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Hi:
The order of any Mass goes like this:
Prelude if desired (time can very from about 5 to 30 minutes [shorter time for regular Mass; longer for special occasions])
Processional (either a hymn or antiphon (depending on the priest/music director/special occasion)
greeting,
General Confession,
Kyrie (Lord, have mercy; usually said, but sometimes sung, sometimes no General Confession before),
Gloria (sung)
first reading,Psalm (usually sung but not always),
second reading,
Gospel Acclamation (alleluia and verse, usually sung),
homily (sermon),
Nicene Creed (may be sung, but most often not),
prayers of the faithful (a few churches sing the “Lord, hear our prayer” response, but not most)
Offertory (usually a hymn, but sometimes a spot for special music)
prayer over the Gifts (said by the priest),
Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy; usually sung),
a few more prayers,
Memorial Acclamation (there are three wordings possible; melodies similar, depending on the Mass setting used, but vary a bit to accommodate word choice),
Great Amen (usually sung),
Our Father (sometimes sung)
Sign of Peace (greet the people around you),
Agnus Dei (Lamb of God, usually sung),
Communion prayer (everyone says this),
Communion (usually one hymn for sure and either another hymn or two or a spot for special music),
closing prayers and dismissal,
Recessional (usually a hymn, but could be solo/instrumental depending on situation),
Postlude (usually one piece played as people leave) if desired.
I hope this helps! Usually for the Mass parts, (Gloria, Gospel Acclamation, Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation, Great Amen, and Lamb of God) are often all taken from the same Mass setting, but, if anything is different, it’s usually the Gloria, Gospel Acclamation and Agnus Dei. Unless there is a choir, there is at least one cantor to lead the responses and hymns. Usually an organist/pianist leads these, but you never know! Hope this helps!Hi:
I had a harpsicle (all levers; now called fullsicle) and loved the portability and everyone loved looking at it (white). I sold it to a friend when I tried my hand at entering a monastery. I now have a Christina (it actually only has 25 strings and the harpsicle 26). I love the Christina as well. When I bought it through the Sylvia Woods Harp Center
harpcenter.com
it came with a 7-year warrantee. It is heavier than the harpsicle and I believe a good bit taller, but not totally sure. My friend that bought the harpsicle from me still has it; I got it in 2005 and sold it to her in 2009; it’s still strumming!Hi:
I play and sing with the piano as well and have been doing that much longer; it is much easier than with the harp! I would suggest practicing only the harp accompaniment, keeping it to simple arpeggios/chords (at least at first). Practice only the accompaniment until your hands are totally comfortable with where they need to go on the harp so you can concentrate more on your voice/singing when you need to. Try not to get too discouraged about this process because it is very time-consuming and can be difficult and frustrating! Allow yourself the patience, time, and whatever else you may need to accomplish this. I do think that if you can stand and sing you will definitely get better breath support, but it may be more difficult to balance the harp properly; try several different positions to find what works best and practice in the position you decide on as much as possible, because, when you actually do perform, you will most likely be nervous, which will throw your whole body off at first; maybe start performing while sitting just to get used to singing/playing at the same time and bring down the nervousness/anxiety about being able to do both at the same time before adding in the standing; sitting you are more stable and it will be easier to balance the harp at first. I hope this helps and encourages you! Stay strong and courageous!
Jessica
