A bit better

Wasn't it? I'm not really sure.
I am immodestly pleased with my "liturgical cocktail piano stylings," and happy that a few more sets of vocal chords appeared last night.
However, I know for a fact that some were so put off by the first night that they would not come back.
This is troubling.
And yet, I cannot say I blame them.
I'm not sure it was wise assignment of personnel.
I would be the first to admit that a sad and sinful racism and clannishness pervades our society. But throwing something stylistically at odds with what people are used to, and aesthetically inimicable to them presented by a person of another race seems less likely to be winning than to act as gasoline on a fire.
IMO the reaction was not racist -- the people in question would have muttered the same things about "revival meetings" if it had been Burt Lancaster in his Elmer Gantry persona asking for an "amen."
Charismatics who think those who do not share their extroversion and volume-level are somehow less imbued with the Spirit than themselves do a great disservice to the Church insisting on trying to foist their predilections on all.
Surely there is room for many, many, many devotions, of many, many, many styles -- and in those areas where unity is required, less affect should be the rule.
This strikes me the way trying to enforce Life-teen style music on Mass goers does, as complaining that everyone doesn't want to join the Rosary Society, and sing Nevin songs would, (this does not happen in my experience,); as suggesting that those who don't attend the Tridentine Mass are somehow lesser Catholics does.
Hence, the wisdom of a Universal Language, the perfect usefulness of Gregorian chant, the necessity of rubrics for liturgy and not for personal prayer.
This is not well written, and not well thought out, I need to tease these ideas out a bit more, but I think I have the gist of my thoughts on the matter down.

Correction and (respectful) admonition invited.

It seems to me, (and I could be wrong, but I believe I am honest in this assessment,) that my on-going arguments with certain PTB never revolve around my trying to make others bend to my will, but my trying to prevent others from making me bend to theirs.
I don't want to enforce my personal aesthetic taste, or require participation in expressions of my personal piety (It is immaterial to me whether anyone sings "hymns" I select, but it does bother me if the psalm response or the Ordinary is not sung.)
But I do not wish to be told what to do, either in my "ministerial" capacity or as a PIP by someone with neither knowledge nor authority.
I bow to legitimate authority, (even when I disagree,) and am eager to subordinate myself to, indeed, to serve the learned and the skilled, )and thereby, I hope, learn, and grow in skill.)
But why would some people think their wishes or opinions be of any more or less interest to me than those of any other members of the congregation who don't know what Church documents say, don't know what rubrics require, don't know anything of any aspect of music?
Why would they expect their personal likes and dislikes to be honored?

And I admit to resenting the lack of acknowledgment that I do indeed program that which I do not "like," that there are favorites of mine that I would never think of imposing on a congregation -- the assumption of some people is that I am as arbitrary and self-serving as they themselves are.

(If only they would make an effort to educate themselves in matters on which they wish to impose their wills.)

I love that about the choir -- they are willing to both discuss and to listen to what I have to say on why we don't sing certain old favorites in the situations where they were accustomed to sing them, and why there are others that some may not "like" but which are the most appropriate choices open to us at this time and in this group for the occasion.
I think we're making some real progress, not musically so much as liturgically.

Getting away from the Liturgical Music as Aural Zoloft model...

And speaking of "getting away"... HOW did I wonder so far off track in this ?