The Recovering Choir Director

Peace, all.

Greg doesn’t convince me too well.

The hallmark of the second stage of contemporary liturgical music begun by the St Louis Jesuits and others was Scripture-based lyrics. In fact, many of the text adaptations are clearly based in the liturgy of the hours and other spiritual sources.

The third stage of the 80’s marked a more pragmatic approach: compose actual liturgical texts (psalmody, seasonal or Eucharistic hymns, etc.) and was even more faithful to Scripture, or utilized lyricists from the hymn tradition.

I think Greg reads way too much in the fear factor. Many Christians realize that they have a daily struggle against the values of the culture we live in.

Again, I think it a matter of better compositions. Does the music match the feeling of fear (or other challenging emotion)? Or is it just the composer’s pet style? Greg’s problem is the problem all serious music people face across all genres: is it serious music or is it candy? You don’t have to limit yourself to the worst of sacred music or to any particular era to find the treacle.

I used to feel exactly as Greg does, until I read this post in the COL forum, and realized that there are people out there with real and legitimate reasons to cherish these sappy songs. (Henceforth I’ll be more careful in making jokes about “bunny lullabye” Liturgical music.)

This, from a courageous young woman:

“I did pick that song (”Be Not Afraid”) as the first hymn at my wedding. I didn’t walk up the aisle to the song, I did a processional. I love the song, and it wasn’t that I was afraid to marry Josh. I was thrilled to marry him, but there are many things to be afraid of coming out of college, moving, and having children, etc.

It was all things that I had never experienced. In the past few months (we have been married 6 months today), we have leaned on the idea and belief that God has come with us in everything that has happened to us.

Now, we are pregnant (smile), but it is still an event that leaves me pretty nervous and even a little afraid. The fear mostly comes from the what if’s. My parents are Protestant, and do not understand the anti- birth control. So, I have been lectured about what can happen when young people get pregnant so soon after getting married.

Josh and I went into this marriage trusting God to plan our family, and we have found peace in that. I was afraid the day I got married, but not about getting married, it was more about separating from the traditions and expectations of my family and going the way that I knew God wanted.

The song is/was a comfort to me through all of these changes. (sorry about the rambling, it is hard to put into words)

The other hymns in our wedding were “You Are Mine”, “I have Loved You”, and “Here I Am, Lord.”

http://forum.catholic.org/viewtopic.php?t=12049&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30

I’m not going to bother looking it up, but I have a feeling I am replying to the same person as the last time I posted here. (The diction and syntax are similar.)

Anyone who is trying to make a musical point and says Barry Manilow is “rock” has a credibility problem.

I don’t think either article (with which I don’t agree, by the way,) said ALL modern Christian music is feminine (not that that’s a bad thing — “feminine”:good, “effeminate”:bad.)

It said most of the bad stuff that gets played in actual churches is effeminate (and bad.)

With that point, from my travels, I’d have to agree.

I blame it on the insipidity (is that a word?) of the taste of the editorial boards of the most advertised, therefore most bought modern hymnals.

The first sentence of the article cited above says, “Philosophers and sages throughout the ages have asserted the decisive influence music can have on the character and moral formation of the young and on the formation of a civilization.”

Liturgists know that’s true, and they have an agenda to change the church, but they aren’t honest with the rest of us. They take cover behind modernisms, like “it’s all a matter of taste” and so on.