Contemporary Catholic liturgical music

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Contemporary Catholic liturgical music encompasses a number of styles of music for Catholic liturgy after Vatican II. The dominant style in the United States is folk-based musical genre, generally acoustic and often slow in tempo. There is a marked difference between this style and the hymns that were common in Catholic churches until the late 1960's, and many Catholics have strong feelings about whether or not this is an improvement.

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[edit] History

This music was originally performed by such groups as the St. Louis Jesuits, and the Dameans, and written by such songwriters as Ray Repp and Joe Wise. It made its way into hymnals such as Glory and Praise by Oregon Catholic Press and Gather by GIA Publications.

By the 1990's, and into the early 21st century, the spread of this music had been substantial. In many areas of the United States, and regions throughout the English-speaking world, most or all of the music played during Sunday Mass is taken from this body of work. As a result, more traditional forms of Catholic music (such as hymns and Gregorian chant) have become more rare in many churches, and completely abandoned in some. For example, the Liber Usualis, a bound collection of the most commonly-used Catholic chants, was once present in nearly every pew rack; today, the book is out of print.

[edit] Musical style

This music is generally written for chorus with piano, guitar and/or percussion accompaniment, as opposed to the more traditional pipe organ. Occasionally editions of popular works will be published with organ accompaniments, but these tend to have a somewhat awkward, pianistic feeling about them.

[edit] Popular composers

The most popular American composers of this music, along with some of their most popular tunes, include:[1]

  • Marty Haugen, b. 1950 ("Gather Us In", "Canticle of the Sun", "We Are Many Parts", many psalm settings)
  • Michael Joncas, b. 1951 ("On Eagle's Wings")
  • Rory Cooney, b. 1952 ("Bread of Life")
  • David Haas, b. 1957 ("Blest Are They")
  • Carey Landry, b. 1945 ("Peace Is Flowing Like a River", "Hail Mary, Gentle Woman")
  • Suzanne Toolan, SM, b. 1927 ("I Am the Bread of Life")
  • The Dameans - Gary Ault, Mike Balhoff, Buddy Ceaser, Gary Daigle, Darryl Ducote ("Look Beyond")
  • John Angotti ("Rise Up, My People")

along with the former and current members of the St. Louis Jesuits, namely:

  • Dan Schutte, b. 1947 ("Here I Am, Lord", "Sing a New Song")
  • Bob Dufford, SJ, b. 1943 ("Be Not Afraid", "All the Ends of the Earth")
  • John Foley, SJ, b. 1939 ("One Bread, One Body")
  • Roc O'Connor, SJ
  • Tim Manion

Notable composers of contemporary liturgical music from outside the US include:

  • Joseph Gelineau, SJ, b. 1920 ("The Lord Is My Shepherd")
  • Bernadette Farrell, b. 1957 ("Unless a Grain of Wheat")
  • Christopher Walker, b. 1947 ("Laudate Dominum")
  • Paul Inwood, b. 1947 ("Center of my Life")

[edit] Controversies regarding this music

A number of people, especially Catholics, have strong opinions regarding the quality of this music and regarding its suitability for Catholic liturgies. Music for worship, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is to be judged worthy based on three sets of criteria: pastoral, liturgical, and musical. However, there is great disagreement regarding how this music should be judged with respect to these criteria.

[edit] Theological viewpoints favoring this music

Some of those who favor this music argue that it can reach out to lay people in the inclusive spirit of the Second Vatican Council. They argue that this music is wholly in keeping with the vision of liturgical reform and renewal set out by the council, and that this musically direct and accessible style places the participation of the gathered assembly higher in priority than did the aesthetic values which characterised sacred music of the Renaissance.

Many of those who favor this music point out that these songs contain many direct Biblical quotations, and at times are basically Biblical passages slightly rewritten so that they can be set to music.

Some of those who favor this music argue that this music is a proper outgrowth of the Liturgical Movement.

[edit] Theological viewpoints opposing this music

Some of those who oppose this music argue that the adoption of popular musical styles is profoundly alien to the Roman Rite, and weakens the distinctiveness of Catholic worship. Moreover, some have pointed out that Gregorian chant, Renaissance-style sacred music, and traditional hymns were the model proposed by Pope Pius X for church music in 1903.

Certain songs in this genre speak from God's point of view in the first person (for example, Suzanne Toolan's "I Am the Bread of Life", and the verses of "Here I Am, Lord" by Dan Schutte). Some argue that this is inappropriate, since the congregation traditionally sings to God rather than in the place of God. In rebuttal, supporters point out that musical settings abound from the high Renaissance of texts such as Ego sum panis vivus (from chapter 6 of St John's Gospel) by composers such as Byrd and Palestrina, or from 20th century classical sources like Maurice Durufle's "Tu es Petrus."

Others have found fault with this music for lack of a scriptural basis (in opposition to Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Vatican II document on the liturgy that strongly urges such a basis). However, as mentioned above, defenders of this music point out it uses direct quotations from Scripture far more than traditional hymns do.

Some critics object to the fact that some songs -- such as Marty Haugen's "Gather Us In" and Tom Conry's "Anthem" -- are about the congregation gathered in the church rather than about God. Defenders of this music point out that this is not true of a lot of the songs in this genre.

[edit] Dispute about musical quality

Supporters and detractors of this music agree that liturgical music should be relatively easy for an untrained congregation to sing. But they disagree about whether this type of music is in fact easy to sing.

Some church musicians, including some who are trained in composing and performing classical music, consider the music of these composers to be shallow and trite. Some supporters of this music have defended its quality, while others, focused primarily on liturgical and pastoral judgments, argue that musical criticism is irrelevant to the music's purpose as a vehicle for the sung prayer of the assembly, most of whose members are not trained musicians. In rebuttal, the critics insist that there are musical standards even for an untrained assembly, and that this music fails to meet them — unlike, for example, the hymn tunes and folk song adaptations by Ralph Vaughan Williams in the 1906 English Hymnal.

Some of the most popular of these songs sometimes feature difficult rhythms, large intervals (leaps in pitch), and non-chordal tones. For instance, Michael Joncas' "On Eagle's Wings," a song that has transcended religious denominations in its popularity, begins on a note a tritone above the bass (C-sharp above G), and features three-against-two rhythms in the verses. These rhythms are rarely performed as written.

[edit] Parodies and mockery

Dan Schutte's "Here I Am, Lord', while popular in contemporary worship, is unusual in that while it has also achieved some popularity for use in traditional services and is featured in most hymnals published today (including Protestant ones), it is also among the most excoriated religious songs of all time. Thomas Day pointed out its similarity to the theme song of the sitcom The Brady Bunch in his book Why Catholics Can't Sing.

Criticism of this music is especially common in the blogosphere. For example, there is a popular web site entitled "Society for a Moratorium on the Music of Marty Haugen and David Haas".

[edit] Relation to other controversies

Some see the debate over the merits per se of this music as merely a tangent of the larger argument over the role in the Roman Rite of collective sung prayer by the entire assembly versus the traditional role of the choir. Others see it as part of the general controversy between "liberal" and "conservative" Catholics, or part of the general controversy regarding all the liturgical changes that have occurred since Vatican II.

[edit] See also

[edit] Sources

[edit] Hymnals and song collections

[edit] Opinion pieces

[edit] Internet sites

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Dates of birth and religious affiliations taken from Gather: Comprehensive, eds. Robert J. Batastini and Michael A. Cymbala (Chicago: GIA Publications, 1994), from the Oregon Catholic Press website, and from the St. Louis Jesuits' news page on Dan Schutte's website.
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