Music Preferences

[Andrewcarey]

Our Church usually sing like “Christ, Be Our Light” but I liked that hymn (one of my favorite). Should every Diocese should use Adoremus Hymnal? Our Church don’t use the organ but just very little of the organ, what they got is flute and guitars.

 

[pnewton]

I have never heared it.
what is it about sing a new church that you dont like?

“Sing a New Church”

I only heard it once when visiting. I love the tune, because I know the original hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”. The original hymn was one of my favorites growing up and had rich, meaningful lyrics.

This new song about singing a new church into being, I have no idea what it is about. I remember trying to read the lyrics and figure out what this writer meant to say. I even thought that the hymnal must have had typos or something. Then I notice that it was written in the 60’s or 70’s. My guess now is hallucegenic drugs must have been involoved.

Things I do not like in a hymn? Lyrics that stretch poetic imagery into the incomprehinsible. That and lyrics copied from cotton commercials.

 

[pnewton]

On the topic of the original post, I have to agree that unsingable melodies are my pet peeve. I choose the music at my parish and end up transposing at least half of it to make it fit a reasonable person’s range. I avoid must stuff that has greater than an octave.

As far as melodies go, I can’t stand unresolved endings. If the key is G, end on G, not D and not B. If E minor, end on an E, not a G, etc.

 

[Mimi]

“-radically new-age-y metaphors, especially if they are misrepresenting what we actually believe. Catholic tradition is so rich with symbols, and its nice to hear those metaphors used in contemporary songs, creates a fusion of old and new that is rather pleasing.”

(Hey, this is a NICE feature!)
My dh and I lead the choir. We both have degrees in music and are concerned with the music being an integral part of the liturgy, so it sounds like we’re ‘singing the same hymn’. (Sorry, couldn’t resist that analogy.: )

We will NOT schedule Lord of the Dance (Gather hymnal) and when attending a Mass as a member of the congregation, I will not sing it. I feel like walking out before Mass is over. Show me where it is scriptural, and I’ll change my mind

Mimi

 

[Mimi]

quoting my recent post:
(Hey, this is a NICE feature!)

I’m referring to the quick reply feature.

 

[lak611]

I like traditional hymns. I also like hymnals with all 4 parts. I’m not a soprano and cannot sing that high! Traditional Catholic hymns are better in Latin. Traditional Protestant hymns are better in the vernacular. My favorite combination would probably be “Pange Lingua Gloriosi” and “Amazing Grace”. By the way, I’ve noticed several posters listed something called “Sing a New Church”. I have never heard of it, but it doesn’t sound good just from the title. Our Church has been around for over 2000 years since being founded by the apostles, and we don’t need a new one! The reformation was a big disaster. Why would Catholics be singing a song like that in Mass?

 

[Andrewcarey]

we really have a bad music director in our Church cuz all he plays is Protestant song (very little Catholic song) and he refueses to use the Church organ (but he did played the organ at St. Bridget) but he still refueses to use the organ.

 

[Brain]

we really have a bad music director in our Church cuz all he plays is Protestant song (very little Catholic song) and he refueses to use the Church organ (but he did played the organ at St. Bridget) but he still refueses to use the organ.

I like the organ a lot, but if you dont have an organist who is worth his salt it usually isnt worth it just for the stunning organ pipe blast.

 

[brotherhrolf]

I am a member of a cathedral parish. We use Worship 3 as a hymnal and have for years. I sang in our choir for 18 years. One hears Gregorian chant and 4 and 8 part Latin motets on a regular basis. The only time the choir had to sing from Glory and Praise, Gather or anything written by Haugen et al was for diocesan events.

When the Episcopalians went to their new hymnal in the early 90s, one of their churches donated their 1942 hymnals to us. There are some really great hymns in the vernacular in that book (e.g. The Breastplate of St. Patrick) not to mention that all of the sequences were translated into English while maintaining their original meter. We used it for many years. It was an uphill battle for us but we finally got Father to agree to letting us sing the sequences in the original Latin as well as others…

Vexilla regis instead of Faithful cross on Palm Sunday…Pange Lingua instead of Sing my tongue the Savior’s glory on Holy Thursday and, yes, Victimae Paschali Laude on Easter Sunday instead of Christians to the Paschal Victim.

I recognize that we have a talented and great organist/choir director and a big new organ (1992) but our choir was composed of volunteers who were willing to work 3 hrs a week practicing.

As Catholics, we have over 1,500 years of music to draw from. Plainsong is not all that difficult. Those of you looking for something new? For Advent - Check out “Creator of the Stars at Night” aka Conditur Alme Siderum. Any choir should be able to sing this.

 

[lak611]

we really have a bad music director in our Church cuz all he plays is Protestant song (very little Catholic song) and he refueses to use the Church organ (but he did played the organ at St. Bridget) but he still refueses to use the organ.

I’d prefer good Protestant hymns over that awful OCP hymnal stuff!
But what can I say, I like the organ. I actually know how to play a small electronic organ. I would like to learn how to play a pipe organ some day.

 

[Brain]

There are indeed a lot of really good protestant hymns, but when using them I think one needs to take great care that the songs chosen are theologically correct.