Between the Lines

Like the other actions of Mass, the singing of hymns is a communal activity. Now with the use of our worship aids each week, we have been able to experience a form of singing known as antiphonal singing. Antiphonal singing means that sections of the song are sung by different groups of people. This method of singing has been used throughout the history of the church to provide musical variety and help people focus their attention.

The most common ways to divide the singing of hymns are women/men, assembly/choir, solo/group, and left side/right side. It’s easy to see how this provides variety. In a 5 verse hymn or with longer psalms, the sound can become monotonous without some change in voices. Adding instruments and changing voicings on the organ are other ways to create some interest. Choirs can provide harmonies and descants to further change the texture of a song.

But there is also value in listening to a verse being sung by others. Their singing can be a witness to us, and sometimes we can better focus on the text when we’re not trying to sing all the right notes! Singing in alternation is also a way of showing what the church reminds us time and again – that the Mass is not a time for individual prayer but for communal prayer. Our song can help show that what we do as a community has so much more potential than what we can do as individuals.