Much of his stuff, while kitch, is also poor in theology and saccrine in sound and unfortunately pop in nature and singable and inspirational on the emotional level. This is what counts with most who pick music for the Mass, emotional response rather than good doctrinal and musical characteristics appropriate for the Latin Rite Mass.
You can read the list of his songs by pressing HERE. How many of these have you heard since the Reformed Mass was contrived and imposed?
Some are calling on the big liturgical/hymnal publishing companies to recall all their hymnals that contain his "songs." Keep in mind, since Vatican II, capitalism has overtaken the liturgy in terms of publishing companies such as GIA and OCP making mega bucks on churning out new hymnals and selling them to parishes. The biggest money makers are those throw away hymnals and missalettes that can only by law be kept for the period of time they are sent. This assures these mega publishing companies mega bucks from mega and not so mega Catholic parishes throughout the USA.
Shouldn't Robert Cardinal Sarah, purportedly reappointed as the head of the CDW, propose a universal hymnal that would be sent to National Conferences of Bishops to include doctrinely and liturgically worthy hymns and anthems the congregation can sing?
The Universal hymnal would include all the Propers in Gregorian Chant as well as the various parts of the Mass and according to the season of the year when specific chants should be chanted.
It should include worthy Latin chants/hymns.
The National Hymnal would take into account worthy and liturgically proper to the Latin Rite as well as doctrinally pure, hymns and Mass parts but designated for the various seasons and rites of the Church. It should be a limited amount in the vernacular and unite various language groups in each country, especially the parts of the Mass, like the Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus Dei.
Newly reappointed Cardinal Sarah should also encourage the pope to issue a Motu-proprio mandating the chanting of the Propers of the Mass, never to be substituted with a vernacular hymn.
Of course hymns in the vernacular, as with the EF Mass could be sung as a processional, offertory and recessional.
13 comments:
Although I removed myself from my NO parish largely for the music of this man I would oppose removing his hymnals for his indiscretions if they can’t be removed because they are bad theology. I would also oppose a national hymnal because it risks forcing monstrous music on every parish in the country.
How about the Liber Usualis?
TJM
Actually, the problem with the Liber Usualis is that the Office hymns are the 17th century Urbanite revisions which aimed to make the texts more conformable to classical Latin. In some cases this involved complete recomposition.
This didn't affect monastic practice and after Vatican II the original texts were restored. Perhaps the only positive result of the liturgical reform?
🐝
Father:
“Ah wrote THAT country song”!
I’ve been preaching the need for exactly that sort of thing for years.
They’ve got one in my ancestral homeland (Poland) that could be used as a template for such an item.
If a diocese can do it (Marquette, Toronto), we can do it nationally (kudos Bishop Doeffler!).
Gaudete in Domino Semper!
Couple of problems with that grand vision...lack of training in Latin by priests and butchered is butchered....and lack of training in Latin AND proper singing of Gregorian chant by cantors/singers....hiring local opera company members to belt out even old tunes in their Grande Opera style is NOT any more proper than using new music. Nor is it any more conducive to prayer.
Given the wildly varying interpretations in the USA of even the function and purpose of a Mass, where a de facto schism is already a reality, with the "progressives" owning a lion's share of property, churches, population centers, and money, such a hymnal will never even be a remote possibility. In a few more years when the schism finally admitted, the faithful parishes will be free to adopt such, as they are now.
As for all the aesthetes claiming beautiful Masses and churches are all we need to save the USA churches, this is not happening, even as the USCCB has recognized that bad ugly Masses are a turn-off in their latest "don't worry, we have a plan," on attracting young people.
People who benefit from properly executed Latin Mass or modern Mass most are those seeking already to offer themselves to God in total love and surrender. And there is zero spiritual catechesis in churches. BOTH Masses become only production numbers, and folk know phonies when they see one.
If nobody there can point a seeker on the path to truly experience God and know God is real, then they will leave, as it is a waste of time.
The following recent comment by a UK poster illustrates my point, as does each and every sparsely attended traditional or modern Mass. If your church has a packed house, it is ONLY because folk are coming in from great distances or you have a huge population where an extreme minority still can fill a church. And even those will fade away if you cannot answer the burning question of "How do I know God is real and how can I experience this God?". Platitudes will not hack it.....ponder this direct puzzled observation by a typical traditionalist...
"Oh and I am sorry.I am a Traditionalist and have gone to the Old Mass (as well as the New Mass) since 1984. We have beauty in our church, a regular beautiful Parish church, even has a Rood Screen, a good kind priest and we have had an Old Rite Mass for years and years, just as we have had the New Rite and neither has attracted and teens or young people.In fact our numbers have gone down steadily. I am a bit uncertain about beauty in worship attracting people, the Anglo-Catholics never did very well either with this principle."
I would definitely support an effort to collect all of the Glory and Praise hymnals and recycle them into something more useful...like toilet paper.
FYI: "Kitsch" is a Yiddish word. I usually refers to objects or art that appeal to less sophisticated tastes or are in bad taste. Just remember to use the "s".
The picture at the top of this blog could be that of the city of Atlanta taxpayer flushing his dollars away as once again, lawlessness grips our streets. Protesters can and do block are streets, even though of course it is illegal to block traffic and, uh, I thought one needed a permit to hold a parade on a street. I would probably be more sympathetic if the marchers up here went to the local Planned Parenthood clinic, where many black babies are murdered, far more murders there than blacks murdered by police. But y'all know the old line about holding your breath....
I have never heard anything in church by David Haas, Marty Haugen or Paul Inwood. Am I missing much?
John Nolan,
You have been spared
🐝
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