Posted on 07/17/2009 1:31:31 PM PDT by NYer
I just discovered it. I guess I’ve never sang past the first verse and was clouded by the tune!
Overall it is a lovely church, very traditional.
When we were renegade Episcopalians on the run, the rector welcomed us very kindly and took time out of his extremely busy day to talk to us about converting. One of the things he told us during our wide-ranging conversation was how the church was designed. He interviewed five architects and asked them specifically to design a traditional building with specifically Catholic symbolism and design. Four Catholic architects and one Presbyterian.
The only one to do as he asked was . . . the Presbyterian! He really got into it and had a theological rationale for just about every aspect of the design. The others designed the usual goofy modernist church-in-the-round. So the Presby got the bid. It's an H.H. Richardson Romanesque Revival design, and really the whole thing is integrated quite well. Nobody can afford nowadays to build the way our old historic churches were built, but considering the cost it's I think as good a design as we could have obtained without unlimited funds!
What I REALLY hate is to hear it played on the bagpipes.
It's just laziness. There are so many wonderful Catholic hymns. There are also many, many beautiful pipe tunes that are not difficult to play for your average piper. But everybody just does "Amazing Grace" 'cause it doesn't take any thought.
BEAUTIFUL! One of these days we may get out to the west coast, we’ll have to put some of the missions on our tour.
I hate to argue with you on this, but it's tradition. Maritime, specifically. If you've ever been on a tall ship where the rig is hoisted to AG on the bagpipes...yeah, there's nothing like it. That's not to say that in parades and the like there couldn't be a bit of variety, but a lot of people out there are moved by it.
AG has supplanted MANY traditional tunes that were more fitting for the occasion. There were specific tunes in the American and British Navies as well as the Merchant Marine for almost every task aboard ship. I'd rather hear "Blood Red Roses" or "Haul on the Bowline" as a halyard shanty -- and most of the traditional shanties are minor modal and are easily adapted for the pipes.
Alternatively, a traditional pipe tune that was used for embarkation, such as "Lawson's Men", would be more appropriate.
Using AG for every blessed thing simply impoverishes our musical heritage.
I really don't think it can be that long a tradition. Do you have any idea when it began?
At funerals, the traditional mourning tune "Flowers o' the Forest" has been almost completely eclipsed by AG. I think it's a net loss, listen to the real funeral tune, composed to commemorate the Scottish defeat at Flodden in 1513:
My wedding was ad orientam with a four part sung Latin propers.
All the masses are NO.
What a magnificent church! Is that you and your beautiful bride?
Yes, yes it is. :) There’s another pic on my profile page.
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