Nominees for worst hymn

[daeve]

Hello,

I was at Mass today and for the Communion Hymn, the organist selected a hymn about the Bread of Life, but the odd thing is the music it was set to. It was set to Dvorak’s 9th Symphony. Now, don’t get me wrong, Dvorak is my absolute favorite classical composer - but at Mass???

Oh, and this was in the WLP missalette.

Music at a Thursday morning Mass? I’m impressed. Maybe the school kids were there? I used to go to the 9am at Mary Mother of Jesus in Brooklyn. It was me, Father Carmine and a few old Italian ladies. It was kinda nice though, because it was in Italian, and that’s a lot like the Latin, so it was nice. But believe me, there was no music.

 

[mercygate]

Music at a Thursday morning Mass? I’m impressed. Maybe the school kids were there? I used to go to the 9am at Mary Mother of Jesus in Brooklyn. It was me, Father Carmine and a few old Italian ladies. It was kinda nice though, because it was in Italian, and that’s a lot like the Latin, so it was nice. But believe me, there was no music.

DH was confirmed at Mary, Mother of Jesus!

 

[daeve]

That was waaay too funny! You’re right, though. I should have included that song, along with another one that I used to like (until I read the lyrics): “I Myself and the Bread of Life.”

I myself, am the Bread of Life
You and are the Bread of Life
Taken and blest, broken and shared by all
that the world might live.

This bread is spirit,
gift of the Maker’s (which originally read Father’s) love
and we who eat it
know that we can become one
A living sign of God in us.

There’s more questionable stuff, but I can’t remember it all. Another gem that also gets my goat is “We are Many Parts”, written by Marty Haugen. Where do they get this stuff?

It may have some scriptual stuff to it, but the theology is skewed.

Not to mention, coming in on “A Living Sign…” is quite a trick for the congregation.

 

[daeve]

DH was confirmed at Mary, Mother of Jesus!

No kidding? Did he live in Bensonhurst? We lived right down the block.

It’s all different now, been combined with another parish. I’m back in St. Louis for 18 years now, but I sure don’t know why they did that. The parishes that have been combined here were because of small congregations. We had a whole lot of Masses on Sunday in the church and one in the basement meeting room, because there were so many people coming. There were over 1000 kids in CCD, which is what we called it in the late 80s.

It’s a beautiful church, modern, with a skylight right in the middle. The sun comes in and just beams off things. Really lovely.

 

[mercygate]

No kidding? Did he live in Bensonhurst? We lived right down the block.

It’s all different now, been combined with another parish. I’m back in St. Louis for 18 years now, but I sure don’t know why they did that. The parishes that have been combined here were because of small congregations. We had a whole lot of Masses on Sunday in the church and one in the basement meeting room, because there were so many people coming. There were over 1000 kids in CCD, which is what we called it in the late 80s.

It’s a beautiful church, modern, with a skylight right in the middle. The sun comes in and just beams off things. Really lovely.

DH’s grandmother lived in Bensonhurst and took him through his sacraments. He was confirmed before the new building was put up after the fire.

 

[Sarabande]

I was at Mass today and for the Communion Hymn, the organist selected a hymn about the Bread of Life, but the odd thing is the music it was set to. It was set to Dvorak’s 9th Symphony. Now, don’t get me wrong, Dvorak is my absolute favorite classical composer - but at Mass???

I’m not familiar with a hymn set to his symphony, but there are many hymns set to symphonies or other works. Sometimes composers took melodies and included them as the theme to their symphonies or other works. Sometimes, it was later turned into a hymn by the composer himself. Sometimes, people took the theme and used it as a hymn melody set to sacred or religious text. I don’t know much about WLP, but I know that it was common throughout the last couple centuries to do this.

• Ode to Joy - from L. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. The original text to the “Ode An die Freude” is not religious - it’s just a poem.
• “I Vow to Thee My Country” or “O God Beyond All Praising” - the Thaxted melody is taken from Gustav Holst’s theme in the Jupiter movement of his symphonic tone poem, “The Planets”.
• The Finlandia Hymn was originally from a part of a symphonic work by Sibelius which he turned into a hymn himself.
• The Kingsfold Melody by Ralph Vaughn Williams was originally a traditional melody found at a inn in England which Vaughn Williams used.

Those are just a few examples, but you would be surprised to see how many traditional hymn melodies were actually from classical works or originally traditional songs of the local people, refined to fit properly for mass. If used from traditional songs, it was because most of those traditional melodies are very easy to sing. There are usually no unusual rhythms. The range stayed within where most people can sing - no major jumps in layman’s terms. I have noticed when the rhythms are tough or if there are too many drawn out notes lasting over a measure, people always screw it up .

Whenever I sing certain hymns, especially some of the ones written within the last 30 years, I know there is the way how it is written in the music and then there is the way how congregations always end up singing it. I’ve anticipated the number of mistakes a congregation will make, depending on the congregation. For me, it’s important to not encourage those same mistakes, so I try to be as true to the music as possible as a cantor.

 

[benedictgal]

I may have some bad news for anyone wanting true reform of sacred music. I just got off the phone with someone from Adoremus magazine and she told me that the document failed to pass.

It looks like the NPM, FDLC and OCP lobby won this round. HOwever, I don’t think the fight is over just yet. Perhaps if we all write our bishops and demand some sort of accountability, maybe something positive might happen.

 

[Sarabande]

Do you know the origin of that text? I’ve found the first verse to be a collection of praise-type language strung together mainly for the sake of the rhyme. Could no one do better than “we worship You today?”

That said, I do love the verse commonly sung as the second (Then hear, O gracious Savior…). And I’ve recently sung an arrangement of it by Richard Proulx that has a lovely second verse.

Yes, I like the second and third verse as well. I did some research and found that the text was written by Michael Perry. He died in 1996. But it seems like he wrote texts for the Jubilate Group and was on the board. I don’t know much, if anything, about it, but it is something based in the UK. It seems like they rewrite hymn text and also distribute copyrights to composers and text writers. I don’t know how good that is, and I can’t make an opinion, because I’m not familiar with anything but the “O God Beyond All Praising”.

 

[Sarabande]

I may have some bad news for anyone wanting true reform of sacred music. I just got off the phone with someone from Adoremus magazine and she told me that the document failed to pass.

It looks like the NPM, FDLC and OCP lobby won this round. HOwever, I don’t think the fight is over just yet. Perhaps if we all write our bishops and demand some sort of accountability, maybe something positive might happen.

How disappointing! How do those groups lobby?

 

[benedictgal]

How disappointing! How do those groups lobby?

The National Pastoral Musicians Association asked the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions to pass a resolution calling for the status quo. The FDLC passed the resolution and sent it to the USCCB. OCP has a lot at stake here because, had the documents passed, they would have had to rewrite everything and pull down thousands of hymns because they did not meet the requirements of Liturgicam Authenticam.

I used to work for the Lege. Lobbying tactics I expect from groups like trial lawyers, corporations, and other associations. Too bad that the USCCB succumbed to pressure from an “amorphous” conglomerate who, although it claims to be non-profit, seems to proft from mangling sacred music any chance it gets.

I’ve posted this article many times, but it’s worth re-reading so as to get the gist of it:

crisismagazine.com/january2002/feature2.htm

I think Adoremus may have read the writing on the wall, as this very telling article from this month’s magazine notes:

adoremus.org/1107USCCBMeeting.html

There is also another one, where the author takes her cue from Pope Benedict’s remarks:

adoremus.org/1107BXVI_SacredMusic.html

I guess I was too hopeful that the USCCB would see the light. I don’t think it will happen in my lifetime.

 

[mercygate]

I may have some bad news for anyone wanting true reform of sacred music. I just got off the phone with someone from Adoremus magazine and she told me that the document failed to pass.

It looks like the NPM, FDLC and OCP lobby won this round. HOwever, I don’t think the fight is over just yet. Perhaps if we all write our bishops and demand some sort of accountability, maybe something positive might happen.

Would you be willing to draft a letter for us. We can adapt it to the home boys and see where it goes.

 

[benedictgal]

Would you be willing to draft a letter for us. We can adapt it to the home boys and see where it goes.

Yes. Let me get some confirmation first that this, in fact, did happen. EWTN also concurs, but they are going to call me back. I am going to sit with the text of the letter over the weekend to make sure that I’ve got the right words to say. I am also going to pore over statements made by both JPII and B16 as well as writings that B16 issued before his election to the Holy See.

 

[JMJ_coder]

Hello,

WLP is part of the OCP fine family of music, from what I understand.

Really! That’s news to me. The back of their missalette says: World Library Publications the music and liturgy division of J.S. Paluch Company, Inc.

I have never heard those two companies associated with OCP before. Although, I wouldn’t be shocked, given the “high quality” of the WLP missalette.

 

[JMJ_coder]

Hello,

Music at a Thursday morning Mass? I’m impressed. Maybe the school kids were there? I used to go to the 9am at Mary Mother of Jesus in Brooklyn. It was me, Father Carmine and a few old Italian ladies. It was kinda nice though, because it was in Italian, and that’s a lot like the Latin, so it was nice. But believe me, there was no music.

No, no kids. It was a noon Mass at a Franciscan Shrine. They’re a good group there. Good orthodox Priests, daily confessions, numerous novenas and devotions going on all the times, several Masses a day. Hey, and they even have a marble altar rail where we kneel when we receive Communion.

 

[benedictgal]

Hello,

Really! That’s news to me. The back of their missalette says: World Library Publications the music and liturgy division of J.S. Paluch Company, Inc.

I have never heard those two companies associated with OCP before. Although, I wouldn’t be shocked, given the “high quality” of the WLP missalette.

Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa. I thought that the author of the article below listed them under the OCP banner.:

crisismagazine.com/january2002/feature2.htm

However, if you do look at most of the songs, you will find that the copyrights belong to one of OCP’s splinter groups. Even the re-translated “Bread of Life” is in there, as well.

Oh, well, it really is a small world after all. Shoot me if someone starts singing that at Mass.

Normally, I strive to get accuracy in the posts I write. I guess I was so shell-shocked by the USCCB’s apparent inaction on the document on Sacred Music that I let it affect my better judgment. Don’t want to embarass the UT College of Communications.

 

[JMJ_coder]

Hello,

I’m not familiar with a hymn set to his symphony, but there are many hymns set to symphonies or other works. Sometimes composers took melodies and included them as the theme to their symphonies or other works. Sometimes, it was later turned into a hymn by the composer himself. Sometimes, people took the theme and used it as a hymn melody set to sacred or religious text. I don’t know much about WLP, but I know that it was common throughout the last couple centuries to do this.

• Ode to Joy - from L. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. The original text to the “Ode An die Freude” is not religious - it’s just a poem.
• “I Vow to Thee My Country” or “O God Beyond All Praising” - the Thaxted melody is taken from Gustav Holst’s theme in the Jupiter movement of his symphonic tone poem, “The Planets”.
• The Finlandia Hymn was originally from a part of a symphonic work by Sibelius which he turned into a hymn himself.
• The Kingsfold Melody by Ralph Vaughn Williams was originally a traditional melody found at a inn in England which Vaughn Williams used.

Those are just a few examples, but you would be surprised to see how many traditional hymn melodies were actually from classical works or originally traditional songs of the local people, refined to fit properly for mass. If used from traditional songs, it was because most of those traditional melodies are very easy to sing. There are usually no unusual rhythms. The range stayed within where most people can sing - no major jumps in layman’s terms. I have noticed when the rhythms are tough or if there are too many drawn out notes lasting over a measure, people always screw it up .

Whenever I sing certain hymns, especially some of the ones written within the last 30 years, I know there is the way how it is written in the music and then there is the way how congregations always end up singing it. I’ve anticipated the number of mistakes a congregation will make, depending on the congregation. For me, it’s important to not encourage those same mistakes, so I try to be as true to the music as possible as a cantor.

I was just taken aback. I am still uncertain about it. As much as I love Dvorak’s works, they weren’t written as pieces of Sacred Music (well, his Stabat Mater was ). The words (exact, no alterations to capitalization, etc.) to the hymn “Jesus Christ, Bread of Life” (arr. and text? by Steve Schaubel - copyright 2000 WLP) are:

Refrain:

Jesus Christ, Bread of Life, fill us with your love,
Jesus Christ, Bread of Life, fill us with your peace.

1. Thankfully, here we bring simple bread and wine,
   For the life of the world, once and for all time. R.
2. Faithfully, we recall, gathered here as one,
   Bread of Life, cup of peace, which we now become. R.
3. When we drink of this cup, when we eat this bread,
   We proclaim Jesus Christ risen from the dead. R.
4. Are not all hearts aflame, when we break this bread?
   Are not all one in Christ, by this blood he shed? R.
5. Joyfully we partake in this holy food.
   Offering all we have, praise and gratitude. R.

I have serious issues with verse 2 - we do NOT become the Eucharist!

Like I said, it is set to a part of Dvorak’s 9th Symphony. This symphony (“The American Symphony”) from Dvorak was written during the first half of 1893 in New York after he came to America from the Czech to be the director of the National Conservatory of Music. Right afterwards he spent that summer with a Czech group in Iowa and composed two of his most famous string quartets.

I told you I was a Dvorak fan.

 

[JMJ_coder]

Hello,

Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa. I thought that the author of the article below listed them under the OCP banner.:

crisismagazine.com/january2002/feature2.htm

However, if you do look at most of the songs, you will find that the copyrights belong to one of OCP’s splinter groups. Even the re-translated “Bread of Life” is in there, as well.

Oh, well, it really is a small world after all. Shoot me if someone starts singing that at Mass.

Normally, I strive to get accuracy in the posts I write. I guess I was so shell-shocked by the USCCB’s apparent inaction on the document on Sacred Music that I let it affect my better judgment. Don’t want to embarass the UT College of Communications.

Don’t sweat the small stuff. I’ve made my share of inaccurate posts. At least you have a mitigating circumstance.

 

[stpetric]

I have serious issues with verse 2 - we do NOT become the Eucharist!

I’m not sure what to make of verse 1, either:

1. Thankfully, here we bring simple bread and wine,
   For the life of the world, once and for all time. R.<<

Jesus’ Passion was “once and for all time” for the life of the world. But we thankfully bringing simple bread and wine? Heck, that happens thousands of times every day!

 

[peary]

I’m sighing for my old Episcopalian days, when we would add brass and tympani at Easter and strings and chimes at Christmas. We sang easy Mozart, Byrd, Tallis, Beethoven . . . y’know: the good ol’ boys.

We weren’t professional. You wouldn’t want us to cut a CD, but we were “good enough”. Namely, we sang on key and in time. We gave the best we had and we did not attempt music beyond our ability. We might not have been THE best, but we gave OUR best. Even the King’s College Chapel Choir can’t give more than that.

***“Here, here!” ***-- Clarissa Dickson Wright

 

[Sarabande]

Hello,

I was just taken aback. I am still uncertain about it. As much as I love Dvorak’s works, they weren’t written as pieces of Sacred Music (well, his Stabat Mater was ). The words (exact, no alterations to capitalization, etc.) to the hymn “Jesus Christ, Bread of Life” (arr. and text? by Steve Schaubel - copyright 2000 WLP) are:

I have serious issues with verse 2 - we do NOT become the Eucharist!

Like I said, it is set to a part of Dvorak’s 9th Symphony. This symphony (“The American Symphony”) from Dvorak was written during the first half of 1893 in New York after he came to America from the Czech to be the director of the National Conservatory of Music. Right afterwards he spent that summer with a Czech group in Iowa and composed two of his most famous string quartets.

I told you I was a Dvorak fan.

You and my husband! I love the text written to his theme in that symphony, “Going Home”. You might know… did Dvorak later set it to that text, or did someone else? When you’ve got a good mezzo singing, it’s like butter and very poignant. But the symphony itself is gorgeous.

I agree with you about verse 2. How do we become the Eucharist? I never saw the text to that hymn before.