Horrible Easter Song

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I attended the Easter Vigil, and instead of chanting the litany of the saints, the choir sang some song with the lyrics, “All you holy men and women pray for us.” What set me off, however, is that the song included Solomon as one of the saints.

I thought this was highly inappropriate, especially since the Bible only praises three kings – David, Ezechial, and Josiah. Secondly, because it’s always been a matter of debate whether Solomon was saved or not.

If anyone knows this song (or the songwriter), please encourage removal of the reference to Solomon whenever the song is performed.
 
It is sung at our vigil at the end of the Litany of the Saints as the wind up. Are you sure they didn’t sing or say the individual prayers of the litany first. If Salomon and others were mentioned they must have. 🙂
 
Solomon, as one of the Ancestors of Christ according to the flesh, is commemorated as a saint on the Byzantine Catholic and Orthodox Churches on the Sunday before Nativity.

And I believe you will find him listed somewhere in the Roman Martyrology.
 
You’ve waited a while to post about it!

Did the end of the first verse (if you can remember) go:

“Ruth, David and Solomon [pray for us], Isaiah, Jeremiah [pray for us], all you holy men and women, pray for us” with the cantor part and congregation’s pray-for-us almost overlapping?

If so, it’s a setting by John D Becker, St Thomas More Group/OCP. You can check here:

ocp.org/songs/1605
 
Guitar said:
You’ve waited a while to post about it!

Did the end of the first verse (if you can remember) go:

“Ruth, David and Solomon [pray for us], Isaiah, Jeremiah [pray for us], all you holy men and women, pray for us” with the cantor part and congregation’s pray-for-us almost overlapping?

If so, it’s a setting by John D Becker, St Thomas More Group/OCP. You can check here:

ocp.org/songs/1605
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If the “Litany of the Saints” to which the OP referred is the one found at the link in the above post, it is a very, very beautiful version - as far from “horrible” as the east is from the west.
 
GemmaRose said:
If the “Litany of the Saints” to which the OP referred is the one found at the link in the above post, it is a very, very beautiful version - as far from “horrible” as the east is from the west.
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What makes me think it might be Becker’s setting is that it includes Solomon and that the OP described what s/he heard as a “song”.
 
Guitar said:
What makes me think it might be Becker’s setting is that it includes Solomon and that the OP described what s/he heard as a “song”.
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Yes… but whichever it is - that should be the biggest problem in the OP’s life!
 
IMHO, This particular rendition of the Litany of Saints is not that bad. Although the tune is rather contemporary, I have heard it sung beautifully and reverently on various occasions.

Like the OP, my old parish, which was not known for its orthodoxy, used to add names like Dr. Martin Luther King and Ghandi to the litany…I mean, seriously!!
 
I believe I have heard this version, too, and if so then the one I heard included Origen as a saint! I know he’s definitely not a saint in the Western Church and cannot imagine the Eastern Church doing so. Any man who cuts his um, — his certain body part off is not usually one upheld as a declared saint (though of course, may he actually be one now, just not one declared)!
 
VietCatholic83 said:
IMHO, This particular rendition of the Litany of Saints is not that bad. Although the tune is rather contemporary, I have heard it sung beautifully and reverently on various occasions.

Like the OP, my old parish, which was not known for its orthodoxy, used to add names like Dr. Martin Luther King and Ghandi to the litany…I mean, seriously!!
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One guy I know had the Becker’s Litany at his ordination. He had instructed the choir to add the names of his mom & dad and some of his relatives, some not dead yet, to the list. When the bishop came over and saw that he had a slight sick look on his face and instructed the choir to sing the Litany as written, without additions or subtractions.

Personally, I prefer the traditional chant to Becker’s.
 
Phemie said:
One guy I know had the Becker’s Litany at his ordination. He had instructed the choir to add the names of his mom & dad and some of his relatives, some not dead yet, to the list. When the bishop came over and saw that he had a slight sick look on his face and instructed the choir to sing the Litany as written, without additions or subtractions.

Personally, I prefer the traditional chant to Becker’s.
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Yeah. We had that litany in my old parish in Austin. The melody is pretty; however, having heard the Litany of the Saints as it is supposed to be chanted (Pope John Paul’s funeral, Pope Benedict’s installation Mass), nothing beats the traditional chant.👍
 
benedictgal said:
Yeah. We had that litany in my old parish in Austin. The melody is pretty; however, having heard the Litany of the Saints as it is supposed to be chanted (Pope John Paul’s funeral, Pope Benedict’s installation Mass), nothing beats the traditional chant.👍
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The above is simply a matter of opinion and nothing more. Old doesn’t mean better. I sing in a schola and we’ve been doing a lot of older, more traditional music, quite a bit of it in Latin as well. There are older, more traditional songs that deserve to go the way (eventually, I hope) of “Gather Us In,” for example, “On This Day, O Beautiful Mother”, which speaks of “fondly we hover” and “lisping” our prayers. I always rather imagine the Blessed Mother rolling Her eyes as She listens to this (if She had a tendency to roll Her eyes, which I’m sure She doesn’t). I realize, however, that this is my subjective opinion.

The “Litany of the Saints” spoken of here is quite beautiful. Naturally, there should be no insertions of the uncanonized, but that aberation doesn’t render the other words or the tune unacceptable, particularly sung a capella and parted out for SATB.
 
GemmaRose said:
Yes… but whichever it is - that should be the biggest problem in the OP’s life!

The OP didn’t say it was the biggest problem in her life, all she’s stating is she just didn’t like this particular version as is her right. No need for you to get your tights in a bunch about it.

JTG’S
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Jimmytwoguns said:
GemmaRose;3851555:
Yes… but whichever it is - that should be the biggest problem in the OP’s life!

The OP didn’t say it was the biggest problem in her life, all she’s stating is she just didn’t like this particular version as is her right. No need for you to get your tights in a bunch about it.

JTG’S
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No, she didn’t say that she just didn’t like it. She entitled the thread "Horrible Easter Song. In doing so, she insults the artist who wrote this setting of the Litany and the Giver of the gift of musical composition, God.

If this Litany is sung as written, nearly everyone except Judas is mentioned. Is it so outrageous that maybe, just maybe, Solomon might be in heaven? And isn’t it supposed to be God who has the last say on who is or is not saved?

Additionally, judging by the fate of many other threads, starting a thread such as this is an open invitation to those who wish to re-commence the argument that the only thing which should be heard under a church’s roof is chant, preferably in Latin.

BTW, thank you for your advice, but I’m not wearing tights.
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This was the version of the Litany that was sung at my parish on Easter Vigil when I was received into the Church. Although at first it annoyed me, I’ve grown to love it (and the tune is still stuck in my head 3 months later). It inserts some “unofficial” saints, but I don’t think that’s a reason to declare it anathema. 😃 The Litany is overall very triumphant.

And in regard to the poster that said something about Origen cutting off his own manhood, that has never been proven to be true. Many scholars believe that his rivals spread those rumors to detract from his credibility as a theologian.
 
JKirkLVNV said:
The above is simply a matter of opinion and nothing more. Old doesn’t mean better. I sing in a schola and we’ve been doing a lot of older, more traditional music, quite a bit of it in Latin as well. There are older, more traditional songs that deserve to go the way (eventually, I hope) of “Gather Us In,” for example, “On This Day, O Beautiful Mother”, which speaks of “fondly we hover” and “lisping” our prayers. I always rather imagine the Blessed Mother rolling Her eyes as She listens to this (if She had a tendency to roll Her eyes, which I’m sure She doesn’t). I realize, however, that this is my subjective opinion.
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Ha. Thank-you, as I agree completely. Too many people have this idea that if a song was written before 1960 it must be great. Reminds me of the protestants who insist Jesus Christ spoke King James English and read the KJV Bible. And yes I have literally known people who believe this.
 
JKirkLVNV said:
The above is simply a matter of opinion and nothing more. Old doesn’t mean better. I sing in a schola and we’ve been doing a lot of older, more traditional music, quite a bit of it in Latin as well. There are older, more traditional songs that deserve to go the way (eventually, I hope) of “Gather Us In,” for example, “On This Day, O Beautiful Mother”, which speaks of “fondly we hover” and “lisping” our prayers. I always rather imagine the Blessed Mother rolling Her eyes as She listens to this (if She had a tendency to roll Her eyes, which I’m sure She doesn’t). I realize, however, that this is my subjective opinion.
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Thank you for saying that. It is my belief that the first use of saccharine was liturgical, and came well before the OCP or the St. Louis Jesuits. Some music enjoys inexplicable popularity. Kind of like Orange Crush. There is almost a self-forgetfulness in its thorough artificiality.

It reminds me of hearing the music scholar, Robert Greenburg, grouse about Pachelbel’s Canon, a piece he says many musicians refer to as “Taco Bell’s Canon” considering that it is so repetitious and lacking in imagination as to be vapid, and which he says should be returned to the dustbin of history, where it had rightly been placed.

I kind of liked Pachelbel’s Canon, until he pointed that out. Of course, like audio cotton candy, I still find pleasure in it, anyway, just like I still hit the drive-through at Taco Bell once in awhile, too. The difference is that now I understand why I can only take so much of it.

As for the “horrible” Easter song, I really like it. I can understand why not everyone does, but putting Solomon in doesn’t put my teeth on edge. As one poster said, he’s in the sacred geneology.

Heaven must be rather indulgent when it comes to music, anyway, don’t you think? We can only hope that if we do our best and sing with love, we will have the charm of a little kid’s muddy bunch of flowers: some roses, some daffodils and some dandelions, and few of us knowing the difference. But we do have to truly do our best. That is where the charm comes from.
 
EasterJoy said:
Thank you for saying that. It is my belief that the first use of saccharine was liturgical, and came well before the OCP or the St. Louis Jesuits. Some music enjoys inexplicable popularity. Kind of like Orange Crush. There is almost a self-forgetfulness in its thorough artificiality.

It reminds me of hearing the music scholar, Robert Greenburg, grouse about Pachelbel’s Canon, a piece he says many musicians refer to as “Taco Bell’s Canon” considering that it is so repetitious and lacking in imagination as to be vapid, and which he says should be returned to the dustbin of history, where it had rightly been placed.

I kind of liked Pachelbel’s Canon, until he pointed that out. Of course, like audio cotton candy, I still find pleasure in it, anyway, just like I still hit the drive-through at Taco Bell once in awhile, too. The difference is that now I understand why I can only take so much of it.
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First point: total agreement. I am today working out string parts for a choir director for a 19th c. choral Gloria that I am sure is well-thought of as a Serious Piece of Great Church Music … certain I’ve heard it before but the score he supplied has no composer on it … and it’s all I can do to keep a straight face, it’s plurry awful IMNSHO. It sounds like a caricature, except it’s for real.

Second point: please please please listen to Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert play it before you let anyone tell you that about the Canon in D (says she who has played it 50 zillion times for weddings). It is only made boring/vapid by boring/vapid musicians of shallow education who have no clue about historically informed performance practice (i.e. all the expected ornamentation and points of style baroque composers didn’t write down because working musicians already knew all that), have no clue how different the instruments were that baroque music was actually written for, no idea they are playing a glugged-up “improved” score with gratuitous viola pizz parts added that would have horrified the composer, and even less clue they are playing it at half-pace or less. And they never even bother with the gigue that is meant to follow. Aaaaaagh. :mad: 😛 (As you can tell, I’m an early music fan!)
 
Good answer Gemma-Rose.

p.s. re the tights thing, neither am I, but then if I was, it would be rather odd!

God bless

JT’G’S
 
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