Best and worst hymns?

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My favorite hymns include: “Alleluia Alleluia Give Thanks To The Risen Lord,” “Here I am Lord,” “How Great Thou Art,” “Abba Father,” “Go Make a Difference,” and “Come to Me and Drink.”
 
CoeurRempli said:
There are some hymns with a super odd sounding melody, rhythm and lyrics that makes it difficult and frustrating to sing.
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If that happens, IMHO, the music director is not doing his job and selecting songs that he/she likes. I’ve been there: my litmus test is to introduce a new song at rehearsal. No matter how much I might like it and think it easy to sing, if I have to spend more than 15 minutes or so just trying to get them to get the rhythm down correctly, it’s over. The choir is my indicator of how he congregation will accept and be able to sing something.
 
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I like Perogesi and Vivaldi’s of Stabtat Mater. O Sanctissima is really good too. Allegri’s Miserer Mei is nice but sometimes it is hard to sing along since it is a polyphany and also there are some high parts. There are a bunch of other compositions I like but it would take too long to list them. I don’t like songs like Come at the Table of Plenty or even Shine Jesus Shine. He’s got the Whole World in His hand is annoying. I don’t know why I dislike so many of the guitar mass songs.
 
Technically Advent, but I agree. I like extremely classical versions of this, in Latin, and I’ve even heard a country version that was hauntingly good.

 
My favorite Advent hymn and the one I play over and over and over. My favorite rendition is by Quartette with Sylvia Tyson as the main singer.

I don’t know why O Come Divine Messiah is more popular. Maybe I’m not fond of it because, having grown up listening to it in French, it just sounds wrong in English. Same thing with O Holy Night! as opposed to Minuit Chrétiens!.
 
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Hmm, interesting, perhaps that is why I tend to like the chosen hymns better when there is a choir and not just the cantor? But sometimes perhaps the choir has a different taste in music than I do. It’s okay, I get that we all have different musical preferences. 🙂
 
I really didn’t like Shine Jesus Shine and am not a huge fan of songs in that genre… Or I guess a lot of the hymns written in the 1980s. Just has to do with my taste in music. When I was a child I remember my friends and I wondered to each other “how did this song get published”? :confused:
But the song has new meaning to me after singing it with a group I volunteer with at a senior home, actions and all. The joy it brought to everyone made it special.
Still wouldn’t be my favourite hymn especially at Mass. But it has kind of grown on me.
 
I don’t necessarily hate it but it has a kiddish touch that makes it seem like it shouldn’t be a song at Mass.
 
Both of these remind me of “It’s A Heartache” by Bonnie Tyler.
 
CoeurRempli said:
Hmm, interesting, perhaps that is why I tend to like the chosen hymns better when there is a choir and not just the cantor? But sometimes perhaps the choir has a different taste in music than I do. It’s okay, I get that we all have different musical preferences.
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Could be. A lot of the newer contemporary songs in resources like Spirit and Song are recorded by soloists. And, a cantor/leader of song for a Mass has to know how to read music and a difficult piece for them might be easy, but no consideration for what the congregation will do with it. A volunteer choir consists of readers and those who can follow a tune, but not be able to read notation that easily, so that will make them a “test” group.
CoeurRempli said:
I really didn’t like Shine Jesus Shine and am not a huge fan of songs in that genre…
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I like your story about this song. “Joy” is the operative word in my opinion here. Sometimes all we need to do is not judge so quickly; it grew on you. It might not be your favorite at Mass, but it might be for someone else at Mass. It is so hard to please everyone. Actually, Shine Jesus Shine was my opening song for Pentecost. Our congregation sings it and I can only assume that most like it.
 
I love this version of O Holy Night. Home Free is a wonderful group.

 
Right now I’m very anti-anything that is put to the tune of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. Can’t anyone write something new. I love the tune, but it’s overused IMHO.
 
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Limoncello4021 said:
I’m not sure I’ve ever heard How Great Thou Art sung in a Catholic Church. My favorite rendition, however, is that of Elvis (if you’ve never listened to his Gospel album you really should!). Here’s a video of one of his last performances: he died two months later.
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Carrie Underwood does a beautiful rendition with Vince Gill that ranks up there with Elvis’ version.
 
That is also one of my favorites. Of course the fierce wild priest has been a running joke for probably over a century. It is so English. Imagine meeting a saint at tea!

They live not only in ages past,
there are hundreds of thousands still
the world is bright with the joyous saints
who love to do Jesus’ will
You can meet them in school, or in lanes, or at sea,
In a church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea.
For the saints of God are just folks like me
And I mean to be one two.
 
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