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Can you hear me? Can I
hear you? The sound of our song
Some sections in Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship (STL)
are dedicated to topics that seem to be common sense. Acoustics (101–104)
qualify in my opinion as a common-sense topic, perhaps not critical to
a document that should be more theological and pastoral. But these paragraphs
do raise important practical, theological, and spiritual issues.
Hearing is at the heart of our music ministry, the public proclamation
of prayer and praise and lament that liturgy calls us to. Sound is not
just a practical issue; the sound we make is a strong statement of what
we value. Do we value hearing the praying community and intensifying their
ability to encounter one another in the celebration, or are we more concerned
about having carpeting that is easier to clean? Do we delight in the honest
and natural sound of a singing assembly, or are we more into the various
organ registrations that we can crank up or in the sometimes earsplitting
decibel levels that amplification provides? This is why STL strongly cries
out for acoustical considerations to be high on the priority list when
renovating existing worship spaces and when building a new space from scratch.
I would even risk saying that acoustical considerations are an issue of
liturgical
environment (the environment of sound) and should be more important
at times than the beauty of the stained glass windows, statuary, banners,
or other visual adornments. Read through these paragraphs, as they are
important guides and reminders.
Beyond the technical acoustical considerations are even more important
issues. We must reawaken ourselves with the sounds of our worship. Of all
the sounds that we seek to enhance, the most important is the one that
Charlie Gardner asked us to embrace a long time ago when he said that pastoral
musicians should “love the sound of a singing congregation above any other
sound.” Liturgical musicians worthy of the vocation are enraptured by this
sound. This sound is not always perfect, or in tune, or precise in its
entrances and cutoffs, nor is it always musically entrancing or filled
with “aesthetic” beauty. This sound often includes the sick who are coughing
and children who are fussing and crying (and sometimes screaming). But
this is seriously real sound, the sound of the young and the old, the sound
of people of faith, often confident and filled with passion, other times
doubtful and hesitant, sometimes angry, confused, frightened, and filled
with lament. This sound recognizes and praises the presence of God but
sometimes questions and despairs in what seems at times to be God’s absence.
Can you hear me? Can I hear you? Can we hear God? Can God hear us? These
questions are deep in my heart as I struggle in my own journey of faith.
I need to know that I am not alone, that there are others who are gathered
here in this space and time who are aching to be heard, to be listened
to. I need to hear your voice, to learn from the sound of your singing
and praying, whatever aches and joys fill your mind and heart. You need
to hear from me, too, to discover whatever wisdom my voice may bring to
those who encounter the table of God’s word and sacred meal. We need to
hear each other so we can sing and offer our praise and angst together,
so that the horrors of life will become just a little bit less terrifying.
We need to sing out and pray to our God together, however clumsily, so
that we can hear God’s response, which I believe is most profoundly heard
in the voices, lives, and stories of each other. This response celebrates
our humanity, embraces and forgives us in the midst of our worst sins,
and leads us to the promise of life. This is the life and love that Jesus
the Son offers to us, both in history and in the present time, right here
and right now. ML
David Haas is director of The Emmaus Center for Music, Prayer and
Ministry and campus minister and artist in residence at Benilde-St. Margaret's
High School in St. Louis Park, Minn. As a composer, he has published and
recorded more than 35 collections of liturgical music. He is an active
author, workshop and retreat leader, pastoral musician and recording artist.
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