Oldie But Goodie...

Several Years Ago, I became dismayed by the almost pathological fixation that the traditionalist community had with the externals of the Mass. I wrote a post about it, Clowns to the Left of Me, Kooks to the Right wherein I vented my spleen on such pettiness and the perpetrators thereof.

Of course, over the years, little has changed in that regard, at least on the part of the "old hands". Interestingly enough, the newbies, those who only recently (often post Summorum Pontificum) began to experience the Extraordinary Form don't seem nearly as obsessive about vestments, or who the music arrangement was by, etc. They are more than happy to appreciate the holiness and beauty just as it is - to take it as it comes and thank God for it.

That is a GOOD thing. Yes, the externals matter - look at a gothic cathedral - but they are only useful to expand on the beauty of the truth of The Mass. When the externals become THE important part, you have lost the meaning - period.

This all comes to mind because of the comments on a post by The Great Father Z. wherein he asked about the presence or absence of music in a Low Mass. In my opinion, it has no place at all, but I accept that other opinions vary, and I respect that. What galls is the implication by so many that a Mass without Music is somehow lacking.

GOD HIMSELF IS PRESENT ON THE ALTAR!!!

If anyone thinks that is somehow inadequate because there is no singing, then maybe they have an understanding of the Church, and of Catholicism, that needs serious help.

More thoughts on Music

Having witness so so much mediocre to just plain awful music at mass, I have to wonder...

Wouldn't NO music at all be preferable to BAD music barely (it at all) sung???

And I have to wonder also if the book "Why Catholics Can't Sing" isn't dealing
with the wrong question...

Why catholics DON'T sing is a better question.

Or better yet...

Why are we constantly TRYING to make people sing who just want to sit (or stand or kneel) and QUIETLY PRAY TO THEIR CREATOR??????

What's wrong with quiet devotion? Why must going to Mass be like Sing along with Mitch?

INSANITY

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and ezpecting different results." So goes the famous quote, attributed to Albert Einstein. Last night, at Mass, I witnessed that insanity.

A stunningly beautiful Church with two hundred or more people, with a beautiful pipe organ being played. The makings of something magnificent! But makings is all you got. Because, as the organ wailed away, playing a series of tired old leisure-suit era ditties, virtually the entire congregation simply sat there in silence - or softly mumbled along with the lyrics at best.

And witnessing - yet again - this sad phenomonon makes me wonder. How on earth can you explain it??? Perhaps they simply CAN NOT SEE just how dismal the situation is with the mass and the accompaniment??? But since they have eyes and ears, I tend to dismiss this out of hand. Or perhaps they see it and just don't care? Nope. If they didn't care, they'd be at home.

It can only be that they see it, but are so absolutely rooted in their belief in doing it the way they have been taught to do it since 1970 that the possibility that they are wrong simply - in their world - does not exist. Their music MUST be just right, because THEY have decided that it is!!!

This is simply a microcosm of the mass exodus / decimation of the Church we have seen since we poor souls had the Wisdom and Enlightenment of Vatican II foisted upon us some four decades ago. And both the instigators of and the "true believers" in that "renewal", being know-it-alls by definition, have the same blind spot of all of their ilk. That is they ALL believe - or rather know - that they are absolutely right, so they need not even bother to consider otherwise!!!

And it saddens me to sit and wonder....

How long this insanity???
How long must we suffer???

Hey!!!! MY CHURCH IS BACK !!!

Some six months ago, I went on a blogrant about my home parish, and the degradation of the music there.

Well, things have improved markedly over the past few months. The choir has been getting better and better. Yes, there is still too many '70's style hymn selections, but the execution is getting better nearly every week. And the addition of a song, always very traditional, an often in LATIN, sung by the choir as the congregation takes communion and for a few moments after, has lent a tremendous amount of reverence to the mass. The transformation is quite remarkable, really.

But today, for Christ the King, they just outdid themselves. The selections were (save for one) VERY catholic and very traditional. And they were sung - not just by the choir, but the congregation - with amazing strength and gusto.

The sung like they meant it!

Thanks be to God!

Back Home Again

After some selfish cranking and consternation over the music at my "Home Church", I spent some weeks attending mass at a couple of other area parishes. As one might imaging, all were good - and bad - in their own way, But I am thankful for and appreciate them all very very much. Yet for the last three weeks I have been back "at home" just like I had been for so many years.

After some discussion with my wife, we decided that it was the right thing to do. I just don't feel comfortable with "parish hopping" on a weekly basis. Parishes should mean something. I remember a Robert Frost line that said "home is the place that, when you go there, they have to let you in". Well I know that that is not literally true in the Catholic Church. In a sense "home" is any church in the world where the Mass takes place. But still there is some comfort in going to a place where you know so may people, and they all treat you like you belong there. And mediocre music doesn't change that.

Also, I realize that the mass isn't about me. It is God's Mass and I am just lucky enough to be there. That said there are still some things that could make it much better, more reverent, or whatever. But those problems are by no means exclusive to Saint Benedict's. They are present most everywhere. Some in different ways, some to different extents, but still there. And GOD HIMSELF is still there, really there, present in the form of the Eucharist. He doesn't look down from on high and say "I'll take a pass on Saint Offkeys, that music stinks!!!!" He comes on down anyway. Even if there is a church full of people, and only one of them is there rightfully, really wanting and needing him, he's there.

Think about that!!! He KNOWS the music sucks! Heck he know's that it's gonna suck even before the first note is sung!!! But he still comes. He's still there. For us..... So I figure if He can stand it, then I can stand it.

And I ALSO figure the right response is to help make it better - for HIM - rather than Urinate and Moan and do nothing.

And though I am anxiously awaiting the opportunity to attend the local TLM - and every day I pray for the Mass of Ages to be a daily occurance at Saint Benedict's - I'll still be there, pretty much every Sunday, head down and praying as the publican prayed: "God have mercy on me, a sinner"

Sunday Mass

As per my new routine, I attended Mass this morning at Our Lady of Grace Church. It has been a bit of a tough adaptation to change from a routine of some 16 years or so, but I have begun to appreciate the change. The whole process being helped especially by the semi regular celebration of the mass by one Msgr. Joseph Showfety, my retired former Pastor and something of an institution in our Diocese. And without a doubt, the BEST homilist I have ever heard. INCREDIBLE depth of knowledge, ALWAYS on point, ALWAYS with enough background explanation that one can really appreciate the meaning of the readings, and ALWAYS engaging.

As much as it breaks my heart to have "lost" my old church, I have really come to enjoy the new. Maybe I am being silly to have been chased away by something as superficial as musical accompaniment, but I really don't know. Right or Wrong, at least now I leave mass feeling full of Grace and God's love, instead of angry and with a knot in my gut. It reminds me, as I think of it, of something I read some time ago on Father Z's blog to the effect of Good music may not always draw people to the Church, but BAD music NEVER does.

Liturgical Update - Perspective

Any reader of this blog will know my preferences for a traditional, reverent Catholic Mass. But any Catholic who doesn't live in a bubble of and FSSP parish, or SSPX Chapel (and a few others) knows that such a thing is as rare as hens' teeth. Most Catholic masses are a mish mash of prayers recited blandly and bland music played even more blandly. I LIVED through the '70's and I know form personal memory that the "pseudo folk-rock" music of that era - liturgical AND secular - was with few exceptions lame drivel even back then. Usually preformed by lame wannabe troubadours with soft beards and hair. People who really would like to be hippies, but weren't up to the commitment and earthiness that would require.

I have tried and tried to get one of my regular parishes to introduce the Extraordinary Form of the Mass - but to no avail.
And I will continue to do so - albeit quietly. I feel that the survival of Catholicism and Christianity is dependent WHOLLY on the development of a strong identity. One more strong than the "soft rock" mentality and attitude can EVER provide.

Well, sometimes life gives you surprises. ESPECIALLY life with three small children. Last Sunday, I was served up one such surprise. Due to "logistical issues" I wound up attending a Sunday evening Mass at the newest, allegedly most "liberal" church in town. It was Mass in the Round, with music provided by and electric bass, three or four guitars, a few other instruments and a group of young and old men and women. I was deeeeeply suspicious of the whole affair. But was I wrong!!! Because what I leraned was that 1) the group was HIGHLY talented. 2) they sang and prayed like they BELIEVED. 3) The congregation prayed and sang like they BELEIVED as well. Now the forms of the music were a bit wrong, they were at least performed like they were MEANT.

Of course, the priest "winged" the prayers for the most part - which disturbed me deeply. But it was SO refreshing to be in a church where people seemed to mean what they were praying - rather than "going through the motions". And the music was while definitely NOT from the Parish Book of Chant, it was not the usual Haugen-Haas-Schutte drivel either. And I'd rather have that than the same old junk that I have been forced to endure for the past 75% of my life.

One of my favorite bible verses is Ecclesiastes 9:10, which says (KJV): "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might; for [there is] no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." And those folks at that mass last Sunday did just that. I may disagree with their choices or tastes, but at least they cared. And how many parishes can say that???

Pure Beauty

In keeping with the mood of the day. Credit to the New Liturgical Movement for leading me to this one.

Enjoy...

Music

Okay, I'm back. Or at least closer to being my old blogself. As I said in my previous post, I enjoyed mass this weekend.

But...

"WE ARE A PILGRIM PEOPLE" !!!!???!!!???!!!

What the hell kind of line is that? It's not only lame, it's bad grammar as well. And above all it reminds me of that incongruous "We be jammin'" line from that horrible 1980's remake of "Lean on Me".

How can anyone look at that and not cringe??? What the hell are they thinking? Isn't anyone paying attention? I presume not, simply because I don't doubt the sincerity of those who are involved. The people involved with the music at my parish are reverent and enthusiastic and level-headed. I just have the feeling that no one ever bothered to teach them that there is a better way. God knows they sure don't have any examples to go by or shoot for around here! In fact, they seem to be the top of the game in these parts. At least there is no dancing or clapping or tambourines involved. Given the environment, they have, in fact, done an amazing job in getting it mostly right.

Which as I think about it, brings me to the next point. What if there was some sort of traveling schola that gave concerts and seminars to the church musicians in each diocese?? The concerts would be open to the general public, of course, and the ticket sales might cover the cost and then some. The afternoon before the concert could be devoted to the very basics of chant and classical hymnody. Then the concert would show just how amazing and beautiful it can be. Follow up with a few more classes the next day to help get the "locals" started, and off to the next city!

Any comments??

Music & Books

Ahhh, my first meme! Courtesy of my friend Carolina Cannonball

How many books do you own?
Enough to occupy the majority of four bookcases, plus maybe 8 boxes.

Book(s) I am reading now:
Somebody's Got to Say It! by Neal Boortz

Five Books That Mean a Lot to Me:
1- The Bible
2- Saint Joseph's Daily Missal
3- Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy
4- Robert Frost, The American Library Edition
5- Star Man's Son by Andre Norton


Now for the music...

Five favorite songs:
Rover - Jethro Tull
Hey Porter - Johnny Cash
Sing Sing Sing - Benny Goodman
Dark Night of the Soul - Loreena McKennitt
One More for the Road - Frank Sinatra

Three favorite music artists:
Johnny Cash
Frank Sinatra
Nanci Griffith
Loreena McKennitt
Ian Anderson

Three favorite composers:
Aaron Copland
Beethoven
Tchaikovsky

Favorite song when you were a little kid:
I can't remember. I sang constantly so who knows?

Favorite song you wish you could sing:
Come Sail Away by Styx

Favorite type of music:
everything but Rap

Least favorite song:
Morning Has Broken

Least favorite type of music:
Rap

Favorite music instrument:
Tie between Violin/Fiddle and Banjo

Musical instrument you wish you could play:
Flute

Tagging two friends.

Man this is tough. To narrow down to just a few favorites on such short notice is very very hard. I could easily do an ipod playlist in response to a couple of these!
Or a card Catalog - for those of you who remember what they were.

Church Music

Irreconcilable. That's the only way to describe it - yesterdays Mass.

How can a service that starts out with what is possibly the most insipid song to ever be performed in or out of Church also include a breathtaking Ave Maria ( I cried ) and a chanted Salve Regina??? How so the decisions get made that leave you with that conundrum???

I could see if all of the music was glorious, or all of the music was lame. That would be understandable - the music director would be either a genius or a tasteless idiot. But how do you get half-and-half?

I am not trying to be a cranky old blogger, the mass was beautiful, plain and simple. I just don't get it. I would appreciate any input....

Music and Mass

Quantity:

I know this may be considered heresy by some in the traditionalist world, considering their (and my) love for sung high masses, etc. However, the fact is that the music in most Catholic churches is as weak as circus lemonade - and I'm not talking about insipid lyrics here. This is coming from someone who LOVES to sing, in church and otherwise, and does so pretty well, having been complimented on my voice many times. I much prefer the semi-silent, spoken "low" mass to the far more common four-hymn semi-sung variety. Not that I don't love chant and singing in mass. In fact, during lent, the other church I attend had the usual four hymns, plus chanted kyrie, sanctus, and agnus dei, and I loved it.

That may seem somewhat bi-polar, but I think it's the right way. If you are going to be silent, prayerful, reverent, then be so, if you are going to sing, then sing it all!! Don't try to compromise, because then all you get is a mess -- enough singing to intrude upon and prevent a reverent-silent atmosphere, but not enough to create a glorious uplifting one.

Quality:

The other issue, apart from the format, is the quality of the hymns themselves. Some years ago, I noticed that, if a hymn was poorly written and bland, I could look down to the bottom of the page in the hymnal and see the name Schutte. I hear a lot of people on the blogs talk about Haugen & Hass, but I don't seem to hear a lot of their product (though what I do hear is bland).

I am no music theorist, but it seems to me that, if you begin to sing a hymn and it is pleasant, flows well, and is both easy and rewarding to sing, it was written proir to the last century. Those hymns sing like they were meant to be sung. On the other hand, the newer hymns seem to be stilted and lame. There are many odd, uncomfortable changes in tone and cadence, making them awkward and clumsy. It's as if the writers couldn't write a normal, good song, so they had to throw in a few "twists" to make it "interesting". My lack of musical "literacy" makes me a mere civilian in these matters, but I have common sense and a pretty good ear. I am also observant enough to notice that the older hymns tend to have people singing along joyflly - lots of participation. While the newer ones are almost left unsung save for the choir. With some hymns, it's as if the hymn itself almost makes you sing it in a balls-out from-the-heart fashion. Imaging, for instance, trying to sing Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee softly and with no emation - it's almost impossible. Or Amazing Grace in a cold, lifeless way - it can't be done.

Sing like you mean it, that's the idea. I understand that some people are uncomfortable singing in public, and that's okay, but even hymns sung softly, and with feeling, get to God's ears just fine. Not everybody was given the gift of a beautiful voice, but we were all given souls. A hymn should not be a hindrance to bearing your that soul to God in song.

Sermons and Readings

I had the good fortune to be able to attend mass on Sunday at my "home" Church. And what a treat it was. Father Duc preached one of the most moving, inspiring sermons (I don't like the term "homily", it just plain sounds goofy to me) I've heard in years. Generally he's very good, but this week he was just awesome.

Plus he tied the sermon with the readings of the mass in a real reinforcing positive way. That is something that so rarely happens nowadays. So often a sermon has a passing reference to the Gospel reading, and then rambles on from there. Father Duc is actually generally better than a lot of priests at making the whole package work together, and like I said, he nailed it on Sunday!

Plus... it being the early morning Mass, there was no singing at all. No hymns, no organ, no sung responsorial psalm. LOTS of silence, focus, praying, and reverence.