Refused to sing "a mighty fortress is our God"

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I refuse to sing most music at Mass because the songs are theologically and auditorily bad.
 
0331 said:
I’m a bit concerned with the song ‘Jesus loves me.’ I mean, it’s true and all, but shouldn’t it mention Tradition and Magesterium in addition to ‘for the Bible tells me so’?
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Oh dear – do you sing that during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass?
 
He loudly sings it in a Bee Gees impression between getting the host and the cup.
 
Same here. I rarely pull out the hymnal.

When it comes to music we should be choosing songs that are theologically correct will bring in the generation coming up behind us rather than choosing songs that we like.
 
Loud-living-dogma said:
Oh dear – do you sing that during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass?
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Haha! Nope, but my daughter has this Easter bunny that sings it in that high-pitched tone that sounds like the speaker is a tin can. It’s been stuck in my head all day.
 
Oh, okay. I thought we were talking about liturgical music. At Mass.
 
I haven’t used that yet, but that is an idea. I might keep it in the back of my mind. I have always considered it one of the most theologically profound of all hymns.
MagdalenaRita said:
Same here. I rarely pull out the hymnal.

When it comes to music we should be choosing songs that are theologically correct will bring in the generation coming up behind us rather than choosing songs that we like.
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If you rarely pull out a hymnal, then what concern is it what is sung. I do not see any reason why those who do not contribute would be much of an influence in a parish.
 
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pnewton said:
If you rarely pull out a hymnal, then what concern is it what is sung. I do not see any reason why those who do not contribute would be much of an influence in a parish.
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One reason I do not pull out the hymnal is because I already know the words to many songs and hymns.

Also, I am an ex-protestant revert who home schooled her family and we studied the stories behind many protestant hymns and many are not theologically Catholic, some are even anti-Catholic or were sung in anti-Catholic settings and so it makes it difficult for me personally to sing the songs because in my mind I know who else has sung the song in the past and what they were written and singing about.

Mass is a prayer and a sacrifice and I do participate. I can meditate or pray during the hymns, I feel I can not sing. I do sing if I know the song is appropriate as I do like to sing, though singing is not the only way to influence a parish.

Plus it is my parish, my Church, my community the same as it is everyone else that attends there, so it is my concern.
 
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exnihilo said:
I personally generally don’t sing any of the hymns.
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I am the same way. I don’t care for most of the tunes at all as so many of them seem to be composed an octave higher than I can reach. If it’s a hymn I know I may join for a verse or two, but I much prefer to just stand and listen.
 
pnewton - - I believe you are a music director?

What do you suggest for teens guys or men who can’t find the right octave to sing the melody in? (our cantors tend to be women). Is it possible to get more men to be cantors? I realize that’s probably hopeless.

Also, has anyone done a “I’m a music director. Ask me anything” thread? Or would there be too much bloodshed? : )
 
Loud-living-dogma said:
Or would there be too much bloodshed?
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This morning I was reading Richard Rohr’s, Divine Dance, in which he says, “…in the fourth century such religious debates would have led to brawling in the taverns but we have outgrown that sort of behavior. Oh, you have read the comments section of most websites…”
 
Yes, to that last question.

I am not a trained musician, which might actually qualify me more for this. I never did like songs that go more than an octave, but there are so many that do. I have two work-arounds. On guitar, I transpose the key to bring songs down a notch. My piano has a little button that does all this for me without the bother of transposing, though before I had it, I have actually re-written whole songs to transpose them. Seldom do I go down more than a step and a half though, it seems to fix the problem with high notes.

This Christmas we sang “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” down three of four steps as a guy thing.
 
@DaveBj My son loves the Golden Gate Quartet. He’s always sending me links on YouTube. Me - I listen to my Statler Brothers every day, Gospel Favorites.
 
The cantors may be quite happy to shift down if you ask nicely… it’s unlikely they want to cause problems, or fully realise the extent of the problem. Or they can shift up and you can sing an octave lower…

(I’m a choir director/cantor and I have many times been guilty of causing the opposite problem - my voice is way too low - and I still find it hard to pick the register right when standing in front of the church without an instrument to hand.)
 
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