Why Catholics Can't Sing: The Culture of Catholicism and the Triumph of Bad Taste [Paperback]

Thomas Day (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1992

This book is about the culture of American Christianity and what it does to our understanding of God, self, and community as reflected in the way Christians worship.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Day, head of the music department at Salve Regina College in Rhode Island, accurately and wittily skewers what passes for culture in American Catholicism, particularly as expressed in church music. He takes aim at the "Irish-American" repertoire of songs that comprise Catholic music in this country, and assails other less felicitous liturgical practices in vogue since Vatican II, such as applauding during Mass. "Liturgical post-modernism," according to Day, has resulted in noisy and forced participation from the laity, and encourages a church-wide narcissism that is a serious threat to individuals as well as the institution. No mere nay-sayer, Day makes positive suggestions for nurturing the latent vitality he perceives in the American Catholic community. This is an informative, insightful and entertaining critique.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: The Crossroad Publishing Company (April 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824511530
• ISBN-13: 978-0824511531
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #206,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #88 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Catholicism > Roman Catholicism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For a generation that does not understand liturgy!, April 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Why Catholics Can't Sing: The Culture of Catholicism and the Triumph of Bad Taste (Paperback)

Thomas Day presents a very interesting theory as to why Catholics have become silent during the Mass. His comments at the current state of litugical music (as well as liturgy in general, seeing that the two are closely connected) are explained very thoroughly with very clear examples. While he certainly does not have much love for contemporary "folkish" church music and informal (sloppy) liturgies, he does not feel a 180 degree turn to the Tridentine Mass of old will solve the problem. I found myself laughing out loud as Day would discuss the exact situations present in my parish in a very witty and humorous way. If you think that "They Will Know We Are Christians" or "Here I Am Lord" is the best litugical music out there, then buy this book and open yourself up to 2000 years of Catholic tradition that Thomas Day very cleverly unlocks.

79 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Understand the Dark Days of Catholic Music, August 25, 2001

By 

William P. Cunningham "wmpat" (San Antonio, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Why Catholics Can't Sing: The Culture of Catholicism and the Triumph of Bad Taste (Paperback)

Once upon a time the Nasty Old Church was dominated by gray-haired old men in choir robes who led choirs in renditions of the St. Gregory Hymnal and choral Masses of great insipidity. Then the Fathers of Vatican Council II wisely sat together and, behold, decreed that all the people should sing together in Latin and Gregorian chant should have pride of place. But, said they, in certain mission lands indigenous music and language may be used in some circumstances. Then came fell creatures fresh from six months of classes in Pastoral Music, bearing guitars and microphones and amplified boxes filled with transistors. And, behold, they appealed to the Spirit of Vatican II, who heard their pleas and gave them power over religious women, and men with itching ears. And these cried out to their bishops, saying "away with anything written before 1970, and with organs of metal and wood, and with choruses singing aught unsyncopated, and with any instrument that is not plucked. And they cast all these into the fire, and behold there was such a noisesome sound as had not been heard since the dawn of time. Thomas Day, sometimes with tongue in cheek, but often with pitchfork in hand, skewers the new liturgical music establishment without mercy. He indicts FBI (Foreign Born Irish) priests for imposing a reign of silence and maudlin hymns on generations of American Catholics. But he also impales those who impose unsingable light rock music with insipid lyrics and syncopated melodies. Unfortunately, Day's analysis is not dated in 2001. We are still stuck with the drivel that poured forth from the St. Louis Jesuits in the seventies. Indeed, the new liturgical music reign of terror is worse than the old maudlin hymns ever were. Day doesn't have much hope for change, and, unfortunately, events since publication of this classic have pretty well borne him out. We're now into the third generation of American Catholics who--unless they have lived in Europe or some of the last remaining havens of good music here and there in the U.S.--have never heard Gregorian chant or anything composed prior to 1970.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an enjoyable read, highly pertinent observations, April 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Why Catholics Can't Sing: The Culture of Catholicism and the Triumph of Bad Taste (Paperback)

This is not a book about one particular type of mass versus another, its about achieving practical, meaningful, enjoyable community worship. A few years ago out of curiosity, I attended a tridentine sung mass. I had never been to a high mass in latin before and I found it a much deeper spiritual experience than the post Vatican II mass I was used to. The solemnity, the ritual, and the music combined to let me understand the grave import of the ceremony, and become deeply aware of the special presence of God, what's more it was joyous and enjoyable. However, when I tried to rationalise the experience, figure out exactly why this mass and its "old church" music allowed me to feel so deeply compared to my normal experiece of mass - I couldn't do it, (surely the mass is the mass, whatever the liturgical style, I said to myself). In this book Thomad Day explains why for many people catholic communal worship can be a bland experience, even an irritating chore, devoid for the most part of any sense of the divine, and by referring to catholic tradition he suggests simple, effective, commonsense methods for improving the community worship experience. For any concerned catholic layperson - I thoroughly recommend it.