Weird songs at Mass

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smessner said:
What about other Broadway Musical tunes?
Jesus Christ Superstar comes to mind. Fiddler on the Roof’s “Sunrise, Sunset” and “Sabbath Prayer” (mostly at weddings though most of those barely count as liturgies).
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My church in SoFla used to do an Easter Pagent, and Mary Magdalene would sing her song from JCS, and Pilate’s wife her song. I think Jesus sang the one about the cup passing from him?
We did sing “Mary Did You Know?” at Christmas. And our Cantor/Soloist would sing “Via Dolarosa” as the soldiers processed out of the church with the “body” of Jesus after the Easter pagant.
 
johnnykins said:
On a slightly different tack - although great music, I find the adaptations of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” from the Chorale and Haydn’s “Austria” out of place. I know I should be glad to hear music written by great composers, but I cannot help thinking how inappropriate. Honestly, whenever the tune for “Austria” is struck up all I can think of is “Deutschland uber alles…” Somehow Nazi anthems just strike me as inappropriate - even if not written for the Nazis.
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It’s interesting that you bring that up. It always amazes me when I hear of the origins of some hymns that I absolutely love…many of them are based off of drinking tunes. And a lot of people are surprised to learn that Schubert’s Ave Maria wasn’t originally written as the “Hail Mary” prayer, although the Latin text happens to fit with the melody (I personally prefer the original composition of it).
 
THutch04 said:
It’s interesting that you bring that up. It always amazes me when I hear of the origins of some hymns that I absolutely love…many of them are based off of drinking tunes. And a lot of people are surprised to learn that Schubert’s Ave Maria wasn’t originally written as the “Hail Mary” prayer, although the Latin text happens to fit with the melody (I personally prefer the original composition of it).
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it wasn’t?
 
The few times I have wandered about in antique malls, I have looked exclusively for second-hand protestant church hymnals. I have never failed to find such, there.

A lot of the hymns seem to have been written in the previous 50 to 100 years, prior to the publication of the hymnals. So, it’s not like these churches use real old hymns.

Tantum Ergo is the oldest hymn currently used on EWTN that I recognize and that goes back to St. Thomas Aquinas. There’s one or two that go back to or are based on St. Francis of Assissi.

New or old, I am so bored by the unwillingness to explore better quality in Mass music. Like at the EWTN Mass, they sing the Pater Noster to that old familiar --and quite boring – melody. And, they don’t sing it with much zip, either. The first rule seems to be, the music has to be slow.

I think boring music is wierd, for the sake of this thread.
 
PatienceAndLove said:
it wasn’t?
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No, it’s actually a setting of a song from Walter Scott’s poem “Lady of the Lake” in a German translation. In the poem, the character Ellen is pleading with the Virgin Mary for help. And somewhat unrelated, a song set to that melody was written for the Disney movie “Fantasia.”
 
smessner said:
:rotfl:

What about other Broadway Musical tunes?
Jesus Christ Superstar comes to mind.
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We did get Jesus Christ Superstar once, now that you mention it. And it wasn’t just weird music for this one.

It all started when I was asked by one of the members of Parish Council what we could do to bring the message of Christ to the whole town. I suggested a Passion Play in the town square just before Easter a la Oberammergau. I said that they probably couldn’t do it that year because it was only about 2 weeks before Easter, but with some preparation, it could be done the next.

Instead we got a re-enactment of the Passion, still following the Gospel reading (no script was produced), at the 3:00 service on Good Friday, complete with costumes and parishioners taking parts and acting it out. (which, yes I know, is an abuse strictly forbidden and is no longer happening) They played Jesus Christ Superstar, a recording mind you, as part of this re-enactment.

The costumes generated a lot of comment too. We are not a very affluent parish, so they cobbled them together with whatever they could lay their hands on. We are a mining town, so they painted some hardhats gold and wore them back to front for helmets for the Roman soldiers, with the bill covering the backs of their necks. I think the centurion had a piece of a broom attached to the top of his for the horsehair crest.

Interestingly, the first year this was done, it raised a lot of interest. The second year, attendance at the 3:00 service increased and it was covered by the local paper and TV station. By the third and last year, the church was packed, with standing room only.
 
THutch04 said:
… And a lot of people are surprised to learn that Schubert’s Ave Maria wasn’t originally written as the “Hail Mary” prayer, although the Latin text happens to fit with the melody (I personally prefer the original composition of it).
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You might be thinking of the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria. That is the one where Gounod took a simple piano piece of Bach’s and added the Ave. He had to add one measure in the piece to make the words fit.

Schubert’s Ave Maria was a commissioned piece *as the Ave Maria *for a stage production of Sir Walter Scott’s “Lady of the Lake,” so it’s always been a cohesive unit.

'thann
 
I used to be a Superstar Mass Diva. When I was young and stupid (OK, just ignorant of my faith), I was a vocalist/guitarist and played not only at all of the Masses at my parish, but was paid to travel and “perform” at other parishes throughout the region. This was the 1970s and 80s. I figured if parishes were paying me to play, and the priest was “groovy with it,” what i was doing was right. At my own parish, we had standing-room-only Masses, and I got to sing two big showstopping solos each Mass – complete with applause afterward! Man, it’s surprising that the doors were wide enough to allow my huge head back out. 😉

(I’m older and wiser now, and look back in shame at the way I was back then!)

Here are just a few of the songs I recall singing during those years, and this doesn’t include the outrageous songs I sang and the hundreds of weddings during that period):

American Tune by Paul Simon
How Can People Be So Heartless from Midnight Cowboy
Blowin’ in the Wind by Bob Dylan
There But for Fortune by Phil Ochs
Sweet Baby James by James Taylor
Suzanne by Leonard Cohen
Imagine by John Lennon
Today (words slightly changed for the Mass)
What the World Needs Now Is Love Sweet Love
Love by John Lennon
Most of the songs from Godspell
Many of the songs from JC Superstar
(i’ll stop here before I hurl)

In my defense, our assistant pastor was also Superstar Priest. People came from miles around to hear his homilies. He was an actor and a director (and also had a popular radio show), so his homilies were VERY lively with props and special effects. We were a “good” team.

'thann
 
Petergee said:
Yes it was Sr Janet Meade. All the old Aussie rockers still can’t get over the fact that the first Australian to have a worlwide #1 hit song was a nun! to
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I don’t remember that one. Can anyone give me link to what the tune is?
 
qui_est_ce said:
I don’t remember that one. Can anyone give me link to what the tune is?
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I’ve found it on ITunes. Search for “The Lord’s Prayer”. This version is on an album called “Still More 70’s Music”. It’s not the original artist, but it’s close enough.
 
“Unchained Melody” on the piano before Mass. My kids recognized it from the movie “Ghost”.
 
More 70s Mass music (from my Catholic women’s college masses, of all places!) –

El Condor Pasa – Simon & Garfunkel ("I’d rather be a sparrow than a snail, yes I would, if I could, I surely would . . . ")
You’ve Got A Friend – Carole King
The Great Mandela – Peter Paul & Mary
 
10 minutes of “It’s a Small World” by several guitarists as an entrance hymn. Several people had walked out before it ended.
 
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble By Mac Davis, played at a funeral Mass and chosen by the family.

Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble
when you’re perfect in every way.
I can’t wait to look in the mirror
cause I get better looking each day.
To know me is to love me
I must be a hell of a man.
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble
but I’m doing the best that I can.
I used to have a girlfriend
but she just couldn’t compete
with all of these love starved women
who keep clamoring at my feet.
Well I prob’ly could find me another
but I guess they’re all in awe of me.
Who cares, I never get lonesome
cause I treasure my own company.
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble
when you’re perfect in every way,
I can’t wait to look in the mirror
cause I get better looking each day
 
paramedicgirl said:
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble By Mac Davis, played at a funeral Mass and chosen by the family.

Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble
when you’re perfect in every way.
I can’t wait to look in the mirror
cause I get better looking each day.
To know me is to love me
I must be a hell of a man.
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble
but I’m doing the best that I can.
I used to have a girlfriend
but she just couldn’t compete
with all of these love starved women
who keep clamoring at my feet.
Well I prob’ly could find me another
but I guess they’re all in awe of me.
Who cares, I never get lonesome
cause I treasure my own company.
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble
when you’re perfect in every way,
I can’t wait to look in the mirror
cause I get better looking each day
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Ironic for a funeral 😦 after all the body is no longer getting “better” looking. But. I will leave that up to the imagination.
 
I remember in elementary school we sang a song that didn’t bother me at the time, but it seems awfully contrary to Church teachings:

Peter built His church on the rock of our faith,
His banner over me is love
(repeat ad nauseum)

I’m still not sure what the second line means, but the first flat out denies that Peter is the rock. And yes, this was a Catholic school (not surprisingly)!
 
I think I’m going to give our music director a big hug and a “thanks” after Mass tomorrow. No wonder we’re regarded as having one of the better music ministry programs in the Archdiocese.

I’m trying to imagine Three Dog Night’s “Joy to the World” on Christmas Eve. :eek: We always have selections from Handel’s “Messiah”, the chamber choir sings carols in various languages (some a capella), one year we sang a Latin Mass, and the accompaniment is always organ, grand piano, and strings (timpani and brass are added for Easter). Our director is currently working with pastors of other churches in the area as well as the local symphony orchestra for a joint performance of the full “Messiah” this winter. Can’t wait.

Yup, a big hug for our music director, and maybe for our extremely supportive pastor as well, even if he does occasionally pick out a couple of atrocious hymns as “special requests”. If we play his couple of hymns, he pretty much gives our director and his excellent taste free reign over the rest. 👍
 
paramedicgirl said:
Totally inappropriate. I almost walked out.
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“It’s Hard to Be Humble” at a funeral? Yikes!

I assisted families with funeral planning at our parish. When a request for something like this would come up, I would suggest that perhaps this be done at the funeral home/wake. If that didn’t go over, I’d just say that “Father won’t allow it” and hope that he’d back me.🙂

I don’t remember too many funny songs but “Wind Beneath My Wings” was a frequent request.

Once again, I shouldn’t be doing these posts late at night. In the same vein as “Humble”, I guess that “I Got Friends in Low Places” would really take on a new level of meaning at a funeral…
 
smessner said:
“It’s Hard to Be Humble” at a funeral? Yikes!

I assisted families with funeral planning at our parish. When a request for something like this would come up, I would suggest that perhaps this be done at the funeral home/wake. If that didn’t go over, I’d just say that “Father won’t allow it” and hope that he’d back me.🙂

I don’t remember too many funny songs but “Wind Beneath My Wings” was a frequent request.

Once again, I shouldn’t be doing these posts late at night. In the same vein as “Humble”, I guess that “I Got Friends in Low Places” would really take on a new level of meaning at a funeral….
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:bigyikes: This was that kind of funeral, I guess, where anything goes. Only one person went up to receive Communion. There were four practicing Catholics there, and the Church was overflowing.
 
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