Anyone want to eat with me?
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
"Lightening Is One of Nature's Deadliest Killers"
I don't think that has anything at all to do with anything in this post. The weatherman said that tonight on the news and it amused me- probably more than it should. I'm sooooooo bored and isolated!
A List Of Things That We Need To Do Next Semester
Watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Watch Second Hand Lions
Watch the Rest of the Stars Wars Movies
Find Out if ChezWhiz Does or Does Not Come Out of a Turkey Baster
Speaking of that, we should also find an oven that we (I) can use occasionally...
Jump in the Pool Again
Feed the Mutant Fish a Basketball
Go to Amicalola Falls
Have a Flour Fight
Have a Waterballoon Fight
Have a Flour Fight and Waterballoon Fight Simultaneously
Have a Picnic on a Public Elevator
I know there are more things.
A List Of Things That We Need To Do Next Semester
Watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Watch Second Hand Lions
Watch the Rest of the Stars Wars Movies
Find Out if ChezWhiz Does or Does Not Come Out of a Turkey Baster
Speaking of that, we should also find an oven that we (I) can use occasionally...
Jump in the Pool Again
Feed the Mutant Fish a Basketball
Go to Amicalola Falls
Have a Flour Fight
Have a Waterballoon Fight
Have a Flour Fight and Waterballoon Fight Simultaneously
Have a Picnic on a Public Elevator
I know there are more things.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
The Importance of Beautiful Music
Preface
This started out as a rant and became an essay. It is quite obvious that music is my first love. I am leaving the ranting part in mostly because I am having a hard time trying to rewrite it into essay form. It does make sense, I think. I will explain my outrage at cantors, though.
This post was inspired by the Mass I went to Sunday. There was no cantor. There was no choir. Until the offertory, there was no organist. This was an improvement. Normally, at this Mass, there is a cantor. A female cantor who can sing loudly, very loudly. I feel bad saying it, but she doesn't sing well at all. In fact, I have heard conversations between parishioners who have said that her singing is distracting it's so bad. Sometimes, she harmonizes during the responsorial psalm. It just sounds awful. They seem to think it is beautiful. Sometimes, the choir tries to perform polyphonic pieces, but because of the size of the choir (about 6 or 7 maybe) and the ability of the choir, it does not sound good either. I'm not sure if it's the cantor or the choir, but for some reason, most of the people in the pews do not sing. This Sunday, however, when all we had was the organ, the congregation sang. And sang well. I also noticed that it is not because they don't know the music that they don't sing. They sang the music that they knew, not the music that was written in the hymnal. (The hymn was “Hail Redeemer King Divine.” The hymnal producers had changed some of the music due to copy right laws.) I also think that besides being unnecessary for the most part, cantors tend to think of the Mass as their performance, not as a prayer.
SO, enjoy!
I don't know whether it's more the arms waving or the vibrato booming over the sound system, but you, my dear cantor, are intimidating. And, for the most part, unneeded. There is only one time that I can think of during the entire Mass (if English is the only language being used) that you are doing something useful; and, unfortunately (for you, that is, anyway), even then, there is a way around you.
You see, there is this novel idea of a choir: a group of people, who have some musical talent, who sing (from the back of the church, preferably), so that the congregation can follow. (*Please note that there is in an "in most cases" application of this argument; sometimes, the congregation should not be lead in singing, but the singing of the choir should lead them to pray silently. The Mass is the prayer of Church; hymns are prayers; when the congregation does sing them, they are praying; when the choir is singing a sixteenth century polyphonic [translated literally as "many sounds;" usually soprano, alto, tenor, and bass- every voice sings a different part and through the laws of harmony and dissonance, an awesome {in the most literal sense of the word} piece of music is created] piece, and the congregation listens, they are still praying. However, not every choir is able to pull such polyphony off. Though it is not as difficult as one would think, it does require time; and since most parish choir members are volunteers, it difficult to even get one hour of practice a week. It also requires musical ability [read: people who can sing decently, not even the ability to read music]. I can personally attest to the fact that polyphonic music can be done by amatures [look at me] and children. Children? Yes. Ordinary children with no knowledge of music. But, as I said, the volunteer status of the average parish choir is quite an obstacle for this type of music.)
No embellishment is better than too much embellishment. Too much embellishment looks foolish; none looks practical. No embellishment is not synonymous with "ugly". Something can be plain and beautiful at the same time. In fact, the very first music of the Church was simple. But beautiful. Some of it is still used today; partly, because it is beautiful; partly, because it is simple.
This doesn't mean embellishment is bad. It simply means that when embellishing, one should use discretion. It would be silly for a woman to embroider a perfectly lovely wedding gown using colored yarn because she has no embroidery thread . Likewise, it would be silly for her to spend hours upon hours embroidering a cloth that is going to be used as a grease rag.
Just because a choir can sing polyphony well, does not meant that they should sing polyphony for everything. Sometimes only simple things are needed or fitting. Sometimes, no embellishment is a reminder of what is happening in the Liturgy. And just because because polyphonic music would be proper or preferable for certain parts of the Mass, a choir should not use it if it is beyond their capabilities. There are other ways to create a lovely sound that, while not as magnificent, is just as fitting. There is really only one aesthetic requirement that music at Mass must meet: that it be beautiful. This is because, as Pope Benedict XVI says, beauty “enables us to experience the presence of God.”
Here one may say "but beauty is subjective." I answer: not quite. Beauty is defined as by Webster's dictionary as "the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit." Yet again one might say, “what exalts individual minds or spirits is subjective.” I answer: not true.
That which is the highest Good is God. The ultimate goal of every man is (or should be) to reach the greatest Good. Man cannot reach Good without goodness; man's spirit cannot be lifted to the highest Good by something that is not good. Because of the nature of “good” something cannot be good and not lift man's spirit to God, even if man does not realize that his spirit is being lifted. This is why beauty is not subjective. But, because of sin, beauty can be perverted but still seem beautiful. A prime example of this is human sexuality. I am not saying that human sexuality is beauty perverted. Human sexuality is wondrously beautiful when it is not used in a perverted fashion. It fulfills the requirement of lifting the soul to God. But when a man (or a woman) uses his sexuality in any way other than that which was intended, it no longer lifts his soul; in fact, it drags his soul away from God, yet, it still can be mistakenly perceived as good.
The same is true of music. St. Augustine said, “Music, that is the science or the sense of proper modulation, is likewise given by God's generosity to mortals having rational souls in order to lead them to higher things." Beautiful music lifts the soul to God. Here I could go on for pages about how some music is not beautiful and does not lift man's soul. In fact, I have done so before (in a paper for Dr. Urbanczyk) but it is not immediately pertinent to this, so I will resist the temptation. You have been spared.
Since the Mass is the highest form of worship, should an effort not be made by musicians (whether they have been trained or not) to provide the most beautiful music they can? And since beauty is not entirely subjective, should they not make an effort to train themselves (and others) to be able to determine whether music is beautiful or not?
Music at Mass should not be haphazardly put together. Music at Mass should not be chosen on the basis of “I like this” but on the basis of how beautiful it is. This analysis is not based solely on the composition of the music, but also on the lyrics, the composition and the lyrics combined (a song of exultation should not sound like a dirge), and the presentation. While musicians should most certainly not think of the Mass as their performance, they should be aware of the sound of their music and able to judge whether or not it is beautiful. A choir should not present music that is not as beautiful as they can make it. Or music that they cannot make beautifully. Beautifully does not mean perfectly. But it does mean that careful attention has to be paid so that it does not sound ugly.
Music that is not beautiful detracts from the grandeur of the Mass. If music is detracting from the grandeur of the Mass then it is ineffective, and sometimes, deleterious to the soul.
This started out as a rant and became an essay. It is quite obvious that music is my first love. I am leaving the ranting part in mostly because I am having a hard time trying to rewrite it into essay form. It does make sense, I think. I will explain my outrage at cantors, though.
This post was inspired by the Mass I went to Sunday. There was no cantor. There was no choir. Until the offertory, there was no organist. This was an improvement. Normally, at this Mass, there is a cantor. A female cantor who can sing loudly, very loudly. I feel bad saying it, but she doesn't sing well at all. In fact, I have heard conversations between parishioners who have said that her singing is distracting it's so bad. Sometimes, she harmonizes during the responsorial psalm. It just sounds awful. They seem to think it is beautiful. Sometimes, the choir tries to perform polyphonic pieces, but because of the size of the choir (about 6 or 7 maybe) and the ability of the choir, it does not sound good either. I'm not sure if it's the cantor or the choir, but for some reason, most of the people in the pews do not sing. This Sunday, however, when all we had was the organ, the congregation sang. And sang well. I also noticed that it is not because they don't know the music that they don't sing. They sang the music that they knew, not the music that was written in the hymnal. (The hymn was “Hail Redeemer King Divine.” The hymnal producers had changed some of the music due to copy right laws.) I also think that besides being unnecessary for the most part, cantors tend to think of the Mass as their performance, not as a prayer.
SO, enjoy!
I don't know whether it's more the arms waving or the vibrato booming over the sound system, but you, my dear cantor, are intimidating. And, for the most part, unneeded. There is only one time that I can think of during the entire Mass (if English is the only language being used) that you are doing something useful; and, unfortunately (for you, that is, anyway), even then, there is a way around you.
You see, there is this novel idea of a choir: a group of people, who have some musical talent, who sing (from the back of the church, preferably), so that the congregation can follow. (*Please note that there is in an "in most cases" application of this argument; sometimes, the congregation should not be lead in singing, but the singing of the choir should lead them to pray silently. The Mass is the prayer of Church; hymns are prayers; when the congregation does sing them, they are praying; when the choir is singing a sixteenth century polyphonic [translated literally as "many sounds;" usually soprano, alto, tenor, and bass- every voice sings a different part and through the laws of harmony and dissonance, an awesome {in the most literal sense of the word} piece of music is created] piece, and the congregation listens, they are still praying. However, not every choir is able to pull such polyphony off. Though it is not as difficult as one would think, it does require time; and since most parish choir members are volunteers, it difficult to even get one hour of practice a week. It also requires musical ability [read: people who can sing decently, not even the ability to read music]. I can personally attest to the fact that polyphonic music can be done by amatures [look at me] and children. Children? Yes. Ordinary children with no knowledge of music. But, as I said, the volunteer status of the average parish choir is quite an obstacle for this type of music.)
No embellishment is better than too much embellishment. Too much embellishment looks foolish; none looks practical. No embellishment is not synonymous with "ugly". Something can be plain and beautiful at the same time. In fact, the very first music of the Church was simple. But beautiful. Some of it is still used today; partly, because it is beautiful; partly, because it is simple.
This doesn't mean embellishment is bad. It simply means that when embellishing, one should use discretion. It would be silly for a woman to embroider a perfectly lovely wedding gown using colored yarn because she has no embroidery thread . Likewise, it would be silly for her to spend hours upon hours embroidering a cloth that is going to be used as a grease rag.
Just because a choir can sing polyphony well, does not meant that they should sing polyphony for everything. Sometimes only simple things are needed or fitting. Sometimes, no embellishment is a reminder of what is happening in the Liturgy. And just because because polyphonic music would be proper or preferable for certain parts of the Mass, a choir should not use it if it is beyond their capabilities. There are other ways to create a lovely sound that, while not as magnificent, is just as fitting. There is really only one aesthetic requirement that music at Mass must meet: that it be beautiful. This is because, as Pope Benedict XVI says, beauty “enables us to experience the presence of God.”
Here one may say "but beauty is subjective." I answer: not quite. Beauty is defined as by Webster's dictionary as "the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit." Yet again one might say, “what exalts individual minds or spirits is subjective.” I answer: not true.
That which is the highest Good is God. The ultimate goal of every man is (or should be) to reach the greatest Good. Man cannot reach Good without goodness; man's spirit cannot be lifted to the highest Good by something that is not good. Because of the nature of “good” something cannot be good and not lift man's spirit to God, even if man does not realize that his spirit is being lifted. This is why beauty is not subjective. But, because of sin, beauty can be perverted but still seem beautiful. A prime example of this is human sexuality. I am not saying that human sexuality is beauty perverted. Human sexuality is wondrously beautiful when it is not used in a perverted fashion. It fulfills the requirement of lifting the soul to God. But when a man (or a woman) uses his sexuality in any way other than that which was intended, it no longer lifts his soul; in fact, it drags his soul away from God, yet, it still can be mistakenly perceived as good.
The same is true of music. St. Augustine said, “Music, that is the science or the sense of proper modulation, is likewise given by God's generosity to mortals having rational souls in order to lead them to higher things." Beautiful music lifts the soul to God. Here I could go on for pages about how some music is not beautiful and does not lift man's soul. In fact, I have done so before (in a paper for Dr. Urbanczyk) but it is not immediately pertinent to this, so I will resist the temptation. You have been spared.
Since the Mass is the highest form of worship, should an effort not be made by musicians (whether they have been trained or not) to provide the most beautiful music they can? And since beauty is not entirely subjective, should they not make an effort to train themselves (and others) to be able to determine whether music is beautiful or not?
Music at Mass should not be haphazardly put together. Music at Mass should not be chosen on the basis of “I like this” but on the basis of how beautiful it is. This analysis is not based solely on the composition of the music, but also on the lyrics, the composition and the lyrics combined (a song of exultation should not sound like a dirge), and the presentation. While musicians should most certainly not think of the Mass as their performance, they should be aware of the sound of their music and able to judge whether or not it is beautiful. A choir should not present music that is not as beautiful as they can make it. Or music that they cannot make beautifully. Beautifully does not mean perfectly. But it does mean that careful attention has to be paid so that it does not sound ugly.
Music that is not beautiful detracts from the grandeur of the Mass. If music is detracting from the grandeur of the Mass then it is ineffective, and sometimes, deleterious to the soul.
Monday, June 04, 2007
'The Time Has Come', The Walrus Said, 'to Talk of Many Things; of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax, of Cabbages and Kings, of why the Sea is Boiling Hot and Whether Pigs Have Wings'
I'm going to warn you all right now: there are no segues in this post. It's a bunch of random stories that I would tell you if I could followed by my random thoughts. I did spend about ten minutes trying to think of some segues but I couldn't. And you know if I can't, then are most certainly not any.
The other day, Dominic, 4, came to me and said "I need to tell you my dream but you have to promise not to tell anyone" (He has since released me from this). Poor little fellow. He had a dream that he was being chased by the devil. But then all of a sudden, the Waltons came out of nowhere with real, working life savers (light sabers) and chased the devil away. Funny the things little kids think of when they are asleep.
The other day at WalMart, (which, our new one looks exactly like the one in Dawsonville. I go there and I don't feel like I'm in Alabama anymore. I always expect to run into people from school and instead, run into people from my childhood. Most of the time, I am extremely disappointed.) Anyway, I was really thirsty, so Carolynne and I went to go get some waters. I wanted at least three because there were five of us. I was plannning on getting five but... The (cheapest) machine that I wanted to use didn't take dollars and that was all I had, so I put my money into one machine to get the change. After I got the change, I put 50 cents in and pressed the button.Nothing happened. All of the buttons, succesively, still nothing. I pressed the coin return button. Nothing. So I banged the side of it. Way harder than I thought I had. Just as the WalMart greeter lady was walking by. Recived evil looks from her. I was so thirsty, though, that I was by now, willing to pay 65 cents more for the same amount of water. So I bought two and put the third dollar in. SOLD OUT flashed across the little screen. I hit the coin return button and heard clink clink clink clink but saw nothing. What would you do at this point? I knelt down and looked in the slot, saw my money, stuck my finger in to let it loose and out came six or seven dollars worth of quaters. SO i took it the greeter and held up both of my hands (one full of quaters, the other with four in it) and said "the machine gave me way too much change"
"oh, ok, how much too much?"
"this much"
OH, well let me take it to the service desk
well there's still more in the machine
oh, really?
yes, see? (by this time, we had walked to the machine and I had knelt down and unloosed about five more dollars worth)
well, thank you, I'll let the service desk know about this. did you loose your money in the Sam's machine?
well, yes
how much?
fifty cents
you should go see the service desk
oh, no, it's not that big of a deal
no, you really should, they give you your money back
but by this time, I had spent at least five minutes at the drink machines, more time than I had spent in the store, and there were people waiting in the car for us. The lady, while trying to convince us to go to the service desk, had leaned her hand gently on the Sam's machine and as we started to walk away we heard BALUMP clink clink. The Sam's machine spit out my water. AND my change. I felt like I was in an Aesop's Fable.
The other day, someone knocked on our door, using the knocker. RC is the only person in the history of our living here who has ever used that. We were expecting him, so when the knocker knocked, my younger two sisters yelled "YOU CAN NEVER COME HERE AGAIN!" and "GO AWAY< WE DON'T WANT YOU HERE!" while they opened the door. There stood an aunt we hadn't seen in oh, five years and my grandmother. Boy were they surprised.
My dad is now in Nebraska. I think he likes it. I talked to the financial aid people. You know, I think the word "aid" should be removed from their title. Financial Status people would be more fitting.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
A Lesson in Southern Speak Because I Miss English
"thow" - Throw
"yo mane" - not an accidental mispronouncitation of Lo Mein, it means "you're mean"
"cream taters" - mashed potatoes
"are they?" - this does not necessarily refer to people. It doesn't even have anything to do with the the pronoun "they" - it's used instead of "are there"
richair- right there
richairyonder; richonder; richonderdare- right over there
Groshy - grocery
pelluh- pillow
aintcha- aren't you
ainta- aren't I
pess- past
bane- bean
caint- can't
Doe- door
seed- saw
tooah- to have (he like tooa fell...[trans] simply- he almost fell... literally, he was about to have fallen)
hain't - haven't or don't, depending on the usage
ate- eat; eat is pronounced et
pays- peas
And the phrases these people use!
hain't got none noways.
trans. I haven't any, anyway. or: I don't have any, anyway.
hain't never done nothin/went nowhere
Trans. I haven't ever done anything/ been anywhere
They use... double double negatives or something. Double negative doubles? Negative doubles? Like double sharps in music. It really very sad.
I have to translate in order to understand them. It's insane.
Please, someone, reassure me that there is a place out there where people speak English instead of this!
"yo mane" - not an accidental mispronouncitation of Lo Mein, it means "you're mean"
"cream taters" - mashed potatoes
"are they?" - this does not necessarily refer to people. It doesn't even have anything to do with the the pronoun "they" - it's used instead of "are there"
richair- right there
richairyonder; richonder; richonderdare- right over there
Groshy - grocery
pelluh- pillow
aintcha- aren't you
ainta- aren't I
pess- past
bane- bean
caint- can't
Doe- door
seed- saw
tooah- to have (he like tooa fell...[trans] simply- he almost fell... literally, he was about to have fallen)
hain't - haven't or don't, depending on the usage
ate- eat; eat is pronounced et
pays- peas
And the phrases these people use!
hain't got none noways.
trans. I haven't any, anyway. or: I don't have any, anyway.
hain't never done nothin/went nowhere
Trans. I haven't ever done anything/ been anywhere
They use... double double negatives or something. Double negative doubles? Negative doubles? Like double sharps in music. It really very sad.
I have to translate in order to understand them. It's insane.
Please, someone, reassure me that there is a place out there where people speak English instead of this!
Sunday, May 20, 2007
but at when at first, for i read it as nabob.
That, Brian, is what I originally typed on your wall. It was one of the very few times that I actually looked up to check and see if I had made any major typos. I don't really know exactly what I was thinking when I composed that part of the sentence, but even I couldn't understand it. It amused me and I thought about leaving it, but I decided against that. I could see you making the dissappointed face that Kristen always talks about. I thought it would entertain some of you, though so that's why I put here (despite the dissappointed look). I think that being roommates with Jill and then coming back to Alabama has been a bad thing for me. I think it's mostly the Alabama part. I mean, at least "at-here-food-place" made some sort of sense. Perhaps, I'm just really tired. My day did start at 5:30am and almost all of my days now start at 6:30am- 7:00am; I litterally dream about next semester when my earliest class is at 10:40. Ah, bliss!
Oh, but what a day! it was "take Dad to the airport day" where he would catch a plane from Birmingham to Houston at 8am, then fly from Houston to Tulsa, from Tulsa to Salt Lake City, and from Salt Lake City to Billings, Montana where his boss would be waiting to pick him up and drive him 200 miles to Sheridan, Wyoming. SO we got there in plenty of time, went to the desk that the itenerary said to go to, where he waited for fifteen minutes and then was told "this is the wrong desk". After crossing the airport to the correct desk and waiting there for ten minutes, he was told "this flight has been overbooked... but I think you can still get a seat," which took another ten minutes or so. Then it was time for security check. In a line that streched from the security check point to the Continental ticket counter, which, unless you've been to the Birmingham airport, is worthless information to you, so think of it as from...Villa 1 to Villa 6. Quite long for Birmingham. Of course, his flight was called while he was in the line. He had just passed the ID taker woman. So my mother went to the Continental counter and asked if there was any way they could make sure the plane didn't leave. Next thing I knew "Could Continental passenger ______ please come to the ticket counter" was blaring over the loudspeaker. Turns out, the flight was full and they had locked it so he wouldn't have been able to get on anyway. The ticket people were really nice though, they tried so hard to get him on that plane. They spent twenty minutes trying to find a flight that wasn't booked with continental. They had to send him on Northwest. But this way he only had to fly BHM to Memphis, Memphis to Minneapolis, and Minneapolis to Billings. Unfortunately, the connecting flight from Minneapolis was delayed an hour so he's still somewhere in the air. My poor father.
Oh, but what a day! it was "take Dad to the airport day" where he would catch a plane from Birmingham to Houston at 8am, then fly from Houston to Tulsa, from Tulsa to Salt Lake City, and from Salt Lake City to Billings, Montana where his boss would be waiting to pick him up and drive him 200 miles to Sheridan, Wyoming. SO we got there in plenty of time, went to the desk that the itenerary said to go to, where he waited for fifteen minutes and then was told "this is the wrong desk". After crossing the airport to the correct desk and waiting there for ten minutes, he was told "this flight has been overbooked... but I think you can still get a seat," which took another ten minutes or so. Then it was time for security check. In a line that streched from the security check point to the Continental ticket counter, which, unless you've been to the Birmingham airport, is worthless information to you, so think of it as from...Villa 1 to Villa 6. Quite long for Birmingham. Of course, his flight was called while he was in the line. He had just passed the ID taker woman. So my mother went to the Continental counter and asked if there was any way they could make sure the plane didn't leave. Next thing I knew "Could Continental passenger ______ please come to the ticket counter" was blaring over the loudspeaker. Turns out, the flight was full and they had locked it so he wouldn't have been able to get on anyway. The ticket people were really nice though, they tried so hard to get him on that plane. They spent twenty minutes trying to find a flight that wasn't booked with continental. They had to send him on Northwest. But this way he only had to fly BHM to Memphis, Memphis to Minneapolis, and Minneapolis to Billings. Unfortunately, the connecting flight from Minneapolis was delayed an hour so he's still somewhere in the air. My poor father.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Boys, You Shouldn't Leave Fishing Lures in Your Pockets
They get caught in the little wholes in the washer and it takes twenty minutes to unhook them. And they rip your sisters' jeans.
I watched Spider Man Three again yesterday. It made me miss you guys. But the commentaries of little people were funny.
"It's dark in here. Really dark. Like it was in the tomb."
"What tomb?"
"You know, umm, Jesus' tomb."
"is love wonderful?"
"When are they going to make a movie where Spider Man looses? This is getting too predictable."
It wasn't quite as bad the second time. But I'm still of the opinion that it tried for cheesy and failed. Cheese is good. This was like fake cheesy. Like velveeta or worse, kraft singles. Although, this time I did manage not to laugh because Tobey Maguire can't cry. And I saw the lady on the stage do the head thing. Ha. But if I were to write a review it be: "Spiderman Three: A Film to Sleep Through." That's what I did both times. Although, I slept through different parts of both times. But I really liked the film's music.
Then we went to a friend's house and I spoke to Lauren for a long time. (Which sounds awfully rude but it wasn't. They have a very spoiled only daughter who won't saty by herself and they were out and it was raining and my parents went out with her parents and so the 7 of us were there). And then we came home and the others watched The Illusionist which made me miss you guys even more.
Sometimes I wish I had never studied music or theology. It's sad to me what happens at Mass in many places. NEWSFALSH: The Mass is not about us.
WHAT? You're kidding me! We're Christ's body! We're the Church! We're all one huge family (and totally NOT dysfunctional, never) We this and we that. Gather US in, WE are the light of world, I come here...
Besides that fact that the music is at best hard for a congregation to sing and slipshod, the words are at best vague about the truths of the faith. More often than not they can be interpreted heretically. In the words of C.S. Lewis, they are "fifth-rate poetry set to sixth-rate music." Unfortunately, these songs have become the norm, the norm of ignorance: ignorance of the history and purpose of sacred music, ignorance of the nobleness, beauty, and awesomeness of the Mass, and hence, ignorance of the Catholic faith and of God.
In the "spirit of Vatican II" composers and those that call themselves liturgists or liturgical musicians, in an effort to get the congregation more invovled, have accomplished the exact opposite; they have repulsed and silenced the congregation. The voices booming (or squeaking, or squalking)through the microphones are the only ones that are heard. (And sadly, most of them are not worth hearing.)
Many of the musical compostions for the English translations of the Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei are confusing and hard to learn. Music should inform the listeners of the "attitude" of the lyrics. The Gloria is not a dirge; it should not be sung like one. The Agnus Dei is a plea for mercy, not a happy little ditty about us. Today at Mass the Lamb of God was very peppy; my four year old brother bounced up and down to keep time. It was also very hard to sing. It jumped octaves! In the middle of a syllable! Twice! In the same syllable. There were many trills and embellishments. It did not fit the words at all.
The Mass is not our weekly free hour of entertainment. My job as a musician is NOT to perform. (This is very hard for many musicians to understand; don't even get me started on cantors.) My job as a musician is to help souls worship by singing or playing music that is fitting for the Mass; music that by its very nature and its compostion allows the soul to hear God's goodness and majesty reflected. It is better to have no music at all than to have a concert. The music should not be distracting to the congregation. The quality of the music should not distract (or annoy) the congregation. If you can't find a decent number of people who sing decently to be in the choir, then don't have a choir at all. The chorus setting of your electric organ should not come on in the middle of the Gloria, scaring people and causing them to look up in the choir loft and see what happened while drowning out the complicated melody making any attempt to sing it futile.
The words, too, are supposed to mean something. I, personally, cannot figure out what meaning "Gather us In" and "All are Welcome" have except to give ourselves a pat on the back. The Servant Song? I just don't get it. Let's come to Mass and sing songs about how great we are. Oh wait, the congregation doesn't sing anymore. Wonder why...
I watched Spider Man Three again yesterday. It made me miss you guys. But the commentaries of little people were funny.
"It's dark in here. Really dark. Like it was in the tomb."
"What tomb?"
"You know, umm, Jesus' tomb."
"is love wonderful?"
"When are they going to make a movie where Spider Man looses? This is getting too predictable."
It wasn't quite as bad the second time. But I'm still of the opinion that it tried for cheesy and failed. Cheese is good. This was like fake cheesy. Like velveeta or worse, kraft singles. Although, this time I did manage not to laugh because Tobey Maguire can't cry. And I saw the lady on the stage do the head thing. Ha. But if I were to write a review it be: "Spiderman Three: A Film to Sleep Through." That's what I did both times. Although, I slept through different parts of both times. But I really liked the film's music.
Then we went to a friend's house and I spoke to Lauren for a long time. (Which sounds awfully rude but it wasn't. They have a very spoiled only daughter who won't saty by herself and they were out and it was raining and my parents went out with her parents and so the 7 of us were there). And then we came home and the others watched The Illusionist which made me miss you guys even more.
Sometimes I wish I had never studied music or theology. It's sad to me what happens at Mass in many places. NEWSFALSH: The Mass is not about us.
WHAT? You're kidding me! We're Christ's body! We're the Church! We're all one huge family (and totally NOT dysfunctional, never) We this and we that. Gather US in, WE are the light of world, I come here...
Besides that fact that the music is at best hard for a congregation to sing and slipshod, the words are at best vague about the truths of the faith. More often than not they can be interpreted heretically. In the words of C.S. Lewis, they are "fifth-rate poetry set to sixth-rate music." Unfortunately, these songs have become the norm, the norm of ignorance: ignorance of the history and purpose of sacred music, ignorance of the nobleness, beauty, and awesomeness of the Mass, and hence, ignorance of the Catholic faith and of God.
In the "spirit of Vatican II" composers and those that call themselves liturgists or liturgical musicians, in an effort to get the congregation more invovled, have accomplished the exact opposite; they have repulsed and silenced the congregation. The voices booming (or squeaking, or squalking)through the microphones are the only ones that are heard. (And sadly, most of them are not worth hearing.)
Many of the musical compostions for the English translations of the Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei are confusing and hard to learn. Music should inform the listeners of the "attitude" of the lyrics. The Gloria is not a dirge; it should not be sung like one. The Agnus Dei is a plea for mercy, not a happy little ditty about us. Today at Mass the Lamb of God was very peppy; my four year old brother bounced up and down to keep time. It was also very hard to sing. It jumped octaves! In the middle of a syllable! Twice! In the same syllable. There were many trills and embellishments. It did not fit the words at all.
The Mass is not our weekly free hour of entertainment. My job as a musician is NOT to perform. (This is very hard for many musicians to understand; don't even get me started on cantors.) My job as a musician is to help souls worship by singing or playing music that is fitting for the Mass; music that by its very nature and its compostion allows the soul to hear God's goodness and majesty reflected. It is better to have no music at all than to have a concert. The music should not be distracting to the congregation. The quality of the music should not distract (or annoy) the congregation. If you can't find a decent number of people who sing decently to be in the choir, then don't have a choir at all. The chorus setting of your electric organ should not come on in the middle of the Gloria, scaring people and causing them to look up in the choir loft and see what happened while drowning out the complicated melody making any attempt to sing it futile.
The words, too, are supposed to mean something. I, personally, cannot figure out what meaning "Gather us In" and "All are Welcome" have except to give ourselves a pat on the back. The Servant Song? I just don't get it. Let's come to Mass and sing songs about how great we are. Oh wait, the congregation doesn't sing anymore. Wonder why...
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Did you know that a Rat smells in "3d"?
I didn't. Apparently, their sense of smell is thousands of times better than ours. It's funny what little minds are curious about. That was Dan's question: "how far do rats smell." Dom's was "what's in a nose." My question is why would anyone care how far a rat can smell enough to do scientific research to find the answer. And why does it matter?
These are the kind of things that I miss when I am in Georgia.
I finally got to cook! Tommorow I clean. I've read three books just because. I've put little ones to bed and played their favorite songs on the piano. (This is quite an accomplishment since almost anytime i play, someone says "STOP!") I feel a little less out-of-place when I do these things. Although it's hard not to out of place when you sleep on couch, have no where to call your own space (I did not realize how important this was to me) and are living out of a suitcase in the place you used to call home...
These are the kind of things that I miss when I am in Georgia.
I finally got to cook! Tommorow I clean. I've read three books just because. I've put little ones to bed and played their favorite songs on the piano. (This is quite an accomplishment since almost anytime i play, someone says "STOP!") I feel a little less out-of-place when I do these things. Although it's hard not to out of place when you sleep on couch, have no where to call your own space (I did not realize how important this was to me) and are living out of a suitcase in the place you used to call home...
Monday, April 02, 2007
Just Things
More appropriately, Simply Things or perhaps even Random Things since this has absolutely nothing to do with things have the virtue of justice. Just... things.
I think I upset my mother today. It's kind of hard to tell through text. Curses upon rude guys in trains! The only sane person where we live (my mother's best friend) may be moving to Michigan. So it'll be pretty lonely for my mother if they do (the family). It's a sad thing when Christians stop acting like Christians. Perhaps that's a confusing statement given that you don't know the context, but it's a long story. So it's not a happy thought that they'd be moving away. She said something along the lines of being really selfish for not wanting that to happen. I said that I hope it isn't because I'm pretty much in the same boat, only mine is more of an everyone else will be here and I'll be stuck in Alabama. I told her that I might go talk to Combee or Ashcroft (I'm leaning more towards Combee, other people have said Ashcroft) and she got upset. I think it bothers her that I would HAVE to stay there. And that she can't help me out anymore than she is (which is a lot, especially considering all circumstances). It would be pretty heartless of me to come, though, if I don't get more aid. I don't want to stay there. Anyway, it made sad that it upsets her that much. She'll barely talk to me about it except to say that I shouldn't be worrying about it and to concentrate on my work. I'm NOT worried about it. Sad, yes (especially since there is no Fall Break next semester). Worried, no. Whatever happens happens. Not to sound... whiny? but, I'm pretty used to having things not work out the way I want them to (and I have been way more homesick than I ever have been [considering that I've NEVER been homesick] and there has to be a reason for that...). Anyway, I'm sure you guys are tired of hearing about this so I'll try and refrain from bringing it up again. But it is kind of difficult.
On to better, brighter things.
My brother is going to have his First Communion on May 6th! This is my Danny-Boy so I'll get to be there, which makes me happy. I miss him and Carolynne a lot. I think that when I go home, Carolynne and I are going to live in the house that our family doesn't live in. It was built in the 30's and is about 20square feet. Ok so that's exaggerating in the opposite way that exaggeration normally implies. But it is pretty small. We were using it as a screen printing shop but we're going to fix it up to where it's live-able and She and I are going to live in it. With Isadora. The hamster.
Did I tell any of you that we got a hamster? Apparently, we did. I'm told it's cute. Speaking of cute, I'm still waiting for them to send me pictures of the duck that speaks goose. Whose name is not Chick or Fritter. It's Flip. and the other's name was Twitter. But Dominic got mixed up when he was telling me. Speaking of Dominic, did I ever tell you guys that at one point, he had 16 different nick names? Everyone called him something different and he answered to all of them. IF the right person called him the right name. It was insane. I'm surprised he didn't have some sort of identity crisis. He enjoyed it, though.
David is going to be 10 on Saturday! It's hard to believe. He's almost as tall as I am though. I think he comes up to my ears. He's going to be one big guy.
Time for class.
I think I upset my mother today. It's kind of hard to tell through text. Curses upon rude guys in trains! The only sane person where we live (my mother's best friend) may be moving to Michigan. So it'll be pretty lonely for my mother if they do (the family). It's a sad thing when Christians stop acting like Christians. Perhaps that's a confusing statement given that you don't know the context, but it's a long story. So it's not a happy thought that they'd be moving away. She said something along the lines of being really selfish for not wanting that to happen. I said that I hope it isn't because I'm pretty much in the same boat, only mine is more of an everyone else will be here and I'll be stuck in Alabama. I told her that I might go talk to Combee or Ashcroft (I'm leaning more towards Combee, other people have said Ashcroft) and she got upset. I think it bothers her that I would HAVE to stay there. And that she can't help me out anymore than she is (which is a lot, especially considering all circumstances). It would be pretty heartless of me to come, though, if I don't get more aid. I don't want to stay there. Anyway, it made sad that it upsets her that much. She'll barely talk to me about it except to say that I shouldn't be worrying about it and to concentrate on my work. I'm NOT worried about it. Sad, yes (especially since there is no Fall Break next semester). Worried, no. Whatever happens happens. Not to sound... whiny? but, I'm pretty used to having things not work out the way I want them to (and I have been way more homesick than I ever have been [considering that I've NEVER been homesick] and there has to be a reason for that...). Anyway, I'm sure you guys are tired of hearing about this so I'll try and refrain from bringing it up again. But it is kind of difficult.
On to better, brighter things.
My brother is going to have his First Communion on May 6th! This is my Danny-Boy so I'll get to be there, which makes me happy. I miss him and Carolynne a lot. I think that when I go home, Carolynne and I are going to live in the house that our family doesn't live in. It was built in the 30's and is about 20square feet. Ok so that's exaggerating in the opposite way that exaggeration normally implies. But it is pretty small. We were using it as a screen printing shop but we're going to fix it up to where it's live-able and She and I are going to live in it. With Isadora. The hamster.
Did I tell any of you that we got a hamster? Apparently, we did. I'm told it's cute. Speaking of cute, I'm still waiting for them to send me pictures of the duck that speaks goose. Whose name is not Chick or Fritter. It's Flip. and the other's name was Twitter. But Dominic got mixed up when he was telling me. Speaking of Dominic, did I ever tell you guys that at one point, he had 16 different nick names? Everyone called him something different and he answered to all of them. IF the right person called him the right name. It was insane. I'm surprised he didn't have some sort of identity crisis. He enjoyed it, though.
David is going to be 10 on Saturday! It's hard to believe. He's almost as tall as I am though. I think he comes up to my ears. He's going to be one big guy.
Time for class.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Ah, yes
Today, I had lunch with Dr. Urbanczyk! And Dr. Bruce, but he doesn't get an exclamation point. Although, I think he no longer doesn't like me and I have decided that I like him, but not his oddities. Emily Looney thinks I'm absolutely crazy. (That actually wasn't random, believe it or not; she ate lunch with us) I can't deny it. But she is, too.
ANYWHOO...
You missed it, Brian. We totaly got Dr. Urbanczyk off on a tangent about Wal-Mart. It was great. But then we were reading the little thingamabobbers on the table- the activity thingy- and on it, it says "Bettie Seller's John Kay" and Anthony asked one of them who that was and Dr. Bruce was telling us that they are colleagues and coming to speak about a Georgian poet-laureate (did I get that right?). At which point I said "Oh! There's not supposed to be an apostrophe there and there should be a comma between them. I thought it was a novel she'd written or something." And neither of the Doctors had realized that. So Dr. Bruce said "Yes, she's a ventriloquist and John Kay is her dummie's name" So he and Dr. Urbanzcyk (and all of us) laughed about it for a little while until Dr. Bruce said "Yes, I have to introduce them. I've been wondering how I was going to do that. I think that's how I should". Dr. Urbanczyk thought this was hilarious. I thought it was pretty funny, too. I was like "that would be great" and Dr. Urbanczyk said "Yes, that would be highly entertaining."
Dr. Bruce was pretty funny today in class. I felt bad that I had to leave so many times. I felt bad for the person sitting next to me as well...
I thought I was going to die this morning. I seriously could not breathe. It's really fun to wake up at 4 am unable to breathe. You should all try it one day. I highly reccommend it. Most fun I've had in years.
O.k. that was really lame, but hey, what do you expect from me? I'm tired, anyway. Let me submit to you that tiredness isn't great for writing intelligible things. Just ask Dan. I don't want to go class. I think I might fall asleep. Why am I so tired. I'm confused. But tomorrow's Saturday. I don't think I've eaten an actual meal all week. Just salads. Why won't they make Chicken Parmagan? I miss eating meat. Sorry Amy. But meat is good.
ANYWHOO...
You missed it, Brian. We totaly got Dr. Urbanczyk off on a tangent about Wal-Mart. It was great. But then we were reading the little thingamabobbers on the table- the activity thingy- and on it, it says "Bettie Seller's John Kay" and Anthony asked one of them who that was and Dr. Bruce was telling us that they are colleagues and coming to speak about a Georgian poet-laureate (did I get that right?). At which point I said "Oh! There's not supposed to be an apostrophe there and there should be a comma between them. I thought it was a novel she'd written or something." And neither of the Doctors had realized that. So Dr. Bruce said "Yes, she's a ventriloquist and John Kay is her dummie's name" So he and Dr. Urbanzcyk (and all of us) laughed about it for a little while until Dr. Bruce said "Yes, I have to introduce them. I've been wondering how I was going to do that. I think that's how I should". Dr. Urbanczyk thought this was hilarious. I thought it was pretty funny, too. I was like "that would be great" and Dr. Urbanczyk said "Yes, that would be highly entertaining."
Dr. Bruce was pretty funny today in class. I felt bad that I had to leave so many times. I felt bad for the person sitting next to me as well...
I thought I was going to die this morning. I seriously could not breathe. It's really fun to wake up at 4 am unable to breathe. You should all try it one day. I highly reccommend it. Most fun I've had in years.
O.k. that was really lame, but hey, what do you expect from me? I'm tired, anyway. Let me submit to you that tiredness isn't great for writing intelligible things. Just ask Dan. I don't want to go class. I think I might fall asleep. Why am I so tired. I'm confused. But tomorrow's Saturday. I don't think I've eaten an actual meal all week. Just salads. Why won't they make Chicken Parmagan? I miss eating meat. Sorry Amy. But meat is good.
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About Me
- Cat
- Ave Maria, FL, United States
- BA in Music - Concentration in Sacred Music (and voice), shutterbug, philosophy lover
