Today, details on the Pope’s visit to the site of the World Trade Center attacks, his arrival and departure in the US, an account of a press conference on the visit this morning with Archbishop Wuerl, and a link to this bit of good news regarding some of the music
(Fr.) Samuel Weber (O.S.B) , associate professor of early Christianity and spiritual formation at the Wake Forest University Divinity School, was invited to compose original chant settings that will be performed during the Pope’s visit to Washington, D.C., April 15 – 20. The chants will be sung during Evening Prayer at 5:30 p.m. April 16 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception with Pope Benedict XVI presiding, and during a private mass with the Holy Father at the Apostolic Nunciature (Papal Embassy) the following morning.
“I am deeply honored to have a small part to play in the preparation of this vesper service,” says Weber. He composed original chant melodies for the antiphons, which are scriptural verses sung before and after the Psalms and Canticles of Vespers. Peter Latona, Basilica director of music, invited Weber to compose the chants and has created polyphonic settings based on Weber’s chants. During the service, the antiphons will be sung by the 24-member Choir of the Basilica in plain chant before the Psalms and Canticles of Vespers, and then repeated afterward in full harmony.
Weber, a Roman Catholic priest and Benedictine monk, says the decision to use chant melodies reflects the aesthetic and tradition at the heart of prayer life in the Roman Catholic Church. “Historically, sacred compositions were based on the chant melodies which formed the core of liturgical music.”
The Evening Prayer service is expected to be televised worldwide.
The Pope’s words during the visit will communicate much. And so will the liturgies over which he’ll be presiding, I think.
Update:
The music programmes for the NY liturgies are out – and over at NLM, some commentors are making an excellent point about the music for the youth gathering:
St. Joseph’s Seminary – Meeting with Youth and Seminarians – April 19, 2008
Communion and Liberation, Christopher Vath, Director of Music
Richard Marrano, Organist
Christi Chiapetti, Cantor
Teng Fu, Pianist
America the Beautiful – Samuel A. Ward
Pan de Vida – Bob Hurd
Jesus, Remember Me – Jacques Berthier
One Bread, One Body – John Foley, S. J.
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name – Traditional
Ave Maria – Franz Schubert, Kelly Clarkson, American Idol Winner 2002
City of God – Daniel Schutte
First, before I get to the observation from NLM, the choice of America the Beautiful strikes me as bizarre. I’m pretty much opposed to having patriotic songs at liturgy, period (although I know this is not a Mass), but if you’re going to have one, America the Beautiful is certainly the best choice, but it still strikes me as odd, especially if these pieces are listed in order of presentation (which they may not be.)
But back to the other point – which is, quite succinctly , why do the youth get saddled with Catholic pop music from 30 years ago? There are good elements here – I confess that I like Pan de Vida. I do. And Jesus Remember Me is the Taize chant version, which is also good.
I mean, we were rocking to City of God when I was in college, yeah, but I am at a loss to understand the implication that if we want a liturgy that will speak to and in some way express what’s up with youth (NOT that this is the purpose of liturgy, but just walk with me here), what will do it is 30-year old St. Louis Jesuits tunes.
At least they didn’t work Awesome God into it. But that would actually make a little more sense.
Look, I’m not going to jump into the ring claiming that all young people are really yearning for solemn Gregorian chant all the time – but the fact is that this program of music strikes me as almost insulting to young people. It seems to indicate that they’re really not being attended to and that they don’t merit the gift of worshipping in a way that ties them more deeply to the bigger tradition of ancient Christian worship.
(I also understand that C & L – which seems to be involved in this event – has a substantial repertoire, if you will, of music used for its own gatherings. I remember one rather beautiful piece I heard in the broadcast of a C & L gathering in Rome. I blogged on it at the time, got the answers to what that piece was from someone, but a quick search doesn’t turn it up, and my memory on that score is shot. )
Fr. Samuel is a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in southern Indiana. I am certain that their promotional staff will make sure many people know about this and that such compositions can be heard on a regular basis at the Archabbey Church. I know that this one-man PR staff will do so.
I am delighted to hear that Fr. Weber was chosen. I have known Fr. Weber for almost four years now. Few are as well qualified and deserving of such an honor.
I’m glad that there will be beautiful music for Evening Prayer. Even more beautiful would be for the Pope to invite some prisoners and persons with criminal records to celebrate with him mass at the Papal Embassy. As Benedict XVI has taught, love and hope are at the heart of the Church. We need to see these words in action here in the Diocese of Arlington.
Actually, over at Papa Ratzinger Forum, Teresa Benedetta has been posting on the Holy Father’s visit for quite a while, now. The Forum even has an “Apostolic Visit to the United States thread” with daily postings. Check there, too.
I hope that at least one of the Masses he presides over is ad orientem. I hope it’s the Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which is for priests. If that happens, it will be “the Pope showin’ ‘em how it’s done.” That will be news.
You’ll find a new post at Pope2008.com about some of the music being performed at the Papal Mass in Washington, D.C.
Until our music director fell ill and resigned, we used Fr. Weber’s antiphons for the Introit, Offertory, and Communio for about 3 years. They are wonderful. Jack was getting them by email for awhile, maybe they are published now, or will be shortly. I’ve looked at a chant setting Fr. Weber wrote for the new translation of the Mass and it looks interesting.
So, should they be saddled with (fill in the blank) from (fill in the blank) centuries ago? How about just playing the latest version of That’s What I Call Music?
The simplest explanation is probably that those who designed the liturgy actually thinks that these are good songs. They may be deluded, but I think they actually think that.
I actually wonder how developed a since teenagers, let alone pre-teens, have of the history of musical styles. When I was that age (mid-1990s), I didn’t really have a grasp of such things. If you had told me “One Bread, One Body” was written in 1850, I probably would have believed it (unless I happened to glance at the copyright date at the bottom of the page). Until I was of college age I think I had much better knowledge of the history of secular music than religious music; I know about things like the 1970s “singer-songwriter” phenomenon but never made the connection with the hymns that were trying to imitate it. Or to me precise, I was aware of guitars at Mass and their status as a post-Vatican II phenomenon, but I never really knew much about whether the songs themselves were new or not.
So whille I don’t think kids will be attracted to these songs, I don’t know if they will instantly recognized them as dated ersatz Dan Fogelberg (RIP). Of course, that may lead their viewing the treasures and the not-so-great stuff as all of a piece, which would be a worse outcome in the long run.
I’m more interested in the appearance of Kelly Clarkson. She may me a perfectly fine person for all I know (and I have no idea whether she is Catholic or not), but it does seem like an effort to make the Mass more pop by bringing in a celebrity.
maybe they are just songs that they figure are familiar enough that people will sing them? and i bet most of them will……this can get so polemical, political and whatever else…it is a very valid debate about the quality and direction of worship music, but i have a feeling that most of these songs will be know by the youth attending and that will make it easier for them to really sing.
also knowing PB16’s love of augustine, it could be something to hear all the youth singing about building the CITY OF GOD!
I am so relieved to see the music for the Yankee Stadium Mass is almost all old, good — no, let me correct that — beautiful music. Almost nothing contemporary. My husband, two teenage (well, twelve-going-on-thirty) children and I are in the Boston-to-NY lottery. If we go, this will be where we go. All of us are music snobs, especially my fifteen year old, so we will go rejoicing.
I think most kids today really don’t even have a link to classical music any more. The musicians of the 70’s, as far as I can tell, had a link to jazz, and of course most jazz musicians had a link to classical and ancient music in some form. But today’s pop musicians are too far removed, and the results are bizarre and disastrous. From that perspective, church music of the 70’s looks almost benign.
Except that when my daughter practices the organ to play for Mass, thanks to the efforts of the church organist to involve young people in the absence of anything resembling a youth group at our parish — she notices that it’s only the old hymns she likes. That sends her on a copyright date chase from old hymn to old hymn. And, as I’ve told her, most of them are of Protestant origin, found in the lovely, old Episcopal hymnal from my childhood.
It’s really sad, because I can’t even get her into old Catholic hymns, having no idea what they are (or were), except insofar as they are represented in the “Adoremus” organ hymnal I bought her for a birthday present.
And when the organist heard her practicing them, she asked what the book was and commented on how lovely the hymns are — but that doesn’t mean she can change the music played at Mass. That’s someone else’s job; she plays what she’s told.
Kelly Clarkson may be a pop star, but she’s an amazing singer too. Her rendition of Schubert’s “Ave Maria” will be worth hearing.
What a great way to introduce (or re-introduce) a timeless classic to a new generation of believers! Too bad the rest of the music program isn’t as imaginative.
Amy,
Here’s your post that includes Inno delle scolte di Assisi…
Fred
“City of God” was the recessional hymn at the Papal Mass in October, 1995, in New York City’s Central Park.
We sang it with full-gusto as John Paul II repeatedly waved good-bye to the 100,000-plus crowded onto the Great Lawn that morning.
It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
To this day, when I sing “City of God” at church I remember that Mass and the great love that John Paul II expressed to all of us.
Regarding Ms Welborn’s point on the music for the NYC liturgies….
A couple of years ago, when I was going through RCIA, I was attending the Sunday 6 pm mass at our parish. Once a month, they had the “Youth Service” which apparently meant that parents brought their Youth (teenagers) in greater than usual numbers, the Youth had parts in Mass (reading and so on), and the music, with at least 4 guitars, was….well, Youth Music. Which really wasn’t that different from the usual offerings at 6 pm.
At one mass, I checked the copyright dates for all the songs. And found that every one of them had been written before these teenagers were born. In fact, they’d been written when the teenagers’ parents were teenagers.
I had a similar reaction: this is at least condescending if not insulting to today’s teenagers.
In our case, almost the entire musical offering at all masses is taken from one generation’s musical output: from the 70’s through to about the mid-90’s.
The odd thing is that from what I can tell, almost NO ONE in the pews actually sings these songs in any of the masses. They simply stand mute, or with lips moving almost silently, or at best very softly singing. It’s heartbreaking to witness it.
i don’t really see the point about the hymns being insulting or condescending…..it is not like each generation has their own hymns?? older people can remember the same old hymns (Holy God, Immaculate Mary, Hail Holy Queen) over an over……the same first communion and may crowning hymns that went from generation to generation (starting in the 19th century). it is not that these hymns are being imposed on them instead of their hymns…it is more that the younger generations seem to have no interest? except for those involved in groups (lay movements or traditional) what is the music that is coming from the young people?
that is the real issue no one seems to see??
According to Tom Stehle, director of music for the Washington, D.C. liturgy, the list posted at FreeRepublic was “not complete or accurate” and was missing pieces. An excellent lesson to not trust everything you find and read online.
If the people in charge of music wanted to connect with young people they should have worked Matt Maher in there…somewhere.