Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
November 28, 2001
Letters
All sacred music praises God
Regarding John P. Kelly's Nov. 7 letter "Catholic Music," Kelly tells us that "we are enduring a long period of musical bad taste" by including "old Protestant hymns" in Mass celebrations and he would hope that the Vatican would ban such rollicking stuff from current Catholic hymnals and ministry.
Well, that ought to fix any ecumenical ideas of worldwide unity and cooperation amongst the multifarious sects, denominations and divisions that the pope has been trying to promote for the last two decades. Kelly apparently has no convert, golf-playing relatives, friends or acquaintances.
My first instruction in the faith included an explanation that "catholic" means "universal." So, perhaps Kelly, on reflection, may come to understand (but probably still not agree) that all of our music is universal, and that God — up there — listens to all of our music that praises him.
John L. Maris Jr.
Bailey
Bad music a symptom of modernism
I hope John P. Kelly wasn't being facetious ("Catholic Music," DCR, Nov. 7), because I happen to agree with him. Much of Catholic music is embarrassing.
If worshippers like himself are "confounded" by "Gather Us In," it is perhaps because such songs (when did they stop being hymns?) are under a distinctly modern exegesis in which a projected, self-conscious sociology predominates. All the mantras and alibis that characterize our age pepper the text: "We are the young ... we are the old ... We have been sung throughout all of history." In this way, self-referential creatures that we are, God gets to know all about us and our needs! My word, aren't we clever?
The English music critic Edward Greenfield wondered recently why it is the Catholic Church is so bent on vandalizing the glories of its inheritance. The answer is modernity. In the past, composers used Biblical texts, and musical settings of great beauty and sublimity of feeling were written to match. Today, thanks to the conquests of therapy and self-advocacy, to perpetual television that is some of the worst TV ever made, and to the materialization and commodification of our outlook, we have lost our capacity for wonder and awe.
Everything — including matters of culture — has to be accessible and mass-consumable. The result is a kind of slow-motion breakdown, a genuflection away from the absolute and toward a still-uncharted lowest common denominator.
Music, like art, matters. Bad music is worse than no music, especially if widespread: it corrodes our ability to recognize the sublime, on the rare occasions we encounter it. It remains possible to join beauty and simplicity with modernity, while forgetting about ourselves. The Catholic Community of the Beatitudes sings vespers each evening, and comfort and familiarity have nothing to do with it.
Milo Hurley
Denver
Thank you
Thank you Archbishop Chaput for the check in the amount of $59,864.19 for the General Fund of The Society for the Propagation of the Faith from the people of Denver.
Asking God to continue to bless you in your mission endeavors, I remain sincerely in the Lord,
Rev. John E. Kozar, National director
New York, N.Y.
Organs for Catholic music
In reference to John P. Kelly's letter in the Register of Nov. 7 with regard to "Catholic" music at Mass: It is my belief that the so-called "Protestant" hymns would sound more like they belonged in a Catholic Mass if they were played on organs instead of pianos.
Having been a Protestant I speak from experience that the piano, more often than not, is a Protestant-type instrument for their church services. There are, of course, exceptions.
The Catholic Mass, in my opinion, calls for and should have organ music. Some of our churches have old and worn-out organs that are in need of expensive repairs, so they have gone to the piano for accompaniment to their choirs. Would it not be better if they would choose to use an electronic keyboard that can be made to sound just like a big beautiful organ?
Keyboards are very affordable and do not have to be tuned like pianos do. It is quite costly to keep a piano tuned and when they are POUNDED ON rather than played nicely, they require more frequent tuning.
Rheda M. Owens
Loveland
All hymns composed by Christians
I am writing in response to the letter from John P. Kelly. I became a Catholic in 1947 at the age of 18. I truly loved my new religion, but I did miss singing the praises of the Lord. I joined the choir, however, it was all in Latin. I didn't always know what all the words meant. After Vatican II we started singing in English. It was great. Thousands of converts missed the hymns and most all of the "cradle" Catholics I know enjoy them now.
All hymns have been composed by Christians. At our parish we sing beautiful hymns that are appropriate for the season.
Barbara Aleorta
Westminster
Music indicates Catholic shift
The letter by John P. Kelly in the Nov. 7 edition of the Register titled "Catholic Music" certainly reflects my opinion and probably the opinion of many Roman Catholics. However, this shift towards Protestant music is only symptomatic of the overall shift of the liturgy towards Protestantism over the past 20 or so years.
This shift is reflected in the lack of respect evidenced toward the true presence of our Lord in tabernacles. After Mass, the congregation seems to forget whose presence they are in and the church is turned into Babel, much to the consternation of those who are trying to pray their thanksgiving after Mass.
It is also reflected in the lack of respect exhibited by communicants both in their attitudes and dress.
Ramon E. Hall
Evergreen
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