Getting depressed at church

Today I overheard that I am not alone in hating the attempts at a capella sung Mass at St. Stephen's. After my last couple of experiences there, I've felt a little bit guilty for expressing my opinion that the direction of their liturgical music is disappointing during this period when they are organless, but today I heard at least two other groups of parishioners, one right outside the church doors and one down the street at the stoplight complaining, wondering why they don't play the piano for the hymns, and even wondering why they don't get rid of the music altogether.

Getting rid of the music is not a good thing—don't wanna throw the baby out with the bath water—but at the same time, I feel strongly that music, an integral part of liturgy, should not distract from the liturgy. Today, the a capella attempts were clearly a distraction. And it made me sad.

The cantoress and the organist were attempting to do a duet for the hymns and service music today. For the offertory hymn, they were a duet, with not a single soul singing along. They were nearly a duet for the processional and recessional, with maybe three or four people (no, not me) kind of softly attempting to sing along, one of whom clearly fell into the "tone deaf" category.

The service music fared a little better, though not much. Of course, they do the Gloria antiphonally at this parish (a bad habit, but that's another post), so there's not much for the congregation to do. During the consecration, though, the program leaflet had the Sanctus music for Mass for the City, yet the organist started singing the Sanctus from A Community Mass. So, when we got to the eucharistic acclamations, I started to sing the not-well-known version of "Dying he restored our life" (usually parishes sing "Christ has died, Christ has risen") from A Community Mass, but the cantoral team sang the version from Mass for the City. So, I gave up.

Then, for the communion "marching hymn," they did that sappy little contemporary antiphonal hymn "The Lord is my light and my salvation," and the organist played it on the piano! I was excited. I actually sang the antiphons to be supportive (I hate "marching hymns," so I usually ignore them). Once it was over, he continued with a very nice improvisation. He'd also played a little filler improv during the offertory after that hymn had finished. We know, therefore, he can play the piano and we know the piano is in tune and works just fine.

We got to the recessional hymn and I was all excited that there was going to be piano accompaniment and we'd get to sing joyfully, and lo and behold, the organist went back up to play co-cantor. No piano. I just threw my program down in disgust and stood there glaring at him.

Is it a sin not to sing at Mass? Do I need to go confess this? I don't know. I'm going to Hell anyway cause I took communion this morning without having been to confession after my "distraction" earlier in the week. With my luck, though, Hell will be filled with cantors singing with vibrato at a capella Masses.