Personally I believe that when the action of the Mass is halted so that a choir can sing a long Sanctus for example ... then the tail is very much wagging the dog.
In an organisation as large as the RC Church there should be room for many different types of celebration of the eucharist. Some possibilities might be......
1. a spoken celebration with no music
2. a spoken celebration with a number of hymns sung by the congregation, possibly accompanied by musical instruments
3. a celebration where certain common texts of the eucharist may be sung by the congregation sometimes led by a choir
4. a celebration of the eucharist where the music plays a major role and is used as a stimulus for meditation and devotion.
Where there are a number of churches in reasonably close proximity people will often go to the church which they find most agreeable.
In an organisation as large as the RC Church there should be room for many different types of celebration of the eucharist. Some possibilities might be......
1. a spoken celebration with no music
2. a spoken celebration with a number of hymns sung by the congregation, possibly accompanied by musical instruments
3. a celebration where certain common texts of the eucharist may be sung by the congregation sometimes led by a choir
4. a celebration of the eucharist where the music plays a major role and is used as a stimulus for meditation and devotion.
Where there are a number of churches in reasonably close proximity people will often go to the church which they find most agreeable.
I think that is how it is in cities with many parishes. Our place has a spoken Mass and two with guitar or keyboard led music every Sunday. Up the road is a Tridentine place where participation is very limited and Gregorian chant is tortured. A couple of miles away music is organ led and there is a choir. So there is choice. But people strongly identify with their own parish and few travel.
However in the UK most towns have only one church with very limited musical resources, and it is the size of the resources that will dictate the musical element far more than any liturgist. So there is little or no choice.
Actually there is a choice which people can choose to exercise. As an example here in Oz ( inner western Sydney to be precise) there is one church ( former nuns’ chapel of a now defunct Caholic hospital) where the traddie Trids travel from 100 km away. Luckily it is on the main western train line for those from the Blue Mountains but still quite a schlep. In the diocese of Parramatta ( 25 km west of Sydney CBD and extending nearly 100 km west) the liturgy is Nervous Order but very trad with excellent choir at 11 an Mass: people travel many kms to attend if happy clappy is not to their taste. My former parish in eastern Sydney is also Nervous Order but liturgically trad; I gather that many parishioners travel from many kms away for this. I can think of another parish not far away with trad liturgy but parish priest is sympathetic to Octopus Dei so the attendees are like minded ( especially as the Catholic halls of residency at a nearby university are under the control of “ The Work”.
As you can see, distance in Oz does not get in the way of the exercise of choice!
And before the thread is further derailed I understand that on Sunday 02 Nov at St-Pat’s-in-the-West the introit, Kyrie & Agnus Dei will be from the Victoria Requiem a 6 & the motet will be selig der sinden toten of Schutz. I guess Gloria and Sanctus will be chanted ( choir & congo). It will be worth the 25 kn schlep to attend.
Comments
1. a spoken celebration with no music
2. a spoken celebration with a number of hymns sung by the congregation, possibly accompanied by musical instruments
3. a celebration where certain common texts of the eucharist may be sung by the congregation sometimes led by a choir
4. a celebration of the eucharist where the music plays a major role and is used as a stimulus for meditation and devotion.
Where there are a number of churches in reasonably close proximity people will often go to the church which they find most agreeable.
I think that is how it is in cities with many parishes. Our place has a spoken Mass and two with guitar or keyboard led music every Sunday. Up the road is a Tridentine place where participation is very limited and Gregorian chant is tortured. A couple of miles away music is organ led and there is a choir. So there is choice. But people strongly identify with their own parish and few travel.
However in the UK most towns have only one church with very limited musical resources, and it is the size of the resources that will dictate the musical element far more than any liturgist. So there is little or no choice.
As you can see, distance in Oz does not get in the way of the exercise of choice!