>>If Cat Stevens recorded “Pange Lingua,” would that mean we couldn’t use it in church anymore.<<
“Pange Lingua,” is a Catholic hymn.
“Morning is Broken” is not.
Personally, I think that Praise music is great at a Charismatic service, a LifeTeen Mass or a private celebration. At the average Sunday Mass, people tend to put on a broadway show instead of a Holy Mass. Let’s get back to the organist leading the people and ditch the cantor. I’m insulted when anyone has to “bring up” the congregation to respond. As if we can’t read.
One mass per Vicariate should be a solemn Historically Catholic Mass. That’s not a lot to ask. With CATHOLIC hymns.
I am a 51 year convert to CAtholicism and still trying to “get it right”. Having taken my Catholic studies at a Newman Club in a University setting where there was lots of music, the most disappointing thing, when my husband and I started attending a normal Parish church, was the lack of music. Even when we had music — Christmas, Easter, Holy Days — nobody sang. After we went through Vatican II with everything translated to English, we had no music for a long time. Gradually, the Jesuits and others provided us with new songs in English and the congregations where I lived reluctantly learned to sing them.
For many years we were prohibited from singing all those Martin Luther hymns — not sure when that changed. I like all kinds of hymns — but I just hate it when they are all the same key; same tempo in a given Mass. The music director should mix it up a little — some fast, some slow, etc. And I can tell you that without a cantor, the people just won’t sing. I’ve experienced that at many parishes over the years.
I have to brag that at our 50th wedding anniversary Mass, the priest commented afterward that there was a lot of good singing in church that morning. Part of the reason is that my oldest daughter was serving as cantor, and all my other kids and grandkids were there too. One of my sons is the music director at his church, and he was singing along as well as the 36 friends and family members from other parts of the country. And we were right in front, but I didn’t think the priest would notice. I guess I trained them good!
This is true. However, if the author was attemting to make a point of that sort, he failed miserably.
At the average Sunday Mass, people tend to put on a broadway show instead of a Holy Mass.
I've never seen that. Our youth group did scenes from "Fiddler on the Roof" at Father Hawker's anniversary party, though. A couple of the kids were theater big-shots at their high school.
No hymns needed. Sing the Mass.
I’ll have to check but I am pretty sure that “Morning Has Broken” is one of the hymns of the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office).
You must be blessed being in a Parish of people who love to sing hymns at Mass. It has taken our new choir director over 10 years to get the folks singing on a regular basis. We use some of the old Catholic standards, but also include what many would call 'Protestant hymns', especially ones written for the Anglican Church, because they fit with the Scripture readings for the day, which is why we have music in the first place.
Just because it's considered 'Catholic' music, doesn't necessarily make it good music.
Oh, netmilsmom, I am SO with you. I hate the ditties — esp the lilting tune they use with ‘Christ has died (chachacha).’ Ditch the ditties; there is plenty of wonderful, reverential, worshipful music available in the form of hymns.
Which is why we go to the 7:30 mass, where there is NO music. (I hear that a lot of other musicians are at the no-music services, too...).