Whatever happened to Gregorian Chant?

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Halyna

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When I was little I was taught that our churches sing our prayers in Gregorian chant so that everyone could participate. Over the years in my church, the chant became used for only the Creed and Our Father.
Now my children are grown and go to their churches and tell me that the melody is changed in their church from week to week. My daughter tells me there is a ‘group’ (I suppose a small choir) that lead the responses and even the repetetives: Lord have mercy…Grant it O Lord…Amen…even these are sung differently each time.
She just cannot participate because there is no way of knowing HOW it will be sung.

Its not just her church or mine, as I have been to Byzantine churches, Ruthenian churches, Ukrainian churches and each one sings the responses differently.

Oh, how I wish we could return to the Gregorian Chant, I do so much want to participate in the mass, and not just sit and listen.
 
Byzantine Churches never used Gregorian Chant ! Nor should they !!
 
Halyna said:
When I was little I was taught that our churches sing our prayers in Gregorian chant so that everyone could participate. Over the years in my church, the chant became used for only the Creed and Our Father.
Now my children are grown and go to their churches and tell me that the melody is changed in their church from week to week. My daughter tells me there is a ‘group’ (I suppose a small choir) that lead the responses and even the repetetives: Lord have mercy…Grant it O Lord…Amen…even these are sung differently each time.
She just cannot participate because there is no way of knowing HOW it will be sung.

Its not just her church or mine, as I have been to Byzantine churches, Ruthenian churches, Ukrainian churches and each one sings the responses differently.

Oh, how I wish we could return to the Gregorian Chant, I do so much want to participate in the mass, and not just sit and listen.
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I would just like to point out that the Eastern Catholic churches you have named have their own traditions of chant, like Byzantine chant, which are entirely different from Gregorian chant. While your desire to see musical uniformity amongst churches within the Roman Catholic Church is admirable, I should hope that you would not want it to come at the expense of loss of the distinct forms chant used within the Eastern churches. You could potentially offend the Eastern Catholics here (unintentionally albeit) by implying that they should “return” to the Gregorian chant which they never used in the first place.
 
If you can get to a TLM (EF) Solemn High Mass celebrated by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, the Institute of Christ the King: Sovereign Priest, or some other TOTALLY in union with Rome group, youll get heaps of it! Its alive and well in the EF, and it`s making a comeback in the OF in some areas. 👍
 
Fink said:
If you can get to a TLM (EF) Solemn High Mass celebrated by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, the Institute of Christ the King: Sovereign Priest, or some other TOTALLY in union with Rome group, youll get heaps of it! Its alive and well in the EF, and it`s making a comeback in the OF in some areas. 👍
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It’s great for the Western Church.

But it still has no place in the UGCC. Some latinizers DID import it into the UGCC and Ruthenian GCC. Now, quite rightly, those priests attempting to retain those latinizations were excommunicated for disobedience and illicit continuations of liturgical abuses.

After all, how would you feel if someone came in and insisted the low mass be done in Russian 8-part polyphonic chant, Tone 7, despite the fact that it’s not part of the latin tradition?
 
Aramis said:
After all, how would you feel if someone came in and insisted the low mass be done in Russian 8-part polyphonic chant, Tone 7, despite the fact that it’s not part of the latin tradition?
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A lot better than I feel when listening to Marty Haugen and the St Louis Jesuits at my parish every Sunday…
 
I purchased my first Gregorian chant CD and I’m really enjoying it. I think another purchase in the near further is in order.
 
Soldier_Of_God said:
I purchased my first Gregorian chant CD and I’m really enjoying it. I think another purchase in the near further is in order.
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Our parish has had one for 15years and we are located in the middle of the Bible belt, and my daughter is a happy member. The Protestants even invite us around!😃 Peace, Carlan
 
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