Remembrances of things past

There are two big mistakes that one can make when looking to the past: one, that everything was terrible back then but is hunky dory now; and two: Everything sucks now, and was so much better back then.  In truth, they had their strengths and weaknesses, and so do we.

Rorate has the story of Bishop Robert Lynch, who has appeared to either have forgotten or never learned that lesson.  The Bishop has bad memories of the TLM, or Tridentine, or Extraordinary Form, and he believes his memories were the universal case. Among the many things he points out as wrong with the old mass was the bad music.

My personal memory of the liturgy prior to Vatican II is an awful one. I remember the daily Requiem Masses screeched by the eighth grade girls of St. Charles Borromeo parish in Peru, Indiana, mandatory prior to the start of every school day, and even with their screeching, the Mass gratefully only lasted about twenty minutes...Adult choirs attempting Mozart were only slightly better in most churches than the eighth grade girls at St. Charles.

The implication seems to be that now the music is just soooo much better.

I have heard arguments like this from time to time, wherein older people reminisce about the old Mass and how badly it was done, or they act like every Mass said back then was a Tridentine Speed Mass with crappy chant.  Well, two can play at that game. Rorate has invited readers to share their memories of the Ordinary Form, or Novus Ordo.  I can play that game:  I grew up in the seventies, and since I am interested in music, and since the bishop is interested in music, let's talk music.  The screeching girls have been replaced by folk choirs, with guitarists who play three chords, maybe, wave tambourines around, and sing wildly out of tune the music of Haugen, Haas et al.  Actually, strange as it may sound, Haugen Haas and Schutte are an improvement over the drivel of the seventies.  I remember well hearing "His Peace is flowing like a river", (properly sung with tears flowing down your cheeks) "They'll know we are Christians By Our Love" and a hundred other 'hymns' I have struggled long and hard to forget.

The response is just too easy, and I don't want to go too far into this.  When it comes to music, the proper response to good music being sung badly is to try and get the singers to improve, or get better singers altogether, not replace the good music with music so bad that poor singing will make no difference.

Funeral Mass for My Father

Processional Chant
Requiem Aeternum (Bear solo)

First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 10: 34a, 37-43 ( Proclaimed by my niece)
Chiunque crede in lui riceve il perdono dei peccati mediante il suo nome.
Whover believes him him will have forgiveness of sins

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 42 (Proclaimed by Younger)
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15: 51-57 (Proclaimed by my nephew)
O morte, dov'e` il tuo dardo? O Inferno dov'e` la tua vittoria?
O Death, where is your sting? O Hell where is your victory?

Gospel Acclamation: John 11: 25 ( Sung by Bear)
I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord; whoever believes in me will not die forever.

I had planned this Gospel: Luke 24: 13-35
Il Signore e` veramente risorto
The Lord is risen indeed.

Father changed it to: Matthew 5: 3-12
Le Beatitudine.
The Beatitudes

Prayers of the Faithful (presented by my cousin, my dad's niece)
R. Signore della vita, ascoltaci
R. Lord of life, hear us.

Offertory Hymn
Ave Maria (Schubert) Sung by Bear

Sanctus/ Benedictus ( Missa Pro Defunctus) sung by the Choir
Agnus Dei (Missa Pro Defunctus) sung by the Choir

Communion Hymn
Adoro Te Devoto/ Godhead Here in Hiding. ( Sung by Bear)

Song of Farewell
In Paradisum: Chorus Angelorum (Sung by Bear)

Procession to the Place of Commital
Io Credo Risorgero` (sung by the Choir)
I believe I will rise again

The mass was mostly in Italian except for the Psalm and the Gospel Acclamation, which were in English and the Chants which were in Latin

TLM Toronto

The FSSP has landed. Fr Z. has the details.

The parish website makes no mention of the FSSP, but there will be time to change that. The site doesn't have many photos of the interior, but from the outside, the church looks an awful lot like my old parish, St Mary Star of the Sea.

This is good news.

Accompanying Letter Recognitio of the New Translation of the Roman Missal Editio Typico

(Click to enlarge)

This I got from the USCCB Website. I haven't found anything on the CCCB website. When I do I will post here

You can go to the USCCB for the letter and the copy of the "WHITE BOOK - STUDY VERSION" translation of the mass.

A question

I posted earlier this week about the Pope's Mass in Washington. My point was that even though the music was reported to be awful in many quarters, the Mass was still valid and therefore beautiful. Reader and good friend Vox pinged in the comments box that the priests could dress up like clowns, and still hold a valid Mass, but that would not make it right. As a result I've been thinking and rethinking, and having reached a stalemate, I wish to ask a question of you readers:

Is there a point at which ugliness can become an abuse? The Mass is beautiful, the Mass is supposed to be supported by the beauty of the arts- particularly music- but often we have seen bad music, bad art, ugly churches, and so on, which do not meet the lofty ideals of the Mass. Is any deviation an abuse, or is there a question of degree in here as well? Vox uses the example of a priest dressed as a clown. How about a middle case: the priest is wearing really ugly vestments. We've all seen one or two of those, think of your least favourite and ask yourself: was that too far gone?

If this is wrong- and I did say if- this places a double burden upon the faithful. First, we must do what we can to correct it. The second burden is related to the first: If we want better music performed, betters vestments, more beautiful artwork, then the next thing we must do as the faithful, after we have made our voices heard and after the priest has a agreed with us, is tighten our belts and fork out the money. As our pastor once told us when he was trying to replace a statue that had fallen and broke into pieces during a procession: "I have good news and bad news. The good news is: we have the money to replace the statue. The bad news is: it's still in your pockets." As another friend once told me: "Good things ain't cheap, and cheap things ain't good."

So, if you still wish to answer the question: At what point does bad taste become an abuse? Is it an abuse in and of itself, or are there degrees?

Mass

I've been perusing the blogs yesterday and today, and I notice fair few people out there are reacting to the music from yesterday's Mass in Washington. Most people are appalled, a few are for it. Some expect something to come out of it, some do not.

I didn't see the Mass, but if what most of the bloggers are saying is half true, I probably would have hated the music. This blog was begun with a purpose of speaking about music, and to engage in a dialogue with others who were also working to try and restore the traditional Catholic music to its 'pride of place'. I am no longer in any choirs for various reasons. The last one I left because I could no longer sing the narcissistic treacle the parish council demanded of us. I still can't. My preference is for the older music, although I am willing to admit some decent stuff is still being written from time to time. (I could go off on a tangent and reiterate my opinion that 90% of the music from any era was garbage, and time will separate the wheat from the chaff, etc, but I won't.)

Music is important for the Mass. It has been called the art that gives the most important contributions to the celebration of the Mass. So if the music was poorly chosen or poorly done at a Mass such as this, it would not be a good thing.

But.

The Mass has been called the most beautiful thing this side of heaven. When done well, it is truly beautiful. When not done well, it is still the Mass, the most beautiful thing this side of heaven. If there were no liturgical abuses- and I have not seen a single claim of any- then the Mass was licit and valid, and therefore beautiful.

I know how grating bad or poor music can be, and what a distraction it can be. I have fought with this tendency many times. I will fight with it again, and probably post something completely opposite at another time. But the tendency to look to the music and rate it at Mass can be a dangerous tendency, for it leads us to be critical where we should be faithful. Even without music, there is great beauty at Mass. As Catholics, we can appreciate that.

Ash Wednesday

I will be receiving my ashes at my daughters' Ash Wednesday Mass this afternoon at 1:30. OOh goody , this will be fun. A School Mass. Hopefully it will be better than the other parocchial school's (The parish has two) Ash Wednesday mass which I attended last year.

Will update later.