Actually, by the looks of that graphic I assume he's introducing plainsong chants written in Gregorian notation:

I am intrigued by Adam's story here. It reminds me of another story someone told me about Michael Joncas apologizing publicly and profusely for "On Eagle's Wings." Whether that's true or not, I don't think we can judge people solely on their pasts.

All good points, but the music is what it is. What we do with it is the real question.

It is really hard to say that Schutte is responsible. I reviewed the SJ Jesuits coffee-table book some years ago and tried to come to terms with their success and its meaning. I don't think any of them really set out to become the sound of Catholic liturgy or displace anything that should there. I found no evidence that they were revolutionaries. Flowerday has convinced me too that they were even something of a conservatizing force as compared with the folk stuff. They were just in the right spot at the right time, and it was their seminary leadership that pushed their work into liturgy. It's been a pretty good ride ever since, and of course no one wants to think of his or her life as destructive in any sense. In any case, I do think that the hard-core case against their music needs to be informed by a sense of time and place.

I thought the article I wrote was somewhat sympathetic, even very sympathetic. The fans of the SLJ didn't agree, and I continue to receive shocking hate mail on this article.

No, Jeffrey, I remember the article and the "times" very well.
The SLJ were pivotal, particularly post "Neither Silver Nor Gold," in terms of their clear demand (when it came right down to it) to adhere to bass note movement as integral to their compositional ownership as figured bass continuo was to the realization of baroque accompanimental technique. The trouble was, Peter/Paul & Mary, per usual, mostly ignored that aspect of their chordal nomenclature. And this doesn't even address the right hands of the strummers.
As far as Dan is concerned, Adam's "take" on him is pretty much spot on, and I've known Dan personally since '78. That said, this latest enterprise is his industry. If we regard the celebrities as "monsters in our midst," we ought to remember there were the Frankensteins who "created" them and that: 1. it is in both their interests that the mechanism be kept alive; and 2. the monster wasn't intrinsically created to do harm and evil.

OK, I'm not surprised about it, nor convinced its anything worth people's time.
If I were permitted to speak plainly, I wonder what good fruit can come from a workshop/performance run by a musically mediocre ex-Jesuit?

If he's incorporating chant, good. Still, this is plain old industry, and we need more than that to move forward.

Schutte might be the nicest guy in the world, but I think people deserve more orthodox teaching credentials and more sustainable music. No more pablum, thanks!

If Dan Schutte helps move people toward better music, that's great. The problem is that most folks who go to workshops go home and continue doing whatever they did before. My only complaint when a colleague read me her notes from a conference he did in our diocese was that he seemed to think one could "craft" a liturgy that had something for everyone - young, old, contemporary, conservative, uplifting, peaceful, outward directed, inwardly focused, etc.

The only change in the parish where I was organist at the time was the introduction of snacks after rehearsal.

MaryAnn and Mary Jane's commentary concerning the "tonic" (as in cocktail) approach to improving parish musical worship quality typifies the 21st century social predisposition towards accomodation and convenience. In another forum thread mention was made about how we tend to make associations between people's preference for certain worship modalities and their political persuasions. Where that finds resonance here is in MJB's colleague's notes- a "leader" who advocates the "be all things to all people" model. In this era, particularly in the last two years the gorge between "leader" and "politician" has become a canyon.
We can bemoan such endeavors as Schutte's until we're blue in the face, but the vast majority of people who will attend them are generally ignorant of any other alternative. And they're okay with the fast-food, HALF-DAY(!) quick fix. And the rest of us? We're accustomed to having to wind our way through political minefields daily as we make our way towards real progress.
Dan Schutte versus the St. Louis Diocese Academy approach?
Industry versus innovation/initiative. I'm going with the tortoise.

Re: something for everyone

Well, that's what we want to do. We just think that a unified Mass of chant (and polyphony, etc.) has something for everyone (and everything sung for God, of course!). They have been taught that each piece has something for only a small segment of the congregation, and that the most important thing is to pick out each piece to appeal to someone (possibly because God is okay with whatever sloppy seconds we give Him, as long as we're sincere).

Anyway... the point is that the times are changing, and that it's good that Mr. Schutte is part of that.

We have living saints aomong sacred musicians. How blessed we are to have them with us. They are models to all the church musicians, not because they are perfect people, but because they truly store their treasures in heaven with the talents they received from GOd (Today's reading in Mass.), and their 'success' is not measured in worldly manner but measured in God's eyes. I hope many musicians and priests don't measure the 'success' of their ministry by the number of people opening their mouths or amount of collection.

I pray that people who have resouces can give more support to those generous musicians, like Richard Rice, Jeff O, Fr. Kelly.... and all other CMAA musicians. We know so well singing chants don't necessarily make them 'rich and famous.'

The problem is those 'beloved' hymns are over used in many local churches where there are hardly any chants and polyphony are heard. What are the norms and priority that the Church set for Her Liturgy? Is it still our taste of dignity or our own idea of appropriatness?

For example, try this recording of the beloved hymn, "Blest Be the Lord." And then ask yourself, "Can I really continue to deny the dignity and appropriateness of this heartfelt, sacred music?"

Adam, with absolute understanding, appreciation and respect, what you're defending in the above is the performance, and not the intrinsic merit of the music. I trust that the video demonstrates a heartfelt, dignified and even appropriate rendition by the artist. But Duf's song, IMO, is part of the late 20c repertoire that served as transit vehicles to much more competent, sophisticated and artistically superior contemporary works represented by folks like Janet Sullivan Whitaker. And I hope we all can agree that performance is integral to the fullfillness of any piece's ultimate merit. Music really cannot praise God when it remains notes and texts on a page, can it?

GUYS! IT WAS A JOKE!
Listen to the recording- it's Casio Chords and Midi Drums.

Oh. My bad.

adam
o you kid!!!!
thats what i get for responding without listening. however im sorta dissapointed that there wasnt a credable rendition of blest be da Lord.
on the other hand not all that comes from ocp-gia land is pure crap. there are some decent things that perhaps shouldnt be thrown out with the bathwater. as hymnody yea its all pretty much useless but for a choir in transition(as mine is) they are some good crossover pieces that deserve at least a second glance.

David Andrew, those voices are probably occupied with making trouble somewhere else at the moment. ;-) Perhaps it's a gift, and they have to share it elsewhere. LOL.

The chant image is like chant itself. It's used in the media as a topos of "Catholicism" but not frequently heard or seen in actual Catholic Masses. So, the image stands in for the "idea of Catholic music".

The publisher was probably afraid of being sued if they reproduced someone else's melody in the ad. :-)

BTW - I've usually found there's a relationship between the degree of cheesiness of the smile in the publicity photo and the distance I'd like to put between myself and the product. It's not infallible, but it's a useful heuristic.

.

I would sing the & as "et" but I see your point!

Well, certain fonts, like the default here, clearly show that the ampersand is actually the word "et". Other fonts depict more stylized or calligraphic versions. I ofter use "&c." rather than "etc."

At my parish the pastor forbids us to do anything by Schutte due to his belief that Schutte is an ex-priest living in an openly homosexual lifestyle. I've tried to find documentation on this but nothing has turned up yet. I haven't really missed not using his music since upgrading over the years, but other groups in my parish would probably do his music if they could. As their link between the priest, does anyone have any information on these assertions?

At my parish the pastor forbids us to do anything by Schutte due to his belief that Schutte is an ex-priest living in an openly homosexual lifestyle.

Umnnnnhhhh...

A most unusual rule. If we make decisions on 'acceptable' music based on the personal life of the composer, Chopin, Liszt, Tschaikovsky, and Mozart (off the top of my head) would not be heard in churches. No big loss on the first three, but Wolfie, an ex-Catholic who went Mason?

His stuff might be missed.

I'm not interested in Schutte's opus; wouldn't use it for Mass, period. But that's because Schutte's music is, properly, useful for "devotionals" rather than Mass; just as is "Mother Dear, O Pray for Me".

Dad

no great loss on number four either.