Musical Instruments in Mass

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Allegra said:
Organs do require maintenance and pipe organs require specialized maintenance as no two instruments are the same. It is quite expensive
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I have been a church while a pipe organ was being tuned. It wasn’t pretty, and I doubt that it was cheap. Piano upkeep is much cheaper easier, especially if it is an digital instrument.

D
 
You stated any similiar instrument were absent from churches until the post Reformation. Simply not true, despite the instruments being different. And with pipes being the primary component, I think we can say they had a rather significant common feature.

Didn’t mean to be smug, sorry about that.
 
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DaveBj said:
The piano is a string instrument with a percussive attack.
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Distinguishing it from the guitar, which is a stringed instrument used to attack the sensibilities of . . . oh, never mind 🤣:crazy_face::roll_eyes:
 
The organ has fallen out of favor. According to the prevailing culture (for better or, usually, for worse), the piano has replaced it.

Still better than local youth masses with drums and electric guitar. On the positive side, shredding, feedback and drumstick spinning are still verboten.

A little anecdote. The priest who married us about a million years ago was due to move. He was assigned to a beautiful proto-cathedral. Father is very orthodox and wears 100 year old vestments that he finds in other parish rectories. When he arrived, there was a fellow with an acoustic guitar singing folksy versions of liturgical music.

The next time we visited, he asked us, “Remember the guitar guy?” “I got rid of him.”

He has a choir chanting now.
 
HomeschoolDad said:
Traditionally, stringed instruments
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And yet I am reminded of Psalm 33:1-3

1.Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
2.Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3.Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
 
Our Parish is fortunate to have an excellent guitarist and singer. He plays softly, usually finger picking, in a way that is very appropriate for a mass. He also plays professionally. However, a few weeks ago we went to a parish that had a guitar but was just being strummed. Definitely not enjoyable or appropriate IMO.
 
I’m talking more about things like a viola, but I have seen a violin before so it might not be that bad. Even trumpets too. Can’t say it was that good music wise, but it was okay for Mass.
 
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The instruments allowed or not allowed over the centuries often had to do with the Pope’s own taste in music

I forget the names, but one Pope banned the violin. He did this because his assistant was an amature violinist and when he practiced, it irritated the Pope.

Ironically, when the Pope died, his assistant became Pope and revoked his ban on the violin

Using history of the Church to justify the prohibition of pianos, guitars or harps, is really unjust and nothing God would disapprove of.

Jim
 
It can cost anywhere between £50,000 and £200.000 to carry out a major restoration on a fairly modest 2 or 3 manual pipe organ in the UK.

Instruments will generally need some repair work carried out every 20 to 30 years in addition to regular tuning.

Modern pipe organs with lots of electronic circuitry can be more prone to failures than tracker (mechanical) action instruments. The environment in which they’re kept can influence things too. I play a 150 year old small 2 manual tracker instrument which is very reliable and it just has an annual tune.

A church near me have had an estimate of £100.000 to restore a 3 manual instrument. They don’t feel justified spending the money and would rather replace it with a digital instrument. They’d also be pleased to free up the space it takes up.
 
Have you taken organ lessons so you could play for Mass? If you have children, are they taking organ lessons?
 
One key, a few tight-lipped like-minded friends, the cover of darkness and some perspiration and the problem is solved!
 
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We use to have a woman who played the harp during Holy Communion. It was beautiful

She also played the organ and sang, but I believe age kept her from getting up into the choir loft and she retired.

Jim
 
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