Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

“Icon in music” [bad music is not worshipful]
Pontifications ^ | 12/01/2004 | Pontificator

Posted on 12/01/2004 7:48:32 AM PST by sionnsar

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 141-144 next last
I sincerely hope this will not be used as ammunition by, um, some of FR's disputants; after observing the discussion on How to fix the Western rite [Anglican, Catholic], I nearly did not post this article.

The writer focused on the Catholic church, but my experience is that his comments apply across the board, from Catholic through Episcopal to Protestant.

--sionnsar

1 posted on 12/01/2004 7:48:32 AM PST by sionnsar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: ahadams2; TexasKamaAina; rightwingreligiousfanatic; TomSmedley; Rippin; LiteKeeper; granite; ...

Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams.

FReepmail me if you want on or off this list.
This is a moderate-volume ping list (typically 3-6 pings/day).

Resource for Traditional Anglicans: http://trad-anglican.faithweb.com

2 posted on 12/01/2004 7:49:10 AM PST by sionnsar († trad-anglican.faithweb.com † || Iran Azadi || All I want for Christmas is a legitimate governor.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sionnsar
The composers of … reformed folk music have created a large repertory of songs with mild harmonies, comforting words, and a sort of “easy listening” sound; it is all so very undisturbed and appealing, the musical equivalent of the warm bubblebath.

**********

Interesting article. Thanks for posting it.

3 posted on 12/01/2004 7:56:20 AM PST by trisham
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sionnsar
Call 'em as you see 'em. Around here if you try to please everyone you'll please no-one and drive yourself nuts to boot.

As for the article, I agree in part and disagree in part. Certainly I think the modern-pop "praise music" or contemporary Christian music is by and large just trash. From a musical point of view, the melodies are trite, repetitive, unimaginative, and banal. The words even more so - just advertising jingles with Our Lord as the product.

I think the author gives too much credit to the music as having an actual theme or goal, or an effect rather than simply that of being forced to listen to bad music. Perhaps the words have some sort of osmosis effect of leading the listener/singer to dwell on narcissism, but most of the self indulgence that's going on is that of the composer and writer. The analogy that comes to my mind is not a warm bubble bath but stagnant ditch water.

But then I REALLY hate bad music. It's an insult to the Lord to offer Him any less than the very best we have.

4 posted on 12/01/2004 8:00:01 AM PST by AnAmericanMother (. . . Ministrix of ye Chace (recess appointment), TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary . . .)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: sionnsar
The composers of … reformed folk music have created a large repertory of songs with mild harmonies, comforting words, and a sort of “easy listening” sound; it is all so very undisturbed and appealing, the musical equivalent of the warm bubblebath.

I've been to a number of churches that utilize this music. It is the musical equivalent of tepid oatmeal.

5 posted on 12/01/2004 8:15:42 AM PST by The_Victor (Calvin: "Do tigers wear pajamas?", Hobbes: "Truth is we never take them off.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AnAmericanMother
Certainly I think the modern-pop "praise music" or contemporary Christian music is by and large just trash. From a musical point of view, the melodies are trite, repetitive, unimaginative, and banal. The words even more so - just advertising jingles with Our Lord as the product.

I guess there's nothing left for me to say about that....

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with newer music, of course -- so long as it's good music. Our choirs frequently sing newer stuff (as anthems), and it can be excellent.

Perhaps the difference is that "praise stuff" is typically written for a small group/lead singer, which can easily lead to the narcissism mentioned in the article. The small group ends up performing for the congregation, and there's always that tendency to "make the song mine," even if the congregation gets to sing the refrain. It turns into show biz.

Music written for choirs, or for the congregation is obviously different -- it would be ridiculous if everybody in the large group tried to "make the song mine." The motivation is rather to "be a helpful part of the group," which is the point of music in public worship.

6 posted on 12/01/2004 8:27:18 AM PST by r9etb
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: AnAmericanMother
From a musical point of view, the melodies are trite, repetitive, unimaginative, and banal.

Not to mention lame, wimpy and geared toward freeze-dried hippies.

How's everything going with the family, BTW?

7 posted on 12/01/2004 8:40:30 AM PST by No_Outcome_But_Victory (Please pray for Ann, my pregnant wife. (High risk pregnancy.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: r9etb
. . . "praise stuff" is typically written for a small group/lead singer, which can easily lead to the narcissism mentioned in the article . . .

or, Why I Avoid the Five-Thirty Youth Mass.

They pass out the words, but not the music, and the tunes are that vague wandering stuff with no beginning and no end so that they cannot be learned by ear before you get to the last verse. So the "song leader" cum guitar winds up singing all by himself, and yeah, it does sound a bit self-indulgent. The fact that he has a voice like a lounge singer doesn't help. "Feelings . . . wo wo wo . . . nothing more than Feelings . . . . " My kids HATE it, don't know who the organizers think they're reaching. As Alfred E. Neuman (NOT Neumann) used to say, "Yecccch!"

My daughter prefers to go to either the 10 or 11:30 Mass anyhow. For one thing, she gets to hear a decent choir (which is getting better all the time! Hooray!), and for another since she's an altar server she likes to watch the routine when she's not in the middle of it. She says it's very hard because the Catholic altar server routine is similar but subtly different from the Episcopalian version - so that it's tough to catch the variations.

Last weekend she served the 8:30 a.m. Sunday Mass, and none of the other altar servers showed up except for the leader (they are long-term servers drawn from the high school boys) and the two of them had to work the whole deal. They were as busy as . . . (fill in your favorite paperhanger or yellowjacket joke here), but she was thrilled because she got to assist at the altar for the first time since we changed churches. She had just been promoted to the altar when we moved, that was a major disappointment for her.

I'm really thrilled with how well our new music director is doing. At the rate we're going, we should be issuing a CD soon < g >.

8 posted on 12/01/2004 8:53:59 AM PST by AnAmericanMother (. . . Ministrix of ye Chace (recess appointment), TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary . . .)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: No_Outcome_But_Victory
Everything's going pretty well.

Haven't heard from Mom today - she won't have the second surgery til Thursday week. When I spoke to her last she was upbeat and optimistic.

We visited my husband's mother over Thanksgiving. She had breast cancer last year and has beaten it hands down. She had chemo, but no side effects and didn't even lose any hair. We are hoping for a similar outcome for my mom.

9 posted on 12/01/2004 8:56:40 AM PST by AnAmericanMother (. . . Ministrix of ye Chace (recess appointment), TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary . . .)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: sionnsar
As bad as "reformed folk" might be, I've recently seen/heard worse. I attended the baptism of a relative's child at a "seeker-sensitive" Presbyterian church and was regaled on Sunday morning by a full-on rock band with four female singers who cavorted like the Supremes. I suspect the lyrics were theologically dubious, but they were too overamplified to make make out clearly. Then the spotlight -- oh, yeah, there was complete nightclub-style lighting -- focused on the guitar player in the midst of a ripping guitar solo and we were urged, no, commanded to stand and "give it up for Jesus!"

I'm part of the "rock generation" and even used to play in several (very unsuccessful) rock bands. I have no objection to the genre and can even see it being used positively in a certain type of worship service. But what I saw that morning was as ego-driven as anything I'd seen with secular bands. It was all "look at me, look at me, look at ME!"

My little girl started crying -- it was just too loud -- and we had the perfect chance to excuse ourselves. We came back into the "sanctuary" in time for the baptism -- which was very stagy and, while following the liturgy to a degree, provided an opportunity for some well-placed quips from the pastor.

We walked out as soon as we decently could. Our kids were simply shell-shocked. My 5-year-old daughter -- catechized in the Real Presence at the Eucharistic -- said, "Daddy, I think that was too loud for Jesus to be there. It probably hurt his ears."
10 posted on 12/01/2004 9:00:10 AM PST by good_fight
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AnAmericanMother
We are hoping for a similar outcome for my mom.

Absolutely. I think it will happen. She sounds strong-willed and faithful. She will be OK.

11 posted on 12/01/2004 9:58:54 AM PST by No_Outcome_But_Victory (Please pray for Ann, my pregnant wife. (High risk pregnancy.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: AnAmericanMother

"...modern-pop "praise music"...is by and large just trash."

No kidding. How many times have I had my ears assailed by "My God, He's a great God, He's great, He's God, yada, yada, yada... Repeat, re-repeat, ad nauseum.
And what is this "He's a great god" stuff? Either He's God or he isn't. If you really are a Christian, there's only one.


12 posted on 12/01/2004 11:11:10 AM PST by beelzepug (tag not to be removed under penalty of law except by consumer.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: sionnsar
reformed folk music

Not sure if the author's talking about the Regulative Principle hymns of the Reformation, or the latest Word Records "Zoe Girl" release here.

"Reformed folk music" is an incredibly poor phrase to use. What music is being referred to here? Is it the current playlist on K-LOVE? The content of contemporary Christian (rock) music in the last four decades is more Arminian in theology and practice than Reformed. And I'm not aware of any church that uses "folk music" in worship, unless the writer meant music performed on guitars instead of organs? The term "folk music" conjures up memories of acoustic guitars strumming out Joan Baez protest songs, not the electrified Fender Stratocasters performing the latest John Tesh worship song on stage during Sunday Mass.

13 posted on 12/01/2004 12:37:40 PM PST by Alex Murphy (Psalm 73)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Alex Murphy
The term "folk music" conjures up memories of acoustic guitars strumming ....

Sadly, there are great swaths of Catholic parishes here in the West that haven't seen an organ. Ever. Acoustic guitars, on the other hand ....

It's what "everybody wants". Or so the "experts" say.

14 posted on 12/01/2004 2:04:40 PM PST by TotusTuus (How do I become an "expert")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: AnAmericanMother; No_Outcome_But_Victory
Everything's going pretty well.

Glad to hear. Will continue praying for her.

Will remember Ann in my prayers as well, N_O_B_V.

15 posted on 12/01/2004 2:19:24 PM PST by TotusTuus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: TotusTuus
Sadly, there are great swaths of Catholic parishes here in the West that haven't seen an organ. Ever. Acoustic guitars, on the other hand ....

I will temper my comments in the future, then. I don't know of many Protestant congregations that are using acoustic guitars in worship. Electric guitars, on the other hand....:/

16 posted on 12/01/2004 2:20:27 PM PST by Alex Murphy (Psalm 73)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Alex Murphy
Musical buffoonery in Catholic circles seems to tend towards effiminate, hippy, new-agey "folk-style" music ... hence the acoustic guitars.

Musical buffoonery in Protestant circles seems to tend towards the hyper-amplified rock-n-roll style ... There's no Catholic equivalent to Stryper etc.

17 posted on 12/01/2004 2:24:30 PM PST by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilisation is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: TotusTuus

Thanks, TT.


18 posted on 12/01/2004 2:26:24 PM PST by No_Outcome_But_Victory (Please pray for Ann, my pregnant wife. (High risk pregnancy.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: ArrogantBustard
There's no Catholic equivalent to Stryper

AB, I busted out laughing at your post. Thanks! But c'mon, Stryper??? You know how much that reference dates you, don't you?

19 posted on 12/01/2004 2:49:09 PM PST by Alex Murphy (Psalm 73)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: No_Outcome_But_Victory
And yes, I will continue to pray for your bride.

I hope she is doing well and keeping a positive outlook (and that you are too!)

20 posted on 12/01/2004 3:33:14 PM PST by AnAmericanMother (. . . Ministrix of ye Chace (recess appointment), TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary . . .)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 141-144 next last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson