What "Cantors" Should Know? Don't be a cantor.

End of story.
There is a fairly new poster (I base that soley upon the appearance of a new moniker, for all I know the person could be God, or his loyal servant Professor Mahrt) who posted the question, IIRC, asks what solo vocal repertoire should an auditioning, aspiring "Cantor" should have mastered for a gig interview?
Based upon the divertimento demography of the MSF forum, the ever obtuse and loveable Noel Jones of Knoxville TENNESSEE!) responded much more directly than I, there is no such animal as "solo vocal repertoire" for a Roman Catholic "cantor" as the poster conceived, namely a bel canto voice that can negotiate Schubert and Franck warhorses that enthrall all but the jaded or informed voices in attendance, none of whom would likely sport a Roman collar.

Heck, I'm even aware there's a fairly substantial body of Jewish singers floating about the countryside, even with membership cards in their version of NPM, who self-ascribe themselves as "Cantors" who couldn't sing a conservative or orthodox sacred service off the page to save their lives. So, what are we to make of the legions of RCC "cantors" who are the proxy for both "choirs" and "congregations" in tens of thousands of parishes world-wide?



It was inevitable. One responder had to add, beyond the obviously ridiculous answers of the Schubert/Bach/Gounod "AM" or the Franck "Panis Angelicus" the moldiest oldiest of all time "Our Father" of Mssr. Malotte. You know what happens when we trot out these chestnuts, either at papal Masses or in forum postings? We become the religious cultural equivilent of "Beetle Bailey." We become not only a cartoon, which in Da Vinci's time was just a necessary, viable step in the frescoe process, but in our era always visually emphasized the "butt" of the comedic incompetence, or the political idiocy, or all of the above (which I mannerly decided not to illucidate.)

I allow as how the ever-inquisitive newbie poster at MSF seems aware of some distinct differences between a real "cantor" and a "song leader." (Don't bother looking in the GIRM or any other document for that role, it is merely a convenient description for the minions who would erroneously self-assign themselves the "Cantor" designation for public programs and such.) But, OTOH, the ability to bel canto one's way through the Malotte comprises the least attractive asset by which I'd assess a true cantor's ability.
To make a long story short, Bach was a Kantor. Bach was in charge. IN CHARGE!  Of the whole freaking universe under his soles, above his head, beyond his hands, away from his sight, and within reach of his paddle if a boy soprano exhibited "attitude," delay, recalcitrance, or basically anything that P'd Bach off at the moment. That's a Kantor!
A "Cantor" should be able, minimally to sight read anything that requires a solo voice put in his or her hands, whether enscribed on four or five lines, square or oval notes, by calligraphic hand, chicken scratches like an M.D. or by an obscure font that is visible. A "cantor" needs be familiar with every nuance of Gregorian Latin (forget the nationalistic twists, that's exorbitant), the vernaculars of the parish that are used regularly, and the modicum of Greek and other languages that occur periodically in normative usage.
I don't give a rip if a so-called "cantor" can sound like Kathleen Battle or Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau when they saunter to the podium to render "Bist du bei mir" or "Where e're you walk" to the captive audience (err, congregation.) That's an indulgence, and not the kind that gets the performer less time in purgatory, tho' maybe a few of the congregation!
Can a cantor chant the melismatic verses of a gradual, alleluia, tract or sequence with a basic surety of exposition? Can s/he place by sheer brilliance of will and concentrated effort the notion that the sound of the voice is merely the wings upon which the Word of God soars through the mind to the heart? Can the cantor, at a moment's notice, take a verse of a sacropop song that a singing ensemble would muddle or mangle, but which has a seed of powerful truth in its allusionary message?
Other than that, the western catholic liturgy doesn't call for the seriously studied and ever-so-earnest-'ministry' of "The Cantor."
And if Jim Hansen ever corners you at an NPM and asks you- "Who is this smart-*ss from California who denounces our rightful place at the microphone?"- you never met me, got it?

THE MADNESS OF KING GIRM, er GEORGE: Fisking the Method

Helen, always the voice of reason.
photo:filmreviewsnsuch.blogspot.com

My good friend, Jeffrey Tucker, has again posted his reasoned rationale internationale
that posits the obvious and elegant solution to the perceived dilemma of choosing "repertoire" by which congregations (everyone present at liturgy) can aptly, if not ideally, "sing THE Mass." His article, "The Madness of the Method," reminded me of the dramatic school of thought called the "Method," and often associated with actors such as Marlon Brando, whom many people regarded as mad, in many senses of the word. But is the method by which musicians ply their trade in service to liturgy really all that "mad," no matter how one would characterize it? Not all actors subscribe to one method. Not all painters or sculpters rigorously adhere to any particular dialectic or systematic process of "arriving" at their chosen methodology. Someone as naturally gifted and pedagogically studied as Brando can merit the highest achievement in his art (and even perpetuate his own legend by refusing to recognizing that officially) while another soul, such as Jennifer Hudson, without a whit of stage or camera experience, can reach that same level preter-naturally. One size never fits all. Let's fisk the article.

(Experts) stand in front of parish musicians and repeatedly tell them that the most important job is to engage the congregation to the point that people feel like singing, and that means catchy tunes and simple words. And how to decide between the hundreds of such songs in the mainstream pew resources? The answer is to look at the theme of the week, which is given by the readings. Flip through the book and find a song that seems to match in some way. Check out the theme index. Then consider and anticipate the congregation’s reactions the pieces of your choosing and give it your best shot.

For an unititated reader of all things Tucker, the above excerpt is a clear example of how Jeffrey "seeds the cloud" in order that the rainfall will come down hard on the side of his argument. Depending on one's point of view, everyone in the Church since St. Pius X has been telling us that the congregation is, in fact, supposed to sing the parts of the Mass proper to their "office." This is clearly the objective of that and subsequent pope's motu proprios, encyclicals and other exhortations, in addition to ecclesial legislation as well. But how JT coins it, the experts "harp" on the musicians to persuade the people to "feel like singing.." via the experts "catchy tunes and simple words." That's a sword thrust. But a sword has... (wait for it) two sides by which one's argument may live or die. Whether by the implicit banality of sacropop and unvetted theological correctness of these "experts," or by the implicit "flat earth" approach he ascribes to the thematic approach, he shed lights only on those aspects when they don't suit a successful outcome. Jeffrey fails to mention that such experts not only "do" the same thing at all CMAA events, albeit more aligned (I admit and appreciate) to the vision of said pope and others, but also proffer the same sorts of "carrots on a stick" not only with stepping stone solutions in the brick by brick philosophy of reforming the reform, but also in the "alien" formats of thematic content, whether by textual allusions of propers by Dr. Christopher Tietze or "Hymn of the Day" thematic constructs that Kathleen Pluth is (happily to this writer) initiating. Therefore, the real question remains a very old one: who's Oldsmobile of song has a more legitimate place on the freeway of ideas? Corpus Christi Watershed's redone classic Delta 88, Matt Maher's Chevy Volt, or an all original black sedan from the Thirties of the Graduale, restored in mint condition from the auto museum? And for what's it's worth, I don't really believe that anyone who takes the time to sit and contemplate the recommendations of experts just takes their samples and then gives those "their best shot" on Sunday morning. They're trying to chauffer their best as they have a carful of back seat drivers, or worse, some automaton GPS voice barking directions at them before, during and after each Mass.

The liturgy itself is being held hostage to a few people’s on-the-spot views of what the message should be and what should take place. A major aspect of the Mass, one that can make or break the entire point of the ritual, is being put in the hands of people who have little or no substantive guidance or basis for their decision making.

Such hyperbole not only is unwarranted, but an injustice and detrimental to maintaining dialogue with thousands of musicians who have not been evangelized by the "correct" experts. What's more, it adds another hectoring voice to many I mention above, not the least of which is likely the pastor of their parish! Who, exactly, is really holding the liturgy hostage if we want to stress the vertical aspects and heirarchies of our ecclesiology and liturgics? Jeffrey seems to think it a simple matter to bone up on one's chant skills to a minimum (SEP/PBC) or maximum (GM/GR) level and boom, Just Do It! Really? That simple, huh? Just like Nike's victory, just personally invoke and infuse what is obviously the "mind of the Church" on any given Sunday. Just for a second, imagine what would result if the Lifeteen Music Director just walked in one Sunday night and told his Praise Band/Worship Team Singers to just "sit this one out" as she renders the Introit by herself in a church full of people because no one else has access to the right book nor the competency to chant that. Besides, chanting the proper processionals is the provenance of the schola, choir or cantor (in their stead, right?) Okay, everybody back in the pool at the Kyrie/Glory to God! The point is, things are not just that simple, and though the process, or sausage-making, maybe ugly and maddening, it is not solely up to the musician to inflict their will upon the gathered Faithful. And word up, I can count on one hand the number of priest celebrants locally whom I know to possess more than a cursory knowledge, and what's worse, interest in practical (much less philosophical) liturgical theology and practice. So, decision making on the part of the musician is not given license merely by the principle that mother nature abhors a vacuum, I CAN FILL IT! And you vill zing und like it. In fact, Jeffrey clearly advances the notion that one person is, in point of fact, responsible for what culminates in the execution of each Mass:

To be sure, it is flattering for the musicians to hear that they have this power. When the workshop leader comes and tell them this, their egos get a boost. Most aren’t paid and most are(n't) sic really trained, so this kind of responsibility can be welcome in lieu of material reward. It is to be accept a job that is almost priestly but without the trouble of six years of training and ordination. But the truth is that no actor in the liturgical world should have this level of power and discretion, and it is wrong to expect this of anyone.

But, I don't think this sort of out of hand dismissal of the efforts if not the abilities of the "great unwashed" proletariat of amateurs is the best parfumé by which to attract bees into the CMAA hive. And then spray them with this:

In other words, it is not our job to discern themes of the day and take over the job from the Church of pushing texts that we find appropriate. The texts for singing at Mass are already given to us. There is an entrance text, a Psalm text, an offertory text, and a communion text. These are in the liturgical books. The counsel to pick and choose whatever you want amounts to a counsel to ignore the liturgy of the Church and substitute something of your own making.

Except that we all know that the Church, whether one thinks it bane or blessing, also prescribed a system of options, for whatever Her reasons known or unknown, that are oxymoronic in their precise inarticulation. (At this point, I'd like to remind any reader that no one will feel all the better by shooting the messenger.) And what's more and again, that same system allows for the interregnum of surrogates (whether in Latin or vernacular) that will persist until....? The end of the path of worship in this world is, I readily admit and embrace, is the Latin Rite last revised largely under John XXIII, with the adjustments of certain prayers, collects, etc. So, there is a qualfiable and quantifable amount of disengenuity if one admits exception or suspension of the rules for a smaller, nobler remnant, but only excoriation for those trapped in a system they did not devise, nor are provided any means of remediation other than self-impetus and resolve to educate themselves and then evangelize others. And, truth be told, this oxymoronic situation has persisted from the day of Palestrina and St. Philip Neri to this very day, it is not solely the Bugnini Frankenstein pastische fabrication that has enslaved the liturgy alone. The only thing we all seem to agree upon is something needs to give, 'cause by and large what we've got is nothing to celebrate as catholic. But we trip over our own argument's logic all the time with the Liturgy War strategems. For example:

Most everyone today think that Gregorian chant is a style or a genre, one marked by a monkish solemnity... Gregorian chant’s distinct contribution is that it is the most complete and robust body of music for the ritual of the Roman Rite that elevates and ennobles the word of God in the liturgy itself. The point is not to sing chant but to sing the liturgy itself, meaning the text that is assigned to be sung at the place in the Mass where this particular text is intended to be sung. The notes are important but secondary to the WORD .(my emphasis)

Not one ounce of that sentiment would be anything with which I'd contend. But, there is a bit of "have your cake and eat it too" wishful thinking underneath the nobility. If adherence to the Word is primary, then why remains there disdain for a Ricky Manalo setting of Pange lingua, or a Bob Hurd setting of Ubi caritas? What's lamentable about this almost ridiculous stalemate where the advocates of the status quo about the "liturgical industrial complex" (which is the basis for the Tucker indictment in his post) and those who earnestly know that authenticity and re-solemnization of the musical servitude at Mass is sorely lacking, is that we've periodically had this same argument crop up since the beginning. There were little island parishes where NEW scholas were formed in the early seventies chanting propers. One of the progenitor musicians of the folk music movement in Baltimore, Ray Repp, re-voiced a concern with a vinyl LP collection called "Benedicamus" that no one, NO ONE, paid any attention to in the late seventies because of the vast enthrallment with the Jesuits, the Dameans and the subsequent superstars from Minnesota, California and England. And even when the now graybearded Bob Hurd introduced his Missa Ubi Caritas collection in the 80's, OCP didn't really get behind it save for the fourth option tune which is its namesake. And, like Repp's effort, it was ignored by the majority and villified by the disdainful charge of dilletantism by the traditional minority. So, with this first post in a long while on my lonely little blog I speak for myself in assessing these really not so incendiary skirmishes or advert campaigns for instant relief. We can't even agree on what constitutes an "alius cantus aptus" in our conservative circles; we've yet to see a fulfillment of the Graduale Parvum, which would be a huge step forward if legitimately completed and endorsed by the USCCB/BCL and the Vatican. So, let's stop the pretense in the meanwhile, and just tell the folks the truth. This is what we like and think is right, and that over there isn't. Simple.

Art as Snark for Larry D

The Wheels of our bus are falling off, falling off...

I don't expect anyone to ever share these thoughts by reading this post. Most of my posts that someone takes the time to read result in responses that my friends politely, delicately remind me are difficult to follow. I'm loquacious, full of verbiage among other things, etc.
I actually, in this post, have no words to describe or process the now viral video of middle school (boys?) students verbally and physically assaulting a 68 year old retired school bus driver who can now only serve as a bus "monitor." This took place in the Rochester, NY, area and district. The elderly lady was all over the MSMedia morning shows, and the story was compelling enough to then go and watch the video. Over ten minutes in duration, I could only make it to just passed three minutes in. I've never seen anything so disturbing in my life, and I've seen some stuff.
I'm not going to rant here, the fact that this episode, likely recorded purposefully by one of the miscreant youths who eventually passed it to FACEBOOK (Beelzabub smiles anytime that term is uttered!) and eventually to YouTube.
There is outrage aplenty everywhere: Matt Lauer wishing he could publicly announce the names of every kid on the bus, comboxes full of recriminations, and then there are the expected post-game analysis rants of others piggybacking onto YouTube.
What I've noticed in these reactions is, to my ears and eyes and, most discouraging, to my heart, is that all of these critical rants and judgments have one thing in common. The people decrying the kids utter the F bomb every third word while wanting the kids executed, strangled, brought to justice.
This is system failure and cultural meltdown. I'm not donning my Chicken Little hat, but the video should, at the least, be used in a national and formal legislative debate on the merits of the public school systems as they've evolved since the sixties. If nothing else, it undeniably should put a stake through the bloodless heart of the "Character Counts" faux-Life Lessons towards good citizenship poppycock.
Google and watch the video. Watch some reactions and how the MSmedia picks and plays for how many days this story can survive in the "something newer and even more revolting" news cycles.
And if anyone needs to cry out "Who is to blame for this scandal?", I first would advise them to look into a mirror. And then I'd advise them to pick up a Bible and re-read Genesis.
Parents out there: I still teach PK-8th in a Catholic parochial school. I can't count the times this expression is uttered by even PreK level kids: "What the...." and they deliberately don't finish the exclamation. Believe me, they're not saying "What the heck....What in Sam Hill....What in God's name....or any more quaint colloquial expression." They're going to the edge at six years old repeating the WTF culture that isn't limited to the street, the home, the playground, it's everywhere and not bound only to this one, tidy acronym either. And no one, no one have I seen ever correct or admonish them because it's too much bother (even in a Christian environment?!?) and they are very savvy about where the cliff's edge is and will manipulate and contort what they do and say to deflect any possible sanctions on their precious little heads. And Lord help the teacher, administrator or staff person who has to defend any such intervention to the satisfaction of "Little Precious'" parents or guardians.
GOD HAS TO BE PART OF THE EQUATION when raising children to perpetuate a civil society.
Period. I pray that it may someday be so in our homes, our schools and ironically, sometimes, in our churches. Amen.

YOU talkin' to ME?!? The gospel according to Travis Bickle

Mr. Scorsese and Mr. DeNiro, my apologies; this has nothing to do with the film "Taxi Driver."

An excerpt from-
Fr. Robert Barron’s CATHOLICISM: A JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF THE FAITH

“…(W)hat is love? As I’ve said previously, love is not primarily a feeling or emotion…it is willing the good of the other as other. When we love, we escape the black hole of our own clinging egoism and live for someone else; to love is to leap ecstatically out of the self.
And this is why, Paul explains, “Love is patient, love is kind” (I Cor 13:4). Many of us are good or just to someone else so that he or she, in turn, might be or just to us. This is not love, but rather indirect egotism. When we are caught in the rhythm of that sort of reciprocal exchange, we are very impatient with any negative response to a positive overture that we have made. If someone responds to our kindness with hostility or even indifference, we quickly withdraw our benevolence. But the person characterized by true love is not interested in reciprocation but simply in the good of the other, and there he is willing to wait out any resistance. He is long-suffering and kind. This is also why, as Paul insists, “[love] is not jealous, [it] is not pompous, it is not inflated” (I Cor 13;4). Gore Vidal, the American novelist, described with admirable honesty the feeling of envy this way: “when a friend of mine succeeds, something in me dies.” True love hasn’t a thing to do with this sort of resentment, for it wants the success of the other. And the person who loves is not conceited, because she feels no need to raise herself above the other. Just the contrary: she wants the other to be elevated, and hence she takes the lower place with joy….
Because the one who loves is not focused on himself but on the object of his love….he looks ahead, hoping against hope, attending to the needs of the one he loves…

In heaven…even faith will end, …hope will end….but love will endure, because heaven is love. Heaven is the state of being in which everything that is not love has been burned away.”

As has been denoted, debated, debunked, decried and all sorts of other “de-“ prefixed terms on many blog, forum and webnews sites, the so-called “Echo Chamber” more than ever resounds with pettiness, bickering, insinuation if not libelous ad hominems hurled around the compass. And it all has to do with religion! Of all things, RELIGION! And of course, for we who call ourselves in and by His Name, Christians, this is a deplorable state of abject misery to witness. Fr. Barron himself has been a scorned and maligned object of hateful and repugnant rhetoric, none of which he earned, nor should or could he have been regarded as a justifiable target of personal derision. We have seen and heard, then accepted without challenge, assaults upon any and all folks whom WE let into our homes after opening the cyber doors of our monitor screens, and then more often than not (and under the cloak of the walls within of cyber distance, assailed and lectured these alter Christis (Mt. 25) about anything we deem to find unworthy or distasteful we can manufactor and then project from our hard hearts and minds all manner of vitriol and venom. Even within the universally acknowledged beauty of the art of music, one cannot find a forum dealing with the myriad concerns about the greatest type of music, sacred music, without some measure of rancor injected into the discourse.
My friends and colleagues in ecclesia, in musica, are we no longer able to look into the mirror of our souls that is given us by St. Paul in I Cor 13? How do any of us prosper by parcing each other into division based upon human principles or perceptions alone? Why bother to open the Bible, or a Breviary or Missal at all, if we are unable to accept being convicted by each and every word written therein?
This issue is not about civility, manners, etiquette or even charity/(ironically “caritas.”) This issue really is not about even “love” per se as a terminal concern. This issue is about life itself, both in this plane of existence and in the next, if we truly aspire to live “in love” for eternity.
I don’t know what else can be said.

The Eighteen Year Old K.I.A. I Wished I Could Have Been

Since I'm sort of flying under the radar with my own thoughts these days, I simply want to say that the biggest brain and commonnest sense in RCC's St. Blogs now belongs to Marc Barnes
at BAD CATHOLIC .
I'd pay a dollar to hear the yelps, howls and primal outrage screams were Fr. AWR brave enough to reprint the above post by young Marc.

Bishop Ochoas' Mass of Installation

There's no bittersweet tale here to tell. Despite any reservations about musical or liturgical elements that I personally may have had prior and now afterwards, the experience proved as legitimate worship as I've experienced in my life, including a personal "breakthrough" Usus Antiquior Mass at Pittsburgh last June that laid me low before God. I'm not discomfited because I've been around the block, I live and breathe liturgy, worshipping God in ritual is the highest form of human metaphysical expression there is, and the Church founded by Christ upon the shoulders and sore wit of Simon bar Jonah Cephas was very alive and well in the ash groves of Fresno this afternoon.
Off the top- Bp. Ochoa is as engaging a priest, celebrant and shepherd at first glance as I've encountered in 42 years. He was in no way the caricature that has sprung up from the web accounts of the troubling realtionship he's engaged in with a former pastor in El Paso; and frankly, what prejudice I may have allowed into my heart as regards his very essence as a fellow Christian and an ordained apostle in succession to Christ.

Liturgically and musically, the assemblage of musicians, acolytes (seminarians) and deacons, rendered their duties with surety, confidence and moments of visceral, actual brilliance. No, there was no chant save for some brief celebrant (Ochoa) orations, the repertoire was tilted towards the 80's with some nominal exceptions (which were, to me, just as objectionable: a romantic German hymn messed up by Montani) that were, nonetheless, tendered with as much accuracy and attention that the disparate group of parish directors could muster. One has to remember, Fresno is (I'm not happy to admit) still a liturgical backwater. But, the significance of this appointment (IT HAS TO WORK!) and a simple joie d'vivre enabled the choir to up its game quite significantly. I've seen and heard lesser liturgies on EWTN on festal days. And, compared to the Sistine Screamers, it's easy to be thankful for the restraint and humility of the musicians. And that "holy humility" factor is almost as integral to our local musicians that fretting about "how they'll come off" to a YouTube universal audience doesn't even register, and for moi (who's always aware of the global gestalt), that's refreshing. Fresno people are, if nothing else, real folk who appreciate and celebrate simple joys and accomplishments, regardless of the elite snobbery that has also been part and parcel of our Church since day One (see "Paul, formerly Saul of Tarsus").

Anyway, the one thing I learned a long time ago as a child, which is still of great value today is appreciate and execute whatever task comes to your "plate" with as much zeal and vigor as Christ affords us. In the end, whether it's "All are welcome" or "Jubilate, servite," it does no one no good to purposefully denigrate or subvert the intentions of honest believers and worshippers.

For my part, this was a one time offer. I can't afford at may age and with my duties to increase my availability or influence in how the diocese decides its liturgical future, unless asked with serious interest. Our diocese needs to grow up in many ways liturgically. Yet, let no one say that we dishonored or demeaned our responsibilities while in the actual worship moment.
Like Simeon and Mary Magdalen, now and again I have seen the Lord. And should He call this  servant to depart in peace, what happened today did not disturb my peace.o

PS
Bp. Ochoa came and greeted the choir prior to the Mass and said "Bear with me, I haven't gotten used to the cadences of the new Missal." Poppycock. He had it down pat.
And better news, take note ye at the PTB "loyal opposition", every congregational response was not only verbatim aligned with the revised translations, but were offered with ease and verve. And Bp. Ochoa's cadence and familiarity with MR3 proved effortless and solemnly rendered.
Can you possibly get over yourselves now? If this can evolve in Fresno. well.....

Pray, tell….

I haven’t the foggiest recollection when I first heard that lovely invocation. Was it in high school somewhere in the three years of drama classes? Earlier in a required novel in Jr.High? Doesn’t matter, really. It struck me as so quaint, so colloquial (words I understood as a young boy), this “pray, tell…” It encapsulated a feeling that could also blossom into other words like “beckoning, entreaty, compact” and so forth.

So when Fr. Anthony Ruff started up his blog brand as “PRAY TELL,” I anticipated good things to come, new words, wisdom and wit over old ideas and thoughts about worship. I also thought “How clever of Fr. Ruff. Pray, tell….ah, the inside scoop!”
So, it grieves me to call into question the veracity of intention and very integrity of what purports to be simply a forum for worship, wisdom and wit about liturgy, ecclesiology, moral theology and, above all, faith. What I’m issuing is not a “hit piece” born out of frustration or “sour grapes” from having been rebuffed there, insulted or otherwise marginalized. (In fact, I loathe the cloak of victimization as a rationale for words and deeds as a reaction. However, to me it seems that so much bandwidth by the regular habitués are quite motivated, admit it or not, by their perceptions of victimization.) No, this amounts to my last love letter to an ideal and the people whom I trusted shared in some basic Christian tenets, both in philosophy, disciplines and behaviors; this was an unrequited love, to sound maudlin.
Example:


A New Year’s Resolution: Charity in Discussion- Jan 4
Posted by Other Voices in Uncategorized
18 Comments


This reprinted post, prefaced by Fr. Ruff, made quite a splash and subsequent vortex rings in many other Catholic (liturgy) blogs. The perspective of my good friend Todd Flowerday at CATHOLIC SENSIBILITY had the most resonance for me. He seems to be questioning the timing of the PTB post’s unveiling, but I think the truth of the matter he makes in his last statement sentence of this excerpt:

And perhaps there is something self-serving in a public resolution to good (or improved) behavior. I cannot say I will be joining those who are suggesting better behavior just because the clicker changed from a 1 to a 2, or December is rolled over into the month of the two-faced god. Maybe Janus is a caution for those of us who have less than pure intentions to our intentions.What can I say for myself, then? This blog is mainly about the liturgy and other aspects of church ministry and theology that appeal to me.

PRAY TELL has made that extraordinary splash into Catholic Blogdom’s Q factor, primarily via the sequential scaffolding of articles and opinions calling into question and unrestrained (in a manners) criticism of all things concerning the roll out of the Third Typical Edition of the English language Roman Missal, from process, people and politics, to content, contentiousness and conspiracies. For over two years enough hay was raised to feed every cow in every dairy from California to Wisconsin in hundreds of articles. And most of those articles resulted in literally hundreds of combox replies that ran the entire gamut and spectrum of opinion, dogmatic declarations, reportage from all points of the English compass, some of whose authors’ identity was protected (contrary to the blog’s own founding stipulations regarding transparency) and a great deal of scholarly postulation and displays of such prowess that was often left undisguised to suppress any practical plebian concerns by the scholastically infirm or unwashed.

Now, just for fun, scroll up at the headline of the January 4th posting, re-read the title to get its gist, and then count the number of responses. And make your own conclusion, do your own math, pray tell what you think the interest level towards this resolution garnered among the well-known illuminati of PTB?
Of course, you might think you know what I’m thinking. You’d be wrong. In my heart, I believe were someone to cull through my combox replies and my personal emails to Fr. Anthony and his fellow editor Ms. Ferrone, they’d find a consistent call for both clarity as well as charity. Which leads me to ask, not answer, why were there only a handful of folks interested in re-orienting the discourse at PTB towards the original author’s admonitions? I would have wanted hundreds to match the volume of those (quite vitriolic), armed with pedigrees and credibility in all sorts of ivory towers, libraries and lecture halls, but who rarely displayed any evidence of humility such as if they were standing at the narthex doors of the Dom in Cologne, and all that they noticed was that those doors hadn’t be laquered properly and outrage demands accountability and redress!
Evidence: One of those who did respond to the January 4th post:
This sort of reaction was also not foreign to many such sentiments in the PTB comboxes. And, as in this case, it remains unmitigated, un-noticed and un-challenged within the context of PTB being a “Catholic Blog” in principle. (And please, deconstructing that presumption as argument is pointless and disingenuous, I don’t see a point in “going there.”) Abetting this sort of mob mentality cum American feistiness cum French Revolution “Off with their heads” sentiment are many more posts by academics who routinely demean men who’ve received holy orders by insinuations over their dressage, their orthodoxy, their commitment to be servants of the servants, and come close to edge of invoking Godwin's Law with subtexts under those insinuations. But these and other sympathizers simultaneously hoist Fr. Anthony and others who were rightly subjected to blatant injustices on their shoulders as the peoples’ champions. Who is to make sense of this rabble? Fr. Anthony, you, me? Of course not. There is no sense, if a mob mentality, no matter how refined and tasteful it may appear, is in full place and force.

 Hang in there! We can overvome (sic) this ridiculous liturgical crackdown from the Rome. Let’s just keep praying that the next pope is a Vatican 2 pope. As an English speaking Catholic, I refuse to kneel at any part of the mass. When priests are required to kneel, then I’ll kneel. I knelt enough as a youngster and refuse to go there a again. We need to assert our baptismal rights at the table and stop walking on liturgical eggshells! WE are Church, NOT Rome! WE celebrate! WE believe!

Last evidence: Worship, Wit and Wisdom personified? An article appeared this morning at PTB republishing the thoughts of one Mr. Jeff DeGraft that recounts his apparent first encounter with the revised texts of MR3 in the Huffington Post. Mr. DeGraft is not a liturgist, though he does have scholarly degrees, and his article is definitely couched in terms that would identify him as a “reasonable man” who is a “person in the pew.” An excerpt from Mr. DeGraft’s account:

I was in a positively ebullient mood as I went off to Christmas Mass at St. Mary's with my family in tow. The senses were amped up for the big production: stained glass, plainsong, frankincense and myrrh -- the works…That's the rhythm of the Mass. You know the longest running show on Broadway -- everyone knows the words and sings along. But someone blew their lines. I believe it all started with the priest, or was it the Vatican, I'm not really sure. All I know is that is that in an instant the synchronized syllables became a mush of puffery as the congregation struggled to make sense of the whole mess.
Prayers aren't just words. They are the way we talk with God. That's the brand promise of the universal church -- like McDonald's, it's the same everywhere. You can attend Mass in an overcrowded parking lot in China where services are in Cantonese and not miss a beat -- I've done it. All together now -- stand, kneel, cross yourself and repeat after me.
So Mass is now new and improved but not necessarily the good kind. It's more like Michael Bolton's foppish cover of "Georgia on My Mind" (Senator, you're no Ray Charles) or maybe the introduction of New Coke (Young man, you will drink it and like it). Yes, that's it -- the New Mass as New Coke.
I never liked New Coke, so I didn't buy it. I just kept drinking the regular brew. Similarly, I suggest that we say our prayers in our own voice. If that's the old way, great, or if you are feeling particularly creative maybe you make up your own words - just like the big shots do. Or we can just leave the translating to God. Jeff DeGraft, Huffington Post Religion article, Jan 6 12

And, as if right on cue, PTB co-editor Rita Ferrone offered this huzzah to Mr. DeGraft's insight-

The comparison to New Coke was clever. I think he has put his finger on how a lot of people feel. (Note 11K facebook “likes.”) “Funny thing is that when you trust your people they have a tendency to return the favor.” Amen to that.

How does one reasonably discuss the ritual language at the center of our corporate prayer with a gentleman who, in the same breath, declares “Prayers aren't just words. They are the way we talk with God. That's the brand promise of the universal church -- like McDonald's…”? So, it appears that professorial pundit-level can condescend at will to such surface and superficial observation and analysis about cleverness, feelings and liking regarding the appropriate language with which we approach the "source and summit of our being." And who are the parties entered into a compact that presumes trust will be returned with favor? The institutional church and the faithful? The Sacrifice of the Holy Mass is now a contract over a human transaction of which the Lord God had no covenantal part, much less being regarded as Author and Giver?

And even more perplexing to me…? How does Fr. Anthony justify the evidence of a very unsteady, unjust and arbitrary hand at the editorial wheel of PTB, while demanding “evidence, please” of anyone who doesn’t cite when they surmise, and turning a deaf ear, like Captain Queeg (“The Caine Mutiny) to the sound advice of his subordinates who, like him, have made a covenant not only of loyalty to the chain of command (which on board is the confines of the ship) but to the highest authority, the Constitution?
I think if I ever encounter Fr. Anthony in any way again, and I do hope to as my respect for him will ever remain (like I said, this is a plea; if I didn’t care, I wouldn’t bother…), I hope to remember to invite him to allow a couple of hours one easy day, and put his feet up and take in a viewing of “The Caine Mutiny.”
Like Todd points out about resolutions on January 1, the image on the namesake coin for this month is of Janus, two faces not in opposition, but estranged from each others’ visage. Please render that coin to Caesar on my behalf, Fr. Anthony.

Beyond a "Good Cause"

There are benefits to living now.

Well, wasn't that cryptic as all get out? Thems that know me as the arduous skeptic optimist existentialist wastrel that I be are going "O dooty, he's on a rant again."
Not this time. By "now" I mean in this era of immediacy, particularly the bane of some and the very manna of many, that which is called "The social network." I mean, I've sworn to any that would listen that FACEBOOK is literally Satan's Little Black Book. Like, why would it need to singe its number into the scalps of little miscreant toddlers holding huge Bowie knives, or brand bar codes onto or into our dermal tissue when it has "followers?" Please.
I got egg on m'face. I hate eggs. All eggs, right out of the rear of a hen or poached in some Oster steamer. Eggs smell like sulfur (get it?). Eggsmell, cat pee, skunk emission? It's a draw.
But the egg on me face is that my eldest daughter put together a wonderful benefit concert of both seasonal (Christmas, secular and sacred) songs and "new" BroadwaChary favorites in JUST TWO WEEKS via Facebook to benefit our local Children's Hospital NICU unit. Both our grandsons were premies, but little JC was born at 26 weeks five years ago, and virtually lived in that NICU for three or four months. And then the inevitable respiratory problems surfaced that required a two year period in which JC was trached, and couldn't vocalize until after he'd turned two. (He hasn't stopped talking or singing since, though!)

Charlotte, second from right

Anyway, a local downtown eatery, renovated from many incarnations in a hundred year old building, graciously offered the space, and tons of people showed up. In less than two weeks, no formal publicity, and a lot of people from a thorough cross section of theatre people, church people, parent people with kids helped by Childrens' Hospital raised nearly a grand without breaking a sweat, and a great time had by all.
What I noticed from our proud parent perch back of the eatery house was that as soon as my daughter welcomed everyone with a song, she then invited the crowd to join in singing "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" every soul there took it up immediately. I couldn't help but wonder then why it seems like we in Catholic music ministry must often feel like by merely announcing or listing a hymn/carol/song whatever for our congregations that we're oral surgeons with halitosis threatening medieval tools and techniques upon the congregants'  sensibilities and comfort zones as if they were to undergo a root canal. I mean it's singing!
I can help make chanting "Attende Domine" a pleasant experience, if folks would just let their hair and pretense defenses down. But I think that's my point, yet again. It comes down to intent!
The audience for the benefit was there for a tangible, but TEMPORAL reason. But they meant to be there even after less than two weeks' notice. Roamin'-minded Catholics know that they can BE THERE each Lord's Day. And as I've stated before, my experience affirms that your guaran-darn-teed hunnerd percent partipatio actuoso Masses include HOLY THURSDAY, Thanksgiving Day and _____ (fill in your blank.)
Oh, and daily Mass. Daily Mass people are serious. As are TLM folk. Maybe the participation at those sorts of liturgies varies according to the "cheerleading" congnescenti who would likely point AK47's at anyone on Sunday not actually moving their lips during the singing of "All are welcome." It's about INTENT.
Well, my grandson and all those children across the globe who've been lifted from tragedy's clutches by the Childrens' Hospitals, Mayo Clinics, St. Jude's will hopefully pay it forward as my daughter is trying to do.
But I sure would like someone to explain to me how believers who fret, worry, obligate themselves, make cosmic bets or subscribe to existential superstitions in order NOT to be consigned to Hell or otherwise outside of whatever they imagine heaven to be, still and yet don't get that there's a whole lotta singin' goin' on in that very heaven, because that's what lovers do! They sing love songs to the ONE who gives meaning to their being creatures in creation, their creator. And perhaps they ought to remember that these angels and archangels, Thrones and Dominions who acclaim "Hosanna" without end may have harps in their duffel bags like popular culture has deluded us. But they also are a formidable host of fearful creatures who mean business more than any U.S. Navy Seal team.

Good on ye, my child. And thank you for using your gift to honor God, the real healer of our boy and millions of other children, with your voice. My advice for vocal laggards and zombies, get some voice lessons. And quick.

The Eleventh Hour?

In my four decades of directing music within the Church I've found that most thriving and viable music "ministries" offer some sort of pre-Midnight Mass performance. The most common is the devotional format of the service of Nine Lessons and Carols, modeled after the classic English order fashioned circa 1880. However, any number of variations on that service, or a simple concert that features prominent large works, or smaller anthems/motets in alternation with congregational carol-singing may even be more common than the Lessons format.
Over the two decades at our current parish, we have offered a separate concert event prior to Christmas that generally consists of a major cantata or large work, sometimes with solos, instrumental chamber works, organ compositions and the like interspersed within that model. We have also had years where the concert did not feature a large work or cantata, but had a thematic concept overarching a number of small choral pieces. Such themes included cultural components, styles and periods, specific composers or arrangers, traditional versus modern eras, etc. For example, in 2010 I programmed a concert featuring the works of American Catholic composers of the Victorian era to compliment the 150th anniversary of our parish's founding. That was a bit of a challenge to find significant counterparts to Peloquin from 1850 besides RoSewig et al, so I also tagged along some villancicos known to the missions in California at the time and a spiritual also sung in the era of the Civil War according to Higginson's bibliography.
This last year we held our seasonal concert early, which featured Vivaldi's GLORIA and the Bach MAGNIFICAT. It was a lovely, greatly attended event done well, but we decided initially not to repeat it in the eleventh hour prior to Midnight Mass for a number of sound reasons. Happily, our choir core has been together for 18 years, so once we were free of rehearsals for the "masterworks" concert we were able to prepare well about eight/nine pieces for the pre-Midnight portion of Christmas Eve.
My question to other choirmasters/directors: when you choose to do a "mixed bag" sort of pre-concert before Mass, whether Lessons-based or not, what criteria do you use, if any, that informs your repertoire choices? Do you place restrictions that are related or overlap from our "Catholic ethos" of chant/polyphony preference (even if carried through genetics to modern composers from Saint-Saens to Allen or McMillan)? Or do you allow some measure of "letting one's hair down" and admit pieces that don't have the catholic pedigree firmly in place? As mentioned, that could be spirituals, or gospel-infused arrangements and pieces (by great arrangers like Hogan, Hayes, Dillworth, Thomas), or other inculturated traditions such as Advent or Nativity villancicos, or carols from Hispanic traditions, Polish traditions and such, or generic but worthy new compositions by lower-tiered composers such as Leavitt, Courtney, Rutter, Chris Rice, Hillsongs or Culbreth ;-)?
I suppose what I'm asking amouts to whether such "devotional" or "inspirational" material that you as choirmaster deems to be worthy of public performance within the confines of your church building ought to be discerned also according to the tenets that we adhere to for actual worship at liturgy?

LA MORTE TI FA BELLA FINALE

As someone who inexplicably indulges and traffics in the acquisition of all things trivial, I had some sort of synapse short circuit that prompted me to somehow typify how I now regard an extremely popular denizen of liturgical pedants via the medium of film scenes that are memorable to me. Eureka! I think I found it. This scene is from the Robert Zemekis movie "Death Becomes Her" and occurs at the end of the film.
The two main characters, Madeline (Meryl Streep) and Helen (Goldie Hawn) were friends and rivals for the attention of Dr. Melville (Bruce Willis), a famed plastic surgeon whom they co-opted to keep their external beauty viable after they had taken a magic potion that grants eternal life, but then try and succeed to kill each other to garner his sole attention and access to his skills, as they're not really dead, but they can, indeed, decay if left unattended. Melville escapes their clutches, and we find Mad and Hel at his funeral 37 years later, harping at the back of the church during his funeral.
This seems like the perfect metaphor for a lot of what passes for meaningful discourse at this liturgical blog touting itself as a haven for worship, wit and wisdom. People can spend infinite amounts of time and treasure deconstructing and reconstructing all things godly and human, but it's inevitably all about superglue and bondo and paint jobs in this veil of tears. Ya gotta laugh, really. In honor of Dr. Xavier Rindfleisch's fondness for Roman Trattorias, the first clip of the scene below is in the Italian translated version (irony is like ozone, it's everywhere here and full of holes!)  I do have the same scene below the fake dialogue in the original English, beginning at 2':37"

Imagine if a portion of Mad and Hel's dialogue in this scene was lifted straight from the blog in question:

They are all good questions, and I doubt that we will ever know.The sloppy work of Vox Clara is leading presiders to make all sorts of “corrections” on the fly.

Yesterday I faced the fussy preces for Monday in the 4th week of advent. The only thing to do was to simplify them impromptu (a practice that is bound to produce muddles or theological errors) or to root around in the back of the old sacramentary for the bad 1973 versions, or to come armed with the 1998 versions, or to say a prayer of one’s own instead.
  

Thanks for reminding those of us who do not go to daily Mass and only have to content with weekly mediocrity that some people deal with this on a daily basis.  

The collects as printed are just unprayable.  My understanding is that Vox Clara, operating in strict secrecy, made some 10,000 changes to the ICEL text. Some of these introduced mistranslations, some added heretical content and now, as we have learned today, some added “we pray” in curious places. It hardly seems plausible that the interventions were accidental; and in any event, the whole procedure of central checking and approval is supposed to ensure that such “accidents” don’t happen.

You Want Fear and Loathing?

I'll give ya Fear and Loathing!*




"Can you say 'Ambulance Chaser' and "rhemora?"



Every time a film, a book, a cheezy History Channel program enters the popular field of vision about whether IT walks among us NOW, that shark-suited, thin tied Eurotrash multilingual beast, the Anti-Christ, it is always portrayed as a guy. Someone who prob'ly looks somewhere between a young Daniel Day-Lewis and Jude Law. Not bad casting, that.

But has anybody ever considered......
*Rather,
"She'll IS FEAR and LOATHING!
Hint if you're not up on current events, this isn't Sen. Dianne Feinstein (I respect her.) Second hint, she's not one of Meg Whitman's gal pals most likely either.
Yes, I know this has nothing to do with RC liturgy.
Might be more in tune with PT Barnum liturgy.
P'tooie. Just typing this makes me feel yucky.I'm not big on the "Where's the Anti-Christ" hoopla that occasionally pops up within the 24 hour news cycle. America's attention span, compromised as it is, often fails to notice some patterns that indicate lots of stuff seems to have gone awry. Anyone notice lately how much airtime Bill Clinton's getting lately? Frankly I'm surprised that Mr. Obama hasn't slipped quietly, Michelle, lovely girls and dog in tow, out a hidden door of the White House and taken a suite at the Watergate, there's been such a clamor, a longing for a Clinton, any Clinton including Chelsea, to take the desk in the Oval Office. But Mr. Obama's a wise guy. He knows were he to vacate, we'd be stuck with crazy Joe! Can't have that as a legacy, can one? I've digressed.

Order of Music-July 3, 2011

Saint Mary’s Parish, Visalia, California


14th Sunday, OrdinaryTime


Introit: S “Within Your Temple…”Simple Choral Gradual/R.Rice


Entrance: SE #480 I HEARD THE VOICE OF JESUS 239 (Kingsfold) cp


Opening Rites: S Kyrie-plainsong/Oecumenica-Culbreth


E Kyrie(Sleeth)/Dancing Day Gloria-Ford


Responsorial: SE Respond & Acclaim


Gospel Accl.: S plainsong “Alleluia”modeVI


E Alleluia (Sleeth)


Offertory: S #537 WE WALK IN FAITH/IN TIMES OF TROUBLE 605 (Jesus dulcis)


E #518 ALL THAT IS HIDDEN 21 (Farrell)


Eucharistic Accl.: S Oecumenica/Agnus Dei


E Holy/Christ/ Amen (Hurd) /Lamb (Culbreth)


Communion Procession: SE Antiphon: “Gustate et Videte”


S #331 TASTE AND SEE 510 (Moore)

E #775 TASTE AND SEE 675 (Talbot)

Communion Anthem: SE #650 THIS IS MY SONG 556 (Finlandia)

Recessional: S #654 GOD OF OUR FATHERS 188 (National hymn) TP descant

E #651 AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL 35 (Materna)

I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING...

"I Know Where I'm Going" is the title of a Scots love ballad that has a lass pining for the company of her true love Johnny. A lovely little film was spun from it in 1945, where the lass becomes an English woman who becomes stranded upon an island among the Hebrides, and is challenged in her resolve to marry her betrothed by an attraction to another heroic character. There are storms aplenty, both figurative and literal, that contradict the simplicity of meaning of the ballad declaration, "I know where I'm going."
I am posting my thoughts on the video above on my blog as I'm sure that what I need to say might not be received or understood by my beloved confreres of the Church Music Association, and my fellow contributors at the Chant Cafe.
The video, produced by the brilliant Jeffrey Ostrowski of Corpus Christi Watershed, does clearly provide a mere glimpse of the sheer, transcendent beauty that is the colloquium experience. I have yet to encounter, after five of these, anyone who would decry any aspect of it as not beneficial in personal and corporate ways.
But I first viewed the video with the sound muted, as there was other media on in the room Wendy was listening to. And in the course of just four minutes I observed a pattern within the editing that, at face value, gave me pause and troubled me. I invite any readers of this post to do the same: watch the video without the sound. What gave me pause is the pattern consists of a sequence of action shots that primarily feature the conductors and presentors who comprise the leadership echelon of CMAA. And a brief sequence shows the CMAA Board of Directors in session before resuming the serial exposition of the multitude of choirs and scholas that "zoom in" principally upon the directors. To be fair, of course there is substantial content of attendees visually. But without the sound, the thematic emphasis upon the "star" faculty I believe is quite evident.
Am I critizing Ostrowski or CMAA with this observation. Absolutely not!
But as my friend and medical angel Jeffrey Tucker has stated repeatedly at the Cafe and the MS Forum, sacred and liturgical music is at a particularly important and momentous cross roads, represented most notably by the publishing of the Parish Book of Chant, the Simple Choral Propers and the uniquely valuable Simple English Propers, all under the banner of CMAA. And the beauty of all this is that CMAA has appeared, to me, an organization that has grown and thrived based upon participation from the ground up as informed by the scholarship and inspiration of the top down.
But can CMAA clearly sing "I know where I'm going"? It was repeatedly hammered home to attendees this last colloquium that we, CMAA, stand on the shoulders of giants such as Msgr. Schuler, Dr. Marier, Calvin Shenk, Maestro Salamunovich, Dr.Berry, Mrs. Ward, Fr. Skeris et al. And equally clear is that those giants were not the earlier era's equivilent of this era's megastardom of liturgical celebrities whose names are omnipresent in their product and publicity provided us by our large publishers. But I ask, in all humility and honesty, are we taking care not to advance a celebrity class of our own among CMAA ranks? As a side note, I have no personal bias or agenda by asking these questions (no dog in the hunt as goes the saying.) I am, and always have been quite happy to remain a parish musician.
I will leave this an open question for anyone who happens upon this post.
Next year around late June I do know where I'm going: to the Madeleine Cathedral in Salt Lake City, Utah for CMAA Colloquium 22 (provided I'm not court martialed!) I do hope that those who plan and articulate the schedule and content and goals for next year consider carefully how to expand both membership and influence in the market of ideas and ideals in a way that keeps and treasures the value and experience of each and every member who attends in order that the focus doesn't de-evolve and become diluted.
PS. I think it would be most appropriate to have any and all evaluations of Colloquium XXI published at MS. I'm sure that a great majority of those will attest to the immense value of attending it! Soli Deo gloria.

Order of Music-June 26, 2011

Saint Mary’s Parish, Visalia, California

Corpus Christi Sunday, OrdinaryTime

Introit: S “The Lord fed His people with finest wheat…”Simple Choral Gradual/R.Rice

Entrance: S #311 GATHER US TOGETHER 166 (Alstott) cp
E #312 HERE AT THIS TABLE 210

Opening Rites: S Kyrie-plainsong/Oecumenica-Culbreth

E Kyrie(Sleeth)/Dancing Day Gloria-Paul Ford/arr. Culbreth

Responsorial: SE Respond & Acclaim

Sequence: E Lauda Sion chanted in English (J.Eason setting)

Gospel Accl.: S plainsong “Alleluia”modeVI
E Alleluia (Sleeth)

Offertory: S #323 O SACRAMENT MOST HOLY 377 (Fulda)
E #328 AS GRAINS OF WHEAT 41 (Rosania)

Eucharistic Accl.: S Oecumenica/Agnus Dei
E Holy/Christ/ Amen (Hurd) /Lamb (Culbreth)

Communion Procession: S Antiphon: “Whoever eats my flesh…”Simple Choral Gradual/R.Rice

S #341 I AM THE BREAD/YO SOY EL PAN 235 (Toolan) cp
E #336 AMEN: EL CUEPO DE CRISTO 33 (Schiavone)

Communion Anthem: S AVE VERUM CORPUS- Culbreth
E THIS IS MY BODY -Culbreth

Recessional: S organ postlude-Trent Barry
E #377 CELTIC ALLELUIA v.1-3 88 (O’Carroll)

"Why Can't We All Just Get Along....but to My WAY?!?"

Consider the lilies, the swallows…not even Solomon in all his glory was so adorned. (No quotes, just paraphrasing as I recall His words.) The flip side, my words: Look at the images of the birds on this blog’s masthead. How many are still flying I wonder? Most of the images of the saints and sinners that adorn blogs have arrived to their reward or will do so at some point of time. This isn’t meant to be morbid in the slightest. We believers in Christ push on, whether dragging through the mud and waste or flying in concert with the Spirit, confident in faith that a “reward” does, indeed, await.


I personally believe that there is a sublime reality that escapes our notice about one particular endeavor we enjoy from God’s bounty that also escapes death. Whether this re-creation is rewarded with a hellish posterity, an ignorant, interminable limbo, or received into glory, dunno. Of course, I’m speaking of music. I mean, how couldn’t I feel this way based upon the blog title? “Music is the greatest gift of God.”

Notice I’ve never qualified that. It’s not “some music,” “my music,” “your music,” “our music” and most certainly not “God’s music.” He’s passed that. Who of us that has consciously put the muse to the pen or the recording device hasn’t secretly acknowledged that we were gifted to be the sharers, or “authors” of our tunes and harmonies from the one who created this aspect of the cosmos and spread it out upon the ether.

Here’s the point. I believe it’s basically a vanity and therefore pointless to use this gift as any form of tool or weapon to advance our truly heartfelt, informed and even righteous agendae and thus lambaste any and all perceived adversaries to our self-proclaimed truths in an effort to (what?) simply prevail upon others. And doing so seems to me a remarkably counterproductive waste of time (that is also a gift) if we are to be fully invested in evangelizing our neighbors and strangers to the whole of the Gospels. To be clear, I have no enmity towards sharing the bounty of our Catholic Church’s wise counsel that, at worship, we are inheritors and benefit from the unique and mysterious charms and priceless treasure that are revealed in chant, polyphony and other truly sacred forms of music.

On the other hand, if we cannot in good conscience deny that God is the sole author of grace and operates in His time and wisdom, then should any soul in pain, doubt and darkness who cries out for solace, reconciliation and forgiveness, and salvation have those prayers rejected by God’s ordained ministers? It’s about the sacraments, silly (to paraphrase President Clinton in irony.) But, if that same soul is hanging by a thread to the Christian life and asks for a sip of water that musically is known as “Be not afraid,” who are we to deny that? (I’m reminded of another irony in the hymn-tune PLEADING SAVIOR; “Father, if it be possible….) Are we to declare to that pleading soul, “Why sure, sinner-man, as long as it’s chanted and in Latin, ‘you down with “Nolite timere?”

Well, the way I see it going down at least for another four decades of wandering is that great strides will be made towards restoring solemnity and dignity to the performance of the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite Mass as sung in the vernaculars. But they will continue to be sung in the vernaculars by and large. And bar the highly unlikely scenario of an official reckoning with the IGRM/GIRM, proper texts may be restored to their appropriate roles at the processionals, graduals, alleluia/tracts/sequences more pervasively and hopefully persuasively, but that will never come at the expense of the use of strophic hymnody (as opposed to liturgical hymnody) and religious song whose paraphrased textual source may align to the proper calendar, as well as the vast body of both poetical and scriptural allusion lyrics. These latter forms, Frankenstein-monster-spawn of the Freemason Bugnini or not, have been taken up by more than one undisciplined, laconic and spiritually-undernourished generation. And they now own these songs and a great many of the hymns that they “get.” And those of us chant TRUE BELIEVERS that want our Quick Remedy Wagon surplus bought en masse right now by the unwashed PIPs are prone to that time-honored curial penchant for forked-tongue-ed “you can have your cake and eat it too” rhetoric in our spiels and appeals.

Of course the people are to sing their appointed portions of the liturgy, as long as they’re those of the chanted Latin settings appropriate to the seasons and occasions (huh?). But if you can’t master much more than the Death Mass in Latin or even English, don’t worry, we, THE SCHOLA, will cover for ya, no problem. You just listen real hard, contemplate, watch and pray. And now that you know those bold fonted thingy’s called antiphons in the missalettes actually mean something, just trust us that they’re more attuned to the scriptural lessons than all that sacropop syrup those hippies have spoon fed you, and we’ll sing them real purdy, and not just at the “gathering, preparation and feasting” parts, but we’ll sing them ourselves between the readings and dazzle ourselves with our florid gymnastics that will make Christina Aguilera even more embarrassed and jealous of her obvious lack of ornamental skills. But wait, what? You want to take part too? Watch and pray isn’t working for you? Okay, then, we can do that. Here, we’ve got tons of vernacular chant propers and ordinaries that are “Lite,” you’ll get the hang of ‘em real soon. But wait, what? No, you can’t sing “On Eagles’ Wings” ever again. Here, I’ve got a 400 word treatise on why it doesn’t even qualify as an “alius cantus aptus,” so there! But wait, what’s an “alius cantus aptus?” Well, look it up ‘cause I’m done with schooling you all, and “Beagles’ Wings” ain’t one of ‘em in any case. Trust me! I mean it, TRUST ME!

I think I’ve exhausted the point. Make no mistake about it or me. If I could attend a solemn Latin High Mass in EF every day, that’s how I’d worship. You heard it here by these lips, “Ed Schaefer was right.” (Look it up.) Some of us eventually have to make a hard and fast choice. But equating our choice with imposing same upon others isn’t good medicine for all like cod liver or castor oil. It is more akin to the cliche about teaching the pig to sing. But guess which of the two protagonists in that cliche is more pig headed? Slow and steady as she goes, hope and pray and nourish the poor and teach them to swim in waters that are moving and not in pools. But don’t expect them to do a swan dive off a high cliff right behind you because you can come up and breathe afterwards to applause (which is, of course, meant to be no applause.)

Get used to the Big Tent having more than one ring in the circus maximus for a few more decades, my friends.

What is Liturgical Music For?

This is the whole text of a response in the comments box at Pray Tell prompted by an axiom posited by a fellow commentator, Tom Poelker:

“That is to say that it is God nourishing God’s people more than it is the people doing anything for God. Mass is much more about us being receptive to God nourishing us than us bringing our best to God.”


I’m thinking that Tom Poelker is on to something here that is greater than what appears to the eye and mind initially. And I also think that at the crux of Tom’s distillation of Benedict’s letter is some sort of peep stone through which we ought to earnestly examine the elements of worship from many perspectives, not the least of which include “liturgy: gift from God” and “liturgy: offering back said gift in its best expression from our “hands” back to God.”

Over at the the Chant Café I took the long and winding road to get across a notion that my colleague and friend Kathy Pluth clarified as me saying “there are way too many ‘Talking Heads’ and not enough thinking about what liturgical music is for.” I think we fall prey to the temptation of answering that question by yammering on about what liturgical music is NOT meant to do. We stumble over our tongues and sometimes our foot ends up in our mouth if we claim we’re not using music to manipulate the emotions of the faithful. I think we earn more time in purgatory each time we defend ourselves from that notion. I think that we err significantly when we unrelentingly argue that our musical refuge is based righteously either upon orthodoxy or heterodoxy. More time. I think we waste time and energy trying to put square people into round chairs and its complement opposite just by saying “you can, and must accept that this is the way it’s supposed to be.” So, what is liturgical music for exactly? Truthfully, I don’t know how to even approach the question, much less the answer. But the answer, I hope, lies in the middle of Tom’s quandary above.

In this very thread Tom and others have brought up the issue of the “feminization” of our sacral-liturgical expressions. I was amused at the notion that a man’s man such as da Bear’s Mike Ditka would squirm if compelled to sing “On Eagles’ Wings,” as if that poor tune just dripped estrogen and lavender. Well, I was at its premiere at Chicago NPM, ’79, just to the left of, I believe at that time, Deacon Joncas’s solo performance on the platform stage at McCormack Center, and I recall to this day that “wimpy” was not the affect in that huge room at that moment, and that both the song and Mike’s performance of it was, ahem, quite muscular and powerful. But, that was then, this is now, and our perceptions evolve and change. I have to wonder if a yearning for more masculinity to be evident at worship, if only in music, would eventually descend to some sort of Monty Python parody that caricatures both their send-up howling of “Jerusalem” and “I’m a lumberjack and that’s okay.”? Is not our worship meant to reflect “neither slave nor free, woman or man…” in principle, being so freed by our kinship to Christ. I don’t see any value or merit in advancing biological destiny as a lens by which to measure any aspect of liturgical arts or function. At the risk of sounding quaint, that’s silly.

What is liturgical music for? I can only share now something that happened yesterday at our principle Mass (generally a Missa Cantata or, happily, more towards a Solemn High Mass, depending on the cantillation of the celebrant.) Try to read through the account before making a judgment. One of our vicars is a Missioner of Charity, has been with the parishes for a couple of years, and was notified of a reassignment a week ago. At the Mass yesterday, he felt he could “finally” share his conversion story (actually “reversion”) to the Faith during his college years. Pretty much every homily he’s given has been golden, and we don’t get them very often as the rotation among three parishes of four celebrants necessitates his fluency in Spanish to be used in Misas. Anyway, the account was breath-taking. At its conclusion and before the Creed, I instructed our amazingly gifted organist that at the onset of the Offertory, he was to slowly count to 45, and then freely improvise upon “Veni Creator Spiritus.” Oh, we surely had a suitable song at the ready. But following through with that or even the proper Offertorio would have euthanized the impact of the homily, the resonance of it both in the Creed and General Intercessions. I’m not fond of the term “sacred silence” though quite enamored of its occurrence at worship. But I was already convicted of the rightness of my decision before I informed the organist, and later the schola. And the silence was sacred. And the improvisation was inspired and brilliant. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that decision is not among the options found in the GIRM. But did that combination of acts, silence and reflection through inspired invention in the moment, constitute full, active and conscious participation? Hand on the Douay-Rheims, Yes! What is liturgy for? Perhaps, if nothing else, to celebrate God’s everlasting love and desire for us to live in love, fully in the moment, and in appreciation and praise of Him as acknowledged by the highest caliber of arts we can manifest.

Guess what? That may occasionally involve the intuitive risk(as some would call such) to use “On Eagles’ Wings” as your best call to edify, or ratify a specific liturgical moment, more than likely at the Offertory where the “hymn of the day” rationale finds its most convenient lodgings. But the programming of OEW, or any warhorse hymn or song out of convenience or persuasion of some editor’s “helpful hints” is anathema to me, indicative of a lukewarm, anemic and ignorant practice of one’s office and duties.

Lastly, I think we’re all pretty desperately trying to defend turf, rather than to answer Kathy’s question. And I hope that as we try to comprehend Benedict’s letter and vision, that we don’t pigeon-hole his words to suit our perceptions of his and our political persuasions. We have many other concerns, we DM’s with diversity of genres and cultures factoring into a ton of weekend Masses’ with which we contend our choices. But at our “most solemn Mass” I first have to respect the liturgical sensibilities of my pastor who is also my “boss,” and that means a reasonable balance between the use of English and Latin. Beyond that, I know that our parish is not prepared to turn on the dime to an all-propers, all the time modality. But we sing and chant them weekly because they are, after all, native to our ritual culture. (We have to use the “stuffed Mass” model, and that has to suffice for now.) But if I am going to choose to supplant another option, I’d better be seriously mindful of Kathy’s question: what is this music for? Because, if I can’t honestly say that it serves the liturgy the best in that moment, I’d better stick to the sacral language and music that the Church has at the ready and embraces as having principle place at worship.