Music, guidelines, rules - Help please

[Edward_H]

Happy Easter to all. Alleluia

I need some references. Our Vigil Mass was way off the rails I think.

• a patch work of selections…a beautiful Exultet, an overly “dramatic reading”, a hymn that sounded like something dropped out of Fiddler on the Roof, a Black Gospel type piece (which was well done), a this and a that, lots of Dan Shutte, and Marty Haugen.
• there was a piece that began with a drum roll!!

The music tried to draw so much attention to itself that of course the “audience” (by now no longer worshippers) had to clap.

So, what are the chapter and verse references of what is allowed and not allowed? Failing that does someone have some well respected guidelines as to what is allowed.

My opinion stinks in musical matters, but my sense tells me that we have gone way off the tracks.

My dear wife said…as we quietly drove home…“a drum roll, Really?..” and that’s all she said.

 

[coolduude]

I don’t have an answer, but the same thing happened at my Vigil. Some parts were reverent like you said. We sang a nice Litany of the Saints before the baptisms. But we also sung Wade in the Water ad the song that says “Pharaoh’s army and his chariots got cast into the sea”. I forgot the name. We also sung Oh Healing River. At least for the recessional we sung Jesus Christ is Risen Today

But I’m with the OP. What can/can’t be used at Vigil?

 

[smichhertz]

This probably isn’t much help, but the only restriction I’ve heard is that no profane music is allowed at church.

Please understand that this is the classical definition of “profane” which can be loosely synonymous with secular. So basically any secular music that is not religiously affiliated should not be used at mass.

I’d be curious to see what references there are on this subject as well.

 

[MarkThompson]

Happy Easter to all. Alleluia

I need some references. Our Vigil Mass was way off the rails I think.

• a patch work of selections…a beautiful Exultet, an overly “dramatic reading”, a hymn that sounded like something dropped out of Fiddler on the Roof, a Black Gospel type piece (which was well done), a this and a that, lots of Dan Shutte, and Marty Haugen.
• there was a piece that began with a drum roll!!

The music tried to draw so much attention to itself that of course the “audience” (by now no longer worshippers) had to clap.

So, what are the chapter and verse references of what is allowed and not allowed? Failing that does someone have some well respected guidelines as to what is allowed.

My opinion stinks in musical matters, but my sense tells me that we have gone way off the tracks.

My dear wife said…as we quietly drove home…“a drum roll, Really?..” and that’s all she said.

What you describe doesn’t sound like it would be my aesthetic preference at all, but there seems to be nothing here that would actually be improper. At parishes with multiple Mass times, you’ll often find one Mass that is more traditional, one that has more contemporary music, maybe one in Spanish, and so on. So on the rare occasion when there are all-parish Masses like the Easter Vigil, sometimes you will get “patchwork” selections like this, with some gospel music, some traditional hymns, some Haugen and Haas, whatever. My own view is that attempts to please everybody generally just wind up pleasing nobody, but still, it is not an abuse.

Likewise, it is quite understandable why the most bombastic, attention-grabbing music would be brought out for liturgical events like this. Think about something like a full symphonic Mass by Mozart or Haydn – they can be quite obtrusive, with brass fanfares and timpani, but they are not an abuse of the Mass. You certainly wouldn’t want it every week throughout Ordinary Time, but high feasts are exactly the time when you pull out all the stops. When a parish puts on Mozart’s Requiem for All Souls’ Day, that’s overall a good thing, even if half the people who attend wind up going mostly to hear the music. It’s surely best if the musicians and congregation alike try to remember that the music exists in service of the liturgy and to give glory to God, but it is not intrinsically an abuse to program music with things like drumrolls for special occasions.