Is Guitar mass okay

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JimR-OCDS said:
Never mind!

This subject comes up at least once a year in this forum and it’s always heated by those who hate guitar music at Mass.

Conversations like his are not spiritually edifying, so I’m not going to participate anymore
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“Never mind”. . . . There are actual documents from the Church that discuss the organ, Gregorian chant, etc. . . .
 
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Generally speaking, there aren’t a lot of instruments that are so tailored to secular music that they cannot be used at Mass. An organ, for instance, can be played in a style suitable for a cathedral or suitable for a ballpark. Those are two very different styles of composition, but an organ can do both. A violin can obviously do very different styles of music. An acoustic guitar can, too. An electric guitar, not so much. Certain percussion instruments used judiciously–maybe. A drum kit, not so much.

Those who object that it is difficult bordering on impossible to play a guitar in a style appropriate for sacred music in a large space (tailored to a pipe organ) without essentially getting the effect of singing a capella are not entirely wrong (although that is less true when there is judicious amplification). Having said that, there are churches that are small enough and have the acoustics such that guitars playing as part of a group can work.

On top of that, there are churches that were not built to accomodate a pipe organ. Obviously, an electronic organ is as much a part of the “rock sound” as a guitar. It depends on the style of the composition and the playing. If the composition is appropriate for sacred music, the style of play is appropriate for sacred music and the guitar or the ensemble matches well with the space, though, a guitar can be suitable for sacred music. It is also not unusual that the only suitably-trained musicians a parish can find play the guitar, not the organ.

I would point out that because the organ repertoire has been expanded from church music to include opera, rock and even ballpark music, even the organ has to be played in an appropriate way to be right for sacred use. There are instruments that can’t be tailored for sacred use but there are no instruments that cannot be played in a way that is wrong for a sacred setting. It is even possible to go wrong with an organ.
 
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I don’t think you can give a blanket “yes” like this. It would be up to the bishop. The Church DOES have formal teachings and guidelines on music in the liturgy. The organ is given pride of place among instruments. Other instruments are allowed at the discretion of the bishop. The Church specifically says that “profane” instruments are to be excluded. What is a profane instrument? I guess that’s up to the bishop in light of local culture. I could be wrong, but I think Archbishop Sample doesn’t allow the guitar in Portland.
 
Loud-living-dogma said:
“Never mind”. Because you remembered there are actual documents from the Church that discuss the organ, Gregorian chant, etc? Oops, never mind…😃
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While the pipe organ has pride of place in Western sacred music, Church does not forbid the guitar nor require the organ. As for electronic organs, they are not pipe organs. That’s a different instrument, and one that can and obviously often is played in ways that are wildly far afield from the sacred. They’re not quite as prevalent as electric guitars in rock bands, but they’re not far behind.

Quality pipe organs are tremendously expensive and are not suitable for every church.
 
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If he did, it would be extremely recent. My PDX parish has guitars, saxophones, clarinets, drums, etc. . . .the works at the later Mass. I’m not a fan, (and therefore go to Mass earlier or on Saturday), but there is no cited Church teaching prohibiting it.

Besides, I stopped liturgy-bickering long ago. It’s a useless battle, and I’m ultimately there for the Eucharist and the priest’s fabulous homilies.
 
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A Bishop could make such a rule.

There is no universal law of the Church that prohibits harps or tubas or flutes or kettledrums or electric organs or guitars.
 
Didn’t he issue new guidelines on sacred music just within the last year?
 
Not specifically. Universal law prohibits profane instruments. Local law must determine what is profane and what is suitable for divine worship.

That said, if an electric guitar is not profane, I’m not sure what would be…with it’s association with rock in Western culture. An acoustic guitar is another matter. I can’t recall ever seeing an electric guitar used at a Mass…I don’t think many if any priests in my diocese would allow it.
 
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As part of your discussion, can you attend a Divine Liturgy of one of the eastern churches near you on Sunday? There are no instruments and any bass or alto is done by voice, if there is someone who could do that. So neither organ or guitar. See what you think.
 
It baffles me that every time these threads come up the collective answer seems to be “it’s just personal preference”… as if there wasn’t an entire body of Vatican II/post-VII teaching on sacred music. No, personal preference of laity means squat. The bishop can and does forbid certain instruments and certain styles of music. As noted in an earlier post, the electric guitar is forbidden in Portland…as one example.
 
Dougbro1 said:
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Jragzz123:
what doctors of the church have said on the matter.
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Hard to say. I don’t think guitars were invented in the time of the doctors of the Chur.ch
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The answer is “yes, the doctors of the Church would totally have been rocking out at Mass, if only they could have had electric guitars and drumkits at their Masses”.
 
Loud-living-dogma said:
The answer is “yes, the doctors of the Church would totally have been rocking out at Mass, if only they could have had electric guitars and drumkits at their Masses”.
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Erm…not all guitars are electric guitars, and I didn’t even bring up drumkits.
 
Dougbro1 said:
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Loud-living-dogma:
The answer is “yes, the doctors of the Church would totally have been rocking out at Mass, if only they could have had electric guitars and drumkits at their Masses”.
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Erm…not all guitars are electric guitars, and I didn’t even bring up drumkits.
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Well, is there something absurd implied about previous generations of Catholics rocking out at Mass?
 
Firstly I declare a vested interest as an electric bass player here but just to say that, with the technology of today, an electric guitar can produce a fair representation of a pipe organ (our lead guitarist seems to demonstrate that function on his pedal board before every gig!)

More generally, if we had remained as rigidly glued to the past as it sometimes seems we have with musical instruments then there’d be no zippers, no printing, no pasteurisation…

If it’s permitted and it’s reverent and it’s not glaringly inappropriate then why not glorify God with whatever instruments and musicians are available?

Although the organ in our cathedral is wonderful and the organist has been blessed with a great gift, sometimes even the most uplifting carol is hampered by ‘lack of tempo’ for want of a better phrase and I find myself wishing there was a ‘gas pedal’ to speed him up a little! 😁

Edit: Only to remove my failed italicisations!
 
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