This is a revision: I had the key words I was complaining about wrong. My apologies.
I’ll make this short and sweet: probably of interest only too Catholics. The new sung Gloria requires us to either sing or listen to the chorus eight times. “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to people of goodwill. .That’s about seven times too many in my book, though I admit I have a tender ear when it comes to repetition. The spoken triplets have aways seemed appropriate, especially when they have a twist on the third: The ‘Lamb of God…’ with ‘grant us peace in the third iteration, the ‘Lord I am not worthy…’ and now, back again, through my fault, though my fault…
But choruses the eighthtime round, frankly, make me want to leave the building. I don’t think I can blame the Blessedly Banal Mart Haugen for this.
Hi Steve,
I’m not sure what you mean. The new (old) Gloria is the literal translation of the Latin, compared to the butchered post-Vatican II ICEL version, and it does feature lots of repetition:
We praise you,
we bless you,
we adore you,
we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory
…
you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.
you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
I recall someone once comparing this to childish babbling, but in a good way! In Canto XXXIII of his Paradiso, Dante’s words fail him as he contemplates the Beatific Vision:
Shorter henceforward will my language fall
Of what I yet remember, than an infant’s
Who still his tongue doth moisten at the breast.
I think the repetition in the Gloria is meant to evoke our similar inability to properly express our awe and love for God.
On the other hand, the current “Angeles” Mass setting (one of three Canadian settings) is mediocre, and no, the Gloria shouldn’t have a refrain. However, I believe that all Canadian parishes have been instructed to choose one of the Canadian settings for the first year of the new translation, which at least keeps our old friends Haugen, Schutte and Co. from getting their feet in the door!
I believe (and hope!) that St. Andrew’s is on a long and circuitous path back to fulfilling the Vatican’s age-old policy that the “main place” in the liturgy should be given to Gregorian chant, with polyphony also encouraged (GIRM 41). But it will take a long time to wean congregations and music ministers from the four-hymn sandwich, and unfortunately the new Canadian Mass settings don’t seem to be helping.
Murray:
The sung gloria by Geoffrey S. Angeles on p.13 of our current litrugy pamphlet requires the singing of the chorus, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will, eight times. Sorry, I said it was the words, it is right and just.
At ‘The Chant Cafe’, J. Tucker enthuses about a new book which might just help all concerned about these musical problems in the Church:
The Treatise We’ve Needed
Posted by Jeffrey A. Tucker
The phone rang last week, and it was a man upset about the music in his parish. I listened patiently but I already knew what he was going to say. I’ve heard it all a thousand times before. The music seems unCatholic. It has nothing to do with the season or the day. The performers are self indulgent. It’s too loud and pop sounding. And is the hymn (fill in the blank) really permitted?
Then the question came that I’ve learned to dread: what book can I give to the pastor and the musician to help them better discern what is appropriate for the Mass?
Silence.
I know it sounds crazy but there has not been a single work that really mapped out — historically, theologically, musically, and practically — the musical framework of the Roman Rite. There are great books on theology and history. There are several books of journalism and witty commentary on the state of Catholic music. There are much older books explaining rubrics.
But, if you think about it, there is no a single book that integrates it all, rises above it all to provide new insight, and gives a viable plan going forward that is rooted in the ritual structure, the traditions, and the legislation of the Catholic faith.
Now, at last, I can say that such a book exists. It is called The Musical Shape of the Liturgy. It is published by the Church Music Association of America. It will appear in print next month. Right now you can buy it on Kindle.
The author is William Mahrt, and, I can tell you, that he is the only person in the world who could have written a book like this. In addition to being the president of the Church Music Association of America, he is a professor of music at Stanford University. He is old enough to remember the change in the Mass from old to new. He was directing a parish choir the entire time, and this was in addition to his academic duties. He was researching old manuscripts and writing scholarly papers presented at academic forums.
This combination of duties led him to develop something unique: a mind that lives and thinks in the two and usually separate worlds of academia and parish life. His research is heavily informed by practical concerns. And his practical concerns are heavily informed by his historical, theological, and musical interests. It all flows together in this mind that has the patience to do over a lifetime what no one else has done.