Bad music at Mass

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sbcoral

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I know that Catholics have never been known for singing, and my Church in particular has never offered much in the way of an inspiring musical presence at Mass. However, lately, the music at Mass has really reached a new low. The organist - I think she’s new - consistently plays like she’s just learning to play a musical instrument. I don’t know how to describe it any other way. The four singers who accompany her and sing in front of Church are also consistently off-key and just plain bad. Few people in the congregation sing along at Mass, instead just standing there. The music is bad enough to be distracting - whatever few moments of prayer and contemplation I used to look forward to are gone, drowned out by the horrible sounds of our musical group.
And our musical group also feels like they have to sing every part of Mass that can be sung - responsorial psalms, and the Our Father, and the Lamb of God, etc. Why do they have to do that? I’ve thought about sending an anonymous letter to our music director or our pastor, but I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. But I think I will have to join another parish if this continues. And I’m no musical snob, either, FWIW.
 
I know that Catholics have never been known for singing,
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Which is why nearly every great composer of Western Civilization has a) been Catholic and/or b) written music for the Catholic Liturgy?

Granted, your average music at your average celebration of the Bogus Ordo is nothing to be proud of; but do use some kind of qualifier when you write the word “Catholics” in this context, would ya?

:cool:
 
Hey it’s the KEYS that are too high for most people to sing along! But I feel your pain. My parish is really struggling, the new pianist is real draggy, following the new singer who has no sense of tempo. It was really good when I first started going there in 1993 but those musicians have moved on. I am a musician myself, but have played only pop music and I would much rather hear good sacramental music than contribute more to Christian pop dreck.

There is another parish where the music is really good, run by my old piano teacher. But ya know, the music is not the point really, and when I hear her ensemble sometimes I get too hung up in it and forget why I’m there.
 
Both bad AND excellent musicians can be a distraction at Mass. Bad musicians don’t entice people to sing because they cannot follow them, due to all their mistakes. Excellent musicians might try to “perform” and be equally distracting because they demand the focus to be on themselves, not the Eucharist. What is needed are competent and humble players who stay true to the music, nothing more, nothing less.

I once sat in the pew of a parish to which I’d recently moved. The keyboard player was horrible. Wrong notes, inconsistent tempo, too loud…you name it. After a few Sundays, I wondered why I was sitting and listening and being distracted when I could do so much better. I called the music director and volunteered to play. I played every week for the 5 years I lived there. And people sang out, loud and clear. It was beautiful.
 
I believe we should be doing Gregorian Chant, as that is the Latin tradition. Consider the Eastern Rites and their music. We should be preserving the Gregorian Chant in the Mass. Just my opinion.
 
It’s those Haas/Haugen tunes. Those are some of the clumsiest, strangest, tone-deaf arrangements I’ve ever heard.
 
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Ella:
I believe we should be doing Gregorian Chant, as that is the Latin tradition. Consider the Eastern Rites and their music. We should be preserving the Gregorian Chant in the Mass. Just my opinion.
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I agree!
 
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DominvsVobiscvm:
Which is why nearly every great composer of Western Civilization has a) been Catholic and/or b) written music for the Catholic Liturgy?

Granted, your average music at your average celebration of the Bogus Ordo ]

Sorry that you refer to the Mass as you do in your quote. Those who reject the approved Mass are in heresy. After each Council including Trent, there were some who refused to go with the Magisterium. I pray that God will soften your heart to the teaching authority of the Church, that was given by Jesus, himself.

May God bless you,
Deacon Tony SFO
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Ella:
I believe we should be doing Gregorian Chant, as that is the Latin tradition. Consider the Eastern Rites and their music. We should be preserving the Gregorian Chant in the Mass. Just my opinion.
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Traditions have a starting point, and Gregorian chant is not a tradition that goes back to the beginning of the Church. Gregorian didn’t become the chant until Charlemagne began suppressing other types of chant around 800. Gregorian chant didn’t even remain the primary musical style of the Latin Rite for long - organum (polyphony) came into play within a few centuried. The Winchester Troper is a collection of 11th century manuscripts containing music for two voices (ie not chant).

The point? Music evolves, and to limit the Church to a specific style of music from a brief period in her history is just ridiculous.

Peace
 
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DominvsVobiscvm:
Which is why nearly every great composer of Western Civilization has a) been Catholic and/or b) written music for the Catholic Liturgy?
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That’s funny, I guess your music history course must have stopped at the Classical period. If you look at the Romantic period and beyond, you’ll find an increasing number of great composers who weren’t Catholic and didn’t compose music for Catholic liturgy.

Peace
 
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chemcatholic:
That’s funny, I guess your music history course must have stopped at the Classical period. If you look at the Romantic period and beyond, you’ll find an increasing number of great composers who weren’t Catholic and didn’t compose music for Catholic liturgy.

Peace
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Hehe… some of us would argue that real music ceased to exist after the Classical period. Except French romantic organ music (THEY were all Catholic). And DuruflŽ (so was he) :getholy:
 
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chemcatholic:
Traditions have a starting point, and Gregorian chant is not a tradition that goes back to the beginning of the Church. Gregorian didn’t become the chant until Charlemagne began suppressing other types of chant around 800. Gregorian chant didn’t even remain the primary musical style of the Latin Rite for long - organum (polyphony) came into play within a few centuried. The Winchester Troper is a collection of 11th century manuscripts containing music for two voices (ie not chant).

The point? Music evolves, and to limit the Church to a specific style of music from a brief period in her history is just ridiculous.

Peace
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there was huge debate over the development of polyphony with its ranks of choirs, over the introduction of the organ, lots of protests when every church had to be rebuilt to accommodate an organ and pipes, lots of debate when brass instruments, pianos and other instruments were used, lots of debate when hymns in the vernacular came into popular use as opposed to Latin. debate when women were allowed to sing in church as soloists or choir members. what we consider traditional today was radical at some point in history.
 
Sorry that you refer to the Mass as you do in your quote.
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I was not referring to the Missa Normativa as such, but rather the manner in which it is celebrated 99.9% of the time.
If you look at the Romantic period and beyond, you’ll find an increasing number of great composers who weren’t Catholic and didn’t compose music for Catholic liturgy.
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Well, duh. 😃

But many (most?) of these still did at least one Mass during their lifetime.

There are many modern composers who continue to do so, and their beautiful music is still heard at Mass today in parishes like Saint John Cantius in Chicago.
 
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pianoplayingmom:
Both bad AND excellent musicians can be a distraction at Mass… .
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Absolutely agree. same thing for choirs.

Have a good choir (award wining one!) that tends to hijack the hymns so that we cannot follow.

Another horrible choir that keeps trying different variations during mass so that we cannot follow either.
 
Yo. want better music at your mass? Learn to play the organ and offer to help other wise, bring ear plugs and center your self on Jesus.

Pax

Tom
 
Detroit Sue:
It’s those Haas/Haugen tunes. Those are some of the clumsiest, strangest, tone-deaf arrangements I’ve ever heard.
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Precisely! And Dan Schutte and Michael Joncas, IMHO. Our bishop is cracking down on liturgy to bring everything in line with GRIM and music is not being overlooked. Our music director told us that some of the hymns in The Music Issue were written by people who might not even be Catholic (I’m talking new stuff, not some of the older stuff we’ve borrowed from Evangelical Christianity). We are fortunate to have a composer/arranger as our director. He has written a beautiful setting to the Novus Ordo Mass, as well as music for the inroits and antiphons out of the Missal, all set in a minor key, in four parts. Very austere and stirring. Those who complain against the NO Mass should come to our parish, where our pastor celebrates it reverently. What, incidentally, is the correct name of the Novus Ordo Mass? I’m fairly sure it isn’t ***Bogus Ordo.:rolleyes: ***
 
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asquared:
what we consider traditional today was radical at some point in history.
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But that, IMHO, is the difficulty with late 20th century ecclesiastical music. It isn’t that it’s radical, it’s that it’s BANAL, MEDIOCRE, and MUNDANE!!! We (somebody at least, I wasn’t Catholic at the time) wanted to be “relevant” or “appealing” during and just after the council. We’ve been stuck in a time warp ever sense. Music, as it should, has moved ahead (sometimes very badly…witness rap!), but church music is still stuck in a pattern of “Peter, Paul, and Mary” style folk hymns that don’t even have the passion of Peter, Paul, and Mary! Honestly, if some of it wasn’t heretical enough to put your blood pressure on the boil, the rest of it would put you to sleep.
 
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chemcatholic:
Traditions have a starting point, and Gregorian chant is not a tradition that goes back to the beginning of the Church. Gregorian didn’t become the chant until Charlemagne began suppressing other types of chant around 800. Gregorian chant didn’t even remain the primary musical style of the Latin Rite for long - organum (polyphony) came into play within a few centuried. The Winchester Troper is a collection of 11th century manuscripts containing music for two voices (ie not chant).

The point? Music evolves, and to limit the Church to a specific style of music from a brief period in her history is just ridiculous.

Peace
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Limiting music to Gregorian chant might be going a bit too far, but Sacrosanctum Concilium and the new document on suggestions for the Year of the Eucharist both place an emphasis on Gregorian chant and polyphony. I would a hazard a guess that most parishes do not currently do so.
 
Does anyone use the Taize book? I occasionally attend a Taize service and the music is basically based on Psalms, is very beautiful and frankly easy to sing. Most of the songs are two to four lines, repeated a few times. It’s easy for new people to follow along.

We are VERY blessed to have talented musicians in our parish. They are so inspirational.

Lisa N
 
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