Recent comments

Author: Dave Gawron - ServantSong (not verified)
Yes, with a traditional song like that where everybody knows the standard lyrics, you must tell the congregation beforehand if you will be using alternates. As for the men/person issue, I can't believe that whole thing even happened. Granted, I am not female, but if I were, I can't fathom taking offense at the word men pertaining to men and woman. I mean, did these same people have a problem with the word MANkind? Is personkind preferred? Dave Gawron http://www.ServantSong.com (official site...
Author: Nancy (not verified)
I agree. As a cantor, it's not my place to change anything, but to lead the congregation in the words set before us in the hymnal. We are working together as a community raising our voices in a song that unites us. The only time I would have veered from the written text--would be if that had been decided by the music director ahead of time, and the congregation informed before we began the song. Nancy <><
Author: Sherry (not verified)
Nick- Interesting topic and as a cantor for nearly 25 years, I have found myself on both sides of the coin. While I agree to some extent that when you are leading others in song, you should use the lyrics that everyone has in front of them, but there are times when those lyrics cause more confusion and discourse throughout the congregation than if you simply sing what is familiar. Since ICEL came along, many of the traditional song lyrics have been changed to be "more inclusive"...while...
Author: George Lower (not verified)
I was informed by one of the parishoners where I work that the former music director (my predecessor) refused to sing the word "wretch." His rationale was that he didn't feel like a wretch and that a majority of the parishoners weren't wretches either. My first thought was, "How could he possibly know that?" In all seriousness, if you ask one hundred random people to sing the first verse of "Amazing Grace" I would be surprised if one or two used the alternate lyrics. Considering that this...
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