Contemporary music during Mass?

[Lorrie]

Our Church has started to have contemporary music one Sunday night of every month during Mass. Contemporary meaning drums, guitars and more “up beat” music. To me this seems odd, I’ve just always found the organ to be more reverent in a way. Does anyone else here feel this way too?

 

[tom.wineman]

The organ can be played in a very upbeat style as heard on many an old rhythm and blues record.

**The catechism offers some guidelines on this and Rome has put out guidelines also, but there are those that think the “Brat Mass” , if that is what they are aiming at , is exempt.

Reasoning is that it is better for the teenies to go to hell in church then out on the street. After all hasn’t the gross music been anointed with religious words

**

 

[dhgray]

David writes in PSALM 150:
1 Hallelujah!
Praise God in His sanctuary.
*Praise Him in His mighty heavens. *
*2 Praise Him for His powerful acts; *
*praise Him for His abundant greatness. *
*3 Praise Him with trumpet blast; *
*praise Him with harp and lyre. *
*4 Praise Him with tambourine and dance;
praise Him with flute and strings. *
*5 Praise Him with resounding cymbals;
praise Him with clashing cymbals. *
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.
Hallelujah!

People complain because our kids/youth are leaving the church, but they complain when the youth are attracted to a more active church.

If you want to complain about the noise, cross reference:

2Sa 6:5, 1Ch 13:8, 1Ch 15:16, 1Ch 15:19, 1Ch 15:28, 1Ch 16:5, 1Ch 16:42, 1Ch 25:1, 1Ch 25:6 - 2Ch 5:12, 2Ch 5:13, 2Ch 29:25, Ezr 3:10, Ne 12:27, Ps 150:5 (or do a word search on the word “cymbal”)

 

[Lorrie]

I guess I’m just not used to it (the drums, guitars, etc. during Mass). I’ve always enjoyed the organ being played in a serene way. I can definitely see how bringing in the contemporary music will help keep the kids there. Thankfully it’s only one Sunday night a month.

 

[katherine2]

Lorrie:

I guess I’m just not used to it (the drums, guitars, etc. during Mass). I’ve always enjoyed the organ being played in a serene way. I can definitely see how bringing in the contemporary music will help keep the kids there. Thankfully it’s only one Sunday night a month.

You may want to go to a different Mass.

 

[gloryb]

My husband and I sing in our choir and we have been arguing about this. The pastor has wanted a modernization of the music without degrading it. Between him and the music director I believe they have done a wonderful job. We are doing more praise and worship music and instruments have been added.

We used to have a large organ and a violin. We have come down from the choir loft, something that was right since our loft was behind the altar. Now we have an electric piano and still have the violin. Guitars have been added, which have upset some people.

Just before Christmas a drummer came in and I believe made a wonderful difference. He used a padded drumstick with the cymbals as well as chimes. The effect was beautiful.

My husband is ready to leave the choir because of the drums. So is another man. I do not understand this response to instruments which are respectfully played.

This comes from the USCCB.

While the organ is to be accorded pride of place, other wind, stringed, or percussion instruments may be used in liturgical services in the dioceses of the United States of America, according to longstanding local usage, provided they are truly apt for sacred use or can be rendered apt.

Sacred music is not only that which was done in the days pre-Vatican II. Some of it is contemporary and is aided by the use of various instruments. I wish people did not have such strong opposition to these things.

Gloria

 

[Chris-WA]

gloryb:

My husband is ready to leave the choir because of the drums. So is another man. I do not understand this response to instruments which are respectfully played.

This comes from the USCCB.
While the organ is to be accorded pride of place, other wind, stringed, or percussion instruments may be used in liturgical services in the dioceses of the United States of America, according to longstanding local usage, provided they are truly apt for sacred use or can be rendered apt

Read this again carefully, for a lot of people seem to be reading into it what’s not there. “The organ is accorded pride of place” (i.e., it is the norm and it should be our first choice). “…may be used in the United States, according to longstanding local usage” (people seem to forget the “longstanding local usage” part). “…provided they are truly apt for sacred use or can be rendered apt” (this is very important, and often loosely interpreted by mass music groups).

People are taking the above statement to mean that it’s o.k. to ditch the organ in favor of contemporary music. That’s not what this statement says at all. It says that if you’re going to ditch the organ in favor of other instruments, you better make sure that those instruments are truly apt for sacred use. Now this opens up a lot of room for personal opinion and taste, but for me, drum sets and electric guitars tend to not be “truly apt for sacred use”. It’s too easy to make them distractors, and it’s hard to keep them reverent. I would much rather ditch them than the organ. The above statement is trying to ensure that liturgical music is reverent. Unfortunately, many music groups seem to take it as a license to do whatever they want.

It sounds like your group is trying to use the drums reverently, but in my parish they’re played just like you would hear in a pop song on the radio. The end effect is a jazzed up irreverent music party in the midst of the sacred liturgy. I’ve seen this in other parishes, and it’s equally discouraging.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Lorrie:

Our Church has started to have contemporary music one Sunday night of every month during Mass. Contemporary meaning drums, guitars and more “up beat” music. To me this seems odd, I’ve just always found the organ to be more reverent in a way. Does anyone else here feel this way too?

For the most part the instruments used are not regulated strictly. However the specific music is. Only music from approved liturgical lists is to be used for Mass.

 

[Mrs_P]

Music at mass can be a distraction to prayer - and that would include all instruments including organ and also voices. The key is to have trained musicians leading the music ministry and choosing music that is appropriate and reverent. That takes money - either for the training or for hiring someone with a background in liturgical music. Which all goes back to keeping music in the schools so we can raise up new church musicians from our youth. Which also takes money. Can you tell I’m a music teacher?