Posted on 06/02/2014 1:42:10 AM PDT by markomalley
One of the more prominent features of Protestant denominations over the decades was hymn singing. Get in your time machine go back 50 years, to any Protestant denomination, and you would find every member of the congregation on their feet, hymnal in hand, singing quite loudly, even harmonizing the old familiar hymns: Onward Christian Soldiers….Amazing Grace….When the Roll is called up Yonder….More About Jesus….Praise God from Whom All Blessing Flow!
Catholics congregations were rather different. Low Masses in Latin were common where there was little or no singing. High mass featured complex music that a trained choir largely handled. And the few hymns the Catholics did know quite well, were generally not sung with the gusto anywhere near that of the Protestants.
I’ll admit, I’m a big fan of the metrical hymns of the Protestant tradition. One of the regrets I have is that, in the years just after the Second Vatican Council when vernacular songs were permitted, was that we did not borrow more heavily from the English and German traditions of hymns.
Hymns are stately, easy to learn, and have memorable melodies. They were also metrical, which meant that they were sung to a steady beat and almost never had the complicated rhythms of many modern church songs. Congregations have a hard time singing syncopated rhythm (a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected which make part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat).
Many of the old Protestant hymns, especially those from the English tradition, are actually magnificent translations of the Latin hymns of the ancient Catholic Church. Many of them also beautifully paraphrase the Psalms. As such, their themes were biblical, and richly theological.
A beautiful example of this is the English translation of a verse from the beautiful Hymn by St. Ambrose (Veni Redemptor Gentium):
Thy cradle here shall glitter bright,
and darkness breathe a newer light;
An endless light that shines serene,
Where twilight never intervenes.
And there is this line from the well-known English him For all the Saints:
And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long;
Steels on the ear a distant triumph song
and hearts are brave again and arms are strong
Alleluia!
One final example is from the grand hymn O Worship the King:
Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.
I love to sing and listen to these old hymns, I love to play them at the organ.
But lo and behold, it seems the old hymns are dying out, even in many of the Protestant denominations, especially those of the Evangelical sort. Paradoxically, many of the old mainline Protestant denominations which are theologically and morally very liberal are one of the few places where the old hymns are still sung. Many of the Evangelical denominations which adhere more closely to biblical teachings and morality are now using Christian contemporary music which seems to have largely replaced the old hymns.
But most Christian contemporary music, is really music to listen to more, than to sing, and certainly is not designed to be sung by a large group of people.
Here are some excerpts from a recent article article at the Holy Soup Blog by Thom Schulz: (I add a few remarks of my own in plain red text)
Looking around the church last Sunday I noticed that the majority weren’t singing….That’s been the case for years now–in churches large and small. What used to be congregational singing has become congregational staring…. (Looks and sounds like a average Catholic Congregation)
What happened to the bygone sounds of sanctuaries overflowing with fervent, harmonizing voices from the pews, singing out with a passion that could be heard down the street? I suspect it’s a number of unfortunate factors.
Increasingly, the church has constructed the worship service as a spectator event….It seems it’s paramount for church music to be more professional than participatory. The people in the pews know they pale in comparison to the loud voices at the microphones. (Yes this is certainly the case in most megachurches which are even built like theaters and many of the services look more like a production than a worship service.
[Further] The musicians’ volume is cranked up so high that congregants can’t hear their own voices, or the voices of those around them, even if they would sing. So they don’t sing. What would it add? The overwhelming, amplified sound blares from big speakers, obliterating any chance for the sound of robust congregational singing. Yes, I learned this as an organist, that if I played too loud, people stopped singing. The singing of the faithful needs to be supported and accompanied, not drowned out and overwhelmed. In some Catholic parishes volume from musicians and even lectors and preachers is a problem too where even smaller church structures have massive PA systems that overload the listeners rather than enhance their listening).
Sometimes people refrain from singing because the songs are unfamiliar, hard to sing, or just cheesy…I long for an environment that evokes my real heartfelt vocal participation. As stated above it is really rather difficult to get a larger congregation to sing syncopated music. Clear metrical music is better if congregational participation is desired. Just because some song by a soloist sounds nice doesn’t mean its easy to sing. I get the impression that a lot of Catholic contemporary music is really written for soloists and then forced on the congregation who vote with their mouth which stays shut during the song. All the wild flaying of a cantor’s arms doesn’t really change the situation either. If something is singable for a congregation, the wild gesticulation of the lady cantor is not needed.
At any rate, I’ll just conclude again by saying that I favor metrical hymns for congressional singing and there is a noble history of some five hundred year on which to draw. There are some nice Gregorian Hymns too. I know the combos is bound to find more than a few comments about ditching hymns too and sining the Introit, gradual, etc. But honestly the number of parishes that can accomplish that reasonably are few. Further, even if a trained schola exists in your parish, the topic here is conjugational singing. Sadly, that reality seems to be disappearing even in the denominations which once resounded with hymns and enthusiastic singing by most of the congregation. Its too bad really.
I’m interested in your experience of congregational singing. I find in most parishes that less than 20% even make a pretense of singing. My own congregation is a bit of an exception since we use a lot of Gospel hymns and music that are very easy for the congregation to sing; lots of refrains and memorable melodies. What of your parish?
I am in Houston. The golden triangle for Texas shape note starts in Houston, goes to San Antonio then to Dallas and back down to the Houston area. Lots of singers.
If I go to Atlanta, I will give you a shout and maybe we can get together and sing some. My wife and I would love that.
If you hit Atlanta, PM me! We will show you the town and you can come to choir practice AND sing on Sunday (our choirmaster really doesn’t mind, he has been known to pass out sheet music to likely looking folks who made the mistake of sitting in the choir loft . . . ) It is the most relaxed choir I have EVER sung in. Tons of fun and really good music.
One of my dream vacations is to go trout fishing in the Smokies and it might tie in well with singing with you.
Man, you are mining some rich lodes musically. What fun that must be. Can’t wait to get down there and join you.
I keep handing choir books to those of our congregation who sing excitedly. Most have held back at that time but many have shown up at choir practice the next week.
My wife and I are known as relentless recruiters for the choir. Actually well known as I found out last week.
hahahahahaha
I will PM you. Boy what an excuse to go to Georgia.
And we will love to go to the choir rehearsals with you and sing on a Sunday. There is a great vacation developing here.
Hey I got a brother lives in Winder, Ga can I come sing sometime, too?(My brother also leads his own church’s music ministry)
That being the case (no rehearsal) you probably need to be able to sight sing unless you are familiar with Renaissance polyphony, in which case you can probably fake it because we sing pretty much the Old Standards.
All Right! (wait til I tell our director that I’m recruiting over the internet!) :-D
Rehearsals start up again after Labor Day.
meh
“A ‘sheave’ is a bundle of wheat stalks that have not had the grain removed.”
The bundle is a “sheaf”; plural bundles is “sheaves”.
"The bundle is a 'sheaf'; plural bundles is 'sheaves'.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I once knew a guy who thought they were singing "Bringing in the sheeps". (Of course, the plural of "sheep" is "sheep". That follows the same old pluralization rule as "the plural of goose is..." -- oh, never mind!)
I heard a sermon about a decade ago on singing. The preacher had just buried an older man in his church. He had Alzheimer's. He knew no one’s name. IF he heard you sing one of the old church songs, he could sing it word for word! There was not a dry eye in the congregation.
My Grandmother and family spent Sunday afternoons congregating at one of their siblings homes where the kids played together and then in the late afternoon they'd sit on the porch and sing....no books, just by memory. When she was about 94 years old, she could no longer see more than a blur. At church she could sing every verse to every song!!! Okay, I've got a tear now!
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Yes, I love those hymns too. "I Come to the Garden Alone" ("In The Garden") was my Mom's favorite hymn (followed closely in second place by "The Old Rugged Cross"). She always liked to sing harmony on those hymns.
If you get a chance, listen to some of these versions of a couple songs you mentioned, along with some other good old hymns. You might also enjoy some of these versions like I do.
Does experience in acapella singing with a good strong pitch memory help? I sight read like I type...which is to say slowly, but seeing the notes and hearing the harmonies I catch on real quick.
What ever...the thee’s and thou’s are taken out...not the virgin birth!
The two motets I linked to above are two that we frequently sing. Scores scroll in the video, or you can print out a copy from cpdl.org. Try 'em out and see what you think.
What part do you sing?
"Bringing in the cheese
Bringing in the cheese,
We shall come with George and them,
Bringing in the cheese."
I kind of missed this thread. To busy I guess. I hope I am not repeating things that are already said.
I do love the older hymnals. Songs with great meaning and deep thoughts are important to “teach and admonish” one another. Many of the “new songs” are anemic when it comes to teaching. Also, sadly many new songs begin to sound like vain repetition. For example saying “I exalt You” or “I will praise You” 15 or 20 times does nothing to exalt or praise God. If I am to exalt/praise Him then I must actually do it. Saying I’m going to exalt Him does not exalt Him. It would be like going to a funeral and saying “we bury you” over and over again. At some point you have to dig the hole and put them in it if you are going to bury them.
Don’t get me started on the new songs that sing our praises. As someone said (sorry I don’t know who to give credit to) they might as well be singing, “How great we are”.
Counting up the dough
Counting up the dough
We shall come rejoicing
Counting up the dough!
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