What is Sacred Music? Historically it’s a bit more complex than you may think.

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 12/9/2013 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[AnAmericanMother]

Unfortunately, it tends to degrade into self-worship (what Thomas Day called the "I Am Church" or, worse, "I Am God".)

One thing to remember is that music appropriate for a prayer service, or a youth praise service, or a Vigil . . . may not be appropriate for a Mass.

[Bigg Red]

We are all entitled to our separate opinions. That stuff will never be appropriate in my view.

[Bigg Red]

I have enjoyed listening to some country singers doing gospel songs — Alan Jackson comes to mind — but I don’t want that stuff in my church.

I seriously doubt that the disruptive clapping and dancing is inspired by the Holy Spirit.

But to each his own. You worship your way, and I’ll worship mine.

[trisham]

No music at all is fine with me.

[AnAmericanMother]

That's why we ought to bring back the Low Mass.

Let the folks who like their Mass "straight up", as it were, have the Mass without music, and let the folks who see good music at Mass as a foretaste of Heaven, have the fully choral Mass with Gregorian chant, motets, and The Works.

Then everybody will be happy (except the HaugenHassers :-D ).

[trisham]

And no physical contact, either. How peaceful that would be. :)

[Heart-Rest]

"No music at all is fine with me."

Many years ago I attended a "Quaker (Friends) Meeting for Worship", and most of the entire service was observed in complete silence, with no music at all, and hardly any talking.    (See this link for a short description of typical Quaker worship meetings.)    (Every once in a while someone might pop up during their meeting, and say some kind of brief words of wisdom, then the complete silence took over again for another long stretch of time.)    It certainly was a "different" way to worship if you're not used to it.    (I'm not at all saying you should convert to that denomination.)      :-)

(However, I think they ought to teach that form to some of those TV evangelists on cable TV.    That would be a big improvement for cable TV.)      :-)

[trisham]

I like quiet. When I pray, read or reflect, I don’t listen to music. Call me easily distracted. :)

[Hieronymus]

Being like the human voice is part of it; also an organ can generally adequately fill a large space even if it is filled with sound-absorbing people—the Church has generally been against amplification; part of it (and this is something with regards to the human voice analogy) is that it can produce a sustained sound—one of the early 20th century documents makes a distinction between the organ and bowed instruments, which can do this, and instruments that are in some ways plucked (e.g. the piano and the guitar); and undoubtedly being first in the field helps—the ancient Greeks had organs.

[Hieronymus]

All except the Revelation 5:9 part where they sing a new song. They are also mentioned as singing in chapters 14 and 15.

[AnAmericanMother]

You can always either bow your head in devout prayer (or kneel), fold your arms, rummage in coat pocket or purse, or sneeze ostentatiously with hanky in hand at the appropriate time.

[AnAmericanMother]

I cannot listen to music while praying - I wind up singing.

Of course if you chant the Daily Office, your problems are solved! :-D

[trisham]

I can roll my eyes. :)

[trisham]

I love Midnight Mass. :)

[don-o]

There was a time when musical instruments were not permitted in Christian worship. Of course, there was also a time the same applied to shorts, T shirts and flip flops.

[editor-surveyor]

>> “There was a time when musical instruments were not permitted in Christian worship” <<

.
That time was after Constantine had destroyed The Way of Yeshua, and replaced it with his pagan ‘catholic’ abomination.

[annalex]

Haven't you seen televised papal Masses

I haven't, but after listening to the "music" prepared for Pope Benedict's US visit a few years back, I can imagine just about anything.

The problem with "soon and very soon" is that it is childishly happy, with choppy jazz-like rhythm, which lies outside of the European musical tradition which is also the Catholic tradition. The less innovation in this area the better, especially since the English liturgical tradition is quite rich.

[annalex]

Or perhaps the spirit of worship has arrived once the clapping and participation begins.

No, it hasn't. The Holy Mass is foremostly a sacrifice:

as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall shew the death of the Lord, until he come (1 Cor. 11:26)

[michaelmas]

There doesn’t have to be a contradiction between congregations singing and chant. I think chant becomes even more beautiful when hundreds sing at once. It’s not hard to learn.

[michaelmas]

Agreed. I’m tired of some parishes that think ‘mixing’ it up with music satisfies V2’s instruction to return chant to the pride of place in the liturgy.