MUSICA SACRA V.S. SECULAR MUSIC

There is one unforgetable experience I got last week. Together with some Exultate friends such as Mbak Andang, Maxi, Lia, Rina, Ika, Sheila and drg Sisca, I attended a matrimony service in another church. It is a non-Catholic church.

We arrived earlier... at about 9.30. The church had already been packed by congregation members and guests. My first impression was that it was very noisy inside the church. While the people were wearing very fine and expensive clothes, the chruch looked dirty... the person who was in charge of the sound system and other church facilities did not wear special constume... he was just wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt... he walked around the church to make sure that the facilities worked well. Oh my...

As we were asked to sing two songs during the service, we were invited to sit on the choir bench... not far from the organ. At first we felt that it was an honour.. but then the feeling disappeared as the benches were full of dust... even there was a spider web there... So, we decided not to sit there... Instead, we sat in the front rows near the choir bench.

The matrimony service started at 10.00 with a song “The Prayer”... followed by some other songs, dialogues, a sermon and other services. My friends and I sang “Ubi Caritas” (a Taize song) and “Ti Ringrazio o Mio Signore” upon the request from the bride’s family.

Well... it seemed like a normal practice for the congragation of this church to sing a lot of songs. But... what made us confused was the songs that they sang... Some of the songs were religious ones... taken from “Kidung Jemaat”... even one of the songs was similiar to PS 613, while others were really secular songs... Take for examples... there was a song “Semua Karena Cinta” (I think it was an Indonesian Idol song), “I have a dream” and others... Those songs were sung during the religious service... which made the service not much different from an ordinary activity such as “rapat RT/RW”. I found that there weren’t acclamations said by the congregation. The response “Amen” was only said by the minister... And there... when the congregation members sang a song... the minister could drink mineral water... Upppss!

Well, I do not want to say that their religious services are always the same as the one I witnessed.... I believed that it was just a coincidence that the service did not look liturgical at that time... I believe that on other days they have better services and songs... Just like what usually happens in our church.... We sometimes find that the songs are not liturgical ones... We sometimes notice that the choir sings some songs for a show... We sometimes find that both the choir and the priest do not put the songs properly... but of course this is not the church policy. Music in our church must be sacred music (musica sacra) and not the secular one. Liturgy is something sacred... the centre is God... Music, songs and other activities must lead to the presence of God... not just to entertain the congregation.

As a Catholic I am very proud of the Catholic Church liturgy. While a lot of people say that the Catholic liturgy is boring... I say that the Catholic Church liturgy is rich, solemn and sacred... God is present there... Celebrating liturgy is celebrating God’s party... It is God that become the centre of the celebration.

(Thomas A. Sutadi)

BMV CHOIR 2008 MANAGEMENT

Pengurus Koor
“Beatae Mariae Virginis” (BMV)
Paroki BMV Katedral Bogor

Pelindung :
RD. Benyamin Sudarto (Pastor Kepala Paroki)
Delegatus :
RD. D.S. Tukiyo (Pastor Pembantu bidang Liturgi)
Penasihat :
Adrianus Wijaya (Sekretaris Dewan Paroki)
M. Agus Muhardi (Ketua Seksi Liturgi Paroki)
Pembina :
Tarcisius Marhadi (Ketua Tim Musik Liturgi Paroki)
Ketua :
Thomas A. Sutadi (Exultate)
Wakil Ketua :
Monika AP (St. Lucia)
Sekretaris :
dr Veronika Triastuti (Exultate)
Maria Elisabeth Wahyuwidyastuti (Sindangbarang)

Bendahara :
Jenny P. (Caecilia)
Darmo (Caecilia)

Seksi Teks & Dokumentasi:
Raymundus Genty Laras (Kemaki)
Yohannes Achmar (St Lucia)
Antonia Lia Yunita (Exultate)

Seksi Kostum :
Yanti Marhadi (Caecilia)
Maria Gracia Maxi (Exultate)
Dominika Ariana Ambarwati (Exultate)

Seksi Rumah Tangga:
F. Evelina Sinaulan (Exultate)
Victorius Phang (Caecilia)
Yosephina Sri Andewi (Exultate)

Pelatih & Dirigen :
Tarcisius Marhadi (Caecilia)

Dirigen Anggota:
Thomas A. Sutadi (Exultate)

Organis :
Myrna (Caecilia)
M. Sheilla Gunawan (Exultate)

Koordinator Sopran :
Chatarina Yuli Indrayati (Exultate)
Koordinator Alto :
Yanti Marhadi (Caecilia)
Koordinator Tenor :
Br Alex Ginting BM (Budi Mulia)
Koordinator Bass :
Thomas Hargono (Exultate)

ASSIGNMENTS IN DECEMBER 2008 & JANUARY 2009

DECEMBER 2008
December 7 at 7.00 : Cathedral BMV
December 14 at 8.30 : St Francis Sukasari
December 21 at 7.00 : Cathedral BMV
(December 24 at 17.00: joining BMV Choir at Cathedral BMV)
December 31 at 18.00: Cathedral BMV (handled by Bapak Ludovicus and Sheila)

JANUARY 2009
January 1 at 8.00: Cathedral BMV (handled by Bapak Ludovicus and Sheila)
January 11 at 7.00 : Cathedral BMV
January 18 at 13.00 : Cathedral BMV (holy matrimony: Chyntia, drg Sisca’s daughter)
January 25 at 7.00: Cathedral BMV

MBAK LINDA AND EXULTATE

All Catholics in the Parish of BMV, especially those who often take part in liturgy activities, know Pak Agus Muhardi, Pak Adrianus Wijaya, Pak Beni, Pak Darma and many others. While Pak Agus and others often appear before public, there is one person who is almost unknown among the Catholics as she is mostly behind the screen. However, one should not ignore her role in our liturgy. Who is she? She is Mbak Linda. She is the one who designs the choir schedules in Bogor BMV Cathedral. I do not know much about her outside church activities. So, I would only like to write about her role at BMV Cathedral.

Mbak Linda often contacts me through SMS. Sometimes she tells me about Exultate’s schedules at the Cathedral. Sometimes she asks me if Exultate can replace another choir which cannot perform their duty for several reasons. Sometimes she just complains about other choirs which do not want to find a substitute when they fail to do the service. She often says that it is uneasy for her to ask Exultate for help because Exultate has already replaced several choir groups in several occasions. However, she says that she has no other choice to do it.

The result of Mbak Linda’s requests is that Exultate may perform several times in church services in one month. Last December (2007), for example, Exultate sang in the fourth advent week, the Christmas Day, the New Years Eve and the first of January. It is no wonder that there might be some “suara miring” such as “Kok Exultate tampil terus sih… kaya ngga ada lainnya aja” or “Ihh Exultate rakus banget sih” or “Ah Exultate cari muka… sok rajin”, etc.

I can understand such silly comments although I cannot accept them. They say such comments as they do not understand the process before. They never get involved in our activities so that they do not know what have been happening. So, when there is “suara miring”, we can pray, “God, forgive them as they do not know what they are talking about.” He… he... he…. No need to be angry...

Talking about Mbak Linda, Exultate thanks her for her support and trust to us. Exultate can understand her difficult job in the Cathedral. Her responsibility is so heavy that sometimes it is difficult for her to bear. I have ever heard from some friends about Mbak Linda’s difficult moment last year when many choir groups refused to sing in church for unclear reasons. Some friends told me that Mbak Linda had cried in her difficult days. Exultate’s willingness to help her at that time really relieved her from any stresses.

When I wrote about “giving the most from your shortcoming”, I remembered that I had to mention the name of Mbak Linda in another posting as an example of someone who sacrifices most from her shortcoming for Jesus. Mbak Linda is an ordinary person, just like most of us who work every day to meet our need. Still, she is always willing to help our parish, especially Seksi Liturgi Paroki, to run the religious services well. She is diligent to contact choir leaders for Liturgy Meeting (Rapat Liturgi); she is diligent to contact choir conductors to make sure that there is a choir in each mass. She is diligent to check all things right. In those cases, Mbak Linda does not expect praise from anyone. She does not expect thanks from us. She does not expect anything from all Catholics in the cathedral. Meanwhile, when she can organize everything properly, will anyone come to congratulate and thank her? When she spends a lot of money to buy “pulsa” for her cellular phone (she uses it to contact a lot of people for liturgy activities), will anyone consider about it? What I know about her is that she does not talk much.

My friends in Exultate, I don’t mean or want to make Mbak Linda your idol… but we can learn from Mbak Linda’s spirit to serve Jesus in Catholic Church. First, we must not be too proud or become arrogant as choir members when people praise us. We are just a small part of the whole Catholic Church; we are just nothing without other people in our church. Second, never expect praise for you yourselves as praise belongs to God only. Learn from some humble people like Mbak Linda, who never proclaims success as her personal success.

Jesus, teach me to be your humble servant in your church. May your name be glorified in anything, even in the smallest things that I do every day. (PS. 608)

(Thomas A. Sutadi)

SONGS FOR ASSIGNMENTS OF DECEMBER

PADUAN SUARA EXULTATE - PAROKI KATEDRAL BMV
Advent Sunday III Year B
Sunday, 14 December 2008 at 8.30 at St Francis Church - Sukasari

1. Persiapan: teks "Laudate Omnes Gentes"; "El Senyor" /Taize
2. Pembuka: PS. 674 Hatiku Bersukaria
3. Kyrie: PS. 339 Kyrie
4. Mazmur Tanggapan: PS. 840 Bahagia Kuterikat pada Yahwe
5. Bait Pengantar Injil: PS. 960 Alleluya
6. Persembahan 1: NN. 3 Nubuat Nabi
7. Persembahan 2 : PS. 382 Ambillah, Tuhan
9. Sanctus: PS. 385 Sanctus
10. Anamnesis: TPE
11. Pater Noster: TPE
12. Pemecahan Roti: PS. 406 Agnus Dei
13. Persiapan Komuni: teks
14. Komuni 1: NN. 8 Kami Rindu Tuhan
15. Komuni 2: NN. 2 Veni, Veni Imanuel
16. Madah Syukur: pS. 720 Datanglah, ya Yesus
17. Penutup: PS. 448 Putri Sion

Advent Sunday IV Year B
Sunday, 21 December 2008 at 7.00 at Cathedral BMV

1. Persiapan: PS. 439 Pencipta Bintang Semesta
2. Pembuka: PS. 720 Datanglah, ya Yesus
3. Kyrie: PS. 339 Kyrie
4. Mazmur Tanggapan PS. 868 Kerelaan Tuhan
5. Bait Pengantar Injil: PS. 955 Alleluya
6. Persembahan 1: NN. 3 Nubuat Nabi
7. Sanctus: PS. 385 Sanctus
8. Anamnesis: TPE
9. Pater Noster: PS. 404 Bapa Kami
10. Pemecahan Roti: PS. 406 Agnus Dei
11. Komuni 1: NN. 8 Kami Rindu Tuhan
12. Komuni 2: nN. 2 Veni, Veni Imanuel
13. Madah Syukur: PS. 448 Putri Sion
14. Penutup: PS. 450 Maria, Kau Penuh Berkat

CLOSING OF KWI GRAND MEETING

Joining Cathedral Parish Choir (Koor Paroki Katedral), Exultate took part in a mass to close the Indonesian Bishop’s Conference grand meeting (Sidang KWI) on Thursday, 13 November 2008 at Bogor BMV Cathedral. The Eucharist was led by Mgr Martinus D. Situmorang OFMCap from Padang and concelebrated by other bishops and attended by priests, nuns, monks and Catholic congregations. It started at 17.00 and finished at about 18.45.

Koor Paroki sang some liturgical songs mostly taken from Puji Syukur. We sang
PS. 670 Tuhan, Engkau Kuhormati, PS. 353 Tuhan, Kasihanilah Kami (Misa Kita IV), PS. 354 Kemuliaan (Misa Kita IV), PS. 838 Tuhan Telah Membebaskan (M.Biasa XXVI/C), PS. 963 Alleluya (Ay. Yoh 15:5), PS. 377 Kami Unjukkan, Kami Sembahkan (Arr. H.Haryadi), PS. 393 Kudus (Misa Kita IV), PS. 250 Marilah menyatakan iman kita, PS. 404 Bapa Kami, PS. 414 Anakdomba Allah (Misa Kita IV), Ave Verum (W.A.Mozart/KV.618), PS. 434 Santapan Peziarah (Arr. H. Haryadi), Syukur Tuhan (Gaya Sunda), PS. 553 Kau Raja Mahakuasa

Some people said that this time Koor Paroki sang better than in previous masses. Well, there is one reason: the songs sung were ordinary songs. Komis Liturgi KWI had asked us before that the songs had to be easy so that the congregation could join singing.

Proficiat Koor Paroki.

GIVING THE MOST VALUABLE THING TO GOD FROM OUR SHORTCOMING

A few members have ever told me, “Pak, saya mau mundur saja dari Exultate soalnya suara saya jelek.” When I hear about it, I usually smile and do not give any comments directly. I will try to find out whether he or she is honest or not. Well, if he/she really wanted to leave Exultate because he/she really could not adapt to Exultate with understandable reasons, I would say, “All right.” It has ever happened as well when someone phoned and asked me for an opinion whether or not she could stay in Exultate. In this case, I just said, “If you think that joining Exultate becomes a burden for you, leave it. We don’t want to put you in a difficult situation because you join Exultate.” It is true: joining Exultate means sacrificing some of your exclusive belonging: your time, energy, feeling and ability. Joining Exultate means that you have to share with other members and will not think about what you can get… but what you can give. Giving the best to God through and together with Exultate is the best option if you join Exultate.

If you have a good voice and can sing… or if you have a lot of free time… or if you are an easygoing person who can get along easily with other people, then, it is right that you join Exultate or another choir. God will not get surprised as it is the most right thing you must do. However, if you cannot sing well…, or if you are very busy and overloaded with office work or house work…, or even if you are not self-confident about yourself… but you really want to take part in a choir to serve God’s church, then… it will be a plus value before God. Jesus has ever told his disciples about a true sacrifice. At that time he talked about a poor widow who had given all of her belonging to God’s shrine. Jesus praised this woman as a person who had given the best offering from her shortcoming. Thus, your sacrifice by joining Exultate or other choir groups, despite your “bad” voice, lack of time, or lack of confidence, will be seen as valuable by God.

There is a strong commandment from Jesus: Love God wholeheartedly and love others just like you love yourself. As “loving” means “giving”, Jesus also asks you to give your entire shortcoming to God as a pure sacrifice. We can learn from Mother Teresa, who had given her whole life to all people she loved. In her complete poverty and weakness, Mother Teresa tried to give the best to the poor people that she and God loved. With this idea, there is no reason for someone to quit Exultate or other choir group for trivial reasons…

(Thomas)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAK SIMON & MBAK ANDANG

On behalf of Exultate members, I would like to wish Pak Simon and Mbak Andang a Happy Birthday. Pak Simon celebrated his birthday on 28 October 2008 and Mbak Andang celebrated it on 7 November 2008. Exultate is very proud to have these two personnel as they have shown their great commitment not only for the existence of Exultate but also the development. May they always find God's grace in their daily life and may their life be filled with happiness, wealth and health. Ad multos annos!

(Thomas A. Sutadi)
Thanks to Mas Thomas Hargono, who has posted a comment on Pak Simon. What Mas Gago wrote about Pak Simon is 100% true. Pak Simon is a great man with a humble heart and a sense of humor. God bless him.

PRAISE AND CRITICISM TO PARISH CHOIR

As I have written before, Parish Choir (Koor Paroki) got praise from our bishop Mgr Michael Cosmas Angkur on Thursday 23 October 2008. Some church figures also said that our Parish Choir had done the great thing. In this case, praise and glory belong to God. We accepted the praise on behalf of God and returned it to him because without him, we could not do anything.

Here I would like to write about some criticisms and mockery which Parish Choir has got. I did not hear most of them directly as most people have been reluctant to tell me the truth. However, some friends and “some spirits with their sixth or seventh senses” helped me to hear them.

Well, I have been familiar with some people coming to me and saying, “Wah, Pak, koornya bagus… nyanyinya luar biasa…” Deep in my heart I always say, “God, if it were true, such things belonged to you.” The fact is I never trust them 100%. I know that sometimes some of them are honest, but sometimes some of them are complete liars or hypocrite: they do not any courage to tell me that my choir or the way I conduct the choir is bad or far from their expectation.

Well, I would rather they tell the truth… To some people who try to give me good and constructive criticism, I will accept it without doubt although the criticism sometimes sounds harsh and rude. Sometimes, however, some critics are just people who do not want to see the objectivity. They criticize us not because they want to help us to be better but they just show their dislike against us. In short, they do not criticize; they mock us. To my surprise, the latter is the common comment that I often hear.

In line with our Parish Choir, I have heard some comments given by some people, including some pastors and conductors, who are competent people, or at least consider they are competent, and some others who are not competent at all. Some criticisms sound silly, while others sound harsh: 1. Nyanyinya kok njerit-njerit? 2. Nyanyinya kok tidak pakai perasaan, tidak ada ekspresi. 3. Dirigen tidak ada ekspresinya. 4. Suara koornya kurang padu, ada suara yang lebih menonjol daripada yang lain. 5. Suara sopran (it seems like the personnel of sopranos) sepertinya kurang.

It is up to all Parish Choir members and conductors to evaluate the comments and criticism. There is no use to find out who said this and that. However, let us find the essence of their criticism. I write some outlines below.

First, it is easer to give comments than to do it. For example, Indonesia has a lot of football observers and commentators, but they just talk (NATO = No Action, Talk Only). It is impossible to ask them to go to the field and score a goal. Meanwhile, there are a lot of economy observers and commentators, but they just talk… and they have different views which they claim to be the best. No wonder that one critic said, “When economists get together, there is no solution.” In choir cases, some people also talk and talk and talk … and criticize … but that is what they can only do. They do not give contribution or do not want to participate. Where were they when we needed them? Would their comments make the past events better? Will they be willing to bear the burden that we have carried so far? No! NATO!

Second, many choir critics do not understand the process. They expect the results only. They forget that there is a long and difficult phase that a choir has to go through. When they criticize, they also forget that they might have got similar experiences in the past or in other time. Despite their shortcoming in their past, they feel that they are better that the choir they talk about.

With the two outlines above, I want to say that criticism and bad comments are common things. Listen to the criticism or comments and still be cool and calm. Do not panic or get stressed because the comments can be good ones, true and constructive things, but they can also be nonsense, meaningless sentences, just a form of hostile expression, or an expression of their incompetence. Accept all comments as they will make your love to Jesus even stronger.

The other lesson is that when you criticize or give comments to other choirs say the constructive things only, never try to hurt other choirs and their existence. Instead of talking about them, why don’t you join them and help them to be better? Being one of them for a long time will reduce your superiority complex.

Viva Parish Choir. Viva Exultate.

SILVER ANNIVERSARY OF FATHER BEN'S ORDINATION

The EUCHARIST
ON THE SILVER ANNIVERSARY OF THE ORDINATION OF R.D. BENJAMIN SUDARTO AND 14TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ORDINATION OF MGR MICHAEL COSMAS ANGKUR OFM AS BISHOP OF BOGOR

Finally the long-waited moment arrived: Father Benjamin Sudarto celebrated his silver anniversary of ordination and our beloved bishop Mgr Michael Cosmas Angkur OFM celebrated his 14 anniversary as bishop of Bogor. The celebration took place on Thursday, 23 October 2008 at the Cathedral BMV.

Again… the Parish Choir (Koor Paroki) accompanied the celebration. Again… we sang Mozart’s Spatzen Messe (Missa Brevis). The Eucharist ran smoothly as everything had been well prepared. The choir was also all right despite some shortcoming. I felt that when we sang ‘Gloria”, the tempo was not allegro anymore but andante. The good thing was that the Sopranos could sing Sanctus better than they did on 19 October. As the number of the congregation was far from what we thought, we only sang one song, which is “Santapan Peziarah”, for the Holy Communion. There was a little confusion when some choir members wanted to sing Veni, Veni, Sancte Spriritus for the Holy Communion song. For most of us, the idea was not accepted as it had not been prepared before. We hope that next time there will not be such confusion.

After the mass, Mgr Michael Cosmas Angkur met and talked to me. This is what he said, “Selamat, ya. Ini tadi bagus sekali. Teruskan latihan-latihan kalian. Nanti tanggal 13 November, kalian nyanyikan lagi lagu-lagu ordinarium tadi di depan uskup-uskup seluruh Indonesia ya. Tunjukkan pada para uskup bahwa kalian bisa. Apalagi banyak paroki yang tidak bersedia menerima para uskup. Ayo, kalian bisa. Tunjukkan pada mereka.” I was so taken aback that I could not say anything. If I am not mistaken, the bishop also talked to Pak Marhadi about the same thing.

What I am still confused about is that Sie Liturgi Paroki had been asked by Father Boli Ujan from Komisi Liturgi KWI to send him the song list. Father Boli said that the songs had to be ordinary songs which could be sung by everyone. Pak Agus Muhardi and I had sent him the song list, and the songs did not include Misa Brevis. I hope that the songs will still be able to be adjusted.

After the mass, everybody joined the anniversary party at Gedung Paroki (2nd floor). Happy anniversary Father Ben. Happy Anniversary Monsignor Michael. Ad multos annos.

EUCHARIST: SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION

SUNDAY, 19 OCTOBER 2008

at 11.00-13.45

at Bogor BMV Cathedral

Exultate took part in Parish Choir in the holy Eucharist of the Sacrament of Confirmation (Misa Penerimaan Sakramen Krisma) given by the bishop of Bogor Mgr Michael Cosmas Angkur OFM to around 330 people. I took turn with Bapak T. Marhadi as conductor. For easy songs (which I had chosen), I directed the choir. For difficult songs such as Spatzen Messe and Veni Sancte Spiritus, Pak Marhadi directed the choir. We had prepared a lot of songs but it turned out to be not enough. Luckily Bapak Marhadi could find some alternative songs taken from Madah Bakti and Puji Syukur. Thanks God that Mas Markus Herli was always ready to sing solo.

The Eucharist ran well despite some noise made by the young people who were waiting for their turn to get the sacrament confirmation. Mgr Michael C. Angkur OFM urged the congregation to be ready to accept the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit that the bishop had ever been given to. The bishop also reminded every one that after they accepted the Holy Spirit, they had to be like Jesus’ disciples: be brave in spreading the good news (evangelization). Father Benyamin Sudarto hoped that all Catholic congregation members would be willing to take part in church’s services in their Catholic neighbourhood and in the parish.

The choir got some praise from the congregation despite some shortcoming. I noticed that Exultate sopranos took the lead and became motor for their soprano friends. Mbak Rina, Mbak Ika and Ibu Hoesodo, who usually sing alto in Exultate, became pioneers for sopranos together with Maxi and Sheila. They sat in the front row. A little “chaos” happened when we sang Sanctus… I noticed that the sopranos were not ready so that they did not sing the first words of the song properly. I know they were very disappointed about it. Anyway, they can still improve it next time.

Well, for most of us, singing together with others in our Parish Choir gave us some surprises, adventures, excitement and satisfaction. We were very happy to be able to learn and sing difficult songs… at last… the songs that we had longed to sing. It is true what Bapak Marhadi said that when you could sing difficult songs, there would be pride and joy... far from being arrogant. There are still challenges to come… and Exultate will go through them.

Thanks Pak Marhadi. Thanks Mbak Myrna. Viva Cathedral Parish Choir! Viva Exultate!

JOINING CATHEDRAL PARISH CHOIR

For the last few years, Exultate members have been involved in parish choir activities. Most members have joined the parish choir. When Bogor BMV Cathedral Parish Choir (BBPC) started with “Koor Gabungan” in 1990s, Exultate sent about one-third of its members. The members who took part in those activities thought that it was the right time to learn from other choirs. Exultate members did not care who would be the trainer, the choir master, the organist, the coordinator, etc. For them, the most important thing was how to learn from other people, especially from choir experts in the Cathedral such as Ibu Julia Sentosa Turangan and Bapak Tarcisius Marhadi.

The involvement continued in the early 2000s. Even in 2002, I was appointed to be “Koor Gabungan” (joint choir) choir master on the closing of 2002 Bogor Diocese Synod (21-25 October 2002). For Exultate and me, it was an honour.. despite my confusion. It was still not very clear why Pak Thomas Sunarno, who was responsible for choir assignment schedules, chose me to be the choir master, helping Pak Frans Tjakra and Ibu Maria Djafar. In that awkward situation, our commitment was still the same: we serve God… in his church.

On 13 December 2007, there was Choir Competition (Lomba Koor antar Paroki se-Keuskupan Bogor) in Bogor BMV Cathedral. To prepare it, from July to December 2007, “Sie Liturgi Paroki Katedral” gathered about 30 people to practice for the competition. Every Sunday, we practiced, with Pak T. Marhadi as our trainer. Again, I was asked to be the conductor. As the support from most choir conductors in the Cathedral Parish was minimum and the members’ commitment was not strong, practices were usually attended by a few people.

One thing that I could be proud of at that time was that Exultate members committed to take part. Eventually, Paroki Katedral Choir lost… just got “Juara Harapan II”.. worse than Cibinong Parish choir (which I had ever seen before when I became a jury in their internal parish choir festival). For some people, it was very embarrassing. For me, the process was stressful… but I learnt a lot from this.

Then, there was a new idea from Bapak Tarcisius Marhadi of establishing a fixed and more organized parish choir. He shared his idea with me about establishing a big choir whose members come from best singers and conductors of all choir groups in Bogor Cathedral. I gave full support to him. It was a great idea. However, Pak Marhadi also got some opposition from a few choir figures. Some figures felt that the establishment of parish choir would “kill” the existence of the incumbent choir groups. They suggested that parish choir as another group was unnecessary.

As “Seksi Liturgi” also had a programme of having a parish choir as a means of guidance, the idea got full support from Pak Agus Muhardi, Pak Adrianus Wijaya and Rm. Ben Sudarto. For me and Exultate, the support from those three church figures was enough and meaningful.

In reality, however, the application of the idea was not easy. From about 25 choirs in Bogor, only a few choir masters or trainers join it. Since June 2008 the regular practices started. For the first two months, the choir practices were held every other weeks on Sunday at SMP Budi Mulia (without organ). Because some people complained that Sunday afternoon was a very busy day for several activities, the practices were then moved to Saturday evening at 20.00-21.30 to Cathedral BMV. In this case, Exultate has to sacrifice its valuable time. For the better glory of God, Exultate changed the practice hour from 19.00-21.00 to 18.45-20.00. I thank my friends at Exultate as they are willing to support me and Koor Paroki. Some members showed commitment to join Koor Paroki: Maxi, mBak Andang, Ibu Hoesodo, mBak Ika, Sheila, Mbak Lia, mBak Evie, Ibu Heri, Mas Gago, Pak Simon, and Mas Josep. Some others want to join but I can understand that they still have difficulty in managing their time: Pak Ludo, Ibu Sianturi, and mBak Ambar; they have sometimes attended several practices.

The first assignment was for Misa Penerimaan Sakramen Krisma on Sunday, 19 October 2008. Koor Paroki under guidance and training by Bapak T. Marhadi prepared a lot of songs. Among them, the difficult songs include: Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus and Agnus Dei from Spatzen Messe as well as Veni Sancte Spiritus by W.A. Mozart. Those songs really challenged us. All Exultate members thank God that there was a chance to learn it from an expert (Bapak Marhadi). Some of us even told me… and I agree with them, that it was stupid that many choir masters do not want to join parish choir, and that we were luck to join it. How about the result of a 4 month-practice? Well, you can see it in another posting.

STOP PUJI SYUKUR & MADAH BAKTI CONTROVERSIES

There has been a long debate over which one is better: Puji Syukur or Madah Bakti. Some people say that Puji Syukur is better, while other people suggest Madah Bakti be much much better. Here I would like to outline that both of them are just excellent.

Some people who say that Puji Syukur is better might argue that Puji Syukur is the official prayer book promulgated by Indonesian Bishop Conference (KWI) and thus has got a stronger position. If you look inside the book, your will find that it is designed in order: the prayers, the songs, the indexes, etc. Despite some shortcoming such as misprinting and some improper Indonesian structure, Puji Syukur is good. Somehow, it was launched and promulgated after a very long process since the publication of Madah Bakti as the “experimental” book.

Negative perspectives say that Puji Syukur lack of innovation; it is “dry”; the songs are made so “stiff” that they do not sound all right in the people’s ears. They say that Puji Syukur pay more attention to the words, not to the melodies. Some negative people even claim that Puji Syukur is released for business purposes; it means that “money talks” here.

Some other people insist that Madah Bakti is better because the songs sound better, the song arrangements are enjoyable, the choices of words used in the songs are more poetic, etc. There is one strong impression from their comments: Madah Bakti songs are better than Puji Syukur’s songs.

For me as a choir member and as a Catholic, both books are excellent. Yes, Madah Bakti is good, and it is not a secret that the book has been widely used across Indonesia from Sabang to Merauke. Pusat Musik Liturgi (PML) in Yogyakarta has made it excellent and enjoyable. People behind the book and the songs, i.e. Father Karl Edmund Prier SJ and Bapak Paul Widyawan, are the pioneers and ardent figures of Madah Bakti and their expertise has been widely recognized not only in Indonesia but also in the whole Catholic church.

Madah Bakti has recently been updated (especially since the publication of Madah Bakti 2000) and more ethnic songs have been added to it. PML not only updated the songs but also the prayers. It seems that PML wanted to follow Puji Syukur to make the accountability and authority of the song writers respected. For me it is a good step. However, I have got a feeling that putting more ethnic songs to the book also creates problems, especially to people who do not come from the same ethnic groups. How to make the Catholic congregation love new songs that come from other ethnic groups? This is a challenge for Seksi Liturgi in all parishes and dioceses which use Madah Bakti as their official prayer book.

On the other hand, as Puji Syukur has been declared as the official prayer book, the decision must be accepted. I do not know why KWI did not just choose Madah Bakti as the official book. I think they have several reasons such as the fact that Madah Bakti was just a temporary and experimental book before the official book was made. KWI also wanted to make the songs simple so that everyone can use it, even we can use it together with some Protestants; this is in line with the process of ecumenism and interfaith dialogues. In Puji Syukur there are some songs which are also used by Protestant churches. The shortage is probably the unavailability of the music workshop by Komlit KWI. Unlike PML which has a lot of activities such as Lokakarya Komposisi, Kursus Dirigen, Kursus Organis, KOGJJ, etc. and works together with Vocalista Sonora to perform the songs, Komlit KWI might not have a settled workshop which can make some innovations to the music. Well, it is homework for Komlit KWI.

The problem in Bogor Cathedral Parish is that the discourse and the debate over both books sometimes go crazy with one person argue wrongly to convince others. For example, after the song Bapa Kami (PS. 404 or MB 142) the embolisme should read “Sebab Engkaulah Raja….” I have ever been told by a choir figure in Cathedral that the words in Madah Bakti was “Sebab Tuhanlah Raja…” with certain music notes. Well, the person was 100% wrong… because in Madah Bakti the words also say “Sebab Engkaulah Raja…” and the music tone is exactly the same as those in Puji Syukur.

I myself love both Madah Bakti and Puji Syukur. They are the masterpieces of Indonesian Catholic musicians and people. However, for a manual in Bogor Cathedral I will always use Puji Syukur as it is the official book. I will use Madah Bakti when I find that some proper songs and prayers cannot be found in Puji Syukur. Madah Bakti or Puji Syukur is not a matter of songs and prayers only, but it is a matter of our relationship with God under the guidance of the Catholic Church. The most important is that we are consistent and correct in praying and singing and does not become a handicap or “scandalon” (=batu sandungan) for the whole Catholic congregation.

Thomas A. Sutadi

A VOCATION FROM GOD

We invite you to join Exultate Choir.

Yes, we need new people to join us.

If you are a Catholic living around the Parish of BMV Bogor Cathedral, who loves singing and can sing, willing to practise regularly and willing to sing in masses and other liturgical services, you can join us.

We need more tenor and bass voices; we need some junior organists, psalm singers and conductors.

You need not feel afraid or worried as Exultate is a big family. Come and join us.

ASSIGNMENT OF NOVEMBER 2008

SUNDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2008 at 7.00
at CATHEDRAL BMV:
(Peringatan Arwah Semua Orang Beriman)

1. Persiapan: PS. 709 In Paradisum / gregorian
2. Pembuka: PS. 714 Yesus, Juru S'lamat Kami
3. Kyrie: PS. 345 Tuhan, Kasihanilah Kami/Te Deum
4. Gloria: PS. 346 Kemuliaan/Te Deum
5. Mazmur Tanggapan: PS. 801 Aku Percaya Kepada-Mu
6. Bait Pengantar Injil: PS. 965 Alleluya
7. Persembahan: PS. 710 Bapa di Surga
8. Sanctus : PS. 389 Kudus/Te Deum
9. Anamnesis: TPE
10. Pater Noster: TPE Bapa Kami
11. Pemecahan Roti: PS. 410 Anakdomba Allah/Te Deum
12. Persiapan Komuni: -
13. Komuni 1: PS. 713 Akulah Kebangkitan dan Hidup
14. Madah Syukur: PS. 646 Tuhanlah Gembalaku
15. Penutup: PS. 715 Jikalau Gandum (arr.MB. 84)

SUNDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2008 at 13.00
at CATHEDRAL BMV: MATRIMONY
(Revised drafts)

1. Perarakan/Pembuka: "Berserah Setia" (instrument)
2. Kyrie : "Kyrie" / JA. Korman
3. Mazmur Tanggapan: PS. 841 "Berbahagialah"/Pesta Kel.Kudus
4. Bait Pengantar Injil : PS. 956 "Alleluya" /Pesta Kel.Kudus
5. Doa restu/sungkem : "Berkatilah"
6. Pengenaan Cincin : PS. 498 "Jika Ada Cinta Kasih" (instrumental)
7. Persembahan: "Kupersembahkan Diri dan Hidupku"
8. Santus : "Sanctus" / JA. Korman
9. Pater noster : PS. 404 "Bapa Kami"
10. Agnus Dei : "Agnus Dei" / JA Korman
11. Komuni : MB. 301 "Tuhanku Gembalaku"
12. Madah Syukur : PS. 608 "Ya Tuhan, Isi Hidupku" (fakultatif)
13. Ave Maria : "Ave Maria" / F. Schubert
14. Penandatanganan dok. : PS. 613 "Bahagialah Tiap Rumah Tangga"
15. Penutup : MB. 71 "Semoga Dikau Bahagia"

ASSIGNMENT OF OCTOBER 2008

Saturday, 18 October 2008 at 12.00
at the Cathedral BMV: Matrimony

1. Perarakan/Pembuka: Ubi Caritas/Taize
2. Kyrie : Kyrie Eleison/JA. Korman
3. Mazmur Tanggapan: PS. 841 "Berbahagialah"
4. Doa restu/sungkem: The Lord Bless You and Keep You
5. Persembahan: Kupersembahkan Diri dan Hidupku
6. Santus : Sanctus/JA. Korman
7. Pater noster :PS. 402 "Pater Noster"
8. Agnus Dei : Agnus Dei/JA Korman
9. Komuni: Ave Verum/W.A. Mozart
10. Ave Maria: Ave Maria/Bach-Gounod
11. Tanda tangan: Caro Mio Ben
12. Iringan penutup: Ti Ringrazio O mio Signore

Sunday, 26 October 2008 at 11.00
at the Cathdral BMV:
Eucharist (Ord.Sun.XXX/A)

1. Persiapan: teks "Ubi Caritas" / Taize
2. Pembuka: PS. 319 Wahai Saudara
3. Kyrie: PS. 345 Tuhan, Kasihanilah Kami/Te Deum
4. Gloria: PS. 346 Kemuliaan/Te Deum
5. Mazmur Tanggapan: PS. 839 Aku Mengasihi Tuhan/Gaya Jawa
6. Bait Pengantar Injil: PS. 962 Alleluya / Gaya Jawa
7. Persembahan: PS. 382 Ambillah, Tuhan
8. Sanctus: PS. 389 Kudus / Te Deum
9. Anamnesis: TPE
10. Pater Noster: TPE Bapa Kami
11. Pemecahan Roti: PS. 410 Anakdomba Allah/ Te Deum
12. Persiapan Komuni -
13. Komuni 1: PS. 661 Andaikan Aku Pahami
14. Komuni 2: teks Panis Angelicus / C. Franck
15. Madah Syukur: PS. 659 Cinta Kasih Allah
16. Penutup: PS. 663 Hidup Kita dalam Dunia

EXULTATE IUSTI IN DOMINO

Exultate Choir was singing inside the renovated Beatae Mariae Virginis Cathedral in July 2006. With a strong commitment to serve Jesus in his Church liturgy, Exultate has been trying to perform its best. Exultate members are always willing to learn from anyone who has quality, competence and commitment to teach them. As the 'choir' master, I am always ready to be criticised, reminded, taught and guided so that I can serve my members and the church well. I hope that all members of Exultate will keep serving Jesus in church services and in their everyday life. May Jesus help us... and we will do everything for the greater glory of the Lord. AMDG.

EXULTATE IN CILEMBER ON ITS 14th ANNIVERSARY

This is the picture of some of Exultate Choir members. This photo was taken on 17 August 2008 when we went to Cilember in Puncak to celebrate our 16th anniversary. Not all members joined it as some of them had got some other important activities to do. Romo (Father) Adi Indiantono stood at the back (the first from left, next to me). There were also some junior members: Panda (my son) - who is stading next to his mother, Alma and Yoan (Mas Josep's daughters). Pak Simon, the chairperson, is standing at the back row, 6th from left).

EXULTATE'S 14TH ANNIVERSARY: 17 AUGUST 2008

Sunday, 17 August 2008. It was Indonesia’s 63rd Independence Day celebration. On that day Exultate Choir went to St Yakobus Rasul Church in Megamendung – Puncak.

First, we gathered at Lippo Bank parking lot in Jl. Juanda. We left that place at 6.15 for Megamendung. The street was so quiet that we arrived at Megamendung church at about 6.45.
There was no one there yet. Exultate members hanged around first… At about 7.35 we entered the church for practicing.

The mass started at 8.00. Romo Eeng Gunawan and Romo Adi Indiantono led the Eucharist. Before the mass, we sang Satu Nusa Satu Bangsa, Indonesia Raya and Mengheningkan Cipta. The mass finished at around 9.15… then we had some snack on the second floor (under the church).

After taking a break for about 20 minutes, we decided to go to Cilember.. Wisata Matahari. It took only about 15-20 minutes to go there. There were a lot of people there… local tourists. Wisata Matahari seemed like a new tourist destination. In some parts there was still some work. They were making ponds, roads, parking lots, etc. We parked our cars far away from the rented place. We had to walk from the parking lot for about 8 minutes to reach the building. There… we entered a house.. quite cool and homey.

Then… Mas Gago, Sheila and Ika led the game for us. There were some games before we had lunch. Wow… everybody was happy and had fun. Mas Gago and his team were excellent. At about 12.00 we had lunch. It was a big lunch… there were a lot of kinds of food…

After lunch, there were still some other games too. We used balloons, thread reel, table tennis balls, etc. Romo Adi was so creative and eccentric when he took part in the game. At the end, there was a photograph session. Cheers...

Everybody was happy. It was a success…

Happy 14th anniversary, Exultate

(Panda)