Anyone else not really like gregorian chant?

  • Thread starter Thread starter angell1
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
A

angell1

Guest
i understand why the church likes to maintain it since it’s simple but i personally just don’t like it. i much prefer a nice harmonized 4 part choir. anyone else?
 
I like gregorian chant on a CD, when it has been recorded in a studio with the right ambience, by an experienced choir. I find it relaxing and contemplative.
 
Gregorian chant is ok, I prefer a choir with nice hymns. I have a couple of Gregorian chant CD’s downloaded on my nano, and I occasionally listen to them, but I don’t have the appreciation for it that some people do.

You’re not less of a Catholic because you don’t care for it 😃
 
I love it. But I never get to hear it. Ever.

I did hear it in Assisi once and was moved greatly by it.

Most “Chant” around these parts is not used often and if it is is not sung by people taught how to do it.
 
LOVE Gregorian Chant. I listen to it every night and it puts me to sleep. :heaven:
 
A lot of Gregorian Chant, very beautiful on U Tube if you want to hear it.
 
Hoosier_Daddy said:
I love it. But I never get to hear it. Ever.

I did hear it in Assisi once and was moved greatly by it.

Most “Chant” around these parts is not used often and if it is is not sung by people taught how to do it.
Click to expand...
I’m blessed, I hear it and sing it every Sunday at Mass, at a nearby Benedictine monastery (of which I happen to be oblate).

As you can imagine I love it.

However I recognize that everyone’s taste is different.
 
Like Nails on a Chalkboard. :nunchuk:

I choose a Mass that has the least chant.

During Advent and Lent, it is hard to avoid.
 
I think it depends on the person and their tastes. I grew up listening to Byzantine chants in the G.O. Church, which I now have a strong distaste for. :takethat: Yet, not only do I listen to Gregorian chant, I chant various Gregorian chants every day as a part of my discernment for the Sisterhood, and because it is so peaceful and uplifting to me. But, that’s just me. I would never tell someone to like or listen to it, or vise versa. It just isn’t fair to others to do that.
 
I prefer mass with chant. When I see people walking in with their guitars, I have to admit my heart sinks. I am not a fan of the band. It’s nothing personal, but I don’t think it very reverent or complimentary to the mass. It turns the mass into a music performance and a distracting one. The best is when it’s just our choir director singing chants.
 
Rete said:
I prefer mass with chant. When I see people walking in with their guitars, I have to admit my heart sinks. I am not a fan of the band. It’s nothing personal, but I don’t think it very reverent or complimentary to the mass. It turns the mass into a music performance and a distracting one. The best is when it’s just our choir director singing chants.
Click to expand...
It doesn’t have to be one or the other. There is music that isn’t chant but also doesn’t use guitars.
 
angell1 said:
i understand why the church likes to maintain it since it’s simple but i personally just don’t like it. i much prefer a nice harmonized 4 part choir. anyone else?
Click to expand...
Being an advanced chant schola member myself and having attended events where many such chant nerds meet, I have somewhat of a biased opinion.

However, I will say that the beauty of chant does not lie entirely in its musical “excitement.” If you listen looking for ear candy, you won’t get it. Chant, as a prayer, is incredibly uplifting and contemplative. That, and the beautiful melodies that are to be found in the composite of chant, make it beautiful.

I also sing polyphony, and it is beautiful too; in a different way. It also is a prayer, but it does not have quite the same effect as chant.
 
angell1 said:
i understand why the church likes to maintain it since it’s simple but i personally just don’t like it. i much prefer a nice harmonized 4 part choir. anyone else?
Click to expand...
In a location with the right acoustics I love chant. The same goes for recordings that manage to capture that “live” sound.

My parish doesn’t have the right acoustics for chant so it sounds OK but rather boring. I personally prefer sacred polyphony over chant.
 
angell1 said:
i understand why the church likes to maintain it since it’s simple but i personally just don’t like it. i much prefer a nice harmonized 4 part choir. anyone else?
Click to expand...
I’m not really keen on Gregorian chant, though can’t quite explain why (and, I promise, it has nothing to do with anti-Western bias on my part 😉 ).

As for what I like, it would be Carpatho-Rusyn, Melkite/Antiochian, and Coptic. I haven’t really found illustrative samples of the first and second, only the third.
 
thequietsinger said:
I think it depends on the person and their tastes. I grew up listening to Byzantine chants in the G.O. Church, which I now have a strong distaste for. :takethat:
Click to expand...
Interesting. Do you know of any YouTube clips recording the kinds of melodies you now dislike?
 
Trebor135 said:
Interesting. Do you know of any YouTube clips recording the kinds of melodies you now dislike?
Click to expand...
Well, there are very many on YouTube if you search for them. This is one that I prefer not to hear, as it brings back sad memories I wish to forget: youtube.com/watch?v=AD44-ZoAkG8 If you’d like, I can find channels for you that have many Byzantine chants posted.
 
I’m not too sure on the differences between all the chant styles.
Anyone know better?

To the OP. I don’t see anything wrong with not liking chant. Especially if it’s sung by people who don’t know what they are doing.
 
I have a love affair with Corsican chant. It is so indescribably gorgeous, at least to me.

Here is a ~15 minute sample: youtube.com/watch?v=h4tqP6DoGKU

I enjoy Gregorian chant but love Corsican even more. It’s actually polyphony.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top