Surveys

Weddings and Funerals Survey

Completed questionnaires were received from eleven parishes, and the answers are summarised below.

Wedding survey

Is there music at weddings?

YES 9
YES USUALLY 1
NO ANSWER 1

If yes, what?

Hymns? YES - 10 USUALLY - 1 NO - 0
(For a Nuptial Mass) Parts of the Mass? YES - 6 USUALLY - 2 NO - 3
Psalm and Gospel Acclamation? YES - 6 USUALLY - 0 NO - 3 GOSPEL ACCLAMATION ONLY - 2
During the signing of the register? YES - 8 USUALLY - 3 NO - 0
As the guests arrive? YES - 9 USUALLY - 1 NO - 1

Other?

Instrumental during Communion if Mass.
As the church is emptying - voluntaries on the organ.
Entrance of the bride and recessional march!

Who is usually involved?

Parish musician/organist? USUALLY- 9 SOMETIMES - 1 NEVER - 0 NO ANSWER - 1
Parish cantor? USUALLY - 4 SOMETIMES - 4 NEVER - 3
Visiting organist? USUALLY - 2 SOMETIMES - 8 NEVER - 1
Visiting singer? USUALLY - 0 SOMETIMES - 10 NEVER - 1
Piper? USUALLY - 3 SOMETIMES - 8 NEVER - 0

Are tapes, c/ds or other musical recordings ever used? If so

For music as people arrive? USUALLY - 1 SOMETIMES - 0 NEVER-10
During the signing of the register? USUALLY - 1 SOMETIMES - 3 NEVER - 7
To accompany singing? USUALLY - 1 SOMETIMES - 0 NEVER-10

Do you ever have difficulty finding musicians for weddings?
NEVER - 8 OFTEN - 0 SOMETIMES - 3

The family usually engages an organist.

Is the organist (or 'lead' musician) usually paid?
YES - 5 NO - 3 SOMETIMES - 2 NO ANSWER - 1

If so, how much?

£25 - £70 (Cantor also paid)

Varies - left entirely to family involved.

Varies from flowers, crosses on chains, £15 (once £30 as mother of bridegroom was organist in her own parish)

Variable! On average £50 - £60

The families make their arrangements with the organist.

£30

Can vary £10 - £25

Donation.

In a church where there is no fixed fee, families invariably ask how much they should 'pay' - I find this question quite stressful; I shouldn't have to and don't want to 'sell my services' for the best possible price. However, weddings usually require quite a lot of work, break up a Saturday, and some payment would seem reasonable. The fairest way all round would seem to be for the church to suggest a standard fee.

The 'donation' system of payment can be abused - in one instance I 'inherited' a wedding from another musician and found out that the fee that had been arranged was somewhat more than the usual going rate.

£35

Do musicians usually attend wedding rehearsals?
YES - 2 NO - 8 IF ASKED - 1

I have very strong feelings about being able to attend wedding rehearsals. In particular, I want to 'practice' the bride's walk down the aisle, checking that I know how long it takes and where to cut the music if necessary to give a good ending without keeping everyone waiting. Also, I have played for weddings in different denominations and in different locations, and always find it helpful to know what the celebrant is doing when and how the music fits in - it can often be very different! Being at the rehearsal is also useful in checking that the families are happy with the music - at a recent rehearsal they wanted to change a hymn tune, and I was happy to be able to do this.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us about the musical arrangements for weddings in your parish?

It's nerveracking!

Usually one or two meetings with bride/groom well in advance to discuss choice of hymns/music.

Alternatives to the traditional wedding marches? - I often suggest Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, Trumpet Voluntary - ? - What else could I offer?

I have had to play 'Love changes everything' and 'Unchained melody' in place of the traditional wedding marches. We do not have many weddings, and most are 'mixed' so we are hardly typical!

Most weddings do not involve nuptial Mass.

The choosing of the music is an integral part of the marriage preparation course.

Don't know if the replies I have given are the 'whole story' - don't know what happens at weddings parish organist doesn't know are happening.

Funeral survey

Is there music at funerals? YES 7 YES WHEN AVAILABLE 1 NO ANSWER 3

During holiday periods it is easy to play at weddings and funerals but during term time it can be slightly trickier - but we usually have friends to ask or occasionally we use Kevin Mayhew's 'No organist, no problem' hymn accompaniment CDs.

If yes, what?

Hymns? YES - 11 USUALLY - 0 NO - 0
Parts of the Mass? YES - 6 USUALLY - 1 NO - 4
Psalm and Gospel Acclamation? YES - 6 USUALLY - 3 NO - 1 GOSPEL ACCLAMATION ONLY - 1
As people gather? YES - 8 USUALLY - 3 NO - 0
At the vigil/reception? YES - 1 USUALLY - 0 NO - 7 IF ASKED - 1 NO ANSWER - 1 UNACCOMPANIED SINGING - 1
Other?

Receive his/her soul
Instrumental during Communion.
As the church empties.
Sometimes Communion reflection.
During Communion a cantor often sings.

Who is usually involved?

Parish musician/organist? USUALLY - 7 SOMETIMES - 2 NEVER - 1 WE DO NOT HAVE A REGULAR ORGANIST - 1
Parish cantor? USUALLY - 3 SOMETIMES - 5 NEVER - 3
Visiting organist? USUALLY - 1 SOMETIMES - 7 NEVER - 3
Visiting cantor? USUALLY - 0 SOMETIMES - 4 NEVER - 7

Are tapes, c/ds or other musical recordings ever used? If so

For music as people gather? USUALLY - 1 SOMETIMES - 0 NEVER - 9 NO ANSWER - 1
To accompany singing? USUALLY - 1 SOMETIMES - 0 NEVER - 9 NO ANSWER - 1

More frequently now - as coffin leaves church a CD is used or sometimes a piper.

Do you ever have difficulty finding musicians for funerals?
NEVER - 6 OFTEN - 0 SOMETIMES - 4 THE UNDERTAKER ENGAGES A MUSICIAN IF REQUESTED - 1

(If your musicians are employed) do they find it difficult to get time off work?
NEVER - 0 OFTEN - 3 SOMETIMES - 2 NO ANSWER/NOT APPLICABLE - 6

Our parish musicians are employed and don't ask for time off work. If we are working we bring in an organist from elsewhere.

Is the organist (or 'lead' musician) usually paid?
YES - 7 NO - 2 EXTREMELY VARIABLE - 1 NOT OFTEN - 1

If so, how much?

£25 (Cantor also paid)

No fee is ever asked - undertaker usually leaves £15 in envelope at organ.

Yes, except when the deceased or spouse has been a regular member of the congregation (I tell the funeral directors not to put it on the bill), otherwise £20. People I do know want to give me something quite often - like flowers, chocolates and sometimes money.

Extremely variable - funerals are generally treated as donations although if the family know an organist will be in attendance you are more likely to be paid.

The undertaker usually does this. No idea.

£30

£10 or £15

£20

£35

Funerals are a stressful time for families and I think it's wrong if they need to even think about having to seek out the organist to make a 'donation'. In (our town) the funeral directors have an agreed fee that is paid to the organists in other churches, and this would seem a much kinder and fairer approach. If the Catholic Church thinks it is too much (£30) then they should set a fee they consider to be reasonable, and remove the pressure from families to have to guess what is fair.

I am self employed, and sometimes I have to miss/give up paid work to actually be at a funeral. If a donation isn't make, I actually lose money by helping out!

Is there anything else you would like to share with us about the musical arrangements for funerals in your parish?

I am lucky to live on the premises.

Musicians have no input: is arranged between parish priest and family.

As with weddings, funeral congregations include many non-Catholics, so choice of hymns can be restricted, but we try to include the favourites of the deceased.

Occasionally we play a setting of the Final Commendation by the St Thomas More Centre during Communion.

Most funerals involve a funeral Mass.

Our congregation, because of the way we do the Sunday Mass, are able to sing sufficient of the service to uplift mourners.

Bereavement folder given to families to choose readings etc, a hymn book is also given for hymns to be chosen in consultation with parish priest.

Other comments made about parish music arrangements in general

The questionnaire brought up some really interesting points regarding the payment of musicians. In my own experience the fees for weddings have ranged from £0 (!) to £100+ -should this degree of flexibility really exist? The same with funerals.

. . . . Why are organists of Catholic Churches never paid when Church of Scotland organists receive quite handsome sums? Is this the reason why so many RC churches struggle to find 'good' musical direction from their organists because some churches do not even have organists! I understand that many people feel that it is their 'duty to God and the church' but at the end of the day we are still providing a service!

The diocese is certainly 'Embracing the future' with the dwindling number of priests . . . . but what is happening to overcome the dwindling number of organists?

Ours is a small parish but I think we do well at weddings and funerals. We are more used to compliments than brickbats from families and those who are there.