Musicians in Catholic Worship ­ III Bells and Whistles, Guitars and Tambourines

Adoremus ^ | October 2003 | Lucy Carroll

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Some orthodox Catholic version drawing from the Cambridge, Oxford, Vatican, and Vienna choir traditions is something bishops should consider as a goal for liturgical music during this great and vibrant period of "renewal." I'm still waiting for that new "spring time" up ahead...

[AnAmericanMother]

Well, my current parish is almost completely heretical.

I know for ten righteous men Sodom had been spared, but I'm not sure we've got ten righteous men in our parish.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

What's unfortunate is that once the liberal and heretical atmosphere reaches critical mass, the more orthodox, right-thinking, and conservative types tend to leave. You get a sort of splintering effect. If orthodox Catholics ever got themselves properly organized in intelligent concerted efforts to present real Catholicism without all the BS, silly nonsense, or extreme fringe postures, we might have a real Church again. Let's pray for that. It's unfortunate that disgruntled and angry conservative and super orthodox types are not always in touch with the best way to present the loving Christ of authentic Catholicism. We need a rebuilding period of recovery and Catholic Revival but with the right leadership and right strategy.

[dangus]

I've been to several masses lately which had beautiful music throughout. Even when they used folk instruments, the result was perfectly reverent. Although the churches were quite well equipped with organs, I believe this was in the spirit of embracing various cultures without diminishing the mass.

Except at Eucharist. I don't know if there's a romanticization with being "humble" or what, but at each time (in three different diocese, all among the more orthodox), the music at liturgy was caterwailing with a poorly-played guitar and the sort of instuments that get given out in 3rd garde music classes. (recorders, tambourines, maraccas, etc.)

Has anyone else noticed this? Any explanations?

[dangus]

What's wrong with John Michael Talbot?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGHHHH!

I HATE JOHN MICHAEL TALBOT! I'm not even sure he's real... I suspect he's a demon created to torment just me. He is the most BORING, insipid, musically dead guff I ever heard; the worst of all worlds: The apercuissiveness of John Tesh meets the insipidness of John Denver, the emasculated pitch of Clay Aiken, the feebleness of Raffi, and the whininess of Michael W. Smith.

YUCK! PHOOEY!

[dsc]

" It's unfortunate that disgruntled and angry conservative and super orthodox types are not always in touch with the best way to present the loving Christ of authentic Catholicism."

Are you trying to imply that there's something wrong with going up into the loft and smashing that guitar over his pointy little head?

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Hey, I'm quite annoyed by goofy-kooky-New-Agey Masses
directed by giddy alternative therapy type clergy, but
I would not recommend violence as a way to solve the aesthetic travesties and stylistic problems of liturgy gnosticism. [irony]

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Would be it OK to egg and string toilet paper around the bishop's palace where the toleration of such travesties receive their official mandate? [sarcasm]

[dangus]

I'm sorry to offend people here, but honestly... They SOUND like a bunch of caterwailing pedophiles!

I can't think of a better term! Why do these Catholic recording artists think that they have to sing high, effeminately and with no rhythm?

Those of you who have read my posts know I'm no Church-basher; that I've stood up and defended the church against smart-a$$ attacks. And I don't mean that these musicians *are* pedophiles. But I just don't know how better to describe what they sound like.

Seriously, if you heard someone listening to this garbage, and it *wasn't* religious, wouldn't you presume him, well, ya know?

Classical music can be manly; Chant is manly; organ music is manly; Charimsatic music can be manly. This garbage sounds like the high-pitch wimpering of a sick little girl with the stomach flu! I find it far more aesthetically offensive than even Kumbaya.

Can someone PLEASE explain this to me?

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

The apercuissiveness of John Tesh meets the insipidness of John Denver, the emasculated pitch of Clay Aiken, the feebleness of Raffi, and the whininess of Michael W. Smith. YUCK! PHOOEY! 45 posted on 10/17/2003 10:47 AM PDT by dangus

You win this week's Swift Prize for Satire. You forgot to include...Yanni though (along with "Puff the Magic Dragon" and Peter, Paul, and Mary). We need to round up those who promoted "Godspell" for Crimes against Humanity show trials.

[dsc]

"Would be it OK to egg and string toilet paper around the bishop's palace"

It might be justice, but it's against canon law. Dern it.

[ArrogantBustard]

The got in touch with their "feminine side"...

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

I'll confess I've thought of hurling water balloons filled with dye, but...the same weaslely types who HID and SHIELDED sodomite rapists might want to press charges against me.

[dangus]

Oh, you're gonna lose all respect for me, but here goes:

I like Godspell. It's a child's perception of Christ. Those who confuse it for adult worship are like those who confuse "Lambchops" for "Last of the Mohicans". But I did watch an episode of Lambchops with my friends' six year old, and it did make me LOL a few times. (ROTFL for the sadism of "The Song that Does Not Ends", if you've ever heard it.)

I have much, much more problems with "Jesus Christ Superstar," which I once did like much, but found it iinstills a bad spirit.

[xzins]

But you haven't told me how you feel.... :>)

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Must be something in my childhood, I've always had a fear of clowns and mimes. The connections to gnostic Bozo cults and occult Tarot symbolism (the Fool)may be related.

[dangus]

LOL... I hear that a lot from my friends. :)

[RonF]

I'm an Episcopalian, born and bred. I'd been away from organized religion for a long time (long story), but I've been back for about 2.5 years now. I sing bass-baritone in our choir. The topic of Catholic church music came up, and I was told that the Catholic church used to have great music, but they threw it all away in the '70's and now it's horrible.

We are an Anglo-Catholic parish. We sing much of the service music. We don't sing the Lord's Prayer or the Nicene Creed (although the music to do so is in the Hymnal). But we sing the Sursum Corda, the Kyrie, the Agnus Dei, the Sanctus, the Memorial Acclamation, and the Psalms, and we change the tunes used from season to season. We sing an Offertory Anthem. The priest sings at least part of the Eucharistic prayers. And, as my wife, a born Catholic complains, we sing all the verses to all the hymns, unless either they're 6 verses or longer, when sometimes we'll skip one or two, or if there's something in there that doesn't fit liturgically.

For Christmas this year we're singing "A Ceremony of Carols" by Britten. My part's not great, as it was originally written for a treble choir, but I still expect to have fun. We (the choir) had a bake sale to raise the $400 we needed to hire a harpist for it.

I can see where guitar, etc., could be used in church, but the style of pop tunes is not reverent, and to take the style and simply change the words isn't the way to run a service, IMNSHO.

[dangus]

Mimes I can understand... them being French and all...
"gnostic Bozo cults?"
"occult Tarot symbolism?"
Do tell, unless you think I don't WANNA know.
(But I probably do.)

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Oh, you're gonna lose all respect for me, but here goes: I like Godspell. It's a child's perception of Christ. I have much, much more problems with "Jesus Christ Superstar," which I once did like much, but found it iinstills a bad spirit. 54 posted on 10/17/2003 11:17 AM PDT by dangus

Granted, there may be something to the "Jesus is a clown" cults on some super esoteric/existential/psychoanalytic level (or "Jesus is a mime")...J.D. Salinger even suggesting Jesus is "the fat lady" and so forth....but, please, give me that old time Jesus preferably with Latin hymns, incense, and natural law ethics in the background. Give me that and I'll be glad to donate to the AIDs fund for the clowns of the libs' choice. Just...uh...ahem...no clowning at Mass, please. Studying groovy '60s clowns or mimes or clown/mime films may have a place in college English Departments (maybe...) but let's have some normal stuff at Mass.