And the Winner Is…

The Litany of the Saints – Chanted
And it wasn’t even close.
I know why some people like the Becker. It’s likable in the same way that Big Macs and Happy Meals are. It’s fun to perform if you crave theme songs from children’s shows. Clowns. Pandas. Big Colorful Banners. That’s what the Becker is.
The Chant – in English or in Latin – is a prayer, pure and simple. And prayerful people like to pray when then sing.
The Chant is praying twice.
The Becker is clanging – twice, twice, twice again.

10 comments

  1. Peace, John.
    Gosh, man, you don’t really have the Good Winner thing nailed down, do you? I think your characterizing of the Becker litany is way off base. Any decent musician can ruin your pet and make Becker sound like heaven. Actually, I’ve heard a few mediocre cantors mangle the chant so badly, nobody would ever want to use it again. But yes, a prayerful presentation of either is an ideal for which to strive. Happy chanting.

  2. Peace, Todd, I wish peace to you. Holy, spiritual-minded people like Todd and me love to wish other people “Peace” before we accuse them of being ungenerous Bad Winners, or before we insult the Church’s proper music as “your pet”. We’re so holy, we can even make a prayerful presentation of the Becker. We are so full of s–t.
    Peace, Todd.

  3. Ah, the Becker Litany. I remember the first time I heard it in the diocesan seminary back in the early 90’s. It was pleasant; it was clever; it was intriguing. That was the first time I heard it. The second time it was a bit less pleasant, clever, and intriguing. And the third time…I just couldn’t wait for it to end.
    I once had to be the lead cantor for the piece–hey, it was a during a penitential season–and I amused myself in the down time by inserting the names of cartoon characters from my youth into the setting. It worked like a dream: Fred and Wilma, pray for us; Scooby and Shaggy, pray for us; Josie and the Pussie Cats, pray for us….
    I know, a tad irreverent, but I was an upstart seminarian. Anyway, now, every time I hear it, I think of old cartoons (maybe because the melody is kind of “cartoony”), and the whole thing is ruined for me. Maybe now for some of you too.
    I have since joined the Order of Preachers (Province of St. Joseph), and luckily we have our own chant tradition and Dominican settings which we always use. I must admit that as often as I sing them, I am moved by their beautiful simplicity.
    Maybe it is just a case of “de gustibus non disputandum est,” but I sincerely doubt it.

  4. I too think that John was not a gracious winner. It’s fine to want or prefer the chant version, it’s even fine to denigrate it if you don’t like it.
    I don’t appreciate being characterized as someone who “craves theme songs from children’s shows.” I really don’t appreciate that, I think it’s out of line, and I think an apology is in order.

  6. All –
    First of I, I don’t consider myself the winner, and while you can rightly accuse me of being nasty about the Becker, I’m not gloating about me.
    I’ll agree that my comments were a bit unkind. I know there’s some well-meaning folks out there who enjoy and can perhaps even pray the Becker, I apologize for a comment that was interpreted to be directed at them. Mea culpa.
    Here’s my problem:
    When a parish has a history of doing chant – the very musical form mentioned in the Vatican II documents as highly regarded and encourage to be utilized, and replace it with the Becker – I have a problem. BIG problem.
    The two are at opposite spectrums of musical style. One has the cultural baggage of being the preferred sacred musical form for hundreds of years. The other has the cultural baggage late 20th century tunes.
    I won’t go into my other problems with it: because I honestly believable it fails on all counts of what liturgical music is supposed to be, from a musical, liturgical and pastoral perspective. I’ll give you full thoughts if you’re interested.
    Right now I need to go to class.
    Peace everyone – and once again, my apologies.

  7. I’m also reconsidering some of my words above.
    I do think Todd’s combination of a holy pose (“Peace”, etc.) with rhetorical disparagements is inconsistent with his expressed claim to be promoting peace.
    However my coarse language was disrespectful, and I apologize to Todd for it.

  8. The Becker (if it’s the one i think it is) is actually the most chantlike thing we usually hear, sadly enough.
    The only objection I have to it is that they stick peoples’ names into it–ie. Saint Rusty, Saint Buffy, Saint Buzz, etc. There’s no saint buzz!?! LOL.

  9. And people always, always, always screw up the tune at the end…..everybody drops out and looks around mystified at the tune and slightly miffed =)

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