Pope Francis and Sacred Musicians Call for the Reform of the Refrain

[buffalo]

I would like to know the total percentage of “conservative” Catholics as part of the total laity.

Ed

The Catholic Church is not a political party.

I see only two types: orthodox or heterodox.

 

[Borealis]

Sort of related to this topic… I just discovered this Society, linked below, and became a “member” this week -

facebook.com/Society-for-a-Moratorium-on-the-Music-of-Marty-Haugen-and-David-Haas-162879717077547/

I found this cartoon below which is a perfect quick explanation of exactly what I don’t like about their music. I assume its also a big reason why a Society formed for its moratorium!

…http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_X6SfstKQluk/RdsuH1KU3ZI/AAAAAAAAAEU/fS_AUIKcjyM/s320/Music.jpg

I like some of their music; Spirit Blowing Through Creation (Haugen) and Where There Is Love (Haas) are two of the songs I played often as the organist at my church. Gather Us In is also well-received at our masses. Of course, I only use one hymn book (I banned Glory and Praise from the choir loft five years ago), the CBW III. So I don’t know what else they’ve done that has people up in arms.

 

[pnewton]

I like some of their music; Spirit Blowing Through Creation (Haugen) and Where There Is Love (Haas) are two of the songs I played.

In my own opinion, My Soul in Stillness Waits, is one of the best he ever wrote, but partially because there are few good Advent songs that really convey the spirit of the season.

 

[twf]

Have you heard of Dr. Dietrich Von Hildebrand, a German Roman Catholic philosopher who Pope emeritus Benedict praised as one who may potentially go down as one of the best RC philosophers of the 20th century? You might want to try reading some his books and essays. He writes a lot about values in his “Ethics”; he also has quite a bit to say about beauty. Liturgically, he was very much a traditionalist (although he saw the need for reform), which is why you don’t see many people on CAF consulting his works regarding the liturgy.

 Unfortunately, the dominate trend (at least in the US) in the RCC seems to be that beauty is something that merely suits our tastes. It's an expression of personal preference and nothing more.

The name rings a bell. I think you’re right that many individuals, perhaps most, have adopted a modern subjective approach to music and beauty… theologians, liturgists, and bishops who write on Sacred Music, on the other hand, still, I am sure, retain the Church’s perennial understanding that beauty is objective and some music is intrinsically, by its very nature, more fitting for divine worship than others.