Nihil Obstat Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 [font="Georgia, Utopia,"][size="5"][size=4]From the always good Chant Cafe. Any thoughts?[/size][/size][/font] [b] [size=4]http://www.chantcafe.com/2012/08/if-mass-is-boring-what-are-propers.html[/size][/b] [b] [/b] [b] [url="http://www.chantcafe.com/2012/08/if-mass-is-boring-what-are-propers.html"]If Mass is Boring, What Are Propers?[/url][/b] [color=#A07259] Posted by Kathleen Pluth[/color][size=4] Despite the huge and varied number of offerings for singing the proper texts of the Mass, many parishes still sing what amounts to a novus ordo version of a low Mass, with the musical emphasis squarely on hymns and songs and inspired songs. The reason is this: Propers are boring. Consider this text: "The Lord said to me, you are my son. This day I have begotten you." Whom could this text possibly thrill? A monk, surely, though it probably depends on the monk. A poet, surely. How about a family of five who barely got dressed in time after Christmas shopping and Christmas eve dinner with friends in order to tumble out of the minivan in time to find a seat for the 9:30 pm Midnight Mass? Whose car radio was just now playing Call Me Maybe? Propers, in contrast, are written for the 1%, the Holy Father's beloved category of "simple believers." Who could possibly be thrilled to hear or sing "Today the Light will shine upon us because to us the Lord is born" at the early Mass, before the road trip? Here is the person who will be thrilled. The contemplative who excuses himself briefly from the family celebration to attend the early Mass. The elderly woman, the daily communicant, who has spent the last week reading ahead in her Magnificat to prepare for the great day. The little child who learned the introit in school. The retired priest who says Mass in a convent, or in the chapel in the rest home where he lives. But for most of the plugged-in world, the propers sing of a different world, a world of silence and peace and recollection. Our music is a mirror, and hymns bustle along, just like us. Who has [i]time [/i]for the propers?[/size] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franciscanheart Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Yeah: sounds pretty judgmental and assuming to me. (Not shocked.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 Why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franciscanheart Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Why what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 Why do you think that it is judgmental and 'assuming'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franciscanheart Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 The author assumes that the sole reason those parishes refrain from propers is because they're "boring". That's assuming. She goes on to judge people by their activities and carries on a tone of not being enough. In our parish, propers are used, but not at every Mass. And the Church allows for this practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 (edited) That is not really how I read that article at all, actually. Edited August 21, 2012 by Nihil Obstat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franciscanheart Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 [quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='1345583598' post='2471430'] That is not really how I read that article at all, actually. [/quote] So then what are your thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 More that it takes some effort to understand and appreciate the Mass Propers, and that if we want to restore them to their rightful place, it will require more than a simply musical approach. It is not an issue of choirs so much as an issue of congregations not understanding that there is a deeper meaning to music at Mass- that it is not simply pious entertainment. It takes effort to understand the Liturgy and its constituent parts. The Catholic who just goes to Mass because "Catholics have to go to Mass on Sunday" is not well disposed to understanding the deeper meaning of why they are there, what they are doing, and what they are praying. And therefore, that person will most likely not appreciate chanted propers. They would more likely prefer music with which they are at least passingly familiar, even though that music misses out on the opportunity for the greater reverence and prayerfulness that we can bring about through, among other things, better devotion to the Propers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franciscanheart Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Did we read the same thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 [quote name='franciscanheart' timestamp='1345584342' post='2471448'] Did we read the same thing? [/quote] I should hope so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papist Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Accurate or not, I fail to see the point of the article. And who is her target audience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 [quote name='Papist' timestamp='1345593085' post='2471566'] Accurate or not, I fail to see the point of the article. And who is her target audience? [/quote] I am not 100% sure either. That's part of why I posted it here. I already wrote out my thoughts as to what the meaning of the post is, and I will stand by that, but I am not sure specifically who she was addressing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papist Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 [quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='1345593177' post='2471567'] I am not 100% sure either. That's part of why I posted it here. I already wrote out my thoughts as to what the meaning of the post is, and I will stand by that, but I am not sure specifically who she was addressing. [/quote] I do appreciate her message, but it comes off condescending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 (edited) Hm. Well maybe I am the only one who did not read into it that way at all. Edited August 22, 2012 by Nihil Obstat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now