Posted on 06/27/2006 10:00:12 AM PDT by Ebenezer
The Pope has demanded an end to electric guitars and modern music in church and a return to traditional choirs.
The Catholic Church has been experimenting with new ways of holding Mass to try to attract more people. The recital of Mass set to guitars has grown in popularity in Italy; in Spain it has been set to flamenco music; and in the United States the Electric Prunes produced a "psychedelic" album called Mass in F Minor.
However, the use of guitars and tambourines has irritated the Pope, who loves classical music. "It is possible to modernise holy music," the Pope said, at a concert conducted by Domenico Bartolucci the director of music at the Sistine Chapel. "But it should not happen outside the traditional path of Gregorian chants or sacred polyphonic choral music."
His comments prompted the newspaper La Stampa to compare him with Pope Pius X, who denounced faddish classical and baroque compositions and reinstated Gregorian chants in 1903.
The Pope's supporters argue that the music played during Mass is a vital part of the communion between worshippers and God, and that medieval church music, with the liturgy, creates the correct ambience for perceiving God's mystery.
Cardinal Ersilio Tonini, the Archbishop of Ravenna, said:"Mass is the presence of Christ and the music adds so much more when the harmony allows the mind to transcend the concrete to the divine."
But Cardinal Carlo Furno, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, said it was "better to have guitars on the altar and rock and roll Masses than empty churches". The use of modern music was a "sign of the vitality of the faith".
The argument is part of a wider debate about the Latin Mass, restricted in the Vatican II reforms of the 1960s because it was seen to be putting worshippers off going to Church.
The Pope believes that if Latin Masses are reintroduced, more Catholics will learn the words to the Gregorian chants that he advocates.
And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke: and gave to his disciples, and said: Take ye, and eat. This is my body. And taking the chalice, he gave thanks, and gave to them, saying: Drink ye all of this. 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins. And I say to you, I will not drink from henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I shall drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father. And a hymn being said, they went out unto mount Olivet.
*Yeah, I know I'm going out on a limb but I going to "assume" he sang...
....., and also assuming that he sang 12th Century plain chant
*No. I am asseting He sang in a manner you might recognise as plain chant. Of course it was a Christian organic development risen out of the chanting down in the Synagogue.
THe Catholic Mass is straight from the Bibe and many of our acts of Worship are echoes of Synagogal worship
I suppose that the Cardinal proposes that "participation" is equal to showing up?
Or that R&R/Acid Rock/R&B is some sort of musical manifestation of the Word?
If the Cardinal takes seriously the VatII text: "musica sacra [est] pars integralis" of the Liturgy, he will have to retract his statement--UNLESS he believes that the Mass is, ah, less than sacred.
Actually, he's proposed the formula for "Six Flags Over Jesus" churches--the non-denominational phenoms which are growing rapidly.
There, too, worship is "all about MEEEE!!!" and what makes me FFFEEEEEEEEELLLLLL good."
And as a bonus: there are no real SINS!
Dear, Holy Father, I'm with you on this one.
Not to mention his Big Brother was the Kapellmeister at a cathedral for about a zillion years. The family knows music AND theology--both quite well.
Well, mike, your objective as a Catholic is to conform yourself to Christ, spiritually.
IIRC, the Passion was "a chore."
Well said. Good advice.
Heh.
I've managed to arrange it so that the last 7 of our chilluns are VERY well acquainted with the music of the ages for Mass.
I force them to sing in the choir--or--no chow!
It's not a Gregorian chant.
It's a Psalm, written LONG before Chant was.
However, it was intoned to the psalm-tones STILL USED in the Roman Catholic rite (if you can find one which adheres to the norms given by VatII.)
That variation in mode is precisely why the same Psalm, sung as an Introit, is differently-moded/melodied than when it is sung as a Gradual or Communio...
Actually, your priest does not have "a choice" of a "folk Mass."
That's the legalities of it--sorry to bring the news.
Always good to here from the sinctamonious spelling police. Thanks a millian Spelling Police!!
Is that the best you can do?
your quiet wellcome :-)
I am glad you're on this thread, brother. We require your expertise and my knowledge of chant is as superficial as Gore's knowledge of climate change
Can I be one of your kids? (I'll stay here--- you don't have to feed me ---- just give me the Chants of a Lifetime---!) And it might be good for a deduction...
This has all been an interesting discussion, but what I object to are those who have preferences that they try to impose on others as "holy" or God-given or the "right way" to do it.
Fact is, Jesus worshipped in the manner of the time. In other words, He was being contemporary. Say what you will about worship in the synagog at the time of Christ, it was obviously not the way King Saul, and King David after him, worshipped (they way they worshipped, or praised Jehovah, was almost pentacostal).
And that's my point...there is absolutely nothing wrong with contemporary worship and praise, and nothing inherently right with medieval, or even later classical, music, chanting, singing, toning or whatever.
I'm not a big classical buff, and while I enjoy it at times, I have never utilized it in either my devotional time, worship or praise time.
I doubt that in Heaven we will be praising God in the stolid, stiff, unenthusiastic manner that worship services are carried on in church today. If so, I would expect God to be a little more than put off. He just might say, forget it.
I pray for the souls in Purgatory. I'll include your parents. Try the link and pray always.
http://www.mtep.com/pledge2.htm
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.