Posted on 03/02/2016 7:52:38 AM PST by Salvation
Very interesting read. I recently fell in love with the sacred music of Tallis. As a 3rd grader in Catholic school, we learned to sing a Latin mass. How I long to hear those beautiful pieces in church today! For me, the old sacred music is what stirs my soul.
Yes, I can because this is the United States of America. If you don’t understand what that means then you should better familiarize yourself with the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. Religions are not the arbiters of a standard of the quality of meaning for us all. Furthermore, I believe that Faith comes by way of a liberal thought process while it’s the religions of the world that strive to be conservative, so as to preserve their ‘earthly’ influence and affluence.
Oh, now this is rich. I almost question if you are serious...
You have the right to believe what you want, as I said before...That doesn't make what you believe actually true. You can believe that whatever crap song you have in mind is sacred music. That is your right. Whether or not it IS truly, objectively sacred is totally independent of your opinion.
Religions are not the arbiters of a standard of the quality of meaning for us all.
Personal meaning ≠ objective truth.
There’s nothing like the universe to bring you down to earth.
Just as long as the music is heavy and ponderous and should be considered as Sakrete music instead of Sacred.
You are right! Since the church began in the east, so too does the worship and music. The language spoken by Jesus, the Blessed Mother and the Apostles, was Syriac Aramaic. This is still the liturgical language of the Maronite Church. Syro-Maronite chants are the oldest in the Maronite Church. They have a great affinity with the ancient sacred chants of the Syro-Antiochean churches (Syro-Catholic, Syro-Orthodox, Chaldean, Assyrian) and the traditional secular music of some Middle Eastern countries (Hage 1995:156). They constitute the essence of Maronite hymnody and are found in different offices, including the daily, festival. Holy Week, and funeral offices, and in the ritual (Book of Benedictions), sacramentary, pontifical, and mass. The texts of the chants are ancient; some can be traced back to Saint Ephrem, in the fourth century.
Syro-Maronite chant is strophic. It follows a melody-type system, in which the same tune or melody can be adapted to other strophes having an identical or similar poetic meter. The model strophe, according to which the melodic meter and strophe must be regulated, is called rish qolo (rïsh=rîsho. 200 ‘head’ and qolo means ‘voice, word, poem’). This term refers to the head of a poem, the model strophe, as with the Greek (he)irmos. The strophes are usually performed in alternation between the two groups or choirs of the congregation, but some chants have only one strophe (rarely two). The music’ is made of short formulas juxtaposed with each other; the text is syllabic. Melodies move mainly stepwise generally within a range of a fourth or a fifth.
Here is a SAMPLING of strophic chant. Check out, especially, #55 on the list.
AMEN!
meaningful and close to your heart, a song can be, but doesn’t mean it is appropriate for church
Not sure I totally agree with Msgr Pope (which is rare) - if we look at sacred music as “evolving” through the ages we’re in really bad shape, as chant really is timeless - it doesn’t evolve. Mozart commented on how strange and spiritual chant was years ago. The idea that “the times change with your ears” is dangerous. Unfortunately, Vatican II confused the issue by placing chant in a primary position for sacred music, but allowing modern “Sacred” music. Now, chant is basically extinct from the American Catholic church and most others. A disaster.
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