Holy and Beautiful Music

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What happened to Catholics listening to Gregorian Chants? The only type of music that Catholics are listening to now is that Christian rock and modern Christian music. In my opinion, this is the farthest religious music from holiness (it’s not very beautiful either). I feel as though I am one of the only Catholics still proud of our holy, beautiful, and trditional Gregorian Chants (and I’m only 16). I never knew the traditional Church. If anyone else feels the same way, please reply.
 
Thank You! I thought I was going to get attacked (verbally) by people who like that music and I’m glad I’m not the only one.
 
You are not alone, I much prefer traditional gregorian chant and music over the insipid kumbaya music we get subjected to.

I’m glad to hear some young’uns like it too!
 
I wished they’d bring back the Sacred Music that was once used during the Liturgy of the Mass:

Miserere Mei Deus - Psalm 51

Dum Transisset Sabbatum - Mark 16
 
what about those people who listen to that awful death metal Christian stuff with all the screaming. I just can’t see how that is pleasing to God… but maybe I’m wrong.
 
Today at Good Friday, the choir sang the famous introit to Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. The staccato minor-mode bass in the organ really accompanied the sense of impending death well. Clouds formed in the blue sky outside the cathedral as this music intensified in deep sorrow. Its suspensions, dissonances, and dire cries of despair really rang out well in Latin. This is Renaissance/Baroque tragedy at its finest, though with tiny hints of the great victory in the midst of it all… 🙂

Don’t limit yourself to Gregorian Chant. The Holy Church gave us so much heroic joy with Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, Rheinberger, Vivaldi, and many other composers. Our great Lord and blessed Saviour truly gave us a lot to use and be thankful for.
 
What about the modernization of churches and other small t Catholic traditions? What do you think about them?
 
Barbkw said:
I wished they’d bring back the Sacred Music that was once used during the Liturgy of the Mass:

Miserere Mei Deus - Psalm 51

Dum Transisset Sabbatum - Mark 16
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I miss it, too. John Paul II wrote about (or to) artists, meaning music, sacred architecture, visual arts and how they are given to us by God and then we give them back.
I recently read Ugly as Sin by Michael S. Rose, about churches being re-done in the 1960’s and 1970’s, using a guidebook written by a Lutheran who stated he was “picking up where the Reformation left off.”

I’m not sure where Mr Rose is now, but this book is somewhat humorous in his descriptions of churches, while being passionate about what has been lost.

The same goes for the music and the sacred spaces that have been trampled on by making them almost commercial establishments, so lax and casual.

The worst thing they have done is remove the Blessed Sacrament into a little room off to the side.
They lost me for awhile, and I re-verted-- though I never left in my heart. VaticanII was too much, too fast.
It is intriguing to me that young people are the ones wanting to bring back the beauty, the deeper spirituality, and the communal prayer.

Stuck in the Middle Ages? Fine with me. Stuck in 1969? No thanks.
 
ajpirc said:
What happened to Catholics listening to Gregorian Chants? The only type of music that Catholics are listening to now is that Christian rock and modern Christian music. In my opinion, this is the farthest religious music from holiness (it’s not very beautiful either). I feel as though I am one of the only Catholics still proud of our holy, beautiful, and trditional Gregorian Chants (and I’m only 16). I never knew the traditional Church. If anyone else feels the same way, please reply.
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I don’t know what parishes you have been going to, but at the parish I go to the Masses are all sung in Gregorian Chants and in Latin, and there are some traditional sacred music pieces sung like Palestrina and Hassler. Perhaps this is not the norm right now, but I can’t imagine anything different! The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter celebrates Mass in the 1962 Missal. Also the Benedictine Monks of Solesmes are well known for Gregorian Chant.
 
I don’t think anyone in the Traditional forum would attack you for praising chant.

It being Good Friday I can’t help but think of my most favorite hymn Villa Regis Prodeunt by St Fortunatus. It was written in 569 for a procession bearing a relic of the True Cross. Princes and bishops were in attendance, but all secular rulers paled to the Lord. The hymn is so transcendantly sublime, capturing the drama and majesty of the Paschal Mystery.
.

If you like Polyphony, listen to Anerio’s Requiem. It’s other wordly
 
valoriuslobo said:
I don’t think anyone in the Traditional forum would attack you for praising chant.

It being Good Friday I can’t help but think of my most favorite hymn Villa Regis Prodeunt by St Fortunatus. It was written in 569 for a procession bearing a relic of the True Cross. Princes and bishops were in attendance, but all secular rulers paled to the Lord. The hymn is so transcendantly sublime, capturing the drama and majesty of the Paschal Mystery.
.

If you like Polyphony, listen to Anerio’s Requiem. It’s other wordly
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I am listening ot Anerio right now on You Tube. Thank you for mentioning that. Would he be considered Roman School? I believe it was St. Pius X who commended Roman School composers.
 
hoop0826 said:
I am listening ot Anerio right now on You Tube. Thank you for mentioning that. Would he be considered Roman School? I believe it was St. Pius X who commended Roman School composers.
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Yes, they (the Anerio brothers) were Roman School composers. Giovanni worked at St John Lateran, Felice was a priest. They had some connection with Palestrina, but I don’t know how.

Now that we’re on the subject of Polyphony, I must say I prefer a female mature soprano singing the soprano parts as opposed to a boy treble. A boy’s immature voice is soft but doesn’t quite have the full and stronger sound of a true soprano. However, I do like it when a countertenor assumes the alto position. It gives it a rich undertone and bridges the female and male sections together. That being said, I believe the castrati did the soprano parts back in the day. Such a price to pay for art!😉
 
I have spent the last two days being immersed in Sacred Polyphony and Chant. The Triduum in the EF is magnificent.

Have a Holy Easter.
 
Luckily enough for me I am about 20+ min from a FSSP Mass, so 99.9% of the time that is what I attend. Heck, I even sang in the schola for a few years…and loved it! 🙂
 
ajpirc said:
What happened to Catholics listening to Gregorian Chants? The only type of music that Catholics are listening to now is that Christian rock and modern Christian music. In my opinion, this is the farthest religious music from holiness (it’s not very beautiful either). I feel as though I am one of the only Catholics still proud of our holy, beautiful, and trditional Gregorian Chants (and I’m only 16). I never knew the traditional Church. If anyone else feels the same way, please reply.
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Well, what about Catholics who aside from Gregorian, also listen to Old Roman, Beneventan, Ambrosian, Mozarabic, Byzantine, and Maronite chant? 😃
 
After speaking of the holy and beautiful music of the Church’s history, does anybody think it and our other traditions (small t) are making a comeback?
 
ajpirc said:
What happened to Catholics listening to Gregorian Chants? The only type of music that Catholics are listening to now is that Christian rock and modern Christian music. In my opinion, this is the farthest religious music from holiness (it’s not very beautiful either). I feel as though I am one of the only Catholics still proud of our holy, beautiful, and trditional Gregorian Chants (and I’m only 16). I never knew the traditional Church. If anyone else feels the same way, please reply.
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It makes me feel glad I’m not the only one who likes the Old Gregorian Chants. 😃 (I’m 22)

Welcome to the Club! 👍
 
I definitely prefer the chants to modern church music. I have a feeling that if I knew latin, they would be even better 😛
However, I still enjoy listening to some “christian rock” as long as it’s not the bad, cliche kind that most people think of when they hear the phrase. For instance, I think Skillet is great. I guess my music taste is just extremely broad, which I view as a blessing. It lets me understand almost everyone’s tastes. Except for people who like screamo…:rolleyes:
But yeah. For church music, I think it should be EXCLUSIVELY chant. It just seems like people are incapable of composing good hymns in English.
 
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