I, for one, do not think that it is a question of “liturgical vanity.” In my parish, we have to suffer through the dribble offered by Oregon Catholic Press, especially its Spirit and Song collection. This hymnal pretty much amounts to the infamous “Songs of Worship” Protestant pop music hawked on TV. Just because it’s biblically-based doen’t make this stuff good liturgical music. After all, in Sacramentum Caritatis, Pope Benedict makes the case (as he’s done in his other books on the Mass) that one song is not as good as another. It’s especially worse when you have the choir and the musicians swaying to the music. It’s particularly painful when you must sit through every single verse of the stuff.
What is even worse is that the Salesian School where I was taught is now using this “Praise and Worship” stuff. It is particularly painful for me because when I approached the principal, who is a Salesian Sister, about the matter, she said that children’s Masses have a greater laxity. This is definitely not true. I suspect that St. John Bosco is probably wondering what happened. If anyone stressed fidelity to Rome it was him.
I thnk what y’all need ro realize is that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass demands a particular type of music. The Protestant stuff is good for those particular ecclesial communities; however, because the Mass is a sacrifice, the music needs to conform to the mystery we are partaking. Granted, there are scant modern hymns that try to capture the essence of the sacred liturgy. However, the type of music to which Pope Benedict refers deals with the sublime.
Now, bad liturgical music is not confined to the English-speaking world. Spanish liturgical music has its share of bad pieces, as well. “Pescador de los Hombre” (or, in English, "Lord, when You came to the Seashore), “Amor de Dios” (in English, "O, Love of God)–which focuses more on the community than on anything else, and “Hombres/Pueblos Nuevos”, an anthem that just about extols the condemned liberation theology of Latin America. Even the music for the Spanish sung parts of the Mass is questionable, especially since the Gloria is hacked to the point that it reduces “Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father” and goes straignt to the “Lamb of God”. The Mariachi answer to the penitential rite is too celebratory and lacks the sobriety and the somberness that this prayer requires.
Of course, there is the liturgical form of the infamous wedding singer that must also be discussed. Priests need to get a better handle on who is doing the music for the weddings because they can turn an otherwise solemn location into open-mike night. Somebody on this thread noted that guitar music, when done well, can sustain sacred music. That may work for some pieces, but, this past weekend, having heard Schubert’s Ave Maria sung and strum to an almost “ranchera” tone left me traumatized. The choir also took liberties with the “Our Father.”
The bottom line is that I can’t wait for Pope Benedict to start getting his winnowing fan and clearing the thrashing floor of the bad music we’ve had to endure for 40 years. I think that this new office that he’s established will have far-reaching implications.
I realize that this is a long post, but having suffered through bad liturgical practices and music in my diocese, I felt compelled to write. Let’s hope that Pope Benedict will make a clean sweep of things before it is too late.
That is very true. Some of our people do give us a bad name. hahah! It’s no wonder that others have an idea of musicians and their music and will immediately get their backs up when you start talking about certain kinds of music even if you don’t mean to be insulting or putting down anyone.
