Attending a Classical Mass Setting

[Brandon_Cal]

Pardon me. I was wrong about Mozart’s Mass this Sunday in San Francisco. It isn’t the Mass used as an example in the OP (Mozart’s Komposit 427), Mass in C Minor. It is, rather, the Requiem Mass in D Minor.

 

[ServusHumilis]

How can this be cost-justified in an era where things are going digital, including pipe organs that can run on midi-compatibility? A smart musician can now avoid playing an instrument altogether, can even write mathematically-based improvisations into it. I know of two churches that have introduced these types of organs, albeit electronic.

I wish things were different.

How can midi recordings even be used during Mass… what kind of sacrifice is that? I was under the impression that only live music could be used. If not those parishes lacking musical talent may as well be playing old cassette tapes during Mass.

 

[Cat]

How can midi recordings even be used during Mass… what kind of sacrifice is that? I was under the impression that only live music could be used. If not what’s stopping any parish from playing old cassette tapes of pre-recorded music during Mass?

I was wondering the same thing. Maybe an organist can chime in here and give us more information about this.

I’m not sure what midi is used for on the pipe organ. I’ve been taking organ lessons for three years now, but I’ve not gotten to the place where I use any of the electronic options.

We have it in our parish, but my teacher said that it isn’t “hooked up.” It doesn’t matter to me; at this point, I’m still striving for acceptable pedal technique; I still feel like a clumsy dancing bear on the pedals (and it sounds like it, too).

 

[jilly4ski]

You’re blessed.

My husband and I are members of a sizeable parish (several thousand) in a wealthy section of our city.

Four of us play piano/organ. There are a few people who play who aren’t willing to play in front of people.

I am involved with the very active and vibrant music club in our city. I know of no one from our parish who plays any instrument other than a few high schoolers who are doing strings. A deseg lawsuit in our city decimated the public schools and we have not had orchestras in the schools for over a decade. As you can imagine, this really hurts church music.

In our city, the good musicians generally blacklist the Catholic parishes because of the Catholic Church’s unwavering stand on gay marriage, and the doctrine that homosexuality is a “disorder.” The musicians seem to have a very strong union mentality (some of them are actually part of a union or guild).

Also, the musicians in our city expect to be paid for their work.

Saint Agnes in Saint Paul MN does indeed host classical music mass settings. In fact, they do a different Mass every weekend between October and May not including Lent (and some of Advent). Saint Agnes is decidedly not in a nice or wealthy part of town. The orchestra is current or retired members of the Minnesota Orchestra and in the union. The masses are somewhat expensive depending on the size of the Orchestra needed. (Gounod’s Mass of Saint Cecilia is more expensive than a typical Mass setting). The choir is completely volunteer and the director is paid.

From what I understand the choir is independent from the parish and has to do its own fundraising. The pastor is on the board and has some say over what is done at the Masses (obviously). The parish does sponsor some of the Masses.

The Mass schedule can be found here chorale.churchofsaintagnes.org/music-schedule/. Interestingly enough, there is a parish choir which does polyphonic mass settings for the Saturday Mass, either anticipated or vigil. So there appears to be a strong culture of high music there all together.

It should be noted, that the Mass that hosts these classical music settings, uses the ordinary form of the Mass, but in Latin, in a typical sort of High Mass or Missa Solemnis. This Church also has an EF low mass (no music) at 7:30am that is well attended, as one of the 4 Masses it celebrates on Sunday. The priests have hard hitting homilies against all sorts of evil in our world including homosexuality, abortion, and other more “normal” things.

 

[ProVobis]

How can midi recordings even be used during Mass… what kind of sacrifice is that? I was under the impression that only live music could be used. If not those parishes lacking musical talent may as well be playing old cassette tapes during Mass.

I agree with you. But it’s just a discipline, is it not? It’s not like we don’t allow electronic devices and amplification in church. I see a lot of those Rolands with automatic chords and beats which the Spanish Masses use so often. There’s very little to be played manually, for sure.