More Latin

[Hare]

music from Taizé for example

Without wishing to be inflamatory and/or off-topic, but merely keeping good humour, MERSEYSIDER IS RECOMMENDING A REPERTOIRE THAT INCLUDES LATIN!!

[Gwyn]

Surely not! The gin must've got to him.

[dunstan]

Why was Sweet Sacrament Divine so loved in its time?

Whoops, did I miss something?

[Merseysider]

MERSEYSIDER IS RECOMMENDING A REPERTOIRE THAT INCLUDES LATIN!!

Er...? Yes...? And? (And STOP SHOUTING!)

Why was Sweet Sacrament Divine so loved in its time?

Whoops, did I miss something?

You sure did, Dunstan. Many of us loved it and still do. Of course, as a predominantly Benediction hymn there are fewer opportunities to sing it these days – we used it recently at the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament which begins our Evening Prayer (yes, Hare, we sometimes use Taizé and English AND LATIN at that point too). But there are still a few of we simple souls who love the schmaltz and the syrup. (Of course, it's only really effective if sung by old ladies in hats who can slide excruciatingly up the octave at "There, in thine ear all trustfully..." and add a touch of vibrato to "we tell our tell of misery". Ah, where are the old dears who smelled of lavender and gave small altar boys stripy mints they couldn't crunch! I do so miss you.

Oh you've started me now – I'll be singing Sweet Sacrament Divine and To Jesus Heart All Burning and O Sacred Heart and Sweet Heart of Jesus All Night. Don't know how the neighbours put up with me.

[dunstan]

Why was Sweet Sacrament Divine so loved in its time?

Whoops, did I miss something?

You sure did, Dunstan. Many of us loved it and still do.

Whoops, didn't make myself clear. What I meant was that not only is it still loved but I still put it on fairly often.

By the same token, I wondered if I was pushing my luck putting on "Faith of Our Fathers" the last Sunday before the election ("Mary's prayers shall win our country back for thee"), but I got away with it.

And we're now so far off topic that I'm going to have to put the Lectionary down the back of my trousers before musicus reads this.

[musicus]

Now we're all back on-topic!

Musicus

[Gwyn]

There was topic was there? Wish someone had said.

Anyway, Taize is proddy Latin, that's ok. It's catholic Latin that's the issue here. Chortle

[Benevenio]

Taizé music is far more than Latin texts though, using many "modern" languages as well. And the point of the use of Latin in Taizé settings is that it is short phrases, repeated over and over, phrases that are easily translated into your own tongue and remembered so that you know what it is you are singing about, don't have to think about and can conentrate on the cantor's words being sung over your ostinato. And the cantor's verses to most of their settings are sung not in Latin but more usually in different (European) languages…


Merseysider asked (elsewhere now that this thread has been so neatly snipped from its mother) for a justification in using Latin. The answer in my parish is "when it is pastorally appropriate". We don't use it in general, but there are certain occassions when we do - for example,

[Merseysider]

Taize is proddy Latin, that's ok. It's catholic Latin that's the issue here.

I think I'd like to hear your explanation of this – on the other hand....

[Hare]

Taize is proddy Latin, that's ok.

We live and learn - I always thought Taize was ecumenical!

[Gwyn]

Hare commented:

We live and learn - I always thought Taize was ecumenical!

'Of course it is. As is its Latin. So what's the issue?

Lighten up chaps!

[presbyter]

If I ever get a web site going of my church, you will be able to see the text of your so-called "proddy" Taizé chant (dear me - what are we descending to in this forum?) in glorious mosaic around a very Catholic presbyterium - there's nothing "proddy" about Taizé chants - they are Scriptural - a part of Divine Revelation.

Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo - if you would like to know what the text is - inadequately rendered in the Lectionary as "I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord." - meaning the constant, faithful loving-kindness of the Covenant.

[Merseysider]

All a tad tricky if you live up here where "Proddy" means scriptural and Catholic means all the other bits.

My mother (now 82) was once admonished by the parish priest for reading the bible because it was "a protestant book".