When did all the singing come in?

[Madaglan]

I’m not very well-read on liturgical developments, but just from my own observations, it seems that the Mass has very much changed within the past ten years. I’m only 22, but when little I remember that almost all of the mass, save the entrance hymn, the Pslam, the recession hymn, the collection hymn, and the communion hymn were all spoken rather than sung. I remember that the Mass used to be very solemn–almost too solemn for my young self. I remember when the Our Father was spoken, and it seems to me that the “Lamb of God” prayer was also spoken.

However, now it seems that almost all of the liturgy is sung rather than spoken. I don’t necessarily have a problem with everything being sung, but, um, I sometimes wonder if things are getting a little too Protty

I don’t know…maybe it’s just me, but I have trouble connecting my Catholic faith with some of the new songs that are out. There’s this one that sounds nice, but which I don’t think sounds very Catholic at all (of course, I don’t know where it comes from, so I might be making a fool of myself if it is an old Catholic hymn). I don’t know its name but the lyrics are “This day was made for the Lord…let us rejoice and be glad/merry,” or something to that effect. It has a interlude that culminates in a stacatto “BUM Bum Bum” and it’s sung at almost every Mass now, and it drives me crazy, since I feel like I’m in a baptist church or something (not that I have anything against baptists). Just the way the song sounds.

Maybe I’m a bit too concerned. Does anybody know what is going on with the addition of these new songs and why everything, including the Pater Noster, is now sung? Thanks!

Do Byzantine rite services have more traditional music and a more solemn environment? I’ve thought about possibly attending a Byzantine church if its services are more traditional, even if its liturgy is almost completely sung.

 

[santaro75]

I know what you are saying. Sometimes when I am at mass I feel like we are trying to put ketchup on a steak. to make it taste better. The problem is, the pallets in the pews. Man if people got caught up in the drama of the salvation story they would see that we are just a continuation of it and I think Mass would come to life.

Ketchup is for Burgers not steaks.

I hope you know what I am saying. Not that ketchup is bad…

I guess we all have our preferences.

$.02

 

[gelsbern]

I don’t know how old you guys are, but I am 35 and when I was a kid, most of the Mass (this was after Vatican II) was done with gregorian chant, or something similar. It was in the 80’s when a lot of the singing went away.

The “singing” as you refer to it has been a part of the Catholic Church for a long long time.

 

[tcraig]

Here’s something to think about …

Prior to joining the Catholic Church, I was a Methodist. When I first started attending mass, my thoughts were “Neat, the services are almost identical.” Since I knew that Methodism originated in the Anglican church, and knowing the Anglican church’s history, I thought that those protestant services just kept the essentials of the original Catholic mass.

Fast forward several years later - I attended my first TLM. It was nothing like the previous (NO) masses I had attended! So, music aside, the mass itself is now very similar to a protestant service (at least the Methodist one).

As for the music - blech! As someone who came from a protestant denomination with a rich and beautiful musical heritage don’t get me started on this! I don’t know why Catholics don’t stick with Gregorian chant and the absolutely beautiful Catholic classics; they quite literally butcher protestant hymns (completely apart from the fact that many of the lyrics in protestant hymns are at odds with Catholic doctrine).

But then again, having experienced some of the “treasures” in most Catholic hymnals today (is it a rule that On Eagles’ Wings must be sung every single Sunday?!), perhaps Catholics are desperate for some new stuff …

 

[Madaglan]

Originally Quoted by santaro75:

I know what you are saying. Sometimes when I am at mass I feel like we are trying to put ketchup on a steak. to make it taste better. The problem is, the pallets in the pews. Man if people got caught up in the drama of the salvation story they would see that we are just a continuation of it and I think Mass would come to life.

Ketchup is for Burgers not steaks.

I hope you know what I am saying. Not that ketchup is bad…

I guess we all have our preferences.

$.02

If I understand you correctly, I know exactly what you’re saying, and I feel the same way. Sometimes I think, rather than really letting people know what the Mass is all about, many churches try to use new songs to get people to keep coming back.

Originally Quoted by gilsbern:
The “singing” as you refer to it has been a part of the Catholic Church for a long long time.

Oh yes, I know. But I’m just a little concerned with the songs that are sung, how they are sung, etc. Gregorian chants are beautiful, but they’re not found in many parishes today.

Originally Quoted by tcraig:
As for the music - blech! As someone who came from a protestant denomination with a rich and beautiful musical heritage don’t get me started on this! I don’t know why Catholics don’t stick with Gregorian chant and the absolutely beautiful Catholic classics; they quite literally butcher protestant hymns (completely apart from the fact that many of the lyrics in protestant hymns are at odds with Catholic doctrine).

I agree, especially with the fact that many songs sung at Mass have lyrics that contradict the articles of the Catholic faith. For example, “Amazing Grace,” however beautiful the song, has the lyrics “saved a wretch like me,” which implies the complete depravity of the fallen man, an evangelical belief.

 

[puzzleannie]

Madaglan:

I’m not very well-read on liturgical developments, but just from my own observations, it seems that the Mass has very much changed within the past ten years. I’m only 22, but when little I remember that almost all of the mass, save the entrance hymn, the Pslam, the recession hymn, the collection hymn, and the communion hymn were all spoken rather than sung. I remember that the Mass used to be very solemn–almost too solemn for my young self. I remember when the Our Father was spoken, and it seems to me that the “Lamb of God” prayer was also spoken.

Do Byzantine rite services have more traditional music and a more solemn environment? I’ve thought about possibly attending a Byzantine church if its services are more traditional, even if its liturgy is almost completely sung.

on Sunday those part of the Mass are supposed to be sung. The Gloria in particular should always be sung, and failure to have cantors who can train the congregation to due so is a very prevalent abuse. It is also strongly urged that for the principal Sunday celebration the celebrant should sing at least certain parts of the Proper of the Mass.

Since you are young, I imagine you may have spent a lot of times in parishes that got away from singing the parts of the Mass which are intended to be sung, and more reliance on the hymns (or other churchy music that cannot be classified as hymns like folk/rock).

by all means try a Byzantine Church, those that have retained their full proper liturgy will leave you in absolutely no doubt of the reality of the Real Presence, and will educate you in how beautiful liturgy can be

 

[JKirkLVNV]

Madaglan:

I agree, especially with the fact that many songs sung at Mass have lyrics that contradict the articles of the Catholic faith. For example, “Amazing Grace,” however beautiful the song, has the lyrics “saved a wretch like me,” which implies the complete depravity of the fallen man, an evangelical belief.

I don’t think that particular lyric of necessity means total depravity. Some of our saints have spoken of themselves on a level with “wretched.” Also, the amount of singing in Mass varies from country to country. I sing in the choir with an elderly German lady, who sometimes comments on how the American Church doesn’t sing. She said the Germans sang at Mass enthusiastically. I’ve heard the same of the Italians. That said, we need to have a balance between silence and song. There’s not enough of the former, and the latter…well, don’t get me started on Oregon Catholic Press and the music they make available for Catholics to sing!

 

[Exporter]

The only reason that I can give for singing at Mass is that if the priest os old and feeble the music interruption can give that priest a little time to rest. Otherwise it is useless. I know that it actually makes me angry once in a while.