Dust on the Hymnal: Pondering the Decline of Hymn Singing in American Denominations

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 6/1/2014 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[mdmathis6]

See also my post 60.

[AmericanVictory]

I have long since left the ECUSA as they have resolutely abandoned the Word and traditional Christian teachings but growing up I loved the old ECUSA hymnal that was in every pew along with the old prayer book and the bible.

One of my favorites, which as my mother's too (she was a convert from Old School Baptism) was 145: "My faith looks up to the, thou lamb of Calvary, Savior divine, Oh hear us while we pray, take all our guilt away; Oh, let us from this day be wholly thine." I had it sung at her funeral.

[JoeFromSidney]

Since you asked, I'll voice my dissent.

The hymns we're asked to sing are either insipid, or like Amazing Grace embody a non-Catholic theology. Yes, while many of the Protestant hymns Catholics have borrowed since Vatican II are very singable, the fact remains that intrinsically they're Protestant. They embody a Protestant theology (as they should; they're for Protestants, after all).

One of the promises made after Vatican II was that once Catholic composers were freed from the rigors of Latin liturgy, we'd have good quality Catholic hymns to sing. It hasn't happened. What hymns were written post-V-II have been for the most part musical trash. The St. Louis Jesuits were among the worst offenders, but there were plenty of others as well.

Finally, I find much hymn-singing is intrusive. For instance, when I've just come back from Communion, I want to talk to my Lord. I can't. A cantor, or the choir, is bellowing out some hymn that is not just distracting but completely blots out my thoughts. That, of all times during the Mass, should be a time for silence. Unfortunately, it isn't.

Hymns, if sung at all, should be a complement to the Liturgy, not a substitute for it.

[taterjay]

I read once about a child wondering about the song ‘Rex chewed the parafin’ from Sunday School.

[mom4melody]

Um, no.

A lot of folks don’t have a clue what sheaves are.

I’m 55 and grew up on a farm and have never used that word apart from the song.

[bboop]

That would be music-free early mass. I spend too much time cringing at the ditty-masses.

[AnAmericanMother]

Shape note (I sing Sacred Harp) came from the old New England singing schools down the Appalachians. The New England music originated in the 17th and 18th c. English West Gallery Music, which came from the old 16th c. polyphonic tradition (really Renaissance, not Baroque) by way of Tate and Brady.

So yes, if you take a close look at shape note and Palestrina you can see the similarities! And if you can sing one you can sing the other.

. . . your vocal performance technique however is going to be just a LEETLE divergent . . .

[buffaloguy]

Zactly. Yes it is a bit different than Palestrina.

I would love to sing some Palestrina.

[buffaloguy]

I have wanted for yearsvtovget about 16 singers together and sing a few pieces bel canto.

It would be beeootiful.

[AnAmericanMother]

Take a look at this. I send these YouTube videos out for our choir after Wednesday night choir practice, so that folks can practice at home.

Palestrina: "Sicut cervus" - "As the hart longs for fountains of water, so longs my soul for thee, O God."

This one has the score, so you can follow the parts visually.

[buffaloguy]

Thank you. That is so beautiful. Absolute beauty.

[buffaloguy]

I am going to send link to my choir director. He will enjoy it immensely.

I thought the last measure was a wonderful close to the song. A quiet, peaceful landing.

[uncitizen]

Personally, I don't sing because, in general, OCP songs are so horribly bad (and my parish seems to typically have the habit of selecting the very worst ones from the missalette). But that's just me.

it's not just you. Just yesterday at church I was thinking the songs couldn't be any worse if they tried! The melodies were so non melodic, almost like a bunch of random notes strung together. Just horrible.

[exit82]

At any rate, I’ll just conclude again by saying that I favor metrical hymns for congressional singing

When they're sober.

[buffaloguy]

Ah the old twelve tone technique.

Those’ll jar your teeth.

[Heart-Rest]

I agree completely with Msgr. Charles Pope.    Bring back those good old hymns, and lose the new ones they try to foist on us.

As a quick example of some old hymns I really like (among many others), which I believe would get a much greater and more enthusiastic and active singing response from the congregation, are these great old classic ones:

• "Faith of Our Fathers" (When old Father Jim occasionally has the congregation sing this during the daily Mass, everyone there joins in and sings with great enthusiasm and volume.)

• "There Is A Fountain" (Beautiful)

• "Sweet Hour of Prayer" (I always thought this old hymn would be good as an "entrance hymn" for Mass, or as a hymn to listen to prior to starting an hour of prayerful adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.)

[Heart-Rest]

Correction:

"are these great old classic ones" should read "check out these great old classic ones"

(Sorry for the awkward wording.)

[AnAmericanMother]

The final resolution or cadence is a fairly common one in Renaissance polyphony.

Just because you liked it here is my other favorite example, this time from "our Phoenix, M. William Byrd" - probably the greatest English composer of all time (better even than Thomas Tallis or Henry Purcell):

Ave verum corpus - "Hail true body! born of the Virgin Mary, [who] truly suffered and was sacrificed on the cross for mankind, from whose pierced side flowed water and blood: may it be for us a foretaste [of the heavenly banquet] in the trial of death. O sweet Jesus, O pious Jesus, O Jesus, son of Mary, have mercy on me. Amen."

You'll recognize the close imitation in the second section as something very like the typical refrain in Sacred Harp hymns like "Alabama/ 196" or "Soar Away/ 455". It's the same principle, just a country cousin to Mr. Byrd's method.

[AnAmericanMother]

That trash doesn't even RISE to the level of twelve-tone.

At least Schoenberg had a METHOD. These people have no earthly idea what they are doing, and what's worse, they have no desire or intention of learning anything.

I have it on very good authority (one of the people directly involved!) that a group of highly qualified musicians and composers approached OCP with an offer to give FREE lessons in counterpoint and composition to OCP's "stable" of "composers". They were turned down flat.

[AnAmericanMother]

You're not anywhere near Atlanta, are you?

You are welcome to come sing with us, any time. We sing really good music - mostly Renaissance polyphony but also chant, some medieval works, some Baroque, and selected 'moderns'. Our choir director is a splendid musician but not at all proud or despising of amateurs like me. And he could teach a rock to sing.