of them (or please answer my questions)? I respect their work and I appreciate what they have to say but in this case from both a historical and theological perspective, I can't understand their position.

6. Yea, we're not joyless bapists.

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