a tactful way

[Amy Loewenthal <aloewenthal...>]

Let's say there was a lay cantor and a rabbi.

The rabbi had a powerful voice and enjoyed singing with great ruach, but
sang off key.

The congregation would usually sing along if they knew the piece, but they
didn't know a lot of the music.

On a number of occasions, the lay cantor would be singing and the rabbi
would join in loudly and off key and/or off-rhythm. The rabbi's very loud
voice almost dominated over the cantor's medium-loud voice. Especially
frustrating was when the lay cantor was trying to slow down and arrive at a
graceful ending, whereas the rabbi loudly kept the faster pace and ended
sooner and discordantly.

It seemed that the lay cantor was not really getting to LEAD the
congregation, but seemed to be co-leading in a defacto way.

The lay cantor had great respect for the rabbi, and understood that the
rabbi loved to sing and sang especially loudly when moved. Also, sometimes
the rabbi would sing loudly because the congregation was not chiming in, so
the rabbi was "making up the difference".

The lay cantor tried to discuss the issue in a very delicate way with the
rabbi, not wanting to sound like a self-centered artiste. The lay cantor
said "Please continue singing but don't drown me out." The rabbi agreed but
nothing changed.

The lay cantor seeks advice.




Amy Loewenthal
Math Tutor Coordinator
Student Support Services, Centralia College
(360) 736-9391 x547