Liturgical Music at Incarnation
a short history
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The Contemporary Choir at Incarnation Parish has the distinction of being one of the longest-running groups of its type in the Los Angeles Archdiocese. When the Second Vatican Council permitted the use of music in the popular style, there wasn't much music to draw on. It was fairly standard practice in those early days to take an established folk song and set new words to it. Thus it was that history was made at Incarnation in June 1970, when eighth-graders John Debney and Sam D'Angelo brought their guitars into the church for the first time and performed "Come My Brothers, Praise the Lord" (to the tune of "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore") at their own graduation ceremony. The following September, under the direction of Sister Mary Leona Cook, BVM, the fledgling Contemporary Choir, then called the Guitar Group, performed once a month from the choir loft at the 10:45 AM Mass. Within a year, the Guitar Group was providing the music at 10:45 each week, with an ever-growing repertoire of songs by the likes of Sebastian Temple, Ray Repp, and Paul Quinlan. The members of the Guitar Group at this point were for the most part Junior High students at Incarnation; Sister Leona would hold practices after school on Thursdays in the auditorium for the following Sunday's services. Sister Leona was transferred from Incarnation in 1973. The direction of the Guitar Group was taken over by Mrs. Noelle Norton, one of the church's organists for the 5:30 Saturday Mass. The group expanded rapidly under Mrs. Norton's direction, with adult choir members joining the ranks. Many of the original members, now in high school or junior college, remained with the Guitar Group as well. Soon Msgr. Lawrence O'Brien permitted the group to move from the choir loft down to the front of the church, where they occupied the first three rows of the north transept. The Guitar Group's repertoire grew as well, as much new contemporary liturgical music was being written across the nation and published and performed. The first contemporary hymnal for Incarnation, commonly called the "Blue Book", was culled together from many of these sources and remained in use for a number of years. The Guitar Group's most ambitious endeavor was made on October 1976, with a full concert program called "Almost Something Elegant" which showcased the choir as an ensemble plus featured the talents of many of its members in assorted small group settings or as soloists. As 1976 was the USA's Bicentennial year, the show's grand finale was a star-spangled rendering of "You're A Grand Old Flag". We were fortunate to have Father Helmut Hefner in residence at Incarnation from 1975 to 1978; Father (now Msgr) Hefner was a fine guitarist and singer whose talents greatly enhanced the group's performance and of course, the Masses. The Guitar Group enjoyed several mountain weekend retreats in the Crestline area, which provided opportunities for personal, spiritual, and musical development. Mrs. Norton left the Guitar Group in 1978. With Monsignor O'Brien's approval, it was taken over by Mrs. Pius Oller. Mrs. Oller continued to expand and grow the group, putting more and more emphasis on liturgical community singing than on choral performances. Though contemporary music had been a part of the liturgy at Incarnation for over eight years at this point in time, still, in many ways, there was a sense that the "folk" mass and the music at it was a "special" liturgy, not one of the normal liturgies of the parish. The presiders at the 10:30 mass were invariably the visiting Carmelite priests and not the resident parish priests. It took the next pastor, Monsignor Eugene Frilot, to create an environment in which contemporary liturgical music was integral to the parish. Following the dictum from the Council documents and reiterated by the US bishops that "musical liturgy is normative", Monsignor Frilot worked to provide appropriate music at every Sunday Mass. We moved beyond our original "Blue Book" songbook and the parish purchased the Worship and Gather series from GIA Music, opening the parish up to a wider variety of excellent music, new and old. Mass parts were learned that could be sung in both the "organ" masses and the "guitar" mass. The 10:45 Mass was moved to 10:30. Pius Oller developed a children's choir to sing for the 9:00 AM mass. Her two choirs, at the 9 and the 10:30 masses, came to be known for the prayerfully reflective nature of the music. Pius' work in the school has lead to a greater appreciation for liturgy for an entire generation of Incarnation school children. The traditional choir sang for the noon Mass. Cantors and organists/pianists were installed in most of the other weekend liturgies. There was a start on building a teen-youth choir for the 5:30 Sunday evening Mass. Incarnation continue to stress the importance of musical liturgy. In the mid 90's Mrs.Oller retired from leading the choirs and the music program in the school. Mr.Jeff DeFrancisco, an accomplished organist, lead the choir for several years doing much to improve choir musicianship and repertoire. His growing family and law practice made it necessary to retire also, though he is still available for substitute work. Upon his retirement, Jeff was replaced by Christopher Yriola, recent graduate from the music program at CSUN. Chris emphasized musicianship also in his two year term, but has left us recently due to growing responsibilities at his other jobs. Chris continues to teach in the parish school. More about Incarnation Parish Liturgical Ministries here . Thanks to David Norton for the account and the picture. Dennis Doyle also contributed to this article.
"Guitar Group" at a Home Mass in 1976
Contemporary Choir in the 80's
Contemporary Choir in the 90's
Contemporary Choir in the 21st Century
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