Several of you (Cat and Sarabande) are blaming the culture, and I would agree. But aren’t we supposed to transform the culture instead of just accepting it as is? I do not like the old hymns because they are old, I like them because they are majestic, glorious, and sacred. They, at least in my opinion are fitting for the celebration of Mass.
I think you are missing my main point. You were blaming a feminisation of music. My point is that there is no such thing as placing a gender on music. Music is either bad or good, cheesy or beautiful, wimpy or majestic. There are just as many women who don’t like this same music as the men.
Personally, I actually don’t and never did accept culture as it is. I’ve always been one who marched to the beat of a different drummer. My family has always been that way and it is probably why so many people have found my family unusual in a good way. Many of my friends have wished they had my family. We never tried to be different, but we just didn’t care about pleasing others and did things our own way. And by no means are my parents rebels, nor were they hippies or anything like that. They just did their own thing and raised us to be independent people and thinkers, to ask questions, to analyze, read, learn, treat all people with love and compassion, never judging others, etc.
I was describing to you what I’ve observed and have concluded from my own experience, knowledge of history, music history and liturgical music history and as a professional musician. Basically, I was stating facts and alternative reasons/observations for why it seemed men didn’t sing.
From the time I chose to leave the Newman Center at my college and join the choir of one of the only parishes in the city at the time who still continued to do the timeless sacred repertoire of great composers, of chant, etc., I went against the grain, the current culture with what was common in many of the parishes of my youth and young adulthood. A couple years later when I worked for a Catholic school and church as the music teacher/children’s music director, I further did that by proving that children were smart and able and enjoyed singing chant. I created a music club to teach them about the composers and music of their Catholic heritage, to broaden and open their minds and let them know that there was much more to Catholic liturgical music than “On Eagles Wings” and “Here I Am, Lord”. They are probably some of the few Catholic kids who had even heard of Palestrina. I never had that opportunity to learn about them as a kid their age, having always felt stifled and pandered to as a child. I didn’t want that to happen to my students and felt that it was my responsibility while God led me within that path in my life to introduce them to something much more than what they were getting.
When I am hired for weddings, this is another opportunity for me to introduce couples to repertoire and composers that they may have never heard of. Most of them are from my generation and younger and all grew up exposed to the same kind of background in liturgical music. I’ve even had some couples request Latin chant mass parts when they realized how prayerful and beautiful they were.
Also, in your quote
But aren’t we supposed to transform the culture instead of just accepting it as is?
I’ve answered that in my previous posts in regards to one of the ways to improve the situation for males. And the same can be done for all people. We can gripe and complain, but unless we are in the “trenches” working to make the change, working to change the attitudes of people by being examples either in encouraging music and singing with our children or by working in the parishes or by example in our musicianship, all it will still be is griping and complaining with nothing else to change the culture and society of the times. In my work as a musician and as a liturgical musician, I have gotten my hands dirty and have been doing the work - since my college days. I’m not the type to just throw up my hands and give up no matter how much I’m pushed down. My parents didn’t raise me to be that way. Little by little a good musician who truly loves the musical heritage of the Church and who truly believes in holding high standards for sacred music that was written in the past and in the present, can make a difference with the people he who she comes in contact with. You will get backlash and negative energy, but you just continue on without bitterness and with complete love. It’s very easy to become bitter. When I was in my early 20s, I was borderline bitter because of how mean, cruel and controlling those people who were totally against anything pre-1970 were. Now I’m actually fairly calm about it and use my head and my love. I’ve also come to realize that I was not just a some lone island on my own. That many people have felt the same way - especially other musicians. Unfortunately, we’ve lost some who were so beaten down that they’ve finally just left music ministry in general or began work at Protestant congregations which still loved and respected this sacred music treasury. They had to do it for their own sanity and to keep them from hating those who worked in the Church.
A lot of women (who either like or dislike the other stuff) also love the so-called “masculine” hymns. And there are plenty of men today who could care less about any kind of hymn - majestic or cheesy. Some may enjoy hearing them, but still won’t sing them.
