The Best Music for Mass
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2020
- Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: pauljernberg.com
Spanish translations by Vélez Translations, www.veleztranslations.com
Gospel simplicity's video:
• Protestant Compares Go...
When I was first exploring Christianity as a potential convert, I remember someone saying to me that Jesus never sinned. As a descendent of a post-Christian society, I was familiar enough with bibilical stories to think that I knew what I was talking about, so I quickly objected with, “Oh yea, what about that time he beat a bunch of people up outside the temple?”
What I hadn’t considered is that God’s law is above human law and if there’s a justifiable reason to turn to violence, then maybe it’s not a sin. So if Jesus really was God the son and could not sin against his own nature, then what could justify moving him to violence?
What were the people on the receiving end of this outburst doing that was so bad that, in our Lord’s mind, it would be better for them to go down in history as having been the ones who provoked the prince of peace to violence rather than continue doing what they were doing?
Well, they had setup a bit of a marketplace just outside the temple. So they were changing money and selling livestock, among other things.
So it wasn’t that they were trading in a market that was the object of his anger. It was the fact that they were doing something profane in a sacred place. Profane in this sense means the everyday or secular. They were treating the sacred with a casual attitude.
Think about that. Of all the sins that Jesus encountered in his ministry, he was never so put out as the time he saw people acting irreverently towards that which is sacred.
So what does this have to do with music? If we’re going to ask ourselves how it is that we should incorporate music into our worship, we should be mindful of the need for sacredness.
The Church is the new temple. It is the place where God dwells. It is a holy and sacred place and the etymology of the word Holy or sacred is “set apart”.
Keep in mind, that we don’t need to be using music at mass. We could just say the prayers without any music. Music is only introduced as a way of enhancing what we are already doing, so if we decide to include it, it better contribute to the sacredness of that place and those actions.
It’s not meant to entertain or amuse us. It’s not a musical interlude between the prayers. It’s supposed to be the prayers, themselves, sung.
But if we use a style of music that is born out of secular culture for commercial purposes, as popular music is, then we are disregarding the need for it to be sacred. We’re introducing the profane into a sacred act. We’re distorting and concealing its sacredness.
And if you think that I’m getting carried away with this analogy. You should know that Pope St. Pius X used it when he wrote Tra Le Sollecitudini which was a moto proprio about how music was to be conducted at mass.
He said, “it is vain to hope that the blessing of heaven will descend abundantly upon us, when our homage to the Most High, instead of ascending in the odour of sweetness, puts in the hand of the Lord the scourges wherewith of old the divine Redeemer drove the unworthy profaners from the Temple.”
He goes on to say that sacred music must “exclude all profanity not only in itself, but in the manner in which it is presented by those who execute it.”
In other words, the music in content and character, must be sacred. Commercial music like pop music, rock music, and folk music, are by their nature, their history, and their inception, profane. To try to wedge them into the sacred liturgy is to risk the same kind of divine wrath that Jesus displayed in gospels. It is vain arrogance on our part.
Not only should it be sacred, but it should also be universal. It should have a quality that transcends the fashions of a particular place or the preferences of a particular group or society. Why? Because the liturgy belongs to all of us. It isn’t contingent upon a specific preference, attitude, or cultural persuasion.
We need to disregard this whole notion of using music based on its apparent popularity in the commercial marketplace. We need to disregard genres altogether and pick something that was specifically designed for the use of Christian prayer - something that is set apart for that purpose.
And according to Pope St. Pius, as well as Sacrosanctum Concilium, Vatican II’s document on liturgy, these qualities that I’ve described, sacredness and universality, are found in the highest degree in Gregorian Chant. Pius goes on to say that it is the supreme model for sacred music.
A note from a small island: my wife and I have started to attend a Mass
Glory to God🙏
New zealand??
Welcome! God bless your family 😄
Long Island?
Castlebay, Barra?
Hey, that's me! I've been following your content for a little bit now, Brian. Thanks for your thoughtful insight, and thanks for the shoutout! If you ever want to have a chat on either of our channels, let me know. God bless!
❤️ I hope that happens. God bless you both.
@@culturecoroner I think that would be a great time. I'll see what I can do
Gregorian chants is best for Roman Church in its Liturgy. It's her identity
Vatican II explicitly gives pride of place to Gregorian chant.
@@worldnotworld yes
.... as I was saying, a Mass in the extraordinary form in Cardiff, Wales. It takes us an hour or so to get there from England. It's a sung Mass in the Gregorian style, with an organist and choir of three. It fulfills all that you say worshipful music should be.
Wow, what a great experience. Such a shame you have the inconvenience of travelling all the time, however. Isn't there anywhere in England near to wear you live? The only extraordinary near to me - 40/45 MINS away - all are in low Mass. We need this movement to spread!
I just sang Gregorian chant for the first time at Mass last Sunday, and it was a very special experience. It just feels right in the Mass.
For many years I played guitar at Mass. I came to a parting of the ways with the powers that be and left.
But after more than 25 years of playing at basically the same Mass, I didn't get a single note of praise or thanks from anyone. I didn't do music for praise. I did it to praise the Lord. Maybe the music was indeed more of a distraction rather than adding to the holiness of the occasion.
I loved a lot of the music we played but I also noted that every few years a new group of people would look to other music and it became an endless cycle of trying to find the most recent music to attract young people. So as I reach my 70's, I find myself drawn to the traditional Latin Mass and it's music. I see the growth of the church coming from the more traditional value and liturgy that are in a sense timeless.
That’s really beautiful. Thank you for sharing. ❤️
And that's exactly why I quit going to mass, because it's not Catholic it takes away from the entire liturgy and hand clapping and hoop'in and hollering isn't what I want to hear at the Catholic mass
I always thought of the "Folk/Teen Mass" as penitential in nature. You've suffered enough.
GREGORIAN CHANT FTW!!!
and if using instruments, the pipe organ is always our #1...
Never thought I'd see "Gregorian Chant" and "FTW" in the same sentence.
@@theoldsaxon6484 It definitely is in my world! ;-) Love Gregorian chant.
What does FTW mean f'bomb the world? I find this absolutely offensive!
@@bernadette1928 I think it's "For the win"
As someone who plays drums every Sunday with a guitarist and pianist and singer, I can definitely feel that when we do a good job, the sacred element has been lost due to distractions.
I think more could be done in introducing silence in the literary too.
Thanks Brian. Lutheran brother here who is seeing this struggle in my own heart where I sit.
Nothing beats the power of the Pipe Organ and the human voice.
I honestly think this is the most unique Catholic TH-cam channel I’ve ever seen. You take a very distinct perspective on things, a perspective that, to me, is very reminiscent of ancient Catholicism and how the Church Fathers thought. Your concepts of beauty, reason, and Christian teachings is refreshing. Godspeed!
I feel like this guy takes my thoughts and makes them sound smart. Right on Mr. Holdsworth.
I should say that I completely agree with you, in terms of taste. Gregorian chant is my preferred musical style of worship. It communicates the transcendent nature of the Mass in an incredibly humble and simple way.
I took a class in undergrad on the history of Music in the Catholic Church, and this argument cannot be defended from the perspective of tradition. Polyphonic music had its origins in the secular world- and then Palestrina made it beautiful and transcendent enough for the Church to deem it acceptable. Operatic music had its origins in the secular world (and for the record, if you’ve ever seen/heard an opera- you know the content is as scandalous as what we hear today in modern rock or hip-hop). And yet, Schubert’s Ave Maria goes unquestioned- because it’s beautiful and transcendent.
Perhaps a better argument should be this: if you can use the drums (not a drum set) and guitars prayerfully in a way that can communicate the transcendence of the Mass- rare but possible- then perhaps. If not, then put the instrument down.
I totally agree.
The Church needs to harvest sacred musicians as ministers. There are too many musicians who perceive what they do at church as a “gig.” In scripture, the priests and the musicians of the temple are mentioned side by side. Being a true minister of music is a sacred calling - one’s life is devoted to developing it, growing in it and living it...
Excellent Brian! I’ve been involved in contemporary music in church since 1968 where our school principal, a catholic nun, invited some of us to play guitar for masses. Our church also had high masses in which I sang in choir. Only in the past 10 years have I come to appreciate that music can and should be written specifically for the liturgy. There are some wonderful masses here in Rochester that have Hymnals of Gregorian chant, where the choir is not even visible.
The main problem is that the Church itself and it's bishops don't support the gregorian chant anymore. In my city there are 7 Catholic churches but neither of them has masses with latin chants. (I live in Central Europe)
That is sad. I believe strongly in the importance of the vernacular, but also in the importance of the Latin Mass. I don't see it as one or the other.
I too use to play my violin with the cool guitar kids and drummer, even recently, I was asked to play for Holy Week. I did but it didn't feel right. I have since found a TLM in the area and will drive 1.5hrs to get there, with Gregorian Chant. Worth it!
Great video Brian. I only have to point that in actual fact the normative form of Mass in the West is the *Missa Solemnis* the solemn Mass, which has always been sung. Singing is essentially part of the rite. Gregorian chant is not an addendum to the liturgy; it *is* the liturgy, when sung. The low Mass (properly the *Missa Privata* ) only came to exist in the Medieval period, when in monasteries a flood of enthusiastic vocations led to lots of individual priests all celebrating Mass at once (concelebration having been largely phased out); thus a concession was made so that Mass might be merely said or recited rather than sung.
All other non-chant music, is only ornamental, and strictly optional. It is why, for example, the organ is prohibited during Lent. Not belonging to liturgy as such, it may be dispensed with.
It is notable that in the East, all the various rites are sung, even if only the priest is celebrating. Nor do they permit any instruments of any sort into their liturgies, having only the human voice resound to God's praises. I think this is the wiser course, personally.
For a fantastic talk on the merits and history of Gregorian chant in particular, see this video: th-cam.com/video/-dO9i7UI2Kk/w-d-xo.html
A Russian Orthodox Church recently relocated near my home which has given me the opportunity to attend some of their services. It’s a very small parish, but the singing and chanting is beautiful. My Catholic Parish, which is 10 times larger, doesn’t come close even during the Latin Mass which is primarily the Low Mass.
@@flisom @Fred I'm glad you find the singing at the Orthodox Church beautiful, but you shouldn't be attending Orthodox services. They are schismatics, therefore their rites are illicit and as such sacrilegious.
You should support your Catholic parish as much as possible, to try and help it grow and promote the TLM. Eventually with enough interest a regular High Mass could be celebrated there, which would be extraordinary. I'd recommend getting to a High Mass if you've never been. It's out of this world .
@@ClassicPhilosophyFTW What is sacrilegious about the Orthodox liturgy? It is exactly the same as the Greek Catholic liturgy used by, for example, the Ukrainian Catholic Church.
It is a good thing to support a Catholic parish which promotes the TLM but they are few and far between and generally exist under the hostile eye of the other half of the parish, the bishop and the pope. Priests who celebrate the TLM get a hard time from their parishioners and the hierarchy. How long can that even continue?
@@ClassicPhilosophyFTW The Catholic Church is a Novus Ordo Church and I accept that fact. The Tridentine Mass is the exception and even where it is available, Catholics are unlikely to have the other six sacrements available in the Latin Tridentine Rite. In other words, our funeral Mass will likely be in the new rite. To make the situation even more tenuous, the Bishop can at any moment decided to move my priest and then even the Latin Mass will be gone.
Anyone who has witnessed an Easter Orthodox Liturgy will recognized it. Many, may even feel sorrow for what the Catholic Church once had and then through on the trash heap of history. I know I do.
As to the schism between the East and West, I leave that to God. What I do know is the rite you call illicit is more holy than any Novus Ordo Mass that I've attended. The people of the Church can judge me as they will, but I leave my final judgement to God.
@@flisom I am not an expert or a theologian but I too find the Orthodox mass uplifting in a pure and sacred way in a way lacking in ky local RC parish
Gracias por los subtítulos, saludos desde Argentina 🇦🇷
Viva Cristo Rey!!!
Thank you so much for this! By and large, it was excellent--and much needed today in the Latin Church, where Chant is treated either as an interesting, albeit exotic,
blast from the past. When people hear the term "Gregorian Chant" today--and particularly, when they experience it at Masses or other Liturgies--it's often done poorly,
without regard for the proper rules for performance, and in Latin, which makes it (within the context of a service that is otherwise offered in the vernacular) SO "rarefied"
that it gives the clear impression that it is something reserved for special occasions only.
My only problem with your presentation is the clear impression you give that Liturgy in the West can be considered properly served when simply "spoken", BUT that chant can be "added", particularly if or when the idea is to make the liturgical event even more special. That has never been the position of the Church. The Liturgical bottom line is that the Solemn celebration of the Liturgy, complete with a full use of all its "sensual" elements, is the norm. While a Mass not chanted, or without incense, or done
in less than the finest vesture, etc.) may still be valid, the "optics" conveyed say that the mysteries celebrated at this kind of event are somehow less awesome than when done on Christmas or Pascha (Easter) or at the visit of the Bishop, when we "pull out all the stops".
Unfortunately, this popular line of thought pervades the Liturgy not only with respect to chant, but as I have implied, across the board. "Low Mass", which was the regular experience of Catholics through to the mid-60s, no longer exists officially as a liturgical designation. Rather, the understanding which the Church officially promotes is that the Mass is always to be celebrated with greatest reverence (and solemnity) normally, but when this is seriously inconvenient, some things may be temporarily replaced or removed if necessary. The post-conciliar document Musicam Sacram offers some suggestions for how this can be done, while leaving the topic
open for further exploration within certain perameters.
In the 60s, the idea that the Liturgy must be "simplified" began to mean in the popular mind that it must be pruned of anything out of the ordinary experience of the average worshipper. Consequently churches were ransacked and pruned of whatever those "in charge" considered exotic or excessive. Statues and images were reduced or eliminated because popular thought was that they distracted from the reality the rites themselves were trying to re-present. The form the rites took were constantly "reconsidered" in an attempt to make them "relevant" or "meaningful", without any corresponding effort (by and large) to explain their meaning through incorporating an explanation of those rubrics, words or forms, in the homily. Worse, the idea that the Rites must be clear and self-explanatory became pervasive even to the simplest mind.
As a result, the popular experience of Liturgy, especially at the Parish level, was trivialized and contrived, and worst, boring.
The Norm for Liturgy is that the entire person is to be involved, which means that not only the mind, but the senses too, must be engaged. The Liturgy is that privileged place wherein man is taken up out of time and into eternity where he offers his praise before God Himself. Consequently, what is done liturgically must be so special that the average worshipper can feel "transported" beyond the realms of earth into the Divine Presence itself. That has traditionally been done in a number of ways, but the Chanting of Liturgical texts, from Scripture readings to the ordinary prayers, is primary. Your presentation really did a fine job explaining that.
Today, chant is very poorly understood by the average person in the pew--and even the clergy that stand at the altar! It is considered monotonous and dull, and by the standards of contemporary hymnody it probably is. But the real problem isn't chant. It's understanding why music is so fundamental to worship that, without it, something is seriously "wrong". The reason we "sing" at Mass isn't to keep ourselves entertained, but to assist us in moving outside ourselves so that the words we pray can surround and wash over us, and ultimately "zone us out" of the here and now so that we can, more easily, enter into the "there and then" of God's eternity. Metric music, which we are surrounded by throughout the day, can't do that because it's intended (as you pointed out) to focus on a special idea or emotion which the composer thought very important. All those things, while perhaps very important in the day-to-day of our lives, can distract us from the very thing we are at the Liturgy to encounter. On the other hand, the "boring" sameness of chant and the quietness of the liturgical atmosphere can better enable us to be moved into the awesomeness of the God's presence, and dispose us to really "relate" to Him.
Chant has traditionally been the liturgical vehicle for prayer in all major religions because it can do something nothing else can. In our Catholic culture today, however, it has been replaced, because its function has been misunderstood. The strange environment it provides has been re-considered and dubbed "spooky" because it is so foreign, and yet that is precisely why it so essential. It more easily than anything else renders us capable of coming to an awareness of entering into something totally different. Without that awareness, our worship is too easily focused on ourselves.
I am a first-generation Irishman (both parents from Ireland), which means born and bred Roman Catholic. I entered the seminary in 1964, and so have an experience of not just contemporary Catholicism, but its earlier forms. The Latin Rite was pretty much all I really truly knew until very shortly before Ordination, when I encountered the Melkite Church. Within 2 years of becoming a priest, I was also granted bi-ritual faculties so that I could serve in the nearby Melkite Parish as an assistant, at which time I became acquainted not only with a much different form of Liturgical expression, but, more importantly, with an ability to become much more objective about Liturgy
generally. As I considered my new Liturgical experience over and against that I'd grown up with, I began to see how much of what I'd come to accept in light of the popularly expressed changes since Vatican II (and their corresponding explanations and understanding) really "cheapened" worship and short-changed worshippers.
Priests, particularly parish priests, need to be seriously exposed to the use of chant in the Liturgy, because it is priests who are often the biggest hinderance in its re-introduction and regular use. Just like everyone else, they have all sorts of wrong-headed impressions of it, and an overall fear, therefore, that if they were to feature it routinely in their parishes as a regular part of worship (and NOT just on Sunday, but daily as well!!!), their parishioners would flee. My own experience as a Pastor has shown me that quite the opposite is true.
What's more, on the market today there are a number of "worship aids" which make the various liturgical texts highly accessible to ordinary folks, even to those who are "musically illiterate". Fr. Samuel Weber, OSB, for example, has produced an English version of the Roman Gradual (the proper Antiphons for Mass--i.e. Introit, Responsorial Psalm and Communion verse) as well as the Divine Office for use in a parish setting. In addition to the various works Fr. Weber, Adam Bartlett has produced a very fine volume entitled Simple English Propers. For me, who never really learned modern musical notation very well, the fact that these are written in Gregorian notation makes them even more valuable, especially since "reading" is so much easier for a music novice.
I'm so sorry to have written such a long note, as I'm sure you're a busy guy. I hope that what I've written is clear and intelligible. If it isn't, please let me know and I'll try to fix it for you. I really enjoy your videos, and hope you keep them coming. FYI, my email address is: martingfarrell@yahoo.com.
God bless!
Fr. Martin Farrell, o.p.
This may have been a long note but it was worth it. I'm a lay person but many things tou memrion about how the senses are a key part of the process ring true for me. Thank you
This is a very great video and needs to be shared. However, the only flaw in this video is that it fails to recognise the diversity inside the church itself; by that I mean the Eastern traditions. One way to address this would have been to say this video was exculsively about the liturgy of the Latin rite or you could have mentioned the common roots of Gregorian, Byzantine, Antiochene, Coptic, Aramaic and Syriac chant, by that I mean the chant in the Temple of Jerusalem. Anyway, its a great video!!!!!!!
You have opened my eyes sir. Thank you. I grew up catholic but left it once I got older and turned to non denominational churches. I now see
Praying you will return home to the Catholic faith
Brian you’re such a considerate and respectful faithful. And I completely agree with you. Sacredness where sacredness is called. I love Gregorian chants in mass: one of my favorite Pange Lingua Gloriosi. A time and place for everything. 🙏
I agree that all the arguing between traditional/contemporary factions distracts us from the grand duty of evangelizing. If you're saying that both sides are competing for their personal preferences when it comes to music for the liturgy, then I agree all the way with what you were saying at the beginning. From my experience, however, the traditional voices are the ones who argue in favor of gregorian chant and they express it as appropriate for the liturgy and not as their personal preferences, or at least that's how I've understood them.
Thank you for this video! I have sang in choirs my whole life and been exposed to beautiful ancient sacred music and it always baffled
me that many Catholic Churches did not embrace this incredible music.
Acoustic guitar does not make for a very inspiring service.
"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, `God, have mercy on me, a sinner. ... "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
@@Catolica.Universal And?? No one is talking about morality here, but about which music style better disposes people for the Liturgy
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I pray that God will continue to guide you through your faith🙏🙏🙏
Amen! Great insights as always. Thank you and God bless for being one of the peacemakers.
Thank you for noting and expanding so clearly the odd uneasiness I've felt when the pop music invades the holy celebrations. (I love Gregorian chant, and especially enjoy singing Tallis as well.)
Deo Gratias.
Thank you brother for beautiful explanation
Nothing tops Ave Maria. And I say that as an Anglican.
This is excellent. The liturgy war is over listening to the Church or not listening - the solution is simple. Thank you for this video!
Sooo clear and I couldn't agree more!! Excellent argument Brian! I'm following you from Buenos Aires, Argentina :)
I am never disappointed by your logic & reasoning, great video!!!
I learn something from every video you put up, thanks.
Brian Holdsworth Thank you for saving souls, Brian! God bless you and give you all grace to continue with this channel :)
Now when we know about the importance of Gregorian Chants in the liturgy, how do we uproot the cultural and traditional rock/pop/folk music etc. which have so deeply been rooted inside the minds of the faithful and the congregations?
That was really good! Thank you 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Absolutely agree! My wife and I have been on this tumultuous journey through various denominations for many years (currently exploring Catholicism) - and music has always been a central issue because of the irreverence and profanity. I eventually reached a point, personally, where I believed that music should not be a part of church worship at all because of all this - and, to be clear, I hold a master's degree in music and am a professional musician and scholar, so that's kind of a crazy thing to believe!
Great video and well=articulated arguments! :)
So much wisdom here. Thank you.
You hit the nail on the head here brother!
Thank you. God Bless.
Thank you so much for this video. And for all you do. You're doing God's work
You make me hungry for a meaningful worship service.
Such wise words...and hard to hear....but i am inspired!! 🙂🙌🙌🙌
"Therefore it is regrettable that the ROLE OF THE CHOIR is not yet understood in the Church. Many choirs perform in such a way as to attract attention on themselves, as if they were the centre of the celebration. The choir has a MINISTERIAL ROLE - the Church says - to play in the celebration of the Liturgy. Ministry means SERVICE Therefore the Choir is at the service of the Congregation, the people of God. Its purpose and task is to lead and help, to animate and support, to encourage the full participation of the congregation....The primary task of the choir is to lead, to guide, to ENABLE the whole assembly to celebrate and sing the praises of God. Let them not forget the verse of that Psalm: "Not to us, o Lord, not to us, but to your name give the glory!" This should be the MOTTO of every serious, mature, faith-full choir!....I want to denounce that kind of OBSESSION by the choirs to fill in every small space with "noise" (unwanted, unnecessary music), instead of giving a much needed break of silence." Fr Piero Lazzarini SX, 16 September 2016.
I'm still amazed I get to share a diocese with you
Well said, we develop in our faith as we grow.
Thanks for this video Brian, I 100% agree with your point of view.
I was born in 1971 and was raised Catholic. I went to Catholic school until 4th grade. I was never taught Latin. I think I didn't even know the Latin mass existed until I reached high school when I dated a girl whose father insisted they attend the Latin mass.
As a minister of music and organist in a parish; I get this a lot… "But the people like it! It makes the "feel" good! It brings them closer to God!" People look to their emotions as a basis for constituting music as "good," not what is sanctifying their souls. The second half of this issue is the LACK of quality musicians within the church. Just because you have an "organist" who makes the organ sound like a carousel and has no formal training playing the organ does not make music sanctifying either. Sacred music must be selected, practiced, meditated upon, and executed well for it to be effective. The easy way out is to pick "whatever is easy, makes me feel good and familiar to the people," which is evident in 90% of Novus ordo parishes in the US. And while participation of the assembly is important, we cannot allow that compromise their exposure to good, quality music.
Kevin Litzinger - Wonderfully said! Greetings, fellow organist.
Excellent!
You brought up a lot of excellent points which I'd never really thought about much, other than the fact that I personally dislike the modern approach to the Church's liturgical music. We could definitely use more Gregorian Chant to calm people down and put them in the proper mood for worship. Thank you for all your deep insights into Catholicism and the spiritual realm.
Music is a big part of religion for so many people. In fact music may be as old as humanity itself. If you have ever been to a Welsh Church, or an Anglican Church, or a Uniting Church, or Jimmy Swaggart, or an African American Revivalist Church, music is a tool to connect people with Jesus and God. But the music must be written for the purpose.
I gotta say, I absolutely LOVE Gregorian Chant. Neat that the Pope actually praised it the way he did, that's awesome.
I think there are many kinds of music which are uplifting, but I also agree that "pop music" is not really appropriate for church, and certainly not for the extremely ceremonial nature of the Catholic services. It's jarring, it doesn't feel right, and I think it would take away significantly from the spirit intended for such meetings.
You've nailed it here. It's incredible that given V2 people don't even know what Gregorian Chant _is._
One of Olivier Messiaen's most beautiful compositions is an _a capella_ liturgical choral piece, _O Sacrum Convivium._ It was his singular contribution to the tradition. He wrote no more, because he knew plainchant was already the perfect music.
Totally agree with you
Jesus didn't know Gregorian chant but he still worshipped God!
Just remember that music is NOT an essential part of Mass. It just help to smoothly connect all the parts, so in my opinion should be short and used with moderation, otherwise it becomes a distraction itself.
“Christianity will go,” Lennon said, “It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I will be proved right.We're more popular than Jesus now.
Went to Church and heard the choir sing John Lennon's "Imagine" I walked out"Imagine there's no heavenIt's easy if you tryNo hell below usAbove us, only sky""You may say I'm a dreamerBut I'm not the only oneI hope someday you'll join usAnd the world will be as one"
Come to a Traditional Latin Mass!
I recently visited Tur Abdin, the Turkish Region in which there are still Syriac-Orthodox Christians, and got to talk with many Priests and monks there. Their liturgy is entirely sung in Syriac, a mostly dead language (someone can speak Syriac, a Few people speak Neoaramaic which is similar and the majority of them speaks turkish or arabic). How do they manage to preserve it? Instead of our sunday school, they teach to children every afternoon after secular school, in the weekends and in summer to read in Syriac the Scriptures, to chant the Liturgy of the Hour and the Mass and through the liturgical chant they convey the doctrine of the church. In this way, though besieged by a Muslim society, they managed to preserve their liturgical and thelogical Tradition (in the church the two are one: lex orandi lex credendi).
Now, the Second Vatican Council received and accepted the call from the people of God to a greater participation in liturgy. However, they also called to a rediscovery of Gregorian Chant, the proper Form of latin church music. We should have applied a Model similar to that of the Syriac Orthodox, teaching Gregorian Chant and Latin to children, so that they could participate better in the Mass.
An interesting side effect of the syriac orthodox method is that Christian children in Turkey study a lot more than their Muslim peers and they are used to attach great value to studying. They tend to know more languages and to be employed more in liberal professions (attorney, physician) or in money-lending and money-changing, because of their higher cultural Level.
The need for sacredness is huge! The Catholic Church is and should be sacred but it isn't treated that way! How many masses have I attended that people come in to chat, to socialise, to exchange stories etc. The secular culture has no respect of sacred space and of the sacred. I agree with everything you have said. I just can't image how angry Christ is right now being muzzled, secular, hillsong music being played and those people who are still convinced that the Church needs to modernise... give me a break. We need sacred music and sacred spaces and you are right, it should be universal.
Hi Brian, can you do a video on whether Catholics can work on Sundays, a coworker asked me this and not only was I unsure, but the internet also seemed to have different answers, I even read that you can work but you have to go to confession for it which doesn't make sense. Thank You!
Edit: This was great video, the mariachi music always made me uncomfortable at mass, like it wasn't as special.
Many liturgical ministers and/or choir directors are paid to provide music. Gregorian chant is extremely beautiful and pulls one deeper into unitive contemplation of Christ’ sacrifice and the Mass. As a parent who lost a toddler, the band music is quite a distraction to my desired depth of plunging into the mystery of the Mass. Many directors do not know how to read chant. The “do” scale doesn’t even begin at middle c - at least the is what I think I learned at a class last night haha! There is much education needed to acquaint music directors with reading the ancient music. The next step is to create an opportunity for anyone who wants to learn chant to learn chant.
I agree with you 200%! But (please forgive my nitpicking - I'm not being purposefully critical) could you make another video about this subject that 1. doesn't go off on tangents, 2. doesn't ridicule those who disagree, 3. doesn't focus on your own experience, and 4. has more examples of beautiful music such as Paul Jernberg's? I LOVE your quotes from church documents, etc. but I want to share one of your excellent videos with people who might not agree, so we need to be careful not to talk down to them. Thanks for all you do and God bless.
Well said! Brian, can you do a video on the merit of contemporary music to lead us to or lead us away from God?
This is a good take
Very well said, by the way.
@Brian Holdsworth you should really collaborate with Austin Suggs from Gospel Simplicity. He's got a great TH-cam channel and is a Protestant that's studying out Catholicism, Orthodoxy, etc.
I hope this infighting doesn’t full scare him away 😭
Have you read "Chanting the Psalms" by Cyinthia Bourgeault? Or "How the Choir Converted the World" by Mark Aquillina?
I agree and itts great to hear others speaking on this. There is a charasmatic element in my parish and they chose sone Hillsong songs in the mass which have a soft rock/pop leaning. . It might be a foot tapper it is not sacred. It might get people into an emotional state but emotions are not lasting and they can be misleading. We need to go hiigher, deeper In the mass. Any stimulus should help us to attain that including use of candles and incense. I have always used Budhism as an example of where the temple, the burning of incense and the soft music are conducive to the aim. But I am reminded of a reviewfeedback to a band which tried to use rock music within Budhism. I quote:
Net users against bands like Buddha Sakya said that traditional Buddhist meditation music is soft and gentle for a reason - it keeps the listener's mind peaceful and soul pure. Mixing Buddhist music with rock does not work because rock music is noisy and promotes rebellion, they said.
"Their performance was not good. I feel that they are neither Buddhist nor rock and roll musicians. After I left the show, I forgot their songs," said an audience member at Buddha Sakya's Mako Livehouse concert who refused to disclose his name.
"They still have a long way to go and need to gain a better understanding of Buddhist doctrine and music in general," he added.
Never heard secular styles of music in the Orthodox either. They definitely know how to create a sacred space in my experience
Hey, we get it. No condemnation. There are those who focus on worship but only play guitars... Finger plucking and Gregorian harmonies. There are those who can bridge the gap... It is not one or the other. We all have our crosses.
What exact song is playing in the background at the end?
You refer to the profane. Interesting that the word is derived from pro fanum. Fanum being Latin for temple and the lands around it. Profane then means in front of, or outside of, the temple and the lands around it.
I can see where you come from, and I agree - Gregorian chant should be the standard music for Mass. But people are Christian 24/7, not just on Sunday mornings, and music can and must be an integral part of a Christian life. Especially in countries where national identity and Catholicism are intimately intertwined. Here in Spain, this has been the case for millennia: Mozarabic chant, Renaissance polyphony, sacramental dramas, Christian flamenco, marching music for Holy Week processions, Christmas carols, hymns for the Marian devotions of every corner of our country... and Gregorian chant too, certainly. These styles are diverse in forms and usages, but they speak both to the heart of a nation and to the richess of a common Catholic heritage. Sure, you can argue that they should be sung outside of the Mass, e.g. Christmas carols were traditionally song when after Mignidht Mass, not inside the church. But the outburst of joy that the coming of Our Lord brings to people cannot just be exclusively reserved to a building, a schedule or a historic time. Especially when, for many Spaniards, our nationality and our faith are intimately intertwined, as acknowledged by all popes. Since this is the case in many other countries, it's and opportunity to share and learn from other Catholics all around the globe. Anyway, the point I wanted to make is that I understand your position, but I would have liked to hear that popular music has its appeal, whether in or outside mass.
Very simple. For the Roman Rite, use its native sung prayer: Gregorian Chant.
@BVale Talking of copyright, this can still apply to the printed sheet music even if the music itself is in the Public Domain. Please don't photocopy sheets or books which are copyright eg current Solemnes editions - it is the monks' livelihood. There is plenty of copyright-free chant and other liturgical music online. The quality can be a bit grungy, though.
Can you please share the title of the song that always plays at the beginning of your videos?
See the link in the description.
@@BrianHoldsworth but it's just a link to the artist. I've looked through his stuff and I can't find this song
Edit: nevermind, it's Introit: The Love of God for anyone who's interested.
It’s not that the “NO” crowd “prefers” the “contemporary” form of the mass... it’s that they understand the validity of both forms of the mass and resent that the TLM participants believe that the TLM is BETTER than the NO.
Thomas More So does a NO goer not like the NO version better? Do they not think it’s better? When we chose the TLM over the NOM we ran to it because we did think the TLM is better. The Eucharist is handled with utmost reverence. A NO priest in Knoxville would sit every time before Jesus was placed in the tabernacle. When my husband approached him about it, he pridefully dismissed my husband’s observation. It is the NO movement that dismissed the daily rosary, took out invocations of multiple saints from every Mass by ignoring Eucharistic prayer 1. Gregorian chant is beautiful, so why is it so hard to find? I could go on. Women know not to dress provocatively at the TLM which is a good influence on my daughters in order for them to keep their purity. The list goes on and on. The best part is, I don’t have to kneel on the bare floor to receive the Eucharist on the tongue - which was not even given to me as an option in the NO as a child in the 80s. I was taught to receive standing in my hand. The TLM is awesome, and is something I know was hidden from me as a child, teenager and young adult. I am so grateful to God He moved my family seven times to get us to a city with a TLM where the best effort is put forward as a sacrifice to God. God takes us imperfectly, but He also says be perfect as my father is perfect. It is important for us to worship Him as best we are able.
@@AI-lr9sb
1. It's not that the NO SIMPLY prefers one mass over the other. We do have a preference but that's different from failing to acknowledge the validity of both forms.
2. My anecdotal experience at the NO mass has been drastically different from yours. Does that change a thing? No. In fact, my family was very active in our NO parish in the Archdiocese of Chicago and successfully brought the communion rail back to the church. Everyone wore suits to mass.
3. Another NO parish I attended growing up in the Archdiocese of Arlington, VA, used Gregorian chant regularly. My current NO parish uses Gregorian chant as well. There are also opportunities to attend the latin mass at these very "NO" parishes.
4. Here is the exegesis of that Matthew passage on perfection: www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/be-perfect.
The liturgical reforms created a new rite and impoverished many parts of the Mass. Take the Offertory vs the preparation of the gifts, the traditional Roman Canon vs its current form stripped of signs and gestures, roman canon vs eucharistic prayer II, the impoverishment of the confiteor and allowing it to be replaced by other things and the end of the prayers at the foot of the altar. The NO is valid, licit, sanctifying and disposes the faithful to piety, but it is impoverished nevertheless
Acapella, Byrd's Ave Verbum Corpus on Corpus Christi etc.
you're right, and I agree, but I still like to listen to a variety of Christian music genres in my leisure time.
Don’t bring that music into the liturgy and you’re fine. :)
What's the 'signature' piece of sacred music playing on all your videos, Brian?
It's the Introit from a mass that the composer linked in the description wrote.
Amen! You nailed it. (And I have actually left a church years ago because the they threw out their a capella hymnals and "modernized" their songs and went to a guitar band format -- that music was SO un-edifying (I would go so far as to call it spiritually disturbing)!
Tank you so Much Brian for this very wise video. I have heard someone Who had been ordained as a priest for 3 years, and attended a saint Pius V mass for the first time (...) who got really so appealed that he said that probably if we showed this type of rite to the muslims it would contribute greatly to convert them... And the grégorien chant is made in and for our churches for one purpose...to prepare and help us to unite in the sacrifice of our Savior Jésus Christ: the Eucharist. But saying that, it is also the ritual performed by the priest that is so important and his training to do so in order to disappear to let us feel Jesus come in the host which becomes so difficult these days with all the profane and banalised display.
I converted two and a half years ago from a Protestant background of 30+ years and it wasn't the NO Mass that led that to. It was the TLM.
St Ephraim is the father of liturgical music, and he rewrote lyrics of popular tunes the Arians had used.
@GospelSimplicity
I understand what you're on about, with the fact that popular genres can't appeal Universally, but that same argument could be made for music such as Gregorian chant, even if it is designed and set apart from the liturgy.
Nothing will appeal to everyone. That's conceded. Gregorian chant, other forms of chant, and valid sacred music, aren't meant to be appealing in the sense of entertaining or amusing. Popular music is meant to be that. So if it isn't universally appealing, then it is, by its nature, failing in an ontological way. Sacred music is not when it fails to appeal. Instead, it invites us to be conformed to it so that we can learn to appreciate the beauty in it. In the same way, truth doesn't appeal to everyone. That doesn't mean we go and try to find our own truth; one that appeals to us. No, we try to conform ourselves to the truth so that it does appeal to us as we learn to flourish within its boundaries.
What is the name of the psalm you used in the intro and ending?
I wonder how we Cebuanos would be able to do this. We have a long and unhappy history of colonization which actually kept us from being proper Catholics, because we could not understand the liturgy in Latin.
Is it possible for the traditional mass to be said in the local language? I believe this would be crucial for Cebuanos.
This argument, though sound, should be directed at bishops and those they choose to be in charge of the liturgy in their diocese. Appealing to the common Catholics in the pews can not resolve this problem.
I too have played guitar in a NO Mass. I understand your shame.
Is orchestral classical music acceptable? E.g. Handel's Messiah. or would that also be considered as Profane?
It depends. In St. Pius X's day, he was objecting to classical style music that was too performance based, which he described as profane.
@@BrianHoldsworth thanks Brian. Agree with Saint Pope Pius X! Although I would regard the music as somewhat sacred or well inspired, it is overly grand and loud. Simple Gregorian is best because it is much more solumn and reverent. As with various forms of worship, sermons, and discussions, these should all be conducted in a large community building next to the Church. The Church should be kept reverent and solumn or quiet at all times. Anything else should be separate with certain "formation of faith" sessions also made obligatory (minimum 1hr on top of Mass, another 1-2hrs of the week to be highly encouraged). Mass, even the Novus Ordo, does not and should not be used to bring about a social community setting - rather the sessions before and after Mass and during the week. Vatican 2 seemed to fuse it inside the Church and Holy Mass. Many community type worship are fantastic, but not inside the Church. What are your thoughts to my idea Brian? Wouldn't it make sense?
I fought this battle for 43 years.
Gregorian chant is beautiful to listen to, but to worship I need to be able to understand the lyrics. Its similar to the Latin mass. I can appreciate the reverance and tradition, but my prayer is my own. To be able to unite my prayer to the priest's and congregation's, I need to know what is being said. So mass or music in the vernacular becomes most important.
Chant doesn't have to be in a language you don't understand.
Thanks for finally, and I might add, satisfactorily explaining that parable . I had always taken it to mean our Bible bookstore was in grave danger of Gods wrath. That’s the way I feel when I hear CCM in any setting. It’s just bad music, as well as profane.
Just wondering what anyone thinks of the concept that: as the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit, is music as well? Mozart’s Ave Vernum Corpus, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and, of course Gregorian chant had to have been a download from heaven. Hence the perfect beauty that is timeless.
I too got sucked into CCM... (would that qualify as a mortal sin since is made Jesus so mad)...several years ago. I love traditional hymns because they are not profane as well. But I think the reason chants are more Holy is because there is no meter or cadence.....”timeless” like heaven.
Love your insights....except for the ones concerning Vatican II. You don’t think there is a connection between CCM and Vatican II? Seriously?
Brian, are you suggesting that Gregorian chant be used globally? Like in the Amazon, in African villages etc?
Absolutely! Yes!
There's nothing about plainsong or chant that is culturally contingent.
@@BrianHoldsworth I completely agree with that, actually! I think there are honestly some forms of music that are universal. Various cultures have such music, but I definitely concur that Gregorian chant is one of them.
Couldn't the same be said about the baroque, romantic and classical music of bach, chopin and motzart? I know that you asserted (via Pope St. Pius X) that gregorian chant is the highest form, but within the Church, it seems that these genres are acceptable or at least not seen as profane even though it was the popular music of the time. I would love to hear others thoughts on this.
When Pius talks about theatrical music in Tra Le Sollecitudini, he's probably talking about some of these compositions. Much of their work was for Opera or symphony and for performance, not for sacred use, even though they had sacred themes. That makes them, at least in character, if not content, profane.
@@BrianHoldsworth I admit to disliking the usage of "profane" here -- I get that technically the definition of profane is simply synonymous with secular, which isn't explicitly negative, but the connotations of the word make it far worse than that. From the point of view of basic secularity, though, I would agree.