Good Hymns, Bad Hymns

Inside Catholic ^ | December 5, 2009 | Todd M. Aglialoro

[Desdemona]

Bad hymns are published by Oregon Catholic Press.

GIA publishes their fair share.

Seriously, the last time I looked in an OCP music issue, there was a lot of decent stuff in there. That doesn't mean that it's programmed, but it's there, including a couple chant Masses that every country on Earth, except the US, knows. The thing about OCP is that they use a survey of music directors usage to determine what they put in the music issue, so, it's sort of rigged to include the tunes that are there. It doesn't matter if it's written for the voice at all.

[Salvation]

Can't disagree with any of this!

Good hymns focus on God -- theocentric and theological song, addressing God and invoking Him as Trinity, Pure Perfection, and First Cause of creation.

 

Good hymns use words and themes from Scripture or Tradition -- Every good hymn doubles as a Bible lesson, or as an encapsulation of some patristic or otherwise traditional theme. Its author looks for inspiration to the Gospels or Psalms, or to the Church's spiritual legacy.

 

Good hymns treat transcendent concepts -- A good hymn, like good spirituality or theology, is marked by a tension between heaven and earth, by a both/and character that is at once richly temporal and richly eternal. Often it moves thematically from creation to heaven, from earthly to eschatological

 

Good hymns employ sacred diction -- hymns with sacred diction directly enhance our participation in the Sacrifice of the Mass by reminding us that, for a time, we have left the ordinary world behind, and entered into a holy presence where common words are inadequate.

 

 

[Salvation]

You should come to my church where everyone sings!

Even those who can’t carry a tune in a bucket — and that is OK.

“Lift a joyful voice unto the Lord.”

It doesn’t say a “good” voice, but a “Joyful” one.

[Desdemona]

One of the things that should be mentioned, is to not confuse a hymn with a song. Minor technical point, but a hymn is verse after verse. I’m not sure that the “bad” literature that so many people dislike falls into that category.

[Salvation]

I agree with you in principle.

I would keep encouraging everyone to keep emailing them. In the new song book there are MORE traditional hymns.

The more people that ask for them — the more OCP will take out the old yuck and put in REAL hymns.

Just type OCP in yahoo search.

[Salvation]

And believe me, I have emailed them again and again. Someone else pick up the musical baton please! FReep them!

[trisham]

There are no “good” hymns.

[Desdemona]

It would be helpful if you could explain.

[BenKenobi]

What my parish has done is we steal the evangelical’s and use their hymns along with the ‘proper book’. I’m quite fond of them for that reason.

[behzinlea]

So is "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" a good hymn or a bad hymn? It praises God but has much "me" in it.

To my ear it is a GREAT hymn. But then, I am not a "good" man let alone a holy man. Maybe a I have a tin ear spiritually.

[trisham]

Heh. :)

[Verginius Rufus]

There were other hymns pre-Vatican II.

O Salutaris Hostia (at Benediction)
Tantum ergo (also at Benediction)
Mother dear, o pray for me
The Lourdes hymn
And others

Plus Christmas carols--Silent Night, Adeste Fideles, Angels we have heard on high, O come, o come Emmanuel, etc.

[TASMANIANRED]

It goes back farther than that...But it was mostly entrance and exit songs.

[RobbyS]

One thing tyhat bothers me is that musicians are so easily bored. They keep trying new stuff. Even bad hims are preferable to ones that only the choir is familiar with. People can handle a song if they can get to practice it. After an “ACTS” retreat, about fifty guys sang a hymn acapella at our Church, Don’t remember the hymn, but hearing that many bass and baritone voices singing in time unison was great.