Does anyone here besides myself like the contemporary music at mass

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Paul71 said:
most modern hymns tend to be written in a certain style that I would describe as banal or happy-clappy, and I simply don’t like that style and don’t see it as reverent. I see it as a huge step down from the music I listen to in everyday life, while ideally it should be a step up .
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To expand on this idea, imagine what it would be like if you went to Mass, and the Eucharist prayer were recited using very informal English, including some modern slang words that people 50 years ago wouldn’t have understood, and where the language is less formal than the language you use in everyday conversation. Would this bother you? Maybe some people would like it. I suspect that many wouldn’t. And like it or not, would something seem just plain wrong about it? For me, the experience of hearing contemporary music at Mass is something like this.
 
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Loud-living-dogma said:
Why did your image of slang English remind me of this? 🙂 (It never fails to make me smile)
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I don’t want to laugh at this, because I feel like whoever posted the video on Youtube is making fun of this man’s dialect. And maybe within his community, this language could be appropriate for prayer. But if a visiting priest at my parish started in on this version of the Our Father during Mass, it certainly would seem out of place, to say the least. 🙂
 
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Right – maybe I shouldn’t have posted it. That’s all I meant – it’s would seem out of place outside a particular context.
 
Ron,
It sounds like you know your art and craft very well. I realize I may have been abrasive, and it may have seemed like it was directed toward you. I think my argument was more with Michael, anyway. 🙂 It sounds like you have been serving your parish very well for decades. I apologize for my harsh words and tone.
My point in posting those excerpts from the Church Music Association of America was that there is a lot more to Catholic music than picking 4 hymns that fit the day’s scripture readings. I don’t think that many non-musicians know about the Graduale Romanum, for instance.
As to answer your questions:
  1. You know what - - I think I should have used the word “sacred” rather than liturgical. That’s a big hole in my argument. I posted those excerpts to try to promulgate a good definition of what sacred music is.
  2. I can see that you take your responsibilities seriously, as your longevity in your parish attests.
  3. I think that music directors are ultimately guided by each individual priest, and so most choices really rest on the pastor for a particular parish. I know priests are afraid of “everyone leaving”, or maybe they have seen it happen, which is why I hope that bishops would make the music more consistent across a diocese.
    Again, my apologies, I didn’t mean any of my comments directed towards you.
 
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Here is another analogy that may be helpful:

The very early Christians often celebrated Mass in the catacombs, because they had good reasons for meeting in secret. Later generations of Christians no longer needed to meet in secret, so they built huge, ornate, and beautiful cathedrals, and smaller but still beautiful and ornate parish churches. I would argue that they did this because they realized that given a choice of where to worship God, it is more fitting to worship Him in a very special place, that raises our eyes and hearts to heaven, and that is set apart from the buildings and places that we inhabit in our everyday lives.

In my opinion, we should apply that same idea to sacred music.

(And I’m sorry for monopolizing this topic. I’ll take a breather now and let others post.)
 
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I agree somewhat but not every parish is a cathedral and not every church can afford professional musicians that can chant or sing Palestrina.

I don’t see why we can’t have both. And I don’t understand why people who don’t like contemporary music even commented other than to chime in when I specifically asked for the opposite
 
SacredHeartBassist said:
I don’t see why we can’t have both.
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I’m fine with that too. In my area, we don’t have both, or at least we have a lot more of one than the other.
SacredHeartBassist said:
And I don’t understand why people who don’t like contemporary music even commented other than to chime in when I specifically asked for the opposite
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I read your topic title as asking a question that could be answered either way. As I said above, I’ll bow out for a while.
 
Sorry that I chimed in too much, and harped on one of my pet peeves. 🤐
I know that my ranting probably didn’t convince anyone of anything!
 
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My church follows the typical hymn sandwich formula, but another in the area actually does use the prescribed antiphons first, then the hymns at communion. It adds a lot to the Mass, in my opinion.
 
I like contemporary music if it is well done. The closest we get is to our church’s guitar and flute group.
 
Actually you blend the guitarists and the flute player and other odd and end instrumentalist who shows up with the close harmonies of the singers and, yeah, they actually sound pretty good!
 
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Loud-living-dogma said:
I realize I may have been abrasive, and it may have seemed like it was directed toward you.
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All is well. Thank you, but no apologies needed. I did not take your responses as abrasive, just a good discussion.
Paul71 said:
I honestly can’t think of any hymn that was written after about 1960 or 1970 that I like.
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I somehow get the feeling that the music chosen by your music director is always the more contemporary modern kind and there is nothing of the newer, more reverent.

For both of you: On another thread, “Best and Worst Hymns,” I posted a link to a newer contemporary song that we used for Ascension: “One Sacrifice of Christ.” Listen to it a couple of times. Listen to the singable tempo. And, especially listen to the reverent lyrics. Let me know what you think. Then, if you dare to (LOL), listen to the contemporary, almost chant-like, Pentecost Sequence as well that we will sing this weekend. Thanks.
 
I like to sing at Mass. Sometimes it seems that the hymns are difficult for a man to sing. I do not have enough training in music to know whether this is due to the way the music in written or if the cantor is merely more comfortable singing in soprano and/or falsetto. On certain occasions I find myself reduced to reading the lyrics quietly if I am unable to figure out how to sing the hymn at a lower octave. My favorite hymns are ones that I am can sing successfully and easily.
 
Maybe if it’s in Latin and doesn’t have the problems that people find annoying in guitar Masses.
 
It happened again this weekend, yet another set of lyrics set to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. WHY???
 
I’m a music leader at mass and I love singing and performing new and modern contemporary music in mass. Of the four songs we sing during mass, 2 are traditional and 2 or contemporary most Sundays, but the 3rd Sunday of the month is all contemporary music. Matt Maher, Casting Crowns, Third Day, MercyMe, Newsboys, Sidewalk Profits, Jeremy Camp, Crowder, Francesca Battistelli, etc…

I know some parishioners like traditional music but the funny thing is that we never get complimented on Amazing Grace, Seek Ye First, City of God, Look Beyond, etc… But whenever we introduce a new song such as recently with “Loving My Jesus”, and “Keep Making Me” we have people coming to us after mass saying how much they loved that song.

I feel that contemporary music expands our repertoire of selections gives us more options to expand on the messages of the readings and gospels.
 
Just curious-- is that what you think of as “traditional” – Seek ye first, etc?
 
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