Better music?

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One of the things I hear people complaining about most commonly in the Catholic Church as opposed to Evangelical is that the music is not as good. Now I grew up Evangelical, and I’m Catholic now and the music we use in my parish is from the Gather hymnal. Am I the only one who thinks the music in the gather hymnal is way better than the evangelical stuff? I never liked the hillsong-style music, neither the music itself nor the way it is played in a concert-style fashion. The stuff in the gather hymnal is (in my opinion) richer, both lyric-wise and tune-wise.
 
CompSciGuy said:
One of the things I hear people complaining about most commonly in the Catholic Church as opposed to Evangelical is that the music is not as good. Now I grew up Evangelical, and I’m Catholic now and the music we use in my parish is from the Gather hymnal. Am I the only one who thinks the music in the gather hymnal is way better than the evangelical stuff? I never liked the hillsong-style music, neither the music itself nor the way it is played in a concert-style fashion. The stuff in the gather hymnal is (in my opinion) richer, both lyric-wise and tune-wise.
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I like the Gather hymnal! 🙂
 
Music is like art, it depends on the eye (or ear) of the beholder. We all have our own tastes. I find that the music is not as good, but my husband’s biggest problem is the key they sing it in. But then that’s in our parish. I do miss some of the contemporary Christian music, but usually listen to that outside Mass.

Blessings,
mlz
 
Honestly, I am pretty easy to please when it comes to music. I love Gregorian chant, traditional hymns, more “modern” hymns, and even praise music. I can go to a Mass at a 100 year old church and listen to a cantor chant and absolutely love it. I can go to a Life Teen Mass and listen to the praise band sing a modern version of “How Great Thou Art” and love it as well (I did last night, as a matter of fact). I love to praise God through all types of music and songs! And honestly, I don’t think God is as picky as a lot of people are about the music.
 
yeah I’m all for Gregorian Chant. Never been to a mass with the use of chant but I’ve seen enough of it online and from listening on pandora that that would defintiely work wonders for me in feeling the power of mass. But I’m still a noob in rcia so I’m not yet worthy of receiving Christ in the eucharist and as such am missing out on the whole point of the mass anyways. Easter Vigil and confirmation here I come!
 
Instead of focusing on likes and preferences, parishes should be looking at what the Church and our Holy Father have to say about music.
 
BigFellaMick said:
yeah I’m all for Gregorian Chant. Never been to a mass with the use of chant but I’ve seen enough of it online and from listening on pandora that that would defintiely work wonders for me in feeling the power of mass. But I’m still a noob in rcia so I’m not yet worthy of receiving Christ in the eucharist and as such am missing out on the whole point of the mass anyways. Easter Vigil and confirmation here I come!
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I rarely go to a Mass without Gregorian chant 😃

I’m fortunate that I live 35 min. away from a Benedictine Abbey of the Solesmes Congregation. All their Masses, even on weekdays, are in Gregorian chant and they have a sister abbey of Benedictine Nuns near Montreal that do the same, and both are OF Masses. Only rarely do I go to a parish Mass, and usually that’s to sing Gregorian chant in the small choir I belong to. Even rarer still is to attend a parish Mass because I don’t have time to go to the monastery (the whole thing takes 3 hours: drive there to get there 1/2 hour before Mass to get a good seat, 1.5 hours at Mass, and drive home). And then, in the latter case, any music they have will pale compared to Gregorian chant.
 
CompSciGuy said:
Enlighten us.
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Perhaps this extract from Sacrosanctum Concilium might help:
  1. Great importance is to be attached to the teaching and practice of music in seminaries, in the novitiates and houses of study of religious of both sexes, and also in other Catholic institutions and schools. To impart this instruction, teachers are to be carefully trained and put in charge of the teaching of sacred music.
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It is desirable also to found higher institutes of sacred music whenever this can be done.
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Composers and singers, especially boys, must also be given a genuine liturgical training.
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  1. The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.
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But other kinds of sacred music, especially polyphony, are by no means excluded from liturgical celebrations, so long as they accord with the spirit of the liturgical action, as laid down in Art. 30.
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  1. The typical edition of the books of Gregorian chant is to be completed; and a more critical edition is to be prepared of those books already published since the restoration by St. Pius X. (Oralabora comment: Graduale Romanum)
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It is desirable also that an edition be prepared containing simpler melodies, for use in small churches. (Oralabora comment: Graduale Simplex)
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  1. Religious singing by the people is to be intelligently fostered so that in devotions and sacred exercises, as also during liturgical services, the voices of the faithful may ring out according to the norms and requirements of the rubrics.
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  1. In certain parts of the world, especially mission lands, there are peoples who have their own musical traditions, and these play a great part in their religious and social life. For this reason due importance is to be attached to their music, and a suitable place is to be given to it, not only in forming their attitude toward religion, but also in adapting worship to their native genius, as indicated in Art. 39 and 40.
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Therefore, when missionaries are being given training in music, every effort should be made to see that they become competent in promoting the traditional music of these peoples, both in schools and in sacred services, as far as may be practicable.
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  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.
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But other instruments also may be admitted for use in divine worship, with the knowledge and consent of the competent territorial authority, as laid down in Art. 22, 52, 37, and 40. This may be done, however, only on condition that the instruments are suitable, or can be made suitable, for sacred use, accord with the dignity of the temple, and truly contribute to the edification of the faithful.
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  1. Composers, filled with the Christian spirit, should feel that their vocation is to cultivate sacred music and increase its store of treasures.
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Let them produce compositions which have the qualities proper to genuine sacred music, not confining themselves to works which can be sung only by large choirs, but providing also for the needs of small choirs and for the active participation of the entire assembly of the faithful.
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The texts intended to be sung must always be in conformity with Catholic doctrine; indeed they should be drawn chiefly from holy scripture and from liturgical sources.
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CompSciGuy said:
One of the things I hear people complaining about most commonly in the Catholic Church as opposed to Evangelical is that the music is not as good. Now I grew up Evangelical, and I’m Catholic now and the music we use in my parish is from the Gather hymnal. Am I the only one who thinks the music in the gather hymnal is way better than the evangelical stuff? I never liked the hillsong-style music, neither the music itself nor the way it is played in a concert-style fashion. The stuff in the gather hymnal is (in my opinion) richer, both lyric-wise and tune-wise.
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I agree that the hillsong-stuff is naff and vacuous, but that music is only found in a relatively small part of the Christian Church. I think when people complain about the music at catholic services (and I am one of them!), it is from the perspective of comparing an average Anglican, Lutheran or Methodist service where traditional music (and hymns) is sung - with the situation in the Catholic church where (aside from the relatively few places that have kept up Gregorian chant and Latin Mass) more modern folk hymns appear. I say appear, rather than sung, because the 2nd problem is that so few people actually sing the hymns. Finally, the beautiful mass settings from Palestrina, Tallis, Guerrero, Haydn, Mozart etc that require professional choirs are only sung in very few Catholic churches, compared to Anglican and Lutheran churches.
 
liturgyluver said:
I say appear, rather than sung, because the 2nd problem is that so few people actually sing the hymns.
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It’s because they are largely un-singable. We have the same situation in French actually, terrible lyrics and un-singable melodies.
 
FatHead said:
the holy father is asking us quite clearly to bring back sacred polyphony and gregorian chant, and to ditch the gituars and drums.
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Not what the teaching states. The church teaching states that “all things being equal” gregorian chant is to be given pride of place. (edit: sorry, i got snarky. I removed the comment).
 
Gather has plenty of good hymns, but most of them are suitable for Protestant churches or for Catholic communities who desire Protestant-style music. I have no problem with guitars or drums – any instrument can be used to praise God. The piano wasn’t considered suitable when it started appearing in Catholic Churches. (Neither was polyphony, for that matter.)

I’ve just discovered an Eastern Catholic Church in my area (no Gather, no OCP, no GIA), and I go there when I grow weary of Protestant music worship in my parish. Plus, they sing almost the entire time. :cool:
 
OraLabora said:
It’s because they are largely un-singable. We have the same situation in French actually, terrible lyrics and un-singable melodies.
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That’s very interesting, I didn’t realize the same problem existed in French.😦
 
OraLabora said:
It’s because they are largely un-singable. We have the same situation in French actually, terrible lyrics and un-singable melodies.
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I agree for the modern hymns which have awful melodies, but I have noticed that even for traditional hymns - Ye Holy Angels Bright, When I survey the wondrous Cross, Come Down O love Divine, Come Ye faithful raise the anthem - to name just a few, the musical participation at most Catholic churches is still very poor.
 
liturgyluver said:
I agree for the modern hymns which have awful melodies, but I have noticed that even for traditional hymns - Ye Holy Angels Bright, When I survey the wondrous Cross, Come Down O love Divine, Come Ye faithful raise the anthem - to name just a few, the musical participation at most Catholic churches is still very poor.
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In the pre-Vatican II days at a Missa Cantata or High Mass, it was more typical for parishioners to be a spectator rather than a participant, in that the choir did all the singing, and even all the responses, unless it was a dialogue Mass.

It’s one of the things the OF has attempted to rectify, with mixed results I would say. On the one hand an OF Mass beautifully done with Gregorian chant is a beautiful event to behold, and an OF Mass with really awful music can be a real turn-off. In the former case, the singing may be beyond the ability of the average layperson, and in the latter, as I said, basically un-singable.

So I’d say that circumstances are such that Catholics never really developed a real culture of singing.
 
OraLabora said:
In the pre-Vatican II days at a Missa Cantata or High Mass, it was more typical for parishioners to be a spectator rather than a participant, in that the choir did all the singing, and even all the responses, unless it was a dialogue Mass.
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Is that what folks at Mass were called pre-VII – spectators? And if folks don’t sing today (or clap along with the hymns), are they spectators too? :confused:
 
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