What kind of music do you prefer at Mass?

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I love all types of music at Mass, as long as the soloist or choir can sing on tune! I’ve been to numerous Masses in the Seattle, WA area where the vocalists simply cannot sing on tune. It is dreadful. I always wonder why they are tolerated, singing out of tune as they do. Sometimes it actually hurts my ears!

I am no fan of the music in Lifeteen. I am not a teen anymore, for quite some time, but I do have a very open mind when it comes to music, and what I have heard and seen at Lifeteen Masses is way too loud and not reverent enough. I have only gone to Lifeteen when I have been unable to attend Mass earlier in the morning. I try very hard not to have to attend Lifeteen to fulfill my Sunday obligation!

There is a Mass I attend sometimes where a woman plays a twelve string guitar and she has the voice of an angel–not only is her music very moving it is very meditative and relaxing. She usually sings all the old hymns and sometimes some newer ones.

My favorite music at Mass is the full choir at Christmas with chamber orchestra. Absolutely heavenly! Beautiful music is played here always at St James Cathedral in Seattle. The best that can be had, with many professional musicians and voices. 👍
 
Andreas Hofer:
Renaissance polyphony
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Is it just me? Or is it late at night and I’ve just put in an extra 5 hours at work today, unplanned, but on my own volition…

on my way home, playing a tape in my pickup that I recorded in the 80’s from an FM country radio station that I love for what they played the first half hour after 5pm every Friday night… songs about “it’s QUITtin’ time… QUITtin’ time… time to DISassemble this asSEMBLY line… well, I LOVE punchin’ out like I HATE punchin’ in… hot damma lamma ramma DING DONG it’s ah QUITtin’ time aGAIN!”

“I’m so tired of makin’ what EVER it is that we maaayy-ake… till some fool tells me it’s time to take a braaayyy-ake… standin’ so long it makes my body aaayyyy-ache… it’s QUITtin’ time aGAIN!”

(yeh, it’s late… wonder what’s on tee-vee?)

And no, I do not drink alcohol… or do drugs… I’m just a little punch happy…today was my last day on this job. I’ve got another one lined up, though… no fear… God’s been takin’ real GOOD care of me! Praise the Lord!
:clapping: :tiphat: :bounce: :bowdown:

Yeh… I’m kinda punchy at the moment… but, still, is it just me?

Or is it natural for me, when I read your post, for my mind to wander and so to think of “see if you can say THAT three times quickly!”

Renaissance polyphony

Renaissance polyphony

Renaissance polyphony

:cool: 😛

Yeh… it’s really warm in the house… actually, quite still and warm… I guess I’m just dehydrated… off I go to get some water…

Just me,
Veronica (bein’ silly) Anne
A raving, orthodox, faithful cradle Catholic, Roman variety
:whacky: :love:

Oh, I SO love my God who created silliness and laughter!!!
 
Super Mom:
I’m getting to the point where I would prefer no music at all! At my parish all they sing is the modern (1990’s) music. …Amazing Grace, We Gather together, How Great thou art , On Eagle’s Wings…There are many reverent hymns that are in the pew missal but they are never sung. After 20 years of hearing "Let there be Peace on Earth, its gets quite tiring. If the Catholic Church is known for its hymns and music, I don’t hear them. Just the same old thing. When I can’t take it anymore I go to a Tridentine Mass or another NO that is said with reverence and the music reflexs that.

Also when someone says how we should accomodate all music tastes, that’s not what we’re at Mass for. At a concert you play for different musical tastes. The music at Mass should reflect the reverence we have for God and the sacrifice offered to Him. If we really believe Jesus is present on our altar and in the Tabernacle then how does half the music we sing reflect that?
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Supermom, please note that *Amazing Grace *and *How Great Thou Art *are not “nineties songs!” They are actually very, very old hymns. *Amazing Grace *was written sometime in the sixteen or seventeen hundreds, by a slaveowner who realized his sin in owning and trafficking in slaves, and changed his ways. *How Great Thou Art *is also old, but not nearly as old as the former. I was born in the fifties and I remember that hymn as a wee child.

I agree that music at Mass should reflect our reverence for God, but many different sorts of music do just that. If I open my heart to the music, no matter what kind, I usually feel the deep love that is in it. And I believe Our Lord would find this deep love in the music quite pleasing!
 
There are some songs that I just KNOW I’m gonna be sobbing through because they touch me so deeply…

On Eagle’s Wings

Hosea

(I am the) Bread of Life (by Sister Suzanne Toolan, whom I’ve met and had the blessing to sing in a choir that she led for a Franciscan brother I know who became a diocesan priest for his Thanksgiving Mass - that first Mass that a priest ever says on his own for a congregation)

those are just a few… I think those are from that Praise & Worship collection.
 
I like them all, but being a violinst who sometimes plays at mass I have a definite leaning more toward the traditional. However, I also occasionally like to sing, shout and clap with the kids at the LifeTeen mass.

By the way, does anyone remember Father Rivers?
 
You needed a category for people like me who likes ALL the different styles of catholic music 🙂
 
I enjoy a wide variety of music at Mass. There are some great hymns (ones that draw us heart, mind and spirit closer to God) in almost every genre, as well as some real clunkers.

You left out one type of category, however, that includes some of my very favorites: classical liturgical music (by the “great” composers – Bach, Handel, Schubert, Mozart, etc.).
 
Quiet ! No Music please ! If I want music I’ll turn the radio on!
 
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akemner:
I prefer chant, regardless of the tradition. Chant tends to be better suited to the ethos of prayer-especially communal/congregational. Now as far as Latin Rite chants systems, most are not uniformly static or staid, or calm and even (as Gregorian Chant is popularly perceived to be, gratis the interpretational system developed by St Peter’s Monastery at Solesme), but reflect the sentiment of the text (often, the poet also wrote the melody). Check out Mozarabic chant chant for a real wild treat sometime (for Neil: I would classify Mozarabic as a separate Rite, as that DL is *very *different than the Mass-though i am not sure about the Office). Ambrosian Chant is full of skips, and is rather rhythmic (though the rhythms have regularized under influence of Gregorian chant).

Even Gregorian Chant is rhythmic, and best sung to a rhythmic mode (late mediaeval chant books prescribe the rhythmic mode-the point is that it is not supposed to be a constant flow of notes of the same value, but can have a rather strong pulse to it, depending on the hymn).

Chant systems are easy to learn, as they are based on short melodic phrases that repeat, have a narrow range, and the melodies are well written (they would not stay around for any length of time were that not the case) and easily memorable-just think that how many folks already know melodies like Veni Emmanuel, the Alleluia from the Paschal Vigil, Pange Lingua (not the hymn version), Adoro te devote, Dies irae, &c. I imagine there are precious few here that do not know these melodies, though you may not know where they come from.

Chant fulfills needs for variety, simplicity and complexity, participation, internallization, and beauty and solemnity. And it uses the texts approved at all point of the service, so there is no question as to whether a song or hymn is apporpriate at that point (this is not to say there is no place for these-there are, but i think it best not during Mass).

In Christ,
Adam
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🙂
 
I didn’t tick them all but I’ve had good and bad experiences of both.

At my current parish they music is all well performed and I think that’s the key.

What I find doesn’t work too well for me is a mixture of styles within the same Mass - but again that’s a matter of personal preference!

Peace

Vince
 
Having gone to charismatic Masses for years, I really like good praise and worship music .
I usually listen to a beautiful Gregorian chant on a CD at home before I go to the charismatic Mass.
I love both types of music as I give glory to God.
 
I like a mix.

I would find it hard to imagine never hearing some of the more modern songs. Some of them are incredible, moving and timeless. Others are corny, irreverant and quickly dated.
On the other hand, I do like the old style music. I almost wish there was a way to effectively mix them. I don’t really like the idea of having the “old people” at one mass and the “young people” at another. It seems to me that we are to worship as a community, as a Body of Christ. Not as individual groups.

I’m just as happy hearing a Gregoriant Chant or an old-style hymn (either Catholic or protestant in origin) or a modern “praise and worship” song, so long as it is an appropriate song.

Recently at a worship event at St. Laurence (my parish) in Sugarland, we were graced with the presence of a young singer by the name of Kelly Pease out of Louisiana. Her modern praise/worship songs were the highlight of the weekend… This includes when she sang during mass.

BTW, the green “Gather” books are quite possibly the most boring selection of songs known to man. heh. I’d pick some good old southern gospel songs over those dreadful abominations. Some people prefer to sing from books like this just for the sake of ignoring any worship song that may be construed as protestant in nature – regardless of the message of the song. I think that’s sad.

On the flipside, I literally began crying when at one mass the song director began singing an old song I recognize from my youth in baptist churches. Nothing was objectionable about it from a Catholic standpoint. And quite honestly, most of those songs are better… So, I say let’s make a large burn pile with those dreadful hymnals that have been forced down most U.S. Catholics throats (Gather and other equally heinous books). Thankfully, most song directors now recognize that the message of the song and the beauty of the music is more important than whether or not it came from a Catholic book publishing company. Given the relatively small qualitity of good Catholic songwriters, this is a plus.

-Michael
 
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Exporter:
Quiet ! No Music please ! If I want music I’ll turn the radio on!
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I’m glad you’re not in charge. God seems to disagree with your sentiments.

**"Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! **
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!"
Psalms 95:1-2

See also Psalms 66, 81, 98, and 100.

Clearly, we should **come into his presence **(at the mass! Not just in a separate praise and worship meeting, in his presence!!) while **singing songs of praise to our Lord!!! **Yep, I think I’ll take the Word of God on this one.

-Michael
 
I am a cantor so I like to sing anything that fits with the readings of the mass.

Peace,
Jen
 
I love it we we have a mass at school and the kids sing “Our God is an Awesome God” - great enthusiasm!
 
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TheGrowingGrape:
et … I hate to admit this, being a strict traditional and all … but I REALLY love singing that Baptist song (forget the title) that goes "O Lord My God. I’m filled with awesome wonder … blah blah “…I hear that rolling thunder … blah blah … how Great Thou art!” The “blah blah” parts indictate the words I don’t know.
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Nothing wrong with that! I really dislike it when people find it prudent to exclude songs because they weren’t written by Catholics. If the message is right, the song is alright with me… The oldie baptist songs are some of the best, IMO.

-Michael
 
I chose gregorian chant (WITHOUT organ accompaniment- that really detracts from the beauty of it), and traditional hymns. I also like sacred polyphony (during communion- I do not like to sing after I just received the Eucharist). I like some of the modern hymns, but I think I’d prefer to listen to those at home, on a CD or something. I would rather gregorian chant NOT be used EVER, if no cantor in the parish can chant it. I like traditional hymns, as long as they are sung at the proper speed.
 
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