All This So-called NEW music

[buzzcut]

Our hymnal is published by Oregon Catholic Press. I don’t like a lot of them, especially the ones with recent copyright dates. They don’t seem to have much of a melody to them.

 

[Wolseley]

99.99999% of the stuff that’s been written since 1965 is hideous.

Even worse is the fact that we have parishes buying Daniel Schutte’s music and in doing so, we are actually helping to support him and his homosexual lover in San Francisco.

I have, for the most part, given up on liturgical music. It won’t change for the better until long after I am dead and gone. So, if I want to hear music that is uplifting and inspires my soul, I go home and listen to CD’s. I no longer expect to hear anything at Mass except banal, putrid, heretical, and blase music, and since I stopped hoping for anything better, it’s cut down on my frustration level considerably.

Dubervilles:

the one that pops to mind is I believe called “We are Called” The lyrics being something like…"we are called to act with justice, we are called to love tenderly, we are called to help one another, to walk humbly with God

Funny story about that particular song…they played it as the recessional “hymn” (I use the term very loosely) one time, and my small son pulled on my sleeve. I bent down to hear what he had to say, and he asked me, “Dad, who’s ‘Tender Lee’???”

My wife shot me a dirty look because I couldn’t stop laughing.

 

[MarthaMartha]

Wolseley:

Funny story about that particular song…they played it as the recessional “hymn” (I use the term very loosely) one time, and my small son pulled on my sleeve. I bent down to hear what he had to say, and he asked me, “Dad, who’s ‘Tender Lee’???”

 

[mpeacock]

All my wonderful poster-folk out there,
It is such an interesting experience to hear your opinions. You are making life richer for all who truly care about their religious experience. Thank you for your response.
I still feel that there is far too much mediocre “ear worm” music out there. Just because something is new makes it neither good nor bad, but it dosen’t mean that we can’t change the juke box now and then.
“Oldies” are not always “moldies”. (and they are a most valuable part of our beautiful tradition.)

 

[Dubervilles]

That’s a cute story about that song…I and my husband have heard many strange words and phrases in songs that we did not realize what they really were until we thought about it or saw the lyrics.

My opinion comes of that of a 23 yr old who sang latin every Sunday for a good 5 years–and that is that Latin and chants are very beautiful–something to be cherished–but at the same time contemporary music can move my heart enough to “feel” the music and even let our a tear or two at times…
It’s not that I don’t ‘understand’ tradition (which I think may be the case for many) but I would think that contemporary music relates to young adults in a much more plausible way than a latin hymn for which they probably don’t know what the words mean,and are not used to the mode of the music.

I was once at a more ‘traditional’ church with much older congregants and they started singing “Our God is An Awesome God” (which I’ve NEVER heard at another Catholic church)–but yet I had never heard hardly a peep out of these people until I heard this…

I think it can be compared that some people wish to pray the rosary daily and traditional Catholic prayers–while some others prefer to talk to Jesus as if he was next to them as a friend.
The point being that each is respectable and can be intermixed with one another for a fuller faith…

 

[mpeacock]

When I went to Mass this morning ,it was as a lector. I love being a lector and as such I feel compelled to study the readings more than I might if I were not performing this service.
I think that I might be happier to stay as a lector than in the music ministry for now. Music seems sort of vulnerable but scripture is more solid.
Perhaps not the right term but the one that comes to mind.
Blessed Sunday to you all.

 

[Dr.Bombay]

My senior year in high school, our music teacher sang this one song at every Mass accompanied, of course, by a guitar. Thankfully, I’ve never heard it since then in a Catholic church. It went like this:

Shout out my soul for the love of God
His love is forever and ever
Go forth and witness forever
And ever
And ever…

You did kind of a “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” thing, with different people singing different lines. Ugh. Even though I only heard that song for two semesters, it has stuck in my head for all these years. It’s like that song, “The politics of dancing, the politics of mmmmmmm feelin’ good…” :bigyikes:Once it’s in your head, you can’t get it out. I’d give anything to excise that part of my brain, but it’s firmly entrenched.

 

[tfmoseley]

ComradeAndrei:

We don’t need plinky pianos and strumming guitars.

I’m not sure I quite understand the meaning of this. First I could ask who the “we” is that you are speaking of, since being a Catholic you are certainly not speaking for me. Second, I don’t see where piano and guitar (as well as other instruments such as flute, violin, bass) are unable to perform music in a reverent fashion.

If I’m not mistaken, the tradition that I have always understood was that David composed and performed his Psalms on a lute (or other stringed instrument).

The music selections themselves and their performance should be what is used to determine the level of reverence one attaches to them, not their copyright date or the instruments on which they are informed.

If there are any of our protestant brothers and sisters reading this thread they might be confused by all this closed-mindedness by a Church that professes to be welcoming. Before the flamethrowers come out, I am not advocating putting a band up in the sacristy or anything even close, but I certainly think there are some who would choose to remove any form of worship music that is performed on a big thumpy pipe organ with no other accompaniment.

 

[MarthaMartha]

Dr. Bombay:

My senior year in high school, our music teacher sang this one song at every Mass accompanied, of course, by a guitar. Thankfully, I’ve never heard it since then in a Catholic church. It went like this:

Shout out my soul for the love of God
His love is forever and ever
Go forth and witness forever
And ever
And ever…

You did kind of a “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” thing, with different people singing different lines. Ugh. Even though I only heard that song for two semesters, it has stuck in my head for all these years. It’s like that song, “The politics of dancing, the politics of mmmmmmm feelin’ good…” :bigyikes:Once it’s in your head, you can’t get it out. I’d give anything to excise that part of my brain, but it’s firmly entrenched.

Oh, my goodness! We used to do that at folk mass in college, in the early 70s! I’d forgotten about it . . . until now. This post should be in the “what’s your favorite/least favorite earworm” thread. :bigyikes: :bigyikes:

 

[ComradeAndrei]

I’m not sure I quite understand the meaning of this. First I could ask who the “we” is that you are speaking of, since being a Catholic you are certainly not speaking for me.

Yes, “we” means Catholics and if you aren’t Catholic then you are free to use whatever you want to during your religious services.

Second, I don’t see where piano and guitar (as well as other instruments such as flute, violin, bass) are unable to perform music in a reverent fashion.

They are not “unable” to perform music in a reverent fashion, but the Church has said that the organ has a primacy of place in liturgical music. Thus, we should be using the organ if at all possible.

If I’m not mistaken, the tradition that I have always understood was that David composed and performed his Psalms on a lute (or other stringed instrument).

Well, what else did he have? I’m pretty sure he didn’t cart around a pipe organ with him, and he couldn’t have used one if he had wanted to because they weren’t invented yet.

However, the Church specifically mentions the pipe organ-

From Sacrosanctum Concilium-

1. In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church’s ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man’s mind to God and to higher things.

The music selections themselves and their performance should be what is used to determine the level of reverence one attaches to them, not their copyright date or the instruments on which they are informed.

While not all modern music is bad, it seems that there is a high correlation between modern dates and lame music.

If there are any of our protestant brothers and sisters reading this thread they might be confused by all this closed-mindedness by a Church that professes to be welcoming.

Oh please, “close-minded”? Tell that to the Church. They seem to have a preference and I don’t see why the individuals amongst the Faithful shouldn’t follow suit. We are welcoming, but you come in on our terms.

I had a conversation with a person who converted from Evangelicalism and they thought we needed more “praise and worship” music. I said, if the Catholic Church is right about the doctrines and dogmas then maybe we are also right about the traditions. We are not a “seeker” Church, sacred music is not supposed to be entertaining and we do not need to change that in order to fill more pews.

Before the flamethrowers come out, I am not advocating putting a band up in the sacristy or anything even close, but I certainly think there are some who would choose to remove any form of worship music that is performed on a big thumpy pipe organ with no other accompaniment.

Well that is good that you are not advocating putting a band in the sacristy (I’ve seen it done though ) but those who would remove the pipe organ are going against what the Church prefers. If you don’t like the organ or Gregorian Chant-tough because that is the most appropriate music for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.