RC conviced me I should start posting my Catholic choir tidbits here, so I will. He has root access to our Web server after all...
So item 1 is this:
Brian Baldwin mentioned he found the Latin Mass with no singing to be a spiritually uplifting and peaceful experience. I can relate to that, primarily because as a musician I can be easily distracted by the music.
Why is that? Trained musicians like Brian who have years of teaching experience, a graduate degree and thousands of hours of performance experience have had one thing drilled into them: a focus on quality. Mediocrity has no place in musical performance, whether it be a lousy composition or an ensemble that just doesn't cut it.
And so when Catholics like Brian and me get the hit parade of Top 40 ditties composed since Vatican II, mostly mediorce pieces performed by well-intentioned people with a wide range of talent and training, we often can't shake our own training and listen in a uncritical manner.
Critical listening doesn't lend itself to prayer. So we find ourselves wishing for holy silence, or at least lower lowels of clap-trap and ching-ching and God forbid the whap-jingle of the plastic tambourine.
That said, Church documents on liturgy are clear that music has a special place and is required on Sundays. I'm not sure if there's some dispensation for the Old Rite but your average parish must have music on Sundays.
Unfortunately, even some of the liturigcal functions are our parish that aren't elevated by music are filled to the brim with mediocre music. We had been doing Evening Prayer at our parish during Advent and for some reason every Psalm was sung. The settings are usually in the Manilow Genre of Cheesy Music. Only about 10-20 people show up for it. I wonder if more would show if it was less noisy and more peaceful. I know I would.
I know what you mean. I am blessed inasmuch as I get to sing in a choir whose director loves chant, traditional hymns, and music from the Renaissance and Romantic periods(Palestrina, Elgar,etc.) (He got fired from his previous job for this- the pastor of the parish couldn't couldn't deal with an organist/choir director who prefers "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" to "City of God"- particularly because said pastor couldn't dismiss him as an 'old fogy' because he's only 23... ) But when I go to Mass anywhere else, I often end up cringing at the music- even if the rest of the liturgy is fine.
My dissatisfaction is not generally with the execution of the music; the problem is the poor music itself. I would rather hear good music somewhat desecrated by out-of-tune singing than Bob Dufford's music sung by the Robert Shaw Chorale.
(I am reminded of Grainger, who said, "Strict in-tuneness is a pedant's goal, not a practical musician's.")
As a very mediocre singer, I have a high tolerance for the amateur.
Bad repertoire, though, makes me reel.
Re: Execution and amateurs:
There's a difference between well-intentioned amateur performance and so bad it's like a 12 car crash at the Daytona 500 and you can't look away.
There are people involved in parish music programs who should probably be a lector, a sacristan or a candlestick maker.
Most of the volunteers I know are well-intentioned and know their limitations. I certainly don't write this to have people second-guessing themselves and not volunteer. I guess my biggest issue is musicians not understanding when the cease to encourage prayer and begin to just be a distraction.
And yes, crappy music fries my ham as well.
Hmmm....
this is an interesting thread.... I am 33, with a wife who is 27. When we wanted to get married on Capitol Hill at St Peter's Parish (b/c we were both Hill staffers), the organist and then the pastor flat out refused to let us have plainchant.
We were told it wasn't appropriate, nor pastoral for the Protestants (my wife used to be Baptist) who would attend.
This said, when I had a schola of 8 men who would chant it for the cost of a cheap lunch at McDonalds.... (They needed the money to dry clean the cassocks and surplices.)
In any case, I knew not to take no for an answer as I used to work at the NCCB. My best man still worked there, so he was able to get the Cardinal to intervene.....
Can you believe this? All we wanted was what was literally in the liturgical books, and we had to go to the Cardinal.
-chris
Sheesh, Chris! That's terrible! I'm glad you could get your cardinal to step in for you. I hope he had a few choice words for the folks at that parish.
I'm afraid there are a lot of people out there who like to take their own prejudices and raise them up to the level of dogma. It's sad that music is one of those areas.
Maureen
Everybody: please see my question on the main blog about starting a plainchant choir, if you have any suggestions about how to do such a thing.
Maureen, you couldn't be more correct! "I'm afraid there are a lot of people out there who like to take their own prejudices and raise them up to the level of dogma." It seems that John would do the same if he had the ability.
I agree there is a fair amount of mediocre music out there, but if it elevates the majority of the congregation in praise to God, then it has performed its function. John, if you find yourself listening critically instead of praying, maybe you should offer up this pride to God.
Have you ever visited a country parish of less than 200 families, where the only music direction comes from someone that played piano in high school? A good portion of the population does not have the musical education that John appears to have. They lack the knowledge and desire to learn the music that would be suitable to you. Give them "One Bread, One Body" over "Pange Lingua" any day.
The benefit of the contemporary music is that it is easily learned by a congregation. At my 1,200 family parish, I witness near 80% singing involvement on these songs as opposed to 20% on Latin hymns and 30-40% during other traditional hymns. Since "the one who sings, prays twice," according to St. Augustine, I'll gladly play that which gets more people praying.
So, what can you do? In general, I do think the pendulum swung too far in the contemporary direction after finally being untethered by Vatican II, but I've seen progress toward the traditional in recent years. I think finding a balance between the two is possible in larger parishes. As the lion lays down with the lamb, so the jangle of guitar and jingle of tambourine can find mutual existence and, dare I say, harmony with the pipe organ and plainchant of old.
I remember on a visit to Rome I wandered into a small church at the end of a prayer service, me and about 30 old Italian woman. I never felt so out of place in my life, that is until they all started singing the Salve Regina. It was the worst performance of the Salve Regina i ever heard and was the most profoundly moving experience of my life. i joined in, me and 30 screeching woman who prayed through chant. Who ever said the People should just sing One bread One Body?