Good Liturgical Music

[marigold]

Both recent times I visited a Mass they sang 'Here I am Lord'. It made me wonder if it was just a coincidence, or if the current palate of recent hymns in English really is that limited. What do they sing at your local parish? Is there a vein of current liturgical music that ticks the boxes of vernacular, theological, and beautiful?

[Nihil Obstat]

We mainly have the traditional chanted propers, with older hymns when appropriate.
It takes effort. The choir meets every Wednesday and before Mass on Sundays. The men especially have to practice several hours at a time to get the propers down.

But it is so worth it. Best parish music in the diocese in my opinion.

[franciscanheart]

At the Mass I attend, we hear chanted propers, polyphony, and some great old hymns. On Saturdays, our schola chants. We also have a contemporary Mass (think: folk choir), a silent Mass, and two three hybrid Masses.


etf numbers.

Edited January 22, 2015 by franciscanheart

[Basilisa Marie]

My work parish uses Spirit and Song, my home parish uses the St. Michael Hymnal. Parishes usually have a short list of favorite "go-to" songs that most of the congregation knows, so they'll actually make an attempt to sing. Most people just hush up when it's a song they don't know, whether it's new stuff or chant. 

 

Like, the songs at my home parish are more traditional (if by traditional you mean almost exclusively written in the 19th century), but next to no one sings on a normal Sunday. People just don't really know the songs, and don't sight read music. Plus the mass part melodies (especially the Gloria) are absolutely horrid (though that's probably the fault of the people who came up with the most recent settings). At my work parish, lots of people sing with gusto, but nearly all the songs are contemporary, and less diverse. We're working on actually including the communion antiphon at every mass, and for Lent we're going to look into doing some chant without accompaniment. 

 

I'd rather have more people singing familiar but slightly mediocre songs than have no one singing nice old songs (and by no one I mean no one except a rather sparse choir). 

Edited January 22, 2015 by Basilisa Marie

[veritasluxmea]

I've been to a variety of masses, some with chant, some with guitars, and many in between, and I've never really heard the same songs played twice like that. Maybe God was trying to tell you something? 

[Nihil Obstat]

One of the parishes I used to go to would sing Rain Down about twice a month. That was torturous. I did not enjoy going to Mass there.

[PhuturePriest]

One of the parishes I used to go to would sing Rain Down about twice a month. That was torturous. I did not enjoy going to Mass there.

 

Every parish in my former diocese used nothing but music such as Rain Down. I think the only liturgical composer they used was that one guy everyone always mocks.

[Kateri89]

At the parish I go to, it depends on the mass.  It's all Novus Ordo but the music depends on which Mass you attend.  However, they're pretty good about mixing Latin and English.  In my opinion it's probably the best music of any parish in the diocese except for the EF at the parish in the city.

[Cherie]

Yes, in 90% of the parishes in the U.S., the hymn selection really IS that limited. It's a crying shame, truly. It's almost enough to make one despair!

[marigold]

I've been to a variety of masses, some with chant, some with guitars, and many in between, and I've never really heard the same songs played twice like that. Maybe God was trying to tell you something? 

 

Lol, like what?  :mail:

[marigold]

So when you guys say 'chant' and 'chanted propers', you mean Gregorian chant?

[Oremus Pro Invicem]

I've been to plenty of Masses and they've played a variety of hymns. At the EF my ears are greeted with the sounds of Gregorian Chant from the Kyriale as well as the propers. During Solemn High Masses I get to hear Mass settings from Byrd, Victoria, as well as pieces by Palestrina, Mozart, Lotti, and etc. Let's just say after that my ears have a hard time standing the sound of a twanging guitar during Mass.

[franciscanheart]

One of the parishes I used to go to would sing Rain Down about twice a month. That was torturous. I did not enjoy going to Mass there.

I've never heard this song. I'm nervous to Google it...
 

At the parish I go to, it depends on the mass.  It's all Novus Ordo but the music depends on which Mass you attend.  However, they're pretty good about mixing Latin and English.  In my opinion it's probably the best music of any parish in the diocese except for the EF at the parish in the city.

It's not uncommon knowledge that we have the best music in the city. I think the only thing that beats it (maybe, sometimes) is the plain chant happening in monasteries all over the metroplex.
 

So when you guys say 'chant' and 'chanted propers', you mean Gregorian chant?

Yes.
 

I've been to plenty of Masses and they've played a variety of hymns. At the EF my ears are greeted with the sounds of Gregorian Chant from the Kyriale as well as the propers. During Solemn High Masses I get to hear Mass settings from Byrd, Victoria, as well as pieces by Palestrina, Mozart, Lotti, and etc. Let's just say after that my ears have a hard time standing the sound of a twanging guitar during Mass.

We sing Masses from Byrd, Victoria, and others. We also sing Mozart, Bach, Palestrina, Tallis, Lotti, and others. This week, Palestrina and Tallis are on the agenda -- along with chant, of course.

[Nihil Obstat]

So when you guys say 'chant' and 'chanted propers', you mean Gregorian chant?

Yes and no. When I say chanted propers I mean the actual Propers of the Mass, the Mass text, chanted in the traditional manner. As it happens, the traditional manner in the Roman Church is Gregorian chant. So yes, indirectly I am referring to Gregorian chant. But just as important is the fact that it is the actual traditional Mass propers which are being chanted, rather than some other song which may or may not relate to the Proper prayers.

[Nihil Obstat]

I've never heard this song. I'm nervous to Google it...

If you want something even worse, look up Ken Canedo's "Mass of Glory". That same parish used that Mass setting probably 75% of the time. So inappropriate, so stupid.

They would have jazzy little guitar interludes, a full drum kit, diva singers doing embellishments... Just, everything that can go wrong with modern church music.