WORSHIP IV, THE FOLLOW-UP (Part the second)

Continuing our posts on the hymn section of Worship IV (the "pet name" of Worship - Fourth Edition), we're going to now comb the Christmas section of the hymnal.  Again, not all hymns will be listed.  Those not listed are those that pass without any question.  Any hymns marked with a * are new to the Worship series, but may have appeared in other hymnals, including but not limited to Gather, RitualSong, and hymnals by other publishers.

413 Silent Night / Noche de Paz ("Stille Nacht") - Adding on the Spanish is all well and good for those bi-lingual parishes that want to join in the fun.  But how about the original German?

414 Hark! the Herald Angels Sing ("Mendelssohn") - always love the carol, but certain lines on verse 3 annoy me no end.

*418 You Came among Us at Christmas Time ("Resonet in Laudibus", arr. Vaughan Williams) - the tune is always a pleasure.  However, Sr. Delores (who also infested mainstream Catholic hymn books, including Worship IV, with Sing a New Church) re-wrote the chorus so that it sounds more like a typical OCP/GIA Communion hymn.  Remember, most proper Communion antiphons didn't even come close to being Eucharistic-themed.  I say bring back Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine from Hymnal 1940 - same tune, same harmony, half-step higher.

*421 Sing Alleluia (O'Brien) - too sing-songy, just like most of what Francis Patrick O'Brien writes.

*422 Sing We Now of Christmas ("Noel Nouvelet") - a welcome addition

423 Gloria, Gloria (Taize) - typical

424 Joy to the World ("Antioch") - now with added Spanish.

426 O Come, All Ye Faithful ("Adeste Fideles") - now with added Spanish, but good to see the Latin is also retained - four verses, and not just like one like in OCP's Today's Missal.  Second verse should read, however, "Lo! He abhors not the Virgin's womb."

427 Good Christian Friends, Rejoice ("In Dulci Jubilo") - should be "Good Christian MEN, Rejoice".

428 Go, Tell it on the Mountain (Spritual) - I love to hear the Brothers Four go to town with it on my parents' old The Great Songs of Christmas album (volume 4).  However, I'm not big on singing it at Mass, probably because of my reminder of the days of sitting back on the recliner and rockin' out with the Brothers Four.

*430 Love Has Come ("Un Flambeau") - the tune that is normally associated with Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella.  Not bad for a modern text, but nothing beats the original.

*431 Wood of the Cradle (O'Brien) - toss with the firewood

432 A Child Is Born in Bethlehem / Puer Natus in Bethlehem ("Puer Natus in Bethlehem"/Mode I) - The text was in English and Latin in Worship II.  Latin was dropped in Worship III, then returned in Worship IV.  This time, instead of four verses, there are seven.  Two of the verses ("In hoc natali gaudio" and "Laudetur sancta Trinitas") are gone, but five more have surfaced.  Let me remind you of what I mentioned in the podcast, that Richard of Catholic Light, who sang with me at First Friday Mass last week, discovered 14 verses, all in Latin.  The verses from Worship II and III are verses 1, 5, 13, and 14, according to this site with the 14 verses.  The verses from Worship IV are 1, 5, "Cognovit bos et asinus" (not amongst the verses on aforementioned link), 6, 9, 11, and 12.  Nice addition.

*434 Glory / Gloria (Sosa) - garbage / basura

*436 Star-Child (Krisman) - garbage

Next installment - the remaining solemnities of the Christmas Season.

Peace,

BMP

WORSHIP IV, THE FOLLOW-UP (Part the First)

Last night, I uploaded my review of the brand-spankin'-new GIA hymnal, Worship IV, on the 185th installment of my iSNARK! podcast. During my review, I mentioned that as a follow-up I will do the best I can with this with the many new titles in this hymnal, but I'll be seeking help from the more learned. I'm going to list them all, in installments (after all, there are 614 titles in the hymn section). This is a black list, a white list, a question mark list, and an everything-in-between list. I didn't include any of the better regular staples unless something got changed about it. So here goes, part one.

NOTE: My main focus is on the hymns right now. We'll attack the music of the Mass Ordinary later. * = hymns that are new to the Worship series. Some may have appeared in Gather.

ADVENT:
386 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel ("Veni, Veni, Emmanuel/Mode I) - thee/thou/thy eliminated, but nice to see the added Latin in the refrain. Would be nice to see the Latin verses as well.
387 O Come, Divine Messiah ("Venez, Divin Messie") - thee/thou/thy eliminated
389 Prepare the Way of the Lord (Taize) - mezza-mezza at best
*390 Wild and Lone the Prophet's Voice ("Aberystwyth") - nice tune, some questionable text "make a choice", "quitting all the sins you prized". Would have rather had "Watchman, Tell Us of the Night", which was in Worship II to the same tune.
392 On Jordan's Bank ("Winchester New") - I love the tune, but they bastardized the text once again. "Breast" in the second verse has become "soul", "heart", now "life". WTF?
*393 Awaken, Sleepers, Sing for Joy ("Tallis Ordinal") - ok
394 Come, O Long-Expected Jesus ("Jefferson") - returning the Early American tune that was in Worship II. Nice, but should be "Come THOU Long-Expected Jesus"
*396 Though Famed in Israel's Royal Hist'ry ("Wer Nur den Lieben Gott"/Neumark) - nice tune, text seems pretty good too.
*397 Like a Bird (Joncas) - garbage
*399 Are You the Coming One ("St. Thomas"/Williams) - nice tune - text questionable at best
*400 A Morning Star Draws Near ("Morning Song") - sounds good
403 The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns ("Morning Song") - good, but I'm partial to the "St. Stephen" tune that was in Worship III. Besides, only three hymns before this is another hymn set to "Morning Song".
*404 My Soul in Stillness Waits / En el Silencio Te Aguardo (Haugen) - garbage / basura
406 Awake, Awake, and Greet the New Morn (Haugen) - garbage
*407 Unexpected and Mysterious ("Dohmnach Trionoide") - nice tune, text seems ok
*408 Now the Heavens Start to Whisper ("Suo Gan") - not a big fan of the tune, but text seems ok
*409 Sleepers Wake ("Wachet Auf") - nice tune, text good, but this is the THIRD different translation of the "Wachet Auf" in three issues. Worship II had "Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying". Worship III had "Wake, O Wake, and Sleep No Longer".
*410 Wait for the Lord (in five languages/Taize) - eh...
*411 As Servants Working an Estate ("Llangloffan") - nice tune, but I'm used to seeing it in G minor. Text is a little weird. You be the judge.
*412 Maranatha, Lord Messiah (K. Powell) - not really

Tomorrow, the Christmas section!
Peace,
BMP

A FLATTERING REVIEW OF CVA

Paula at As We Wait in Joyful Hope, a parishioner at Jason's old stomping grounds, wrote a very flattering review of...



What was so fun was listening to Brian talk! He accent is so different from I normally hear around here and he has such a nice singing voice. He has a wonderful tone to his voice (just call me Paula Abdul!). Not only that, but it was fun listening to some of the different chants that can be used at Mass. Thanks for giving me something nice and informative to listen to while doing that darn ole exercise! I use any excuse to get out of it, but with the podcast, I just kept walking the track till it was over...30 minutes and done!

WOW! A wonderful tone to my voice??? Not bad considering it's the SAME voice that supposedly pissed off a lot of people in my last parish. HA! (just kidding)

Thanks much for your kind words.
Peace,
BMP

RUTLER ON MARINI

An excellent review by Fr. George Rutler on Abp. Piero Marini's book, A Challenging Reform can be partially found at NLM. Shawn Tribe was able to get permission to from First Things to post the snippets that he did. Since I didn't shell out thirty bucks for a subscription, I couldn't read it at First Things if I tried.

Anyhoo, if you don't have First Things, at least check out Shawn's post.
Peace,
BMP

TODAY'S LITURGY, SUMMER 2006

Ah yes, got my copy of the ever popular liturgy "planning guide", if you want to call it that. I only get it because we still have their missalettes and music issues in the pews. Anyhoo...

The big brag on the back page with their LicenSing ad is the NPM top three: Eagle's Wings, Here I Am, Lord, and Be Not Afraid. Popular, yes. Appropriate for revival meetings and to listen to in concert or on CD? Absolutely! Appropriate for Holy Mass? Not really.

Open the rag to the inside front cover - what do you see? THE ST. LOUIS JESUITS ARE BACK! OK - good! When's their next gig around here? Just don't make the same mistake you made the first time by inserting this material in hymnal and sticking said hymnal into pew.

Page 3 - 2005 UNITY AWARD WINNERS - all performers of sacro-pop! I start to wonder now -- the name of the magazine is Today's Liturgy! Just what does this have to do with liturgy?

Page 29 - The interview with Michael Joncas where he actually praises Eagle's Wings, despite just months before wishing he never wrote it. Who paid him to recant? Next page: Eagle's Wings in English AND Spanish! Double barf!

Pages 38-40 - Now, here is a section that usually gets rather good, and this issue is no exception. Two columns on hymnody, one by Alice Parker, the other by Don Sailers.
The Parker column this month is Let It Sing and Dance, featuring four hymns in triple meter. Ms. Parker writes well of these pieces, though the only part I beg to differ is her interpretation of The King of Love My Shepherd Is. She hears it at 148 on the metronome and says that it might be more clearly noted in 6/8. I hear it more as something very meditative, and not so rushed at all - perhaps at about 80 on the metronome, and with no stops brighter than 4' (although a good fluty 1-1/3' can blend well with the 8' and 4'). Now, like I've said in the past, not all of OCP is bad! I give Alice Parker kudos for a good article here.
The Sailers column, Chants in Honor of Mary, is also good. Personally, I wouldn't touch the Norbert Ave with a "thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole", but he does use it to sample a bilingual English/Latin effect. The other four are all chants - Ave Maria, Alma Redemptoris Mater, Salve Regina, and Regina Caeli. My chief complaint of this column - Alma Redemptoris Mater isn't in the Music Issue. Why??? (It made the new JourneysongS, which really is improved - not completely, but far better than the Music Issue or any previous OCP issue).

Now we get to the planning pages. Here's where I get to take issue with Dr. Elaine Rendler. Now, first, let's go to a previous issue where, within the planning pages, mind you, she writes:
"...As a Catholic, I am embarrassed at some of the un-Christian web sites and online conversations regarding muscal styles. I am friendly with music ministers of other faith traditions who have clued me in on some of the vitriolic postings that are available for public comsumption by musicians who call themselves Catholic Christians. ....I just happened upon a web site for people who want to eliminate certain composers from church music. I couldn't believe it! These postings are giving us - Catholic musicians who see our work as a sacred trust, a gift from God, a calling, and a true pastoral ministry serving the faithful - a bad name. If this is someone's idea of fun, then some people have too much free time. Think of all the hours wasted tearing down other people when they could be used to build up the kingdom of God."
There, there, Doctor. I wouldn't be so much embarrassed at such sites. You're probably referring to a good portion of the Catholic blogosphere, the Moratorium, and maybe a few other musicians and organizations who are equally embarrassed by the music that gets slopped in front of them each Sunday at Holy Mass. I mean, COME ON! Anyone can write bad music and call it a ministry, but for the sake of good liturgy, let the "bad music" ministry be a private one. Remember this really bad O Holy Night? That was written off as a ministry too - can you believe it??? I think this every time I see or hear All are welcome, Table of plenty, and Song of the Body of Christ, and similar ilk. So, before we, who want nothing more than to give our Lord the best possible praise we can give him and within the very guidelines given to us by Holy Mother Church, would be glad to stop mocking such bad music if only people would quit mocking the Holy Eucharist by programming such crap.

Dr. Rendler DOES have a point I agree with highly - in the planning page for 7/2/06, she writes:
"Tuesday, Independence Day, is not included in the liturgical calendar. Ask what the liturgy has to say to us as a people this year on this holiday. Don't overuse patriotic songs."
Now THAT is something I do agree on big time. I love my country just as much as my neighbor, and his neighbor, and his, etc., but one thing that irks me is in many parishes almost every time a secular holiday comes up, whether it's the Fourth, or Labor Day, or Memorial Day, etc., they fill their weekend music with at least two patriotic songs, one of them guaranteed to be America the Beautiful, not on the holiday itself, but on the Sunday closest to it! I'm sorry - but secular holidays should take no precedence over the Sunday at Mass. Save it for the secular celebrations - and of course, the ball game.

Now, on the page for 7/23/06, my attitude changes here.
"A reader wrote that her pastor would like more traditional entrance songs in the music suggestions. I'm not quite sure what she or her pastor meant by 'traditional'."
I would more or less guess that she means actual hymns and not hootenanny music. I don't think this pastor is asking for anything out of line.

Finally, I differ again with the doc:
"What takes place at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist is the Preparation of the Gifts (formerly the Offertory).
Formerly??? The Offertory was never banished, and wrong again is when she says:
"However, the offering of Jesus to the Father takes place in the Eucharistic Prayer, after the Sanctus".
How about "Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer..." (same with the wine). It's in the Eucharistic Prayer that the Church (via the priest) asks to "let it become for us the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, AT WHOSE COMMAND, we celebrate this Eucharist." The GIRM still calls the hymn that takes place at the "Preparation" the "Offertory Chant". It's been the "Offertory" for centuries. If it's not broken (and I don't think it is), don't fix it.

That's my "book review" for the day.
Peace,
BMP