Music in American Churches

[InSearchOfGod]

This may have been discussed before . . . this article is kind of old (2002) but it really interested me . . . what do you think?

crisismagazine.com/january2002/feature2.htm

 

[Jenlyn]

But while the OCP dictates the liturgies of most U.S. parishes, it has no ecclesiastical authority.

This is a ridiculus statement.

Nonetheless, it wields the decisive power in determining the musical culture of most public Masses in the United States.

This is also a ridiculus statement.

Too many priests are willing to leave music to the musicians, fearing that they lack the competence to intervene.

They are actually too busy doing other things. I found if something bothers them, they share it with the music minister.

Many Catholics shudder, for example, when they hear the words Glory & Praise, the prototypical assortment of musical candy that was already stale about 15 years ago but which mysteriously continues to be repackaged and rechewed in parish after parish. “Here I am, Lord,” “Be Not Afraid,” “City of God,” “One Bread, One Body,” “Celtic Alleuia,” and (wait for it) “On Eagle’s Wings”-these all come courtesy of the OCP.

I to “shudder”. They need to be careful when trying to lump all the songs into this catogory. There have to be some keepers from that series and these are some of the favorites from that series.

Thus, in the course of a single decade, a once-reliable representative of Catholic teaching became reliably unreliable.

Are they trying to say that the music is not apporpriate for church just because it’s not reviewed by the Catholic church? Don’t you think, that if they want to stay in business, they would make every effort to make sure it is in agreement with the church or it wouldn’t sell? Do these people think that OCP is trying to change the Catholic thinking through their music. Highly unlikely. I think they should point a few songs that back up their statement.

That’s about all of this article I can take.

 

[m134e5]

Jenlyn:

This is a ridiculus statement.
I to “shudder”. They need to be careful when trying to lump all the songs into this catogory. There have to be some keepers from that series and these are some of the favorites from that series.

I happen to like “Here I am, Lord,” “Be Not Afraid,” “City of God,” “Celtic Alleuia,” and "On Eagle’s Wings- when they’re on a CD, having been recorded in a studio by professional musicians. I don’t like “One Bread, One Body” at all- I just don’t care for the tune for some reason. The point is these songs require good singers and accompanists for them to sound good. I cringe every time I hear City of God at Mass, because at the chorus (particularly the word “build”, because it’s the highest note of the song) people belt out the high notes in the same way they sing the low notes and it sounds horrible (“Let there be peace on earth” is even worse about this- “to TAKE each moment…”).