MERGED: Singing Happy Birthday/Forbidden at Mass?

[Phemie]

Here is what the GIRM (revised for the United States and now in effect) states on the question of the Funeral Mass:

The documents also do not allow for secular music to be used in the Mass.

The same rubric as # 382 appears in the Order of Christian Funerals but is clearly directed at the priest or deacon who is giving the homily, not at a family member who would lke to speak. In fact, IIRC, the US Order of Christian Funeral #170 says “A member or a friend of the family may speak in remembrance of the deceased before the final commendation begins.” In Canada the OFC has that at the Funeral Vigil.

I hope you realize I was kidding about “Wolverton Mountain”.

 

[benedictgal]

The same rubric as # 382 appears in the Rite of Christian Funerals but is clearly directed at the priest or deacon who is giving the homily, not at a family member who would lke to speak. In fact, IIRC, in the US the Rite of Christian Funeral allows for ‘words of remembrance’ at the end of the Funeral Mass. In Canada the Rite has those ‘words of remembrance’ at the Funeral Vigil.

I hope you realize I was kidding about “Wolverton Mountain”.

I have to look at my Rite of Christian Burial book.

I know you were kidding. I would love to have someone sing “The Eyes of Texas” as my casket is being lowered into the grave. It might count as a sacred piece since the song does carry references to Gabriel blowing his horn. I know that the song is sacred to Texas Longhorn alumni like PacoG and me!

 

[Elizium23]

Spontaneous singing of a song does not contitute a violation of copyright.

It can, if it is a sufficiently large public performance. This is where ASCAP/BMI rights come into play.

 

[Allegra]

“Bonne Fête” is “Happy Birthday”. Same tune, same words usually (sometimes ‘to you’ is replaced by the person’s name). While not something I’d want sung at my funeral (I’d prefer “Wolverton Mountain” ), I think if the priest is going to allow a eulogy then he has to be prepared to put up with the contents he’s going to get.

I think he should just not allow the eulogy. However, I there are certainly limits of decency and good taste which ought to be observed, even if the eulogy is at the wake. I can picture a dozen scenarios in which the microphone might well be turned off on certain bereaved speech-givers. Bonne fete doesn’t sound like one though.

 

[Allegra]

It can, if it is a sufficiently large public performance. This is where ASCAP/BMI rights come into play.

I respectfully disagree. If a group of people spontaneously burst into song, without it being recorded and without lyrics or music being provided to the singers and presuming a recording of the song is not being used to accompany the singing, it is not a violation of copy-right law.

 

[Tsuwano]

Today at Mass my pastor ended the Mass by asking us to sing Happy Birthday for a parish member who was present.

I read a previous thread about this topic, to which someone replied that since this happened after the dismissal, and since the final hymn isn’t technically in the General Instructions of the Roman Missal, no rubrics were violated. Would you say this is correct?

Something about me still thinks it’s wrong to do so.

I was wondering if you had any tips on how I might talk to my pastor about this. Any excerpts from texts would be useful. My main argument, though, is that doing such things turns the Mass into a social gathering more than a spiritual one.

My pastor and I have had many disagreements about such things, so I find it difficult to approach him about these topics. Any help (and many prayers) is appreciated.

-Michael

I think the priest showed poor judgement in singing Happy Birthday to a parish member at the end of the liturgy, not because he violated any rubrics, but because his act of focusing on a member of the congregation in a public fashion for what is generally a private celebration unassociated with the liturgy or the function of the Church can lead to disunity and the impression that cliques of favored and unfavored parishoners exist within the
congregation. Does the priest ask parishoners to sing Happy Birthday to all members of the congregation? Why was this one person singled out? How do those whose birthdays or other special events haven’t been acknowledged by the priest feel about being left out? I do not deny the priest’s good intentions in wishing the parishoner Happy Birthday, but I think it would have been best to leave his wishes until after the congregation had left the Church and he could have done it in a personal way.

 

[Elizium23]

bmi.com/licensing/faq

A “public performance” of music is defined in the U.S. copyright law to include any music played outside a normal circle of friends and family. Songwriters, composers, and music publishers have the exclusive right to play their music publicly and to authorize others to do so under the copyright law. This is known as the “Performing Right”. This right was designed to enable and encourage music creators to continue to create music.

So there you go: the litmus test is: is the group a normal circle of friends and family?