[Magdalen] Updates, Changes, and Re-Treads

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

I was puzzled about your insistence that eastern Xtian churches always have
music, since the church I attend now and the one I used to attend are on
the eastern seaboard more or less, and have had a long tradition of
services without music. But then, it occurred to me that you didn't mean
eastern as in eastern USA. Oh well...
I assume you are referring to the Orthodox way. While they sing their
services, a lot of it is just chanting, and I wouldn't really refer to it
as music. Putting a choir together that can handle a service in harmony is
not just something you can do on the spur of the moment. I was in churches
in Moscow where one would expect they would have a pretty respectable
presence, and found choirs of five or six singers.
If something were to be a medieval aberration, I think we can safely say it
is a change whose time had come, since it has now been with us for
centuries. Aberration indeed.
It has been observed that lessons were sung back in the day. I think we
inherited it from the Jewish tradition. To this day, in some synagogues, we
find that the scriptures are sung.
I have been taught that the prophetic oracles (that would be the parts of
the Prophets which are set as poetry in the NRSV) were originally sung.
The speculation was that people could hear better that way.  I am not sure
about that. Who knows? Maybe so...

Some of the most moving Eucharists I've been part of were without any
music.

It is all well and good to strive for fine liturgy and music, but let's not
forget what is actually important. I'm a life-long musician, and I love
music in the liturgy, and I will do whatever I can to make that happen.
But does the liturgy have to have music? Of course not.

James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy

On Fri, Mar 17, 2017 at 6:05 PM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <
magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:

>
>
> In a message dated 3/17/2017 5:09:57 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> oppenheimerjw at gmail.com writes:
>
> Not  having a musician doesn't mean the services can't happen.
> The faithful few  at the early services of this and the church I used to
> attend have made do  without any music for decades. It's not something I'd
> want to do, but it  happens, and it's not the end of the
> world>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
>
> It's interesting that Sunday worship in Eastern Christianity
> always includes music.  That's supposed to be true for weekend
> liturgies in the RCC, too, though I've seen that rule fudged more
> than once.  I think Christianity was born singing.
>
> Even in the West, the norm has historically been the Solemn
> High Mass with all its chanting and polyphony, and even
> orchestral glories, and NOT the music-less Low Mass, which
> is a medieval aberration.
>
> I'd like to see anyone try to slip music-less liturgy by
> Martin Luther!
>
> What has happened in several parishes I know is the
> a capella Eucharist.  All you need is at least one strong
> singer (they don't need to be operatic stars), and congregations
> can find, sometimes to their delight, that they CAN sing.
>
>
> David Strang - Cantor of dozens of a capella   liturgies.
>