Psalm 131
1 O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
Or in things too difficult for me.
2 Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
John Michael Talbot wrote a song based on this psalm. He’s probably my favorite songwriter and singer of all time. My mom was a big fan of his and was always playing his music so perhaps it’s in part due to nostalgia or perhaps its in part because he’s simply put, a damn good musician. From the distinct tremor in his voice to those very thoughtful inflections he applies to certain words in his songs, I undoubtedly have been heavily influenced by him, particularly when it comes to singing the Psalms at Mass.
The Psalms ought to serve as a reflection of the people and therefore should easily lend themselves to contemplation during the Liturgy of the Word. The cantor’s role during this time in between the readings is to engage the congregation in a meditative disposition. If the Psalm is dramatic, the cantor should be dramatic but only if carefully executed with an undertone of prayer, not showing off in a manner of over the top theatrics. If the Psalm is a sweet soft cry from the psalmist, the cantor should be deliberate in accenting those parts that emphasize this, not sing it like a bland phrase with no meaning or heart.
On almost every occasion, I’ve heard cantors demolish the Psalms. And this is by far my biggest pet peeve when it comes to music at Mass. Why can’t the cantors get it right? Week after week, why isn’t the meaning of the Psalms sinking in? Do they not understand what David was doing when he sat down to write these poetic laments of the heart? Do they not understand that the vocal performance of these at its core lies in the inner disposition of their own soul? They must put themselves in the place of David, like an actor who embodies the character, and sing from the depths of themselves in an attitude of humility.
It is with the same spirit that David talks about in Psalm 131: Lord, my heart is not proud…Like a weaned child rests against his mother,…O Israel, hope in the Lord. The cantor trusts in the Lord to move the congregation to respond, not in his own abilities. Yes, the cantor is obviously the instrument but only Jesus can do the ministering. The cantor sings with an attitude like that of a child—singing to Jesus, performing for Him, all the while asking the congregation to listen and respond in the same manner.
I realize, of course, this is not an easy task, specially because it is so simple. Most music directors desire complex compositions and perfect harmony; other music directors don’t put much thought into at all. When they only aim for this kind of execution, they end up losing the rather already perfect intonations of the singing voice when coming from a place of prayer and natural intuition. Then when combined with all the makings of music theory can the human voice be transformed into the voice of God.