Lindita Zuberovic’s interview with Cara Liander
Piotr Marciniec’s interview with Ian Burek
Lindita Zuberovic’s interview with Cara Liander
Lindita Zuberovic Interview Transcript
Cara Liander: Non-churchgoer to Lead Cantor of the Music Ministry
Imagine singing with the church choir and hearing someone in the pews singing along. This is what Cara Liander from Our Lady of Good Counsel Church experiences when she sings with the choir. One man sings extremely loud in the back of the church, but refuses to sing with the choir in front of people. Liander realizes that the man may have stage fright or is uncomfortable singing in front of people, but, in truth, she does not fully understand his reasoning for doing this. For Liander, there is no difference between singing loudly in the back of the church and singing in the front of the church with the choir. Both are ways of participating in worship.
Many religions incorporate music in their masses. Not only does the music played at religious congregations have a meaning and tell a story, but the people singing the music also sing to tell a story. Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish on Staten Island, New York, is one congregation where music is important. For Cara S. Liander, the lead cantor at the church, music has an important role in religion and great emotional power. The stories shared by Cara S. Liander demonstrates the importance of music in religion. Through song, churchgoers are involved in worship, and they find meaning and connection through listening to music in the church.
Music plays an important role in Catholic worship. The place of music differs among different parishes, but most Catholic churches use music in some way during Mass. Some religions use music as an addition to prayer, while other religions use it to fill silences during Mass (Cunningham). Music helps engage the worshipers’ spiritual and emotional feelings. The churchgoer establishes a connection with God or any higher being through music (Liander). Music played at religious congregations serves as a way to give the listeners a sense of nostalgia. Music has the power to be embedded into an individual’s mind. Remembering religious songs that people sang when they were children, and hearing them in Mass as they get older helps people understand religious messages (Liander). Particular songs that are sung at Mass have specific meanings. Some songs help churchgoers reflect on a passage, ask for forgiveness of sins, or take the time to pause and take the entire Mass in (Liander). The music played at churches corresponds with the readings and the gospel reading of the Mass. Instrumental music and vocal music has always been a part of worship, but nowadays many churches sing rather than play instruments (Cunningham).
Cara. S. Liander, a member of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, is a part of the music ministry and is the lead singer in the church’s masses. She knows a lot about the church and its history. Mrs. Liander knows the pastor very well and understands the importance he places on incorporating music in the church. She has been singing at the church for over three years and has been taught new things by the pastor and the members of the music ministry. She is well versed in knowing the significance of music in religion. She incorporates her personal views as well as the pastor and music director’s views on the incorporation of music in religion. Since she is the lead singer of the music ministry in the church, she knows many of the songs played at Mass and the meaning and importance of each song. Mrs. Liander also says she is always learning from the music director because he is very knowledgeable and established in the music world. She gets most of her knowledge about music and religion from the pastor, the music director, and her training and education from college.
Cara S. Liander is from Staten Island. She went to Notre Dame Academy, a Catholic school, from kindergarten to twelfth grade. She attended Boston University. She has a Bachelor’s degree of Fine Arts in acting. At the university, she received most of her education in music, and her singing took off. Liander says her professors “taught her how to sing correctly, how to read music better, and they taught her skills that she could use in order to continue her singing.” Even though she had always sung throughout high school, she was “trained to sing” at the university. She says that music helps establish a connection with God because “when you sing, you sing with vowels.” At Boston University, she learned that singing with vowels opens up a vulnerability for yourself and other people. Besides singing, Liander also knows how to play the piano, and she has learned a lot from doing a parks department program called “Kids on Stage.”
Liander first became introduced to Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish when her best friend was getting married. Her friend asked her to sing at her wedding, and she did. After her performance at the wedding, the pastor and music director of the church asked her to sing every Sunday at the church. Ever since that day, about three years ago, she has been singing at the church. Before her friend’s wedding, Mrs. Liander was not very religious and she never really went to church. She was never involved until she came to the church to see how the “church did things musically.” She liked the welcoming vibe and realized that she should stay at the church and sing. She sang every Sunday and recently became a parishioner. Mrs. Liander sings at weddings and funerals. Throughout Mrs. Liander’s time at our Lady of Good Counsel Parish she has learned many new things about the relationship between music and religion.
Mrs. Liander says that the incorporation of music in church “is basically a time to pause and reflect.” She says that even though she has only been a part of the church for four years, the church has been around for one hundred and eighteen years. Liander says music has always been a part of religious service, even during the Middle Ages. She stresses that “the Gregorian chants and the connection with voice and God instills the purest form of connection.” Liander says that the church figured out that music “opens up something different than just saying words by rote.” The church incorporates music in order to use a different part of the brain to get the most experience out of a religious service. Liander emphasizes the importance of using a “different part of everything that you are, including your brain and your heart, to connect with God, or any higher being.” She also says music is “the only pure form that you can actually connect with a higher being.” This is her belief on why music is in Mass: singing connects humans with God, and you do not have to be ‘religious’ to experience this. For this reason, Our Lady of Good Counsel plays several songs during Mass.
Our Lady of Good Counsel parish plays many different kinds of music. Liander explained that “the songs are picked from a church music magazine or from the Green Hymnal.” The songs in the magazine and book are approved by the Catholic Church so the music ministry is free to choose from any of the songs. The songs that the church plays are picked to coincide with the readings and the gospel of that particular day. However, the music ministry is open to changing the songs if a parishioner or child asks for a particular song. The most unique part of this church is that not only do Liander and the music ministry sing the songs during Mass, but the priest does as well. Liander says not many priests like to sing or feel comfortable singing but Father Liam, the pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish does because he wants the entire Mass to to be in song. Mrs. Liander says “the music ministry sings eight or nine parts of song and there are songs within those songs.” She says they sing songs to enter and to begin Mass, and there is a particular order. “[We sing] the Curia and the Glory to God, then we do a Psalm, then we do a Hallelujah, then we do an offering to bring up the bread and wine,” she said. “Then we do the Mass setting, which is a cluster of five songs, then we do communion and then sometimes we throw in an extra for reflection.” The church then proceeds to do the closing, or the walkout, and the recessionals. The church also plays a Gregorian chant type of song to help the churchgoer feel and ask for forgiveness of sins. The Psalm song includes a reflection on the passage. The church also plays modern church songs and Baroque style and Romantic period songs. Sometimes if it is a special Sunday the church incorporates songs particular to that day. On Memorial Day, the music ministry sings the song, “In the Pastures of the Lord” for people who served in the military, and on Mother’s Day, the music ministry sings “Ave Maria.” Different songs with unique meanings are sung during special masses.
Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish urges churchgoers, including children, to sing with the choir during Mass. Churchgoers may opt to sing at one Mass or multiple Masses. The people who come up to sing usually do the harmonies, and the cantors or leaders of song do the melodies. The church allows anybody to join the choir, and no experience is necessary. “The thing about this congregation is that there so supportive in the way that if you sing a wrong note, they don’t care, and they know your going to get it next time,” said Liander. The church’s encouraging and comfortable attitude strives to have nervous children come and sing. During Mass, the piano and the organ are played. Our Lady of Good Counsel is different than other churches because they have a piano, which most churches do not have. Liander says she likes it better when the piano is played because the children sing at Mass when the piano is played. According to Liander, “when the organ is played, the children cannot hear the notes or the melody and they do not sing.” Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish welcomes anybody to come and sing, no matter the religion.
Music plays an important role at this church, where music manifests the presence of God. Cara Liander describes the special meanings and feelings that are discovered when religious songs are played at Mass. Music has the power to influence people’s mental and spiritual connection with God or any higher being. For this reason, the music ministry is a huge part of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish. The pastor and the music director at the church are very supportive of incorporating music in the religious services. Anyone can join and participate in the music ministry during Mass, and churchgoers enjoy the amount of music in the church and often sing along.
Works Cited
Cunningham, Pastor William F. “The Power and Importance of Music.” The Power and Importance of Music. N.p., 15 Jan. 2005. Web. 25 May 2016.
About Lindita
Lindita is a Freshman at Macaulay Honors College at the College of Staten Island. She is an Education major and hopes to become an Elementary School Teacher.
Piotr Marciniec’s interview with Ian Burek
Piotr Marciniec Interview Transcript
Singing for God: Cantor and Singer
Ian Burek’s level of love and involvement of singing in his life has developed over the years. From being apart of his high school theater group to being a cantor at the Our Lady of Good Council Church, music has become a ever growing part of his life. Being a church goer since his childhood, by joining the choir and becoming a cantor of the church, he is able to further his involvement in the church, and by doing so, improving both his life and his faith. Singing and music is a way to help both Ian, and the congregation, establish a better connection with God.
Praying has always been a big part of religion. Many actions in religion happen with or through prayer. Prayer is the way for people to connect and express themselves spiritually. It is one of the most powerful tools to use, and music is a way to be able to better that experience. An old phrase from Saint Augustine says that “singing is praying twice”, and during mass, one can see that people agree due to the amount of focus on music during mass. Ian Burek is a cantor from the Our Lady of Good Council church. The role of a cantor is to lead in singing solo passages to which the rest of the congregation responds in song. As a cantor, Burek has been able to establish a greater connection, not only in his spiritual life, but also his musical life.
Ian Burek’s naturally smooth and deep voice is what drove him to sing. Once his voice became as deep as it is now, people liked the way he would sing, and he took a liking to it. Being a part of a few different groups, he gained the experience and practice to help him become the singer he is today. Along with being a part of acapella clubs and musical theater groups in high school, western choral singing at CSI, and being a part of the Richmond Choral Society, Burek also cantors during English mass at the Our Lady of Good Council church on Staten Island. He has been attending the church since he was a child, and during the end of his high school career, he would join the choir, and eventually cantor at masses. His involvement in the musical side of mass has effected him in a way that wouldn’t have otherwise.
Before Burek was a part of the choir, he didn’t really think much of it. Burek says, “They’re singing in the choir, I’m a parishioner, that’s kinda the way it was” Even though he had been a part of various choir groups from school, he had never even considered being a part of the church choir until the choir director had asked him to join. He would just go to church just like he did every week since childhood, saying “I guess it was a long overdue decision…I always sang loudly in the pews…[T]he choir director, Craig Campbell…he reached out to me, and so I ended up joining…” By being just a regular parishioner for years, it hadn’t even crossed his mind to join, even though singing was a big passion of his. By growing up around a certain way that things were done, certain obvious things can slip by people, even if they are a perfect candidate for it. But by finally realizing that he was perfect for joining the choir, it would help to elevate both his spiritual and musical life, saying “Yeah, I think that music has positively impacted my faith and faith has positively impacted my music.” By sharing his voice during mass, his involvement in the church increases and in doing so, helps him to improve his spiritual and musical life.
During mass, Burek doesn’t get much response from the parishioners as he sings, because of the environment. But after mass is the perfect time where he is able to get feedback, saying “Some parishioners will give me compliments and stuff like that, so that’s how… and then sometimes you just nail a part and you just kind of feel it.” People do listen to the music. Not only does it give more of a sense of duty and belonging to the singer, it also contributes something more to the listener, so much so, that they even want to thank the person who brings it to them. It affects both the singer and the listener. But music has a greater role in religion than just his singing. It affects him and those listening in a way that is difficult to achieve otherwise. It can bring people into the mass and get more out of it.
The Saint Augustine saying of “singing is praying twice” is just a simplified version of Burek’s thoughts on the involvement of music. According to Burek, music “…evokes a variety of emotions in people…” Music is able to bring out certain emotions that would be difficult to obtain through normal prayer. These emotions help to feel a better spiritual connection, not only for those who listen, but for those singing as well. Burek says “I feel like its one of the major ways that God’s chosen for me to give back, share my voice and help people, and sort of achieve that state of relation to go with worshipping God.” Being able to sing for others makes this better connection, and impacts his own faith, saying “I think that music has positively impacted my faith…” It helps him to achieve this state of relationship that he has with God. As for the parishioners, the music affects them in a similar way. The same way that the inclusion of music in Burek’s life helped him to have this closer connection with God, parishioners are affected the same way to get a better connection with their spiritual life. The power that music has, “…it can be used to unite people with God…” but along with helping establish better connections, there are also some dangers that can come with the music.
Music helps with establishing a better connection with people’s spiritual life, but the same way it can help establish, it can also sometimes distract people from this connection. According to Burek, “…if the sound system is particularly bad one day, it can bring people out of it…” In the same way that music can be appreciated for what it does to people in the way they feel certain emotions, people can also see when the music doesn’t have the effect, and this can cause people to think more about the music instead of what the music is supposed to amplify. The music is there to help connect with God during mass, and when there is the temptation to focus more on the music than on mass, it will create more of a disconnect. So while music is a tool to better amplify one’s spirituality, it shouldn’t take priority over spiritual life. Burek says, “Its always tempting, but you have to resist temptation to let the music overshadow the reason why you’re here.” The songs help to bring people into the mass, so making sure that the right kind of music is being used is important.
The way that the songs are chosen for mass is by father Gusti. He is the pianist in the choir who has an ear for new and different music. He likes to add different styles into playing music, and mixing it up. “…he always tries to shake things up a little…” The songs that are picked will usually try to relate back to the readings of the mass, but also trying to add something new to the music. Between father Gusti and long time parishioners, “…it’s a constant negotiation between that and trying to get new songs in, push the envelope, and challenge it a little bit. You know, its important to try to grow.” Choir music, like any other music, can eventually become stale, which is why its important to change it up, and add new songs. Burek mentions how there were still songs in prayer books that were from his childhood. Songs can stay around for many years, so new songs are a way to add variety, and even adapt to a changing community. Depending on what the readings are about, the message can differ depending on the time period, and any new song will be able to reflect that time period. Different times will put more emphasis on the importance of certain subject matter. So by changing the music, it it has the power to be able to help with connecting the people to the readings of the certain time period, and again, help the to get more out of it.
Another useful thing about music, is that it is universal. The church also offers Spanish mass, and along with it is its own Spanish choir. They are separate groups of singers, they have their own practice, and they play different songs, but even with this separation, the music is still able to connect them. During bilingual masses, both the English and the Spanish choir collaborate and sing, appealing to both the demographics. “As far as the songs are concerned, we’ll often do a English verse-refrain, Spanish verse-refrain, English verse-refrain…” Both choirs are led by father Gusti, but other than that, there is no other similarity between the two choirs. The two choirs even have different instruments and sounds to their songs. “The Spanish choir, the instruments are generally more…Spanish…like guitars, maracas, tambourines…In English choir, we got clarinet, violin, the occasional trumpet.” Both choirs are slightly different, but both still accomplish the same thing. It helps to connect everybody to God, no matter what language they may speak. Even in these bilingual masses, the the music that is sung in the other language can still evoke some emotion and help bring people into the mass, and form a better connection to God.
Music allows for people to get a better connection to the spiritual part of their lives. For Ian Burek, it not only helped establish a better connection with God, but it also helps with the musical aspect of his life, saying “…, my experience with the choir has been significant in making me feel right at home with the musical tradition.” The ability that music has to bring out something more in people is what makes it an important part in religion. It connects people to people, and people to their spiritual life.
About Piotr
Piotr is a Freshman at Macaulay Honors College at the College of Staten Island. He is a Physics major and has an interest in all things science.
