Many posts

…. What’s wrong with an electronic organ, assuming it’s used to imitate a normal one?

Jeff, I saw this discussion and I nearly died laughing when I heard that whiny caller described above.

Raymond Arroyo looked speechless – the long pause before he handed the question over to Father Baker said it all, I thought. He looked as if he was about to burst out laughing himself!

The lively discussion was wonderful – it seemed that the good priests and bishops there were very excited about this development. Their jubilation was almost palpable.

Actually, the classical guitar has a long history as a liturgical instrument in Spain.

I have a growing suspicion that, over the next several years, the Traditional Latin Mass community is going to learn the true meaning of “Be careful what you wish for” the hard way.

With the extraordinary use genie out of the indult bottle, it belongs to the Church, not to the traditionalists.

Ever notice how at some of the rock’n’roll teen Masseshave guitarists who are so into it? They have a furrowed brow like Springsteen and, sometimes, wipe their brow because all the strumming is a workout. They sing RIGHT into the mic, and they shout at the top of their lungs.

And this is supposed to be meditative?

I just subscribed to Fr. Baker’s Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He was awesome on EWTN.

To be fair, I think the panelists were pretty surprised by the question. It’s like saying, “I make heat tiles for spaceships. Where does that fit into the liturgy?”

I mean, geez, maybe wait and do some research _yourself_, since it’s your craft and not the priests’ one. And maybe your tiles are meant for the outside wall of the parish church, not the inside one, and they won’t work as a ciborium — does that make them less useful? Of course not.

I really can’t wait for the arguments to begin about the electric organ. Or violins, or flutes, which conjure up pagan and sensuous attitudes. Polyphony will be allowed, but only by certain composers

Kathy, there are no arguments.

The electronic organ is verboten unless the parish in question cannot possibly afford a pipe-organ.

Violins, flutes, etc., are authorized under the provisions of the 1958 Instruction—so long as it’s not “show tunes/band music, etc.”

Popes, beginning with GREGORY (c. 600 AD) have made it clear: Gregorian Chant is the foundation and the model for sacred music.

You could look it all up. The guitarist is out of a job. Thank him for his service to date. Offer remedial organ-lessons.

So the organ has been recommended a few times in vatican-y documents. Great. I love it. Especialyl big fat delicate North German baroque(catholics built boring organs).

What about the famous Silent Night story? (was it a priest or a proddy pastor?)

There’s nothing wrong with a guitar per se more than with a violin or a flute (ugh, and I speak as a flautist) or nose flute or whatever. Bring in the electric guitar and drums, if you have something suitable to play on them. It’s the music that matters. The harmonica, for goodness sake. Okay, some have “associations”, but absolutely speaking short of a wow-stick or whatever you call them, what instrument could not conceivably be ever used in litugical music?

personally I’m a no instruments at all woman, for preference, and think Mozart should be play edonly by speical indult for the indigenous tribes of Bavaria and Austria, but once you’re out of the Gregorian+possibley some organ (wind/string) help for the voices, I don’t see how you can except in a few cases of comedy noises say “this cannot be used because of what it is”. Pastoral reasons, local circumstances, etc yes, but absolutely?

For the record, I have been at a 1962 Mass with Shine Jesus Shine etc. Full of terribly reverent and pious teenagers.

It was a bit weird,mind.

Margaret,

I watched the program and I would NOT describe that caller as “whiny” In fact, the man prefaced his comments “I don’t intend this to be contentious” I was given the impression that he was genuinely curious (if a bit naive) about the role of guitar in the Extraordinary form of the Roman Rite – I cannot get the picture out of my head of Elvis and his band standing before the Communion rail playing that awful song at the end of “Change of Habit” (if you wish to join me in this personal hell, you can search for it on youtube!) Nevertheless, I think that would have been an excellent opportunity to speak about the suitability of Gregorian chant for the Roman Liturgy (either in its ordinary or extraordinary expression). The organ is preferred as an instrument (if you must have instruments) BECAUSE it is the instrument which most closely imitates the full range of the human voice – “pipe organ” because the manner in which the sound is produced is about as close as you can get to air/vocal cords, etc.

On the other hand, I don’t think Fr. Baker (SJ) came off as condescending or ridiculing the man’s question.