Publisher's Weekly Review
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. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Day argues that the culture of American Catholicism before the Second Vatican Council was characterized by two primary values that militated against vigorous congregational singing: "Waste not" and "Control thyself." "Waste not" prevented money from being spent on such things as organs, musicians, choirs, art, and architecture because the real essence of Catholic worship was thought to be the silent Mass--where the congregation watched or engaged in private devotions while the priest, with his back toward the people, recited the Latin Mass. "Control thyself" prevented American Catholics from demonstrating their enthusiasm in church; rather, "A subdued faith, one that burned in~tensely but quietly in private, had emerged as the ideal for mainstream American Catholics." The combination of these two cultural values "doomed American Catholic church music." With Vatican II, the old cultural values were to be set aside and space was made for congregational participation, including singing. But what has happened in the U.S. instead is a de-ritualization of the Mass and the filling of the vacuum with music not designed for congregational singing. A controversial study. Notes; to be indexed. ~--Sheila McGinn-Moorer
