Teenagers and Church Music

  • Thread starter Thread starter wynd
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
As I said in an other thread:

“It is not about the me, nor the we, but the He”.
(Note that I would not use such sentence construction, but it was an extension of a quote a modernist gave me, turned to the traditionalist cause)
Amen to the above !

**The Mass is not something like a MTV show to be repackaged every year or so in order to keep the seats filled and the public entertained by the latest in "worship settings ". **
 
I go to a Lutheran university, and it’s split right down the middle. Almost everyone grew up in traditional churches with organ music, etc…But several of the kids have developed a passion for “contemporary praise” music. Of which I’m not a fan. Anyway, the chapels we hold daily are usually very traditional, with at least one hymn being sung every day. And we have an incredible organist. And pretty much everyone that attends can sing really well. And SOMETIMES the organist will let us sing acapella for a verse and you can hear the four part harmony being sung. It’s pretty much like a huge choir, but it’s just a congregation of college kids and profs. I think it’s my favorite thing about going here. My school is producing a lot of church musicians, and Lutherans can generally sing. Our school is pretty big on music, in general.

Personally, I’m all for traditional services and music. I like my synod’s divine services with chanting and hymnody. Luckily our Wednesday night Eucharist is a traditional service, as well. So I’m pretty happy with my school.

EDIT: I just realized that research was done by an LCMS member. 🙂
Dear God:

Please bring all the Lutherans back to the Catholic Church because when they left they took most of the a capella four part singing with them, and then they went and produced Bach, and well, Lord, we REALLY need them back. Amen.
 
OK, I don’t qualify, since I’m almost 60, BUT this has been going on since I was 18 at least. I went to a 60’s version of a contemporary Mass in college that was supposed to appeal to us at the time (think Peter, Paul and Mary; Simon and Garfunkle). It was what I liked for general listening, but didn’t care for in church. Can’t believe this is still going on. Instead of current music, how about genuine friendliness and Christian concern conbined with more timeless music.
 
David danced before the Arc of the Covenant! Psalm 150 speaks of praising the Lord with tambourines> quote :
Sure they did a lot of things in the Old Testament besides dancing in front of the Arc of the Covenant and bang tambourines— they practiced polygamy, had concubines and killed thousands of animals for sacrifices just to name a few.

Careful how you justify your actions now from the Old Testament. We are now in the New Testament era.

Jesus didn’t dance his way to the cross.
 
Dear God:

Please bring all the Lutherans back to the Catholic Church because when they left they took most of the a capella four part singing with them, and then they went and produced Bach, and well, Lord, we REALLY need them back. Amen.
I got a laugh out of that…very clever. 😉

And even expanding on that thought, the LCMS just put out a new hymnal for our synod entitled the Lutheran Service Book (LSB). I think walking into the chapel and seeing all the new LSBs in the racks was one of the most exciting things about coming back to school this year. Buzz was being generated last year about the new hymnal, but actually holding it in my hand was incredible. Everyone was pretty excited, and it reached a peak when our campus pastor asked us not to steal the hymnals, but instead we could take them out for a week at a time on loan. We’re so ridiculous. We’re pumped, though, because they didn’t try to make up any new services, they took the best of the Divine Services from the last two hymnals and hymnal supplement and put them in, as well as our old orders of matins, vespers, morning prayer, and evening prayer. PLUS they reverted back to the “thees” and “thous” and other archaic words in hymns, and it sounds so much sweeter.

The four part harmony truly is amazing. We sang “Abide With Me” as the closing hymn at this years opening service and it was truly one of the most incredible things I’ve ever heard. It comforts me to know that traditional church music is alive and well in my Synod and is going to be carried on to the next generation.
 
Im a young’un too (17) and I looooooooooooooooooooove gregorian chant…fall asleep listening to it every night:thumbsup:
 
I’m 27, a seminarian, and I love chant and polyphony. I have been to orhcestral masses and love them. Organ and chant should have pride of place. The are the norm.

That being said, some realy need to recognice that LifeTeen is a Vatican approved movemnt of the Church, and that the contemporary music has been approved for liturgical use for the masses of said movment. Addidtionaly, verbs used to describe the function of a vaccum cleaner have no place in a Catholic Fourm, particularly in reference to a movent in the Church that has led many peple to Christ, and from which a high number of vocations has come.
 
I’m 27, a seminarian, and I love chant and polyphony. I have been to orhcestral masses and love them. Organ and chant should have pride of place. The are the norm.

That being said, some realy need to recognice that LifeTeen is a Vatican approved movemnt of the Church, and that the contemporary music has been approved for liturgical use for the masses of said movment. Addidtionaly, verbs used to describe the function of a vaccum cleaner have no place in a Catholic Fourm, particularly in reference to a movent in the Church that has led many peple to Christ, and from which a high number of vocations has come.
:amen:

Perfectly said.
 
PAX

I must be the odd Catholic out… I like the contemporary Christian music (and G-chants, the old hymes also)…
I listen to Christian Music all day, in the car, at home & at Work, I go to a Life Teen Mass that has upbeat Liturgical Music. It has been a blessing to see all 4 of my children praising God with their voices. This is our family’s, faith, values and reflection to others…

“The study pointed out the influence of things we do and hear regularly. I would encourage parents to keep worship at the heart of their family’s life together–to attend church as a family, to have positive conversations about what happens at that time and place, to savor and enjoy this inter-generational gathering of God’s people.”

As a Parent & Catholic Christian we have shown our children many varieties of Liturgical Music & an appreciation for them all. All Praise belongs to God in all forms…
You like the “contemporary” music, but do your children? I am 37 and I am glad that “guitar Mass” went away. I prefer traditional hymns (both chant and hymns in the vernacular like “Amazing Grace”) and organ music. When I was a teenager, I thought the “guitar Mass” was for the yuppies and old hippies. As a generation X person, I hated guitar at Mass. The organ and the hymns were something I always liked. They are timeless and reverant to God.
 
You like the “contemporary” music, but do your children? I am 37 and I am glad that “guitar Mass” went away. I prefer traditional hymns (both chant and hymns in the vernacular like “Amazing Grace”) and organ music. When I was a teenager, I thought the “guitar Mass” was for the yuppies and old hippies. As a generation X person, I hated guitar at Mass. The organ and the hymns were something I always liked. They are timeless and reverant to God.
The reason why I liked hymns/organ at Mass when I was a teenager is because I always believed that Mass is sacred. It is about God, not me. I listened to hard rock, heavy metal and punk for enjoyment then. In fact, I still like P.O.D. and Third Day nowadays, but I would not want to hear that in Mass. Mass is the Holy Sacrifice of Jesus offered on Calvary, a re-presentation in an unbloody way, but entirely the same here and now. It is not a form of entertainment.
 
There will come a time when music played at Mass will have to meet more stringent guidelines.

As far as I understand, the days of folksy Masses and “contemporary” are on the wane.👍

As to Lifeteen and other such things, I believe they have their place at the current time. We lost (in mind, body or both) during the nonsense of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s and people just weren’t catechized enough and inculturated enough into the traditional Catholic lifestyle. Thus, to just all of a sudden dump the traditions back onto everyone and anyone indiscriminately would not work.

I think once we get people back into church and back into orthodox belief-then we can get back into the proper reverence and decorum.
 
Okay, I admit that as an ex-Anglican organist snob, I prefer the use of the organ at Mass over any other instrument. It is the only instrument that the Church can legitimately claim as it’s own (I’m not including bells, which are not used for accompanying singing). The guitar, piano, flute, et cetera, are all fine instruments with a huge repertoire, but do not belong in the same category as sacred music. Neither do most modern anthropologically-based hymns, nor that sentimental Victorian frippery (i.e. “Let the Deep Organ Swell the Lay”) that was equally ambiguous in the theological sense. That being said, I’d rather hear devout guitarists singing reverently with orthodox lyrics and singable melodies than hear an organist belt out jazzy OCP dreck with words that would offend a Unitarian and a melody from a 70’s TV commercial. Orthodoxy and singability are my two main criteria for selecting music. Our music should take a special and sacred place in our worship and not be simply a baptized version of whatever is popular.

Singability: Latin plainchant is singable. “Anthem” is not.
 
Okay, I admit that as an ex-Anglican organist snob, I prefer the use of the organ at Mass over any other instrument. It is the only instrument that the Church can legitimately claim as it’s own (I’m not including bells, which are not used for accompanying singing). The guitar, piano, flute, et cetera, are all fine instruments with a huge repertoire, but do not belong in the same category as sacred music. Neither do most modern anthropologically-based hymns, nor that sentimental Victorian frippery (i.e. “Let the Deep Organ Swell the Lay”) that was equally ambiguous in the theological sense. That being said, I’d rather hear devout guitarists singing reverently with orthodox lyrics and singable melodies than hear an organist belt out jazzy OCP dreck with words that would offend a Unitarian and a melody from a 70’s TV commercial. Orthodoxy and singability are my two main criteria for selecting music. Our music should take a special and sacred place in our worship and not be simply a baptized version of whatever is popular.

Singability: Latin plainchant is singable. “Anthem” is not.
Although plainchant is actually quite difficult to sing well because it requires total subordination of the voice and the heart to the music and text – that said, I believe the Lord has sent so many of us ex-Anglican snobs to Rome to help save it from itself. WE kept the music AND the catholicity alive all during the RC meltdown of the 70s and 80s. They need us now.
 
I am greatful for Anglican-Catholic converts.
Thank you. I can tell you that a lot of “management” is not glad to see us coming. Drives 'em nuts when we tell 'em that the congregation (including teenagers) used to know the Missa Marialis, Missa Dominicalis, and Missa de Angelis in Latin . . .

'Cause, y’know, the people really can’t handle that . . . :rolleyes:
 
My friend and I wplay music for mass once every three-four weeks.
I hate it.
I expressed my sentiments to the music director of my parish, and she agreed with me when it came to gregorian chant, but no the Palestrina.
But still, she persists with the banal ditties.
 
You and me both. I am 24 and a revert, I always prefered: Gregorian Chant, Polyphany, and traditional hymns w/ the organ. Then when Lifeteen began at my parish the youth minister and the adults involved in the group insisted that this contemporary stuff is my cup of tea. It was very frustrating, yes I’m young, and no, I don’t like contemporary music.
How in the world can they convince you this is YOUR cup of tea? I’m 22, turning on 23 in a few weeks, and I’m only now starting to get reintroduced to traditional music—and I enjoy it greatly—I also attend a university CSC (mainly to socialize there, I admit), along with a parish church (in order to participate in the full life of the Church).
 
How in the world can they convince you this is YOUR cup of tea?
By having the opinon that because I am young, this is what I like. For example I went to benediction once there and it used comtemporary music. The adults were hyping me up for it, they acted like I have never been to benediction and adoration before and that I have never experienced the physical presence of Christ. I have always gone to benediction where the hymns are sung in Latin w/ the organ. I experienced Jesus there, yes he is present with contemporary music. But that hyping up insistency was driving me nuts. I already knew Jesus and have a personal relationship with him. The adults were acting like I didn’t, thankfully they finally saw it and stopped.
 
I also attend a university CSC (mainly to socialize there, I admit), along with a parish church (in order to participate in the full life of the Church).
I also attend the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom at the local Byzantine Catholic Church weekly, along with attending my own parish, so I can like wise participate in the full life of the Church.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top