Posted on 11/14/2007 10:44:45 AM PST by NYer
According to EWTN (I didn't watch the proceedings), there are two pieces of news on the the proposed music document that had been scheduled to be considered at the Fall USCCB meeting:1) it has been downgraded from particular law to advisory, which means that it will not have the same binding status and will not require Rome's approval, and
2) it has been otherwise withdrawn because there were 100 pages of proposed changes and there was no way it could be tackled at the USCCB meeting.
Very interesting. This document was supposed to be a response to Liturgiam Authenticam (and it is late in submission in the first place) for Episcopal conferences to submit to the Congregation for Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments for review. I don't think the document "Sing To The Lord" they submitted to the CDW meet the requirements of Liturgiam Authenticam since it was on vague guidelines and not the translations of scriptural texts used in Sacred Music. It was thought by many that the CDW would likely reject their submission, something that is all to familiar for our bishop's conference. So possibly this move is to save face as Bishop Trautman leaves the BCL to be replaced by Bishop. Seratelli.
I also see a problem with just changing this from particular law to advisory. For one Liturgiam Authenticam still needs to be replied to. Liturgiam Authenticam was issued in five years and called for submissions by the Episcopal conference within five years. "Sing to the Lord" has been seen as a mishmash of the defense of more traditional sacred music while at the same time being a defense of the status quo. We can only hope that it's switch to advisory won't be used in the same way that another document that was never approved, Environment and Art in Catholic Worship, was used as dogma within the United States.
Uh oh.
These conferences make me nuts. When I see them I get the impression that our bishops are a bunch of peacenick, lavender embracing, illegal alien harbouring, NARAL winking heretics, with a flamboyant taste for music, theology, and probably white zinfandel.
I have the same reflexive reaction, but... the bishops seem to represent a range of personalities. And to be fair, most seem to be very orthodox when it comes to Church teaching. The fruity stuff seems to come to the fore in areas of prudential and pastoral judgement, whether in liturgical practices or public policy. It seems to me that the "spirit of Vatican II" people, whether in the USCCB offices or some of the bishops themselves, seem to be more motivated toward action than we are.
I wish they had a taste for good music, given the execrable nature of the music in most parishes around the country... I wouldn't mind a bit more valuation given to Gregorian Chant, Renaissance Polyphony, and, if you're going to do hymns, at least some good old fashioned singable and stirring ones.
When I can’t make it to a TLM, I go to my local parish. They have a very reverent NO but the music is just awful. It’s really my only complaint. I know I should complain less.
I always look at the date on the hymmns we are to sing. If the date is in the 70’s (and a LOT of them are) then I know it will have weird rhythm, poor melody, crunchy granola lyrics, and be absolutely unsingable.
Bad music crept into not only the Catholic church but almost all Protestant churches as well over the last 20 years or so. Even the Methodists, with a long tradition of grand hymns, succumbed to the idea of “relevant, contemporary music.”
I swear, the parish I’m currently attending refuses to sing anything that dates to farther back than the mid-seventies. Most should never have been allowed out of the seventies.
There are so many beautiful old hymns in our heritage, easy to sing with lovely harmonies and beautiful, meaningful lyrics. It’s a crime that they’re being ignored by so many parishes in favor of near-heretical pablum. Ugh.
Part of this is, I think, due to the fact that congregational hymn singing was not in the Catholic tradition. After Vatican II, I believe there was a rush to get some “Catholic” music into the mix, with the added burden of being “relevant”. Hence the bad music.
Ironically, the most participation I have heard in our parish over the last few months was when “Amazing Grace” was chosen as the entrance hymn.
Caveat: I was a Methodist until I converted 2 1/2 years ago. I am well-acquainted with church music battles, as I fought the dumping of traditional hymns in favor of contemporary music and innocuous praise choruses, to no avail.
I decided that music is something I will look for in CD’s and instead concentrate on the mass, which I appreciate for its truth.
Hymns have always been a little difficult among Catholics, but there were some nice ones. However, one reason that (prior to VatII) the liturgical renewal movement existed is that there was a “4 hymn sandwich” of vernacular hymns sung at Mass, and most of them were awful. They were sentimental, dreary, and mostly written by the Irish.
While I’m part Irish myself, I can say that that type of music was never their strong point. Their folk songs are great, art songs are ok, but the religious music stank. German Catholics had much better hymns.
And of course a lot of English music is actually based on things written before Henry decided he needed another wife and he wanted to diss the Pope anyway, so English music can be quite beautiful and appropriate.
“Bishops’ music,” on the other hand, is always bad!
It may improve as time goes by because the modernists are being driven out, at least in part because of the fact that we have good converts - such as you! You have an important position in the Church right now.
As beautiful a hymn as Amazing Grace is, it is not appropriate to be sung in a Catholic service because it is theologically incompatible.
Dragging their feet, aren’t they?
Are you sure you don’t attend my church? LOL!
Same problem. Crazy music, wonderful Mass.
Well, it’s in our missal. Being as how I am a convert, I don’t feel qualified to argue deep points of theology. I assume that if it is in the missal then it has been approved as far as content; furthermore, if our monsigneur (trained in Rome and a friend of Cardinal Ratzinger’s before his elevation to the Throne of Peter) selected it then I am afraid I am simply going to go with his decision.
I’m sure the music director at our parish thinks “Sister Act” was a great movie to model. We’ve got pounding drum beats, guitars and Jerry Lee Lewis on piano. We must have one of the biggest church organs in the south gathering dust.
And here I thought I was the only ones. Some of the ones from the 80's are ok.
I’ve read Karl Keating’s writing on that, and am not sure that I agree 100%. There are 2 types of Grace, and I think that ... darn... the one that is not Sanctifying Grace... is an important component of Salvation. Of course, the song refers to more of a once saved, always saved theme, but it still is better than most of the garbage out there.
Actually, I sing in the choir at a church with a pretty decent music program, although it’s a few towns over from mine and it is the only parish with half-way decent music in the area. They have just renovated the 100-year old organ, which is a delight. We sing from the red “Worship” hymnal, which has more decent, traditional hymns than is the usual fare. As a Protestant convert, I do appreciate traditional hymns. I wouldn’t mind a little more Latin, chant and Renaissance polyphony, at least once in a while, though.
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