To the editor: […]
Tag: church music
Appreciates music column
To the editor:
I am grateful to Dr. Patrick Gorman for his recent guest column on church music. His column was learned, thoughtful, and realistic. Furthermore, he expressed himself with the love and humility that should characterize all of our communications with each other as fellow members of the Body of Christ.
About 20 years ago, my husband, son, and I attended a Sunday liturgy at an Anglican church in London, near our son’s university. We were awed by the traditional beauty of the church, the long procession of elegantly vested clerics and acolytes, and especially the exquisite, classical music of the large choir. And yet, the church was almost empty; those involved in the service far outnumbered those in the pews.
An ‘ordinary Catholic’ who loves Church music
To the editor:
I must take vigorous issue with the guest columns by the “intellectuals” who are so overloaded with their degrees and superior intellect that they feel they must ridicule us ordinary Catholics in rather harsh words. The weight of all this arrogance has seemed to have squeezed out the humility that was exemplified by our Savior.
For those of us out in the real world, which, by the way, is the vast majority of God’s people, we are the branches of the Church. Jesus said, “I am the Vine and you are the branches.” He did not say, “I only want to hear you praise Me with 100-voice choirs singing Handel’s Messiah.”
An ‘ordinary Catholic’ who loves Church music
To the editor:
I must take vigorous issue with the guest columns by the “intellectuals” who are so overloaded with their degrees and superior intellect that they feel they must ridicule us ordinary Catholics in rather harsh words. The weight of all this arrogance has seemed to have squeezed out the humility that was exemplified by our Savior.
For those of us out in the real world, which, by the way, is the vast majority of God’s people, we are the branches of the Church. Jesus said, “I am the Vine and you are the branches.” He did not say, “I only want to hear you praise Me with 100-voice choirs singing Handel’s Messiah.”
A ‘low-brow’ who likes folk-style music
To the editor:
Since you permitted Nico Fassino to use your pages of October 12 for a Guest Column titled: “Why I hate bad Church music,” I hope you will allow me to express my opinion, honed over 87 years.
Nico expresses HIS personal opinion that: “The value of proper liturgical music has nothing to do with . . . what your personal opinions are about music.” Is he saying “his” is more important than others? Or, does his personal opinion ALSO have nothing to do with the value of liturgical music?
A ‘low-brow’ who likes folk-style music
To the editor:
Since you permitted Nico Fassino to use your pages of October 12 for a Guest Column titled: “Why I hate bad Church music,” I hope you will allow me to express my opinion, honed over 87 years.
Nico expresses HIS personal opinion that: “The value of proper liturgical music has nothing to do with . . . what your personal opinions are about music.” Is he saying “his” is more important than others? Or, does his personal opinion ALSO have nothing to do with the value of liturgical music?
Sing with joy before God
To the editor:
In the article “Rebuilding Catholic Culture,” Sr. Joan Roccasalvo, C.S.J., argues that much contemporary liturgical music is of lower quality than traditional forms and has a destructive effect on the human spirit. Her complaints against the contemporary liturgical songs are that they are “trite,” “romanticized,” or having “jerky, heavy, frenzied rhythms or dance rhythms.”
Church music: a flourishing garden that continues to grow
The articles and letters published in the Catholic Herald this past month show that people value quality liturgical music and have strong convictions about it.
This is encouraging to me, and our Year of Faith theme (Evangelization through Beauty) provides an excellent background for a fruitful discussion. I also am eager for this discussion because I have devoted my entire life to Church music. As we move forward, I would like to make the following observations.