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This is an important update to 1980's experiences!
From 1980 to 1985 I was stationed at St. Teresa of Avila Church in Albany, Georgia. Our Folk Mass was the most popular (although fewer in the congregation actually would sing compared to our traditional Mass earlier in the morning, but I digress). When I hear this music it takes me back to my happy first few years in Albany! But thank God for the rupture in music that has occurred in the Church since these marvelous days. The hermeneutic of rupture can give birth to beautiful liturgical music. We need to explore the hermeneutic of rupture as a positive thing rather than just negative! But also shouldn't the reform of the reform include the hermeneutic of continuity and shouldn't we reinstate these cool tunes at Mass here once again out of a concern for the hermeneutic of continuity?
This is a great entrance chant!
This is a stunning offertory anthem!
The Sanctus:
The Great Amen (I thought it would last forever too!)
This is a great Communion Processional, so march like!
Such a nice recessional:
17 comments:
Fr., the Apostle Paul says it is wrong to tempt a brother to sin. The songs you posted have caused me to cuss, think evil thoughts toward the singers, and swear oaths of an uncomplimentary nature. Aren't you ashamed...
Father,
If a passel of Dominicans show up from the Holy Office of Inquisition, please know it is for your own good. I can think of nothing else that could save a man's soul who longs for that music! ;-)
Paul
@pinav525 above: I second the motion!
Somebody please kill me.
Having lived through that . . . garbage . . . in the '70s, I have no desire whatsoever to click on the links. Self-flagellation, yes; voluntarily assaulting my ears and sensibilities with that mess, never. Did/do they honestly think that music to be _good?_ And these are the people who elect our public servants? Explains a lot about Congress, i guess.
1) What does Christopher Columbus have to do with this?
2) Children have beautiful voices. Russian men's choirs have beautiful voices. Pubescent boys, not so much.
Seriously, this is till very popular in our parish and our lector sounds remarkably like the St Louis bandsaw brigade. I think it's a Midwest thing. I can't bring myself to injure these people since they seriously are trying to help our worship. I think this should be available after mass in a the parish hall but it is very distracting in the service. Even the lyrics are confusing. I say this even as a can of Iris Dement.
rcg
RCG, "I can't bring myself to injure these people..." You do not have to injure them...just tell them how abominable they are and how they are making a joke of Liturgy.
I have never seen a "can of Iris Dement." I do have one of her cd's, however. She is as crazy as a chinch, you know. But, her sharp edged, plaintive voice has a strange appeal on certain songs. She was perfect for "Everlasting Arms" in "True Grit."
re: Iris' 'can' - Dang autocorrect. My driver hit a bump whilst I was texting. I'll have him caned. But after he takes me home.
The problem is very simple and someday I want to find out how it is done in other parishes. Our problem seems to be that people of modest talent want to contribute to the parish and no one has the strength or skills to tell them 'no'. As a result each of the ministries has become a sort of folk art.
I don't want anyone to feel unwanted as a person in the Church. Ever. But it it part of the Christian Path that losing oneself and is discovering that a lack of talent does not diminish a person before God. Frankly, these people have struggled their entire lives to find something of value in themselves that other people will want. Now that they have are in God's house I am very hesitant to confront them in this manner and let them think we are only their most recent failure.
This is another reason to return to a more rigourous execution of the Mass: sort of an objective standard akin to trying out for a sports team. Maybe you don't play varsity, but you can be on intramurals, etc. Perhaps you can sing out back of the rectory and keep the birds off the community garden. If the standard is put in front of everyone, it's pretty obvious if you can do it at the same level as the pros, or not.
The next step in the path would be for the person to seek out the best in others for this worship of God rather than trying to turn it into a personal performance disguised as a piety. Last week's reading from Philippians brought that thought to mind.
Oh, we're home now and I have to speak to the driver. I suppose I will let him slide. This time.
rcg
RCG, Life is tough...
The nicest thing I can say about this music is that it is very similar to what is used in my daughter's Protestant church (in fact, I seem to remember "Sing to the Mountains" being done there recently). I pray daily for her conversion, but whenever I visit I also pray for better worship music for them. :) Seriously, there is a place for this type of music but the Mass isn't it. High school or college prayer meetings/Bible studies, maybe?...
Nancy, I agree with you 100%! Music of this nature does have a place in devotional or prayer meeting settings but not in the official liturgy of the Church whether the Mass or the Liturgy of the Hours. We dragged way too much devotional, soupy, sugary music into the Mass when it really should be used in other prayer settings and age group appropriate.
RE: Place for this type of music...how about at a cat fight?
OK, now I'm going to channel Pin: if we don't want this rubbish in our mass, don't let them have it the scholastic prayer groups. They will 'learn' that this is good and OK to do. This stuff is worthless on any level. It should only be allowed as music with a religious theme for social gatherings, but kept away from anything linked to instruction. that is how we got from Singing Nun on the Sullivan Show to Sing to the Mountains. If they want cool music in the youth prayer groups I have Gregorian Chants transcribed to modern Celtic music. That stuff rocks.
rcg
RCG, RE: channeling me...I thought I felt some strange vibrations, but it turned out to be that Mexican food I ate for supper. Carry on.
A lot of the reason for the continuation of this type of music in parishes is the result of not looking for other sources and following the same old habit each year of ordering missalettes from the same old publishers that have made this musical genre the "corporate" (and I mean in the business sense) music of the American Catholic Church over the last 40 years.
I joined my parish choir in hopes of being able to help urge improvements in the music at Mass. It really kills a lot of the enthusiasm that I have had about the implementation of the new English Mass translation when we get new Mass settings and hymns written by people who consider themselves the musical disciples of Haugen and Haas and the proponents of a style that is reminiscent of their compositions that I am trying to forget! It has that same mamby-pamby, syrupy, secular commercial sound and, even with the new translation, it will still have that same banal quality that literally makes me want to bang my head against the pew in frustration and "just get through" each sung part of the Mass. I'm sorry to be so negative--I just hate this stuff!
Pastors and music directors should look beyond OCP, GIA, and WLP if they want a more traditional style of music and chant (whether English or Latin). Corpus Christi Watershed and the Church Music Association of America are very good places to get started in changing the parish musical culture for the better--but it requires that pastors pay attention, break the old patterns, and choose these different worship resources.
As far as I'm concerned, the three major missalette companies need to "get with the program" (the reform of the reform, that is) and change the bulk of their offerings rather than continue down the same old path.
As for myself, I'll silently suffer and wince through the stuff this year and hope for something better (such as the Vatican II Hymnal)next year. My one musical consolation will be teaching my PRE sixth graders (who already know the Lord's Prayer in Latin) to chant the Latin Pater Noster for an upcoming childrens' Mass.
Joe Johnson, that summarizes my feelings exactly. The denouement at the end of your post where you are teaching the children was great and gives hope.
Does anyone know if there are Haugen Haas Loyalists (Ha-Ha-Lol) that feel equally strong about keeping and expanding that library? I sense there is some push back coming from them. Tonight study groups for the new translation kick off in our parish. I expect to hear lots of discussion about this.
rcg
I am a Hagen-Daas loyalist...
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