Kumbaya
Right now I am at an undisclosed location on the Eastern seaboard, vacationing with my family and good family friends. I am curious for the thoughts of other Ricocheters here. We traveled 30 miles tonight to make it to Mass, where we were rewarded with a groovy service featuring a grey-haired lady who was wired up like Britney Spears and sang all the Kumbaya folk songs on her guitar -- and then sold albums after Mass.
Now I am not a high church kind of guy. I play guitar myself, and confess to not entirely outgrowing my Pete Seeger stage. But it tracks with my experience of the last two decades: no one playing the guitar at any folk Mass I've been doesn't have white or grey hair. I wonder if we could at least acknowledge that what may have begun as a youth outreach in an age that gave us "The Singing Nun" and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" now seems to be a sop to our more senior citizens. The youth I know (including my children) roll their eyes.
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Jul '10
Re: Kumbaya
Yeah, I've been thinking for sometime that mass needs more of a Lady GaGa groove. And maybe auto-tune for the liturgy.
Aug '10
Re: Kumbaya
The best thing to accompany guitars at a religious service is clearly a Mississippi squirrel.
Re: Kumbaya
I've always wondered why it's called "contemporary worship" when it sounds like it's straight from the 1970s, at best.
Jul '10
Re: Kumbaya
The self-centeredness of the Baby Boomers never, ever ceases to amaze. The music that they (rather lamely) found meaningful and liberating is henceforth the ONLY music ever to be categorized as that. The window of time from mid-adolesence to early adulthood is fortever frozen in time as "the way things were and ought to be".
The fact that entire generations have followed who share none of these shared experiences does not impinge on their collective consciousness. The fact that folk guitar at mass violently strikes against the heart of the majesty of the mass seems not to register at all.
Jun '10
Re: Kumbaya
Given that I want the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" to replace our national anthem I am not the best judge of proper church music. But in Hong Kong at St. Margarets we have a great guitar player, who avoids the hippie stuff, and kept Father Russel happy for years. Infact even I liked his version of the Lords Prayer.
But yes, in the USA I note that the hip services tend to have an older more granola set attending... I was in SW Virginia a year ago and it could have been a Woodstock reunion...
Aug '10
Re: Kumbaya
Guitars and "praise music" are dandy at a bible-study, a youth-group meeting, or for casual worship. (And it's part of the culture at many Evangelical churches.) But Mass?...
I'm protestant. When I visit a Catholic church with a weeny "contemporary" Mass, I fail to see the point of it. Why discard so much of the rich tradition that illustrates the unity of the Church through time, the communion of saints throughout all generations? Why would a Catholic church fail to worship the Lord in the magisterial beauty of holiness that is its heritage? Where is the great mystery, the solemnity, the... Catholicism?
As for selling CDs right after church... Hojeez... The music is supposed to be an offering, not a performance or advertisement. Having been a church musician myself, it's mortifying enough when people clap. If CDs must be sold, better to announce it discreetly in a bulletin or circular -- unless it's for a church fundraiser, in which case it's permissible to sell right afterwards, but it shouldn't be done in a way that obnoxiously intrudes on the memory of the worship just accomplished.
Or so I think.
Jun '10
Re: Kumbaya
Yeah, yeah! I betcha they said that about an aging Palestrina, too. Just imagine what he could have done with his poly-harmonies had he been influenced by Jimi Hendrix and the electric guitar. We'd probably be washing guitars down with lighter fluir and burning them at the offertory for the speaker buzz. Throw in some Gene Krupa, add a dash of Sachmo, a couple of spliffs, and you got a real cookin' high mass. Get Down, brother! Oh! and for you Protestaants out there that's Sister Poly Harmonies.
Jun '10
Re: Kumbaya
(long view) From: "Three Hard Facts about the Liturgy" by Arturo Vasquez
http://www.insidecatholic.com/feature/three-hard-facts-about-the-liturgy.html
One can ask what happened [...] What had primarily changed was the influence of the Church over society. In most places, Christian kingdoms were replaced by secular (and often anti-religious) governments; there was a mass movement of population from countryside to city; and general literacy and education increased among all social classes. Because of all of these social phenomena, the influence of the Church in the daily lives of her faithful diminished greatly. No longer was the rhythm of life determined by the Church calendar, no longer were feasts publicly celebrated, and ecclesiastical authority was not the only voice competing for the ears and hearts of the masses. What other recourse did the Church have but to make use of that hour on a Sunday, that precious little time during an otherwise secularized week, to try to catechize and make an impression on the Church Militant? By the mid-20th century, it could be said that the Church no longer had the luxury of talking at her sheep in a language that they didn't understand...
Jun '10
Re: Kumbaya
On contemporary services.
They can work when they're co-designed by members of the age (or interest) group that they're designed to appeal to, and fail miserably when they're designed by somebody who's not part of the target group.
Aug '10
Re: Kumbaya
etoiledunord: On contemporary services.
They can work when they're co-designed by members of the age (or interest) group that they're designed to appeal to, and fail miserably when they're designed by somebody who's not part of the target group. · Aug 15 at 8:31pm
Certainly. When I complained about "contemporary" Masses -- as an outsider, I admit -- I meant "contemporary" as in "stuck in the 70s and doomed to whine along to some cheesy accompaniment". I didn't mean contemporary as designed for our times.
Today, there's so much beautiful worship music being written (Arvo Part, John Tavener, and Morton Lauridsen come to mind). And many music ministers are competent composers in their own right, capable of carrying on the tradition of worship music that's memorable and... beautiful. Today, we also have access to the most beautiful worship music from every culture around the globe (for instance, Georgian Polyphony). So why should "contemporary" worship be so often still stuck in the same weeny rut, rather than being a truly contemporary reinterpretation of religious heritage?
May '10
Re: Kumbaya
Midget Faded Rattlesnake: Why discard so much of the rich tradition that illustrates the unity of the Church through time, the communion of saints throughout all generations? Why would a Catholic church fail to worship the Lord in the magisterial beauty of holiness that is its heritage? Where is the great mystery, the solemnity, the... Catholicism?
As for selling CDs right after church... Hojeez... The music is supposed to be an offering, not a performance or advertisement. Having been a church musician myself, it's mortifying enough when people clap. · Aug 15 at 7:51pm
Agreed. The Mass is supposed to be timeless and catholic (universal), not trendy and hip.
My church is not the most traditional, but the emphasis on piano/organ and choir helps to separate the Mass from popular cuture. It reminds us that we are "in the world, but not of the world", yet also celebrating and contemplating God in a way shared by Christians of every nation and every time.
One can glorify God through any style of music. But let us communicate the joy of Mass through catechesis and familial love, rather than making a show of the holy supper.
Jun '10
Re: Kumbaya
A glimpse at going the adaptation route, full-tilt:
2010 World Pulse (Christian Music) Festival
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmHCIM6GZAc
Re: Kumbaya
Glad to see I'm not the only one; lots of intelligent analysis from the Ricochet community. It seems that the dislike of the 1970s music culture and the self-indulgence of our aging Baby Boomers is an ecumenical sentiment. I shan't give out my location, so I don't name the woman I'm talking about, but I will let you all on a little secret: This Christmas, instead of lumps of coal I will be giving our her spiritual CDs.
May '10
Re: Kumbaya
The music of Mass needn't be limited to chant. But it should be distinctly music of faith (not determined by lyrics alone).
Incidentally, a few favorites from my parish's repertoire are "Here I Am, Lord", "On Eagle's Wings", and "Be Not Afraid". There might be better versions of those available, but that's what I found with some quick browsing.
Of course, old gospels like "Amazing Grace" and classics like "Ave Maria" are always welcome (though the latter isn't the friendliest to amateur singers).
May '10
Re: Kumbaya
Midget Faded Rattlesnake:
I'm protestant. When I visit a Catholic church with a weeny "contemporary" Mass, I fail to see the point of it. Why discard so much of the rich tradition that illustrates the unity of the Church through time, the communion of saints throughout all generations? Why would a Catholic church fail to worship the Lord in the magisterial beauty of holiness that is its heritage? Where is the great mystery, the solemnity, the... Catholicism? · Aug 15 at 7:51pm
I agree completely. I have yet to be blown away by musical talent at mass, so subtlety is key. Wait...I take that back. I have been blown away. At my own wedding in the St. Louis Basilica. The classical masterpieces flowing through the pipes of the largest Kilgen organ in the Midwest are not heard, but absorbed. This is the "magisterial beauty of holiness" that you mention. After that, I'm impossible to please, so my plea is to keep it simple and don't distract me from the beautiful and familiar rituals of mass that let me draw into my private world with God.
May '10
Re: Kumbaya
Aaron Miller: The music of Mass needn't be limited to chant. But it should be distinctly music of faith (not determined by lyrics alone).
Incidentally, a few favorites from my parish's repertoire are "Here I Am, Lord", "On Eagle's Wings", and "Be Not Afraid". There might be better versions of those available, but that's what I found with some quick browsing.
Of course, old gospels like "Amazing Grace" and classics like "Ave Maria" are always welcome (though the latter isn't the friendliest to amateur singers). · Aug 15 at 10:05pm
Those are beautiful songs, Aaron. I've noticed the introduction of some new ones in the past few years that also have a beautiful combination of melody and lyrics. It's when the musical leaders try too hard...play too many instruments or sing too loudly with a voice that's just off...that makes me want to run for the doors. I seek solemnity and ceremony. I don't want contemporary.
May '10
Re: Kumbaya
Anyone interested in this topic should take in Brett McCracken's article, "The Perils of 'Hipster Christianity'" from Friday's Wall Street Journal. It's an excellent read, and probably explains why Bill's kids were rolling their eyes. Too many Boomers of the cloth assume that younger people today are looking for the same ... ahem ... strange things the Boomers sought out at that age. Here is my favorite passage: "If we are interested in Christianity in any sort of serious way, it is not because it's easy or trendy or popular. It's because Jesus himself is appealing, and what he says rings true."
Enjoy.
May '10
Re: Kumbaya
As one who, like climatologist Dr. Roy Spencer, regularly plays in a worship band, I both agree and disagree. BTW, RE Minnesota, "On Eagles' Wings" was written by a neighbor, the younger brother of my HS classmate.
My diatribes:
1) Just because it is new doesn't mean it is exalting or "hip". It may be just mediocre and ego-centric.
2) Just because it is old and/or maudlin-sounding doesn't necessarily mean it is any more meaningful or "worshipful" than something played by a screaming electric guitar or stride piano.
3) Jesus said "If I be lifted up I will draw all men to Me." You don't need to play games. But...
4) The Apostle Paul said "I have become all things to all men that by all mean I might save some."
It is not what you do, it is how you do it, and the motive/spirit behind it.
BTW, RE the WSJ, Lauren Winner's book is very good, in no way exploiting sex as a marketing tool, and the "emergent church" is primarily a group of young, self-righteous left-wing evangelicals who dislike the Religious Right.
Jun '10
Re: Kumbaya
Y'all should join me on the facebook group "Catholics Against Tambourines at Mass" (CATAM).
What I find most interesting is that, as Bill's kids can attest to, such music brings no one into the Mass. No one finds the baby boom folk fest amusing in a musical sense or a liturgical sense... could that be why the most vibrant and thriving parishes have the most traditional and reverent liturgical practices....
Bill McGurn: It seems that the dislike of the 1970s music culture and the self-indulgence of our aging Baby Boomers is an ecumenical sentiment.
Bill, to our chagrin, the Dominican priest at the parish we went to Sunday said something like, "The Feast of the Assumption is really about us AND Mary...It's more about us really..." To which I replied in my own head and to my wife later on: "wrong." Needless to say our search for a parish continues (we're just moved).
Re: Kumbaya
One answer is simply not to allow the musicians to be up front as though they are putting on a show. If they were not seen I suspect their appetite for such performances would be greatly diminished.