Dan Schutte, composer of distasteful ditties such as “Here I Am Lord” and “Sing A New Song”, is not upset that Gregorian Chant is making a comeback. Well, hoorah.
[Reuters] And he’s not discouraged by the Catholic’s church’s new emphasis on Gregorian chant and more traditional forms of music in the Pope Benedict era. It represents a natural swing of the pendulum and not a cause for pessimism, he told Reuters in an interview from his home in San Francisco….
The Pope has authorized wider use of the Latin Mass, and U.S. Catholic bishops last year published a document called “Sing to the Lord” which was designed to provide guidelines on the role of music in worship. It praises the virtues of centuries-old Gregorian chant and the primacy of the organ.
Schutte sees that as “a shift of the pendulum in the other way, sort of a balancing … We’re being reminded not to lose some of the pieces of music and rituals that have been part of our long Roman Catholic tradition.”
He said the bishops’ music document makes it clear that “over the centuries the church has not adopted any one form of music as the way people should pray. They (the bishops) “legitimize contemporary music and other styles” even as they put their stamp of approval on Gregorian chant, he said.
I don’t know, perhaps I am just being cranky, but comments about pendulum swings and putting a stamp of approval on Gregorian Chant seems condescending to say the least. Somehow in the minds of these SOV2 guys imply (or perhaps I infer) that Gregorian Chant is a perfectly fine little niche musical type and if some people like it, then let them have it. But it is no more suited to liturgy than the pieces of Schutte they compose. Contrast this with the statements of the Pope on liturgical music and Gregorian Chant.
[SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS] Certainly as far as the liturgy is concerned, we cannot say that one song is as good as another. Generic improvisation or the introduction of musical genres which fail to respect the meaning of the liturgy should be avoided. As an element of the liturgy, song should be well integrated into the overall celebration (128). Consequently everything – texts, music, execution – ought to correspond to the meaning of the mystery being celebrated, the structure of the rite and the liturgical seasons (129). Finally, while respecting various styles and different and highly praiseworthy traditions, I desire, in accordance with the request advanced by the Synod Fathers, that Gregorian chant be suitably esteemed and employed (130) as the chant proper to the Roman liturgy (131).
Compare this to Schutte’s view of all that came before.
“We had a huge shift that came with the Second Vatican Council and a call to adapt our liturgy to this modern world rather than living and worshiping in a way that was somewhat disconnected from our daily and weekly experience. It was a shifting of the ground beneath many people’s feet,” he said of those days.
The shift that came with Vatican II. I am so sick of that red herring. Let’s finish by taking a look at what their precious (and fictitious) Vatican II had to say. The Vatican II document, Sacrosanctum Concilium states that “the Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy; therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.“
Remember these quotes the next time you hear one of their “living and worshiping in a connected way” pieces of Schutte.
August 5, 2008 at 4:11 am
Alla hu akhbar!!!
August 5, 2008 at 4:29 am
We had “Here I am Lord” yesterday…while I recognize it as a piece of Schutte, my dear, departed f-i-l used to sing this song with all of his heart while leading music at Mass, back in the 90’s…so it still brings a tear to my eye, on multiple levels…;-)
August 5, 2008 at 4:29 am
We had “Here I am Lord” yesterday…while I recognize it as a piece of Schutte, my dear, departed f-i-l used to sing this song with all of his heart while leading music at Mass, back in the 90’s…so it still brings a tear to my eye, on multiple levels…;-)
August 5, 2008 at 7:01 am
My fisking on this interview is found at:
http://musicgiftofgod.blogspot.com/
Scroll down about two posts.
August 5, 2008 at 7:50 pm
I think you were being kind by saying Schutte’s comments are “condescending” The word I am thinking that would apply is… arrogant. Too strong? – I think not. Many hacks indirectly compare themselves to the masters in order to lend credence to their fluff. When a composer can actually write convincing counterpoint and stop twisting the text (into heterodox porridge) to fit sappy melodies, then their works will speak for themselves. Till then, it seems, the hacks need to obscure the obvious – they can’t write music. There are many fine composers out there. The 1960s crowd needs to fade away and let the real composers be heard (again).
August 6, 2008 at 12:09 am
Speaking about REAL, PRIDE, ARROGANCE… well this will surely brighten up everyone’s day… want to see something BIG? Father’s blog, STANDING ON MY HEAD has the ladies in a MAJOR way who want to really show you THE WAY it should be done…big time. As the man said, you’ve never seen anything like it before!
August 6, 2008 at 1:06 am
what pendulum swing? haugen, haas, shutte et al are staples at my parish. you mean the pendulum has swung and i missed it? must’ve been a really fast swing and is already back around.
August 7, 2008 at 3:05 pm
http://vivificat1.blogspot.com/2004/09/dont-believe-everything-you-read.html
August 7, 2008 at 9:07 pm
I could opine for quite a while, but why do so when Chesterton has summed up all my arguments so succinctly:
“The whole curse of the last century has been what is called the Swing of the Pendulum; that is, the idea that Man must go alternately from one extreme to the other. It is a shameful and even shocking fancy; it is the denial of the whole dignity of the mankind. When Man is alive he stands still. It is only when he is dead that he swings.”
I miss you, GK!
~Nzie
August 9, 2008 at 1:35 pm
This post should be cross-linked with the “Open to Life and other simple phrases” post. To wit:
“should be given Pride of Place”…
“suitably esteemed and employed”…
What exactly do these mean? I would suggest that they mean nothing. Or rather that they are so weakly phrased and stated that these statements have no affect at all – and therefore are as good as nothing. Meaning that we will continue to be assaulted by the usual “pieces of Schutte”, or Haugen, or Haas, every Sunday – ad infinitum.
Or rather at least until someone in Rome “mans up” and says in simple, uncertain terms “thou shalt not” use this drivel. Or conversely “thou shalt” use gregorian chant.
August 11, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Did anyone actually commenting on this blog read the Roman Catholic Catechism lately? I’m agree with this posts efforts to defend Traditional Catholic Sacred Music but the hateful, negative spirit with which some of these musings are posted is not about our Sacred Apostolic Church but rather about some deeply hurt souls who perhaps need to remind themselves what our Church is about. It reminds me that if you don’t have something nice to say about someone, don’t say it. There are many fine parishes that do not subscribe to the Schutte, Haughen, Hass music and our parish seems to be more traditional that most. Quit belly aching and move on – find another parish. There is little here that would edify that which is holy, just and sacred and many of these words do not reflect the spirit of the Holy Father and our Apostolic Church.