Words and Music in our Parishes

Over a week ago on St Patricks Day we sang "Hail, Glorious St Patrick".  The Hymn Book we sang from was inspired by the Spirit of Vatican II and having no more `triumphalism` in the Church.  For those no acquainted with this Spirit the message was that silly Catholics just stood or knelt at Mass doing nothing before Vatican II, and held triumphalist processions to Our Lady or the Blessed Sacrament which had to be stamped out.   The war against inequalit`y and triumphalism even reached the hymn books.  The feminists searched feverishly for anything which left women out and so in make me a channel of  your peace we sing "In  giving to all that we receive" and not `all men"   They could have written `mankind` but the  the war was on inequality and the mention of men.   "I`ll sing a Hymn to Mary" changed the last two lines "When wicked men blaspheme thee, I love and bless thy name.  I must confess that before the Spirit of Vatican II I never quite understood these words.  Now with the blasphemy within the Church it makes sense.   But back to Hail Glorious St Patrick.   I am proud of my Irish Catholicity and I refuse to accept the watered down version  which forbids us repeating the "last two lines of each verse and bids us keep repeating `On Erins green valleys look down in thy Love.  I am afraid I try to drown everyone out in refusing to do this and continuing the traditional way of the hymn.  And it ends For God and St Patrick and our native home with disgusting triumphalism.   I also dislike lyrics no mater how good being written to traditional folk songs.  I just hate listening to a Scottish song "Won`t you haste to Kelvingrove, Bonnie Lassie O" being turned into a hymn in church since I used to sing the song and walked many a time with a young lady in that very grove.    But putting this all aside we have had good music and very bad music replacing the original wonderful music prior to the Spirit of Vatican II.   There is one thing I never expected though and it has taken me by surprise.  Recently I saw music written in the notation of Gregorian Chant but instead of Latin underneath there was the English Translation.    I have never come across anything worse.   Gregorian Chant was made for the Latin language and the rhythm of that language is totally different from English.  What has been proved is that you cannot use this chant in English because it ceases  to be chant ad just becomes song.    I am afraid it is one compromise too far.  

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