Why aren't there more Catholic parishes using serious music in Mass?
If you don't have a demand, there won't be a supply.

As a Catholic composer, I can tell you what I think: the fear is nobody will listen to it, nobody will perform it, and most importantly nobody will buy it. Since I teach at a Catholic school, I don't have to worry too much about people purchasing my work: I can create it for its own sake and then distribute it to whomever is interested, free of charge. I actually enjoy doing that: I'd rather see the music performed than make a buck off of it. However, I did to a setting of the Mass for Ferias in Advent and Lent, using the chant melodies, but I haven't had the opportunity to have it performed yet.

The topic question is bogus. Who besides the Almighty determines what effect lies beyond "serious intent." As Kathy quips, "Oh, honestly(?)"

Clerget -
You may be underestimating yourself. There may be many who would perform and appreciate your music. There is certainly much being published and performed which should be an embarassment to composer, publisher, performer, and victim. Why not gather some encouragement about yourself and send your music to a publisher. Perhaps you could share it with us here?

If you could get your music published by a good publishing house that publishes sacred choral music (this ipso facto means a not Catholic one) you might find a place for your music with people of taste and discernment. If you really wanted to be bold, you could send your work to Oxford, Cambridge, or Novello, or Boosey & Hawkes. If you think you're not quite ready for them there are many decent publishers of sacred music which would give you a start. But stay away from big names in Catholic publishing: they will just give you a bad reputation.

Seconded.

This generation offers a unique opportunity to give angsty teens the chance to be rebellious by... embracing truth, beauty, and goodness.

I think a lot of kids are tired of the circus and aare ready to run away and join the schola.

evidence based music choices- maybe someone could write a thesis on this. Exhibit a - most of our kids are exposed to the 'lets celebrate ourselves celebrating' type music , and nearly all of them leave at twelve and don't come back.
What can we deduce from this?

I believe sacred music composition is for the most part a 'lost' art/skill. A lot of what I have heard is monophonic in the last 50 years. True polyphonic compositional writing is rare. The average church choir doesn't have the resources and the time committment to sing polyphony on a regular basis. Can this trend change? Yes. Make it so.

How many living composers of sacred music polyphony can we name here? A list would be a good resource to help promote new works. Does one exist somewhere that highlights this genre?

Thank you, may I have another, please?
Regarding the topic, "Why aren't there more Catholic composers who write serious music for Mass?", I merely observed that this question is beyond rhetorical. In all likelihood, it seems more like an exasperated plea.....but for what exactly? How does one parce this question from among any number of perspectives, subjectively or objectively?
Francis' solution, at least, promotes a helpful, positive measure with a definable outcome, and I'd put his name high on that list. Chuck Giffen and Adam Wood are working on creating a data-base library to further access to serious sacred music composition. This forum, Cafe, intensives and colloquia are "vehicles" by which "serious music for Mass" has been distilled and "tested" by actual service to liturgies.
So, to wrap up, I don't exactly know the benefit of speculative debate here or elsewhere bemoaning a straw man question. I believe we all know we have 15 centuries plus of repertoire that is still evolving, Deo gratias, into fit and beautiful practice as a handmaid to our rites.

FNJ

Solution: only compose new music in Latin.

or RECTO TONO

SD is spot on!
There is more modern sacred music in Latin and English being written in Britain than the English cathedral choirs can perform in a lifetime. Plus not a little by American composers. Outstanding Catholic music is being written by non-Catholic musicians. Seek in those publisher catalogues that Samuel suggested and ye shall find. He neglected to mention Concordia, which has a lot of really good literature, old and new. The next time you get the GIA catalogue file it where I do, and seek out publishers who are serious.

This is for Adam, who likes recto tono! The king of France insisted of Josquin des Prez that he compose a piece in which he could sing a part. Knowing that HM was tone deaf, Josquin wrote a piece for a certain number of voices, with one voice (HM's) having only one note sustained throughout. Sorry, I can't remember just now what the piece was, but HM the king was said to have been pleased.

Morningstar and others do not seek the Imprimatur and the average and below average Catholic church musician is rarely trained to evaluate the text to see if it is something that should be sung at Mass.

Oxford can be trusted to some extent due to the predominance of liturgical churches that are their customers. Schirmer would publish anything that would make a buck.

For the average parish musician, especially if they have been exposed to the Catholic publishing houses..who are others they can trust aside from http://www.canticanova.com and http://www.romancatholicsacredmusic.com/?

The king of France insisted of Josquin des Prez that he compose a piece in which he could sing a part. Knowing that HM was tone deaf, Josquin wrote a piece for a certain number of voices, with one voice (HM's) having only one note sustained throughout.

Darn, Josquin has bested me from beyond the grave. I just finished setting Antonio Carlos Jobim's "One Note Samba" (which actually has two notes, rats!) to the Gloria text! I suppose I'll just round file Missa Sing of the Lord's Goodness and commence to the next project: Missa Awesome God.

Samuel, doesn't Fr. Keyes share my secrets?
I always write for Sprechstimme Basso Buffo!

I find this an interesting topic. The "dumbing down of America" has seeped into the arena of liturgical music as well. McLaughlin & Reilly and J. Fischer were the publishers of serious music by serious composers. To be truthful, some composers then were better than others, but all in all, their hearts, minds and talents were all in the right place. One fine composer of the 1950s is the late (Rev.) Russell Woollen. Ordained a Catholic priest in 1947, he was a key figure in establishing the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at Catholic University in 1950, and was head of the school of liturgical music there until he left the university and the priesthood in 1962. Fr. Woollen was also contributor to "Caecelia Magazine" in the 1950s. Woollen had studied piano and organ; Gregorian Chant at Solemes, and composition with Nicholas Nabikov, Walter Piston at Harvard, and Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Most of his compositions of the 1950s were published by McLaughlin & Reilly, and a few by World Library. When M&R closed in 1969, all of Woollen's music died with the publisher. However, those of you who have a copy of "Hymns, Psalms & Spiritual Canticles" hymnal will find his Sanctus and Agnus Dei from "Mass in the Major Modes". One of his finer Mass settings of the 1950s. In later years, Woollen was the principal pianist, organist and harpsichordist for the National Symphony, Wash. DC, and several of his works for orchestra were commissioned by the Symphony. Over the years, he had given organ recitals at The National Shrine in Washington. He died in 1994. One can find more detailed info about Russell Woollen on "Google".

To my knowledge, he was the only Catholic priest in the past 65 yrs. who spent his life in music and music for the church. Today's composers for OCP, GIA and World Library would pale in comparison to his compositional skills and knowledge of music in and for the Liturgy. A true loss to the church as a priest and solid church musician.

For some really good music by Leo Nestor, check the E.C. Schirmer & Morningstar Music
catalogues as well. He wrote some wonderful music for Bl. John Paul II's visit to Saint Louis in 1999.

Just finished a setting of "Panis Angelicus."

I think those serious Catholic composers are alive, well, and composing. Unfortunately, many of them don't have big publishing companies with large advertising budgets pushing their works.

Here on the forum, we are a somewhat inward-looking little club. How much of this actually gets out to the parish musicians in the field? A publisher with deeper pockets, influenced by the good work of CMAA, could be a powerful force for promoting the better composers and their works. Granted, that doesn't exist at this time, but we can hope. Just think, if the resources used to promote inferior music could be spent on promoting better music, the results could be astonishing.

What I am getting at, is that the talent is here, the marketing not so much. A good example, Adam. Your Ascension hymn to Thaxted was an overwhelming success at our masses last Sunday. How many musicians in how many parishes will ever see it?

There's actually an enormous amount to top-quality church music (all of it useable in the OF and much in the EF) being composed in Britain. I don't know the religious affiliations of the composers, although much of the music is initially presented in Anglican contexts. Taking place right now is the annual London Festival of Contemporary Church Music (http://www.lfccm.com/). Don't let the word 'contemporary' fool you: all of this is excellent, serious music.

NPM isn't a publisher, they are a professional association.
CMAA isn't a publisher, they are a professional association.

CMAA happens to publish some resources, books, pamphlets, etc- but that's ancillary to their primary mission of being a professional association.

I don't really understand why this conversation comes up over and over.

CC Watershed is a publishing company. Illuminare is a publishing company. CanticaNova is a publishing company. Frog Music Press is a publishing company. These all have friendly relationships with CMAA- their owners/operators/editors/whoevers are members, or contribute at the blog, or teach at colloquium, or participate on the forum. Heck- Fr. C has a relationship of some sort with GIA and Fr. Ruff has a relationship with LitPress, and both of them are as much participants on this forum as anyone else.

If you think something ought to get done- go do it. Stop waiting for other people to do it on your behalf.

Earlier, I suggested that if we find something interesting we share it. I love perusing the discount bins of publishers and distributors. I recently received copies of "Sequentia: Veni Sancte Spiritus" by Noel Goemanne (1926-2010), a fine Belgian-American church-
musician & composer who worked for a number of years in Dallas. It was published by
Theodore Presser Company in 1985. It is SATB, uses the sequence chant throughout,
embellished with ison, organum, modern harmonies. It is quite accessible. I received it too late to use this year, but I might use it next year as the Pentecost sequence after the Alleluia. Check it out

Seeking a solution need for publicity for music and materials CMAA music has been the subject of discussion among a number of us that publish, but a solution has not been forthcoming.

CharlesW is right, we are preaching to the choir at this point. It will take an attitude of thoughtfulness among publishers and a willingness to share the expense of getting this done. It's actually a simple thing, one person with time and energy undertakes writing new releases and submitting them with a slant that would make them interesting, finding friendly editors who are looking for things to put into print, and then getting paid for the work.

I've had a couple of people interested, but it could be a demanding job to hold while still making a living or going to school. None of the people I have talked with have been able to commit to this, and I appreciate their interest and efforts. It would make best sense to the publishers if sales due to the efforts were tracked and a percentage paid to the worker....it would make sense to the worker to get paid a salary for his/her efforts....possibly a split funding right there in the middle between the two would work.

The difficulty is that none of us have any idea how much money we are going to make this year, this month or even this week...so committing to a salary could be difficult...

check this one choir in germany in rehearsals...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp_I7IgAwCQ