Catholic liturgical music is serious, solemn, transcendent, but Catholic musicians are never more fun and inspiring than when they are talking about what they love most. This is what happens at sacred music events around the world: the social and intellectual are critically important elements. The musicians (and music enthusiasts) at the Chant Café, a project of the
Church Music Association of America, bring that sense of life and love to the digital world. As St. Augustine said, "Cantare amantis est."
Among the contributors:
Also past contributors:
Jeffrey Tucker, writer, editor, entrepreneur, musician |
archiveNick Gale (1975-2015), organist, choral director, for 13 years Master of the Music at the Cathedral of St. George in Southwark |
archiveBen, schola director and organ student |
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e-mail:
contact@chantcafe.com
This is the inverse of what happened when we picked out the music for our wedding. It started when the music director started playing those bouncy modern songs that I cringed at through mass. I'm guessing we looked like someone forgot to add sugar to the lemonade.
To his credit, he saw our reaction before we even had to say anything and switched immediately to something more reverent. This was one of those old churches that's a 'destination wedding' sort of place, so maybe he "had to be flexible."
Is it O.K. to sing "Salve Regina" during distribution of Holy Communion at Mass on the feast of the Holy Trinity, or any other Sunday?
This reminded me of the response we got when we told the priest we wanted to play "Defying Gravity" from "Wicked" as our processional because one of our first dates was to see that show. He did, however, relent and let us use "Tonight" from "West Side Story" as our recessional. (That's my favorite movie!) Ah, the advantages of a liberal diocese!
Some people don't get the difference between a processional at Mass and the first dance at the reception.
This reminds me of a birthday card I once received that said "Happy Birthday is not an appropriate Liturgical Hymn. That's why we put it here instead."
It was great to work for that parish!
In the mid-80's the organist for my Air Force Base Catholic Chapel choir (a wonderful musician, strict Anglican, and former seminarian who wore his cassock to play every Sunday) was asked to play "Afternoon Delight" as part of the pre-ceremony music for a wedding in the chapel. Until that time, I was not aware that there were so many separate and distinct hues between red and purple, or that the human face could reflect each and every one of them so accurately.
Seriously, though, sometimes we are called on to ever-so-gently and with great love remind people exactly whose house it is, and how we go about that can make the difference between a ceremony that is truly a celebration of the couple's call to a lifetime covenant of love or one that leaves a bitter after taste from the "scolding."
Jed, Of course you can sing Salve Regina (preferably after the Gregorian Communion Antiphon mind you). We sing Salve Regina or the time appropriate alternative antiphon every Sunday during the saying of the last Gospel.