Do you think secular (upbeat, fast) music at mass is distracting?

[jrnami]

I’ll simply repeat, it is quite secular, in composition, instrumentation and presentation. It’s Christian pop rock, or Christian easy listening ballad. Why would you feel the need to deny something so obvious?

I will also repeat, Praise and Worship music is spiritual, not secular.

 

[rwoehmke]

I was delighted and enlightened by Music Mans Lesson. In my parish they play some fairly decent hymns, but they play them sooo sloowly that I think even the Old Dea Isirae(yeah spelling) would sound cheerful and upbeat. We use organ, piano, guitars, brass, drums, but so far no tamborines. Not at the same Mass of course. Andreas Sagovia used to do classical pieces on guitar. It was really nice listening. I hate it when the music is such at Mass that I leave with my chin down around my belt buckle. It detracts from the spiritual effects that Mass should have on us. Yes I am aware that we are not the focus of the Mass, but that the worship of God is. The only problem is that our worship does not lift God up, but in the end fills our human need to worship. Reason, acts of the will, faith are all well and good. We can have all of those and still come away from Mass emotionally starved. To paraphrase, Man does not live by reason and Faith alone. Even those who insist upon that standard for judging worship are getting an emotional fill-up whether they believe it or not. The Music goes a long ways to fill that need.

 

[anniemart]

Simple. The history of the saxophone is my source. It’s a secular instrument, pure and simple.

That wasn’t the question at hand. The question was, is the saxophone a secular (profane) instrument. It is, just like the electric guitar, electronic keyboard and drum set.

boy…I’m really concerned now…our 12:00 choir uses two electrical guitars and three acoustic guitars…no drums yet though.

The gentleman who was our regular cantor has a beautiful voice but he’s gone now…today it was really an effort to remain focused. The choir leader attempted to do the job of the cantor and his voice cracked so badly and the notes couldn’t be reached… our priest had to finish the job…Oh, and one of the candles caught fire on the altar…it took two altar servers and the priest to put it out…he was angry but no comments were made aloud to anyone…please pray for us; I know everyone there today was dong the best they could with the talents they have…

 

[StephenB]

Pray for them? of course. Invoke the Holy Spirit? Absolutely.

What happens in the rectory stays in the rectory??
Absloutely NOT!!! Things must be brought out into the open. People must be accountable.
The sex abuse scandals were bad enough… The fact that they were hidden and covered up is what caused so much damage and mistrust against the church.

I knew that within 20 seconds of releasing that post of mine, someone would find a way to take the allusion to a popular advertising campaign out of context. Rather disparaging of a person you don’t even know to insinuate that might have even been the remotest part of my thinking.
While our clergy are imbued with a certain grace for their position (and undoubtedly many have abused this grace and the ensuing trust) they are nonetheless human and subject to the human foible of temperment. They need to be allowed these moments of frustration, that OP alluded to in her day to day interaction, with a cerain expectation that it is a private matter.
And if for you this is in the same category as sexual abuse…tsk tsk…I hope you can see the difference.

 

[nycava]

On Sundays, we have different choirs at 3 of our 4 masses. This particular Sunday, it appeared that there was more than the usual baby and young children noise heard. (It was really loud at some moments.) God Bless our little ones!

The choir played a most hauntingly somber song that unfortunately, not being overly familiar with most traditional music yet, I did not recognize it. Nonetheless, it moved me to the point of tears. Then the choir followed this piece with a secular song that had several people clapping. When mass was over, the priest told me and a few others that he did not like that secular music at mass under any circumstance and that the choir in question already knew this. He was livid to tell the truth. He then stated that the secular music was the reason for the louder than usual children at mass that morning. He also pointed out that there were several kids out of their pews wandering about. He finished with the statement that this kind of music leads the young kids and some adults to think that they are at a rock and roll show and not at mass. While I prefer to hear secular music outside of mass, I was left with wondering if he could be right about it being distracting in some way to our youngest of brothers and sisters. Any thoughts? Musicman, what are your thoughts here, please?

God indeed blesses us each every minute of every hour of every day.

 

[VAC]

I knew that within 20 seconds of releasing that post of mine, someone would find a way to take the allusion to a popular advertising campaign out of context. Rather disparaging of a person you don’t even know to insinuate that might have even been the remotest part of my thinking.
While our clergy are imbued with a certain grace for their position (and undoubtedly many have abused this grace and the ensuing trust) they are nonetheless human and subject to the human foible of temperment. They need to be allowed these moments of frustration, that OP alluded to in her day to day interaction, with a cerain expectation that it is a private matter.
And if for you this is in the same category as sexual abuse…tsk tsk…I hope you can see the difference.

The interaction the OP described was not in private. Of course, we are all human and we all need to vent frustration.
A person in a postion of leadership can chose effective problem solving and set clear limitis, all out in the open.
I can see that the topics of music selection and sexual abuse are different.
Can you see that what I’m talking about is how things are done??
Abuse can only proliferate in an enviornment of secrecy, denial and coverup. If things are done fairly and legally, There’s no reason for not being out in the open.

 

[nycava]

:
Secular music at mass "how awful’, I suggest that they replace the choir leader. They showed complete disrespect to your Pastor and the Lord.
The only acceptable music at Mass is the organ.
I’m not speaking about many other Cultures that use different instruments…that is very acceptable and beautiful.The parishioners should know they are in the house of the LORD,not a rock concert.
GOD BLESS
nycava

 

[StephenB]

Well I certainly do NOT know how a music thread got onto sexual abuse…! “Oh, Moderator!”

To try to get this back in realm of the topic - simply because a piece of music is upbeat, it may not be fair to consider it secular; conversely, simply because something has the tone of a funeral dirge, doesn’t mean it is appropriate for the liturgy.

Several years ago, we were blessed with an EXTREMELY talented choir director - Undergraduate in Opera, and many years of performing music in the liturgy - most priests ecstatic with the level of skill he brought to the position AND what he could get out of a choir with more heart than talent. He took a position in another city out of state - he knew three months before he left - and with the blessing of the PASTOR, he prepared the choir for a special number on his last sunday. We worked extremely hard to coordinate voices and many instruments not normally part of the mix of the choir. The Sunday arrived -many tears among the choir members realizing that this was farewell. Appropriate farewells made at the end of Mass before the final hymn, the special number: “Hail Holy Queen” as performed in Sister Act.
As amazing as the final hymn was, and as well performed and received by the congregation - was it appropriate for liturgy - in retrospect, probably not…but that’s the funny thing about singing and music especially in the context of worship - it is ALL, and I’ll say it again, ALL, a use of God-given talent. So how is this an abuse? (Yes the contract priest, our local parochial vicar in the congregation, voiced his opinion that he disagreed with the selection, and in his opinion, as a monk from someplace called St. Meinrad (TIC) there were many more appropriate sacred selections to use.
But guess what - no one had to be awakened to leave church that day!

It’s been said:
The Pastor, or if delegated, the Parochial Vicar sets the tone for what does or does not “fly” at the worship service - if they don’t like the music selections or the continual disregard for instruction, release the person responsible.

 

[VAC]

:.
The only acceptable music at Mass is the organ.
I’m not speaking about many other Cultures that use different instruments…that is very acceptable and beautiful.The parishioners should know they are in the house of the LORD,not a rock concert.
GOD BLESS
nycava

Which instruments are accpetable and beautiful in other cultures?
If these instruments are acceptable and beautiful in other cultures, why is the organ the only acceptable organ in ours?
As a previous poster stated, in the US, other instruments are acceptable.
nccbuscc.org/liturgy/current/musiccathworship.shtml

Our Spanish choir leader tells me that in her country in Latin America, almost none of the churches have organs, and their repetroire does not include any old hymns or chants.

 

[THurifer2]

You post title says SECULAR music.

Secular music has abosolutely NO place in any mass (or any liturgical function)

 

[chicago]

I was delighted and enlightened by Music Mans Lesson. In my parish they play some fairly decent hymns, but they play them sooo sloowly that I think even the Old Dea Isirae(yeah spelling) would sound cheerful and upbeat.

An old lady I knew (now passed on) used to complain that she always thought the music that was played at the Mass she attended sounded like they were at a Mass for the Dead.

We use organ, piano, guitars, brass, drums, but so far no tamborines.

Tambourines at Mass are SO 1970s/early 80s.