Second Chanting Psalmist Role at Holy Mass in Church

In today's Sunday Holy Mass, I didn't have the usual butterflies in the stomach I had in my first role chanting the psalm. If there was nervousness, it was now subdued. I saw some familiar faces and co-lectors from the audience and I thought that might make me nervous.

Actually it didn't. Maybe I was getting over this nervousness, finally.

But I still had to do the electric fan switch-on bit. I didn't want to sweat at the ambo at this sweltering heat even if the sun has gone down.



Psalmists Singing the Psalms

I learned from the choir in the mass previous to ours that the lector was also a psalmist who sang. Not only that, the priest officiating that mass was the same priest in our mass.




Therefore, he heard the psalmists chant and sing the responsorial psalms in both masses. He is the parish priest who has been asking for psalmists to chant or sing the responsorial psalms. Great. Hopefully, he'll take notice that, indeed, the lectors are now trying to chant and sing the psalms.


During the singing of the psalm response, I raised the right arm, but not fully extended. It was just enough to signal and enjoin the people to sing the psalm response. It's good when the responsorial psalm is melodic because that makes it easier to follow.

I felt the congregation had a rousing response in singing. Of course it helps when they see the lyrics of the response flashed on the projector screen.

Bottomline is, I didn't think it was the perfect chant. I thought I wavered just a wee bit on some notes in a verse. But I thought it was loud and confident enough.




My first chant was a little better I think but the voice was softer. I asked my co-lector Maya, but she said she wasn't familiar with chanting psalms and so can't give much comment.


Feedback from the Psalm Chant and Song

After the mass, I asked the kids how they found the chanting. Nothing spectacular, they said, but one daughter gave the thumbs up sign! DH said "You've gotten used to it, you don't seem to hesitate anymore when chanting the psalm verse and singing the psalm response - no hesitation at all."

I suppose that meant not having to pause nervously after each verse and response. - and that I seemed confident up there in the ambo.

While biking from the church going home (yes, I ride a bike), I chanced upon the choir's group headed to the choir leader's house. I asked Sean, the guitar accompanist, if I screwed up. He said not at all and the psalm chant was okay. He was actually looking forward to the next psalm.


This would be the last psalm I would be working with them for the month. I will be mass commentator for the next couple of weeks. With the word of encouragement, I'm actually looking forward to the next psalm chant assignment. I'm quite sure that the more I do this psalm chants, the more it gets easier and, hopefully, better.

Would it be for a different choir, this time? Maybe so, but I'm ready. Anyway, that would be for the next month's schedule if I'll be assigned a psalmist role.