Benedictgal, as a work of music, Santa Cecilia is fast food. Okay?
But as an occasional means to an end, as we will employ it Wednesday night with the hope that non-Latino catholics from among our 9000 families will join in our first convention center Misa/Mass in which Flor y Canto (done conjunto/ranchero and not under my direct supervision) will predominate. Santa Cecilia was MY choice for the Eucharistic to Cordero ordinaries, precisely because it is essentially "La Bamba" and will engage, if no one else, the Latinos present and represent bilingual settings.
This will be the only time this setting has been used since MR3 new settings were unveiled. It was the, hands down, choice of a rather large contingent of musical leadership that I supervise because of its accessibility. We are not big on bilingual confabs at the parish level, ever. And you know I hear new stuff off the page. I also did the Fr. Krisman GIA setting for our new bishop's installation, and I'll still choose Santa Cecilia because it isn't as esoteric. I know that Fr. Krisman, whom I greatly respect, may visit this review, and it isn't a poor setting, but unless you're doing a weekly bilingual, it won't be sung the first and only time in the FACP way. And, as you well know, FACP to Latinos is HUGE.
I know that you and many others might lobby to make sure that a "musica sacra" setting would be employed for OLOG, but that would be just as political a decision and therefore fundamentally flawed by that imposition. And you also might remember that so-called "event Masses" I rail against for showcasing, Santa Cecilia may not be anyone's haute cuisine, but it meets the humility requirement easily.
There are so many, many concerns to consider for each Mass that we're responsible to serve. And not all of them fit neatly into our own preconditions. And the point, after all, is to engage praise and prayer, and to send a people out better than they came in. That cannot be assessed only by the music they heard and sang every time.
Pray for us out here in CenCA, BG. This event is not my "cup o' tea" but I cannot, in good conscience, avoid participation to make some sort of ecclesial "statement."
OTOH, know that the English Choir ministry will sing both Adam Bartlett and Richard Rice Communios (especially the beautiful choral communio from Jan 1 from RR) as well as two Mexican 17c. villancicos in Spanish to represent the sacred treasury that are the tendons between the old and new worlds in RC music (renaissance) tradition. The rest, I won't worry about. God bless you for caring and your zeal, BG.

Use the original Latin versions of the ICEL Chant mass. That way, both the English Speakers and Spanish Speakers can sing together in the same language on neutral territory so to speak.

In all seriousness, and with as much charity and helpfulness as I can muster- BG, why do you continue to attend this parish? Is it seriously the only game in town? Even if there isn't a full-up Musica Sacra experience close by, is there not at least some early morning or Saturday-vigil Mass within driving distance that has some unobtrusive traditional hymnody or something? Maybe there's even some little rural parish nearby that doesn't have a musician at all, at which you could volunteer to go sing SEP antiphons and Chabanel Psalms?

I don't mean to be dismissive- I have been in parishes with music that grated on me or left me feeling distant and uninterested, and felt compelled to stay for one reason or another- so I get it isn't always as easy as just leaving. But, really- is that a possibility? Is there not at least something, somewhere? And if there isn't, is there some young newly-ordained priest with a conservative haircut who you could convince to start offering a 6am EF Low Mass? (Excepting the time, that's a serious suggestion... you might find out other people are longing for the same thing you are longing for.)

The problem is diocesan-wide, I am afraid.

Never give up, BG!

Here's the rest of the list:

Meu naranjedo (Anonymous)
Mi libertad (Juan del Encina)
Mi mal por bien es tenido (Garci Sánchez de Badajoz)
Mi querer tanto vos quiere (Enrique)
Muchos van d'amor heridos (Anonymous)
Más vale trocar (Juan del Encina)
Ninguno cierre las puertas (Juan del Encina)
Niño Dios d'amor herido (Francisco Guerrero)
No debo dar culpa (Pedro de Escobar)
No fie nadie en amor (Francisco de la Torre)
No la devemos dormir (Anonymous)
No me digáis mal (Alonso Perez de Alba)
No puedo apartarme (Anonymous)
No puedo apartarme (Juan Vasquez)
No se puede llamar (Juan del Encina)
Nuestra ama (Pedro de Escobar)
Nun bin ich einmal frey (Jacob Regnart)
O Virgen, quand'os miro (Francisco Guerrero)
O, qué nueva (Francisco Guerrero)
Obriga Vossa lindeza (Anonymous)
Oh, Reyes Magos (Juan del Encina)
Ojos garços ha la niña (Francisco Guerrero)
Ojos garços á la niña (Juan Vasquez)
Ojos morenicos (Pedro de Escobar)
Ojos, mis ojos (Anonymous)
Ojuelos Graciosos (Anonymous)
Oy, Joseph (Francisco Guerrero)
Oyd, oyd una cosa (Francisco Guerrero)
Pan divino y gracioso (Francisco Guerrero)
Partistes os mis amores (Juan del Encina)
Pase el agoa (Anonymous)
Pastor, quien Madre Virgen (Francisco Guerrero)
Pastorcico, non te aduermas (Anonymous)
Pastores venid (Anonymous)
Paséisme ahora (Pedro de Escobar)
Pedro y bien te quiero (Juan del Encina)
Por ese mar d´Helesponto (Anonymous)
Por mayo era (Anonymous)
Por unos puertos arriba (Antonio de Ribera)
Por vida de mis ojos (Juan Vasquez)
Porque me não vês Joana (Anonymous)
Prado verde y florido (Francisco Guerrero)
Pues a Dios humano vemos (Anonymous)
Pues con sobra de tristura (Enrique)
Pues que jamás olvidaros (Juan del Encina)
Pues que no puedo olvidarte (Ginés de Morata)
Pues servicio vos desplace (Enrique)
Puse mis amores (Anonymous)
Pásame por Dios barquero (Pedro de Escobar)
Pésame de vos (Juan del Encina)
Que bonito niño chiquito (Anonymous)
Que buen año es el del cielo (Francisco Guerrero)
Que farem del pobre Joan (Mateo Flecha el Viejo)
Que vida tendrá sin vos (Bernaldino de Brihuega)
Razón, que fuerza no quiere (Juan del Encina)
Rey a quien reyes adoran (Anonymous)
Riu, riu, chiu (Mateo Flecha el Viejo)
Rodrigo Martinez (Anonymous)
Salga la luna (Juan Vasquez)
Señora de hermosura (Juan del Encina)
Señores, el qu'es nascido (Anonymous)
Si abrá en este baldrés (Juan del Encina)
Si amor pone las escalas (Juan del Encina)
Si la noche haze escura (Anonymous)
Si no os hubiera mirado (Cristóbal de Morales)
Si no os uviera mirado (Juan Vasquez)
Si te vas a bañar, Juanilla (Anonymous)
Si tus penas no pruebo (Francisco Guerrero)
So ell encina (Anonymous)
Sol sol gi gi A B C (Anonymous)
Soledad tengo de ti (Juan Vasquez)
Soleta so jo açí (Anonymous)
Soy serranica, y vengo d'Estremadura (Anonymous)
Tan buen ganadico (Juan del Encina)
Tan largo ha sido (Francisco Guerrero)
Teresica hermana (Mateo Flecha el Viejo)
Todo mi bien he perdido (Juan Ponce)
Todo quanto pudo dar (Francisco Guerrero)
Todos los bienes del mundo (Juan del Encina)
Tres morillas m'enamoran (Anonymous)
Tristeza (Alonso)
Tristeza (Anonymous)
Tu dorado cabello (Francisco Guerrero)
Un niño nos es nascido (Anonymous)
Un sarao de la chacona (Chacona 'A la vida bona') (Juan Arañés)
Vamos a cenar (Jacobus de Milarte)
Vella de vos son amoros (Mateo Flecha el Viejo)
Venid a sospirar al verde prado (Anonymous)
Verbum caro factum est (Anonymous)
Vi los barcos, madre (Anonymous)
Viejo malo en la mi cama (Sedano)
Virgen bendita sin par (Pedro de Escobar)
Vos me matastes (Juan Vasquez)
Vos, Virgen, soys nuestra Madre (Anonymous)
Vuestros ojos morenillos (Anonymous)
Wenn ich gedenk der Stund (Jacob Regnart)
Wer sich mit Liebessucht empfind besessen (Jacob Regnart)
Ya no quiero tener fe (Juan del Encina)
Yo me soy la morenica (Anonymous)
Zagaleja de lo verde (Juan Vasquez)
¡Cucu, cucu! (Juan del Encina)
¡O venturoso día! (Francisco Guerrero)
¿A quién debo yo llamar? (Juan del Encina)
¿Con qué la lavaré? (Anonymous)
¿Con qué la lavaré? (Juan Vasquez)
¿De dónde venís, amores? (Juan Vasquez)
¿Quándo, quándo? (Juan Vasquez)
¿Qué me queréis, caballero? (Anonymous)
¿Qué se puede desear? (Francisco Guerrero)
Ñar ñarete (Anonymous)

.

buy into all that cultural stuff

If there is a problem with the music being described, that is not the way to talk about it.

If there is a problem with the music being described, that is not the way to talk about it.

I suppose the way I wrote it, it's not exactly politically-correct, is it?

I haven't had the "pleasure" of hearing Misa Santa Cecilia, but have heard Misa Luna. It can't be any worse. If that offends anyone's cultural sensibilities, then may they be offended.

Nah, Misa Luna was banned by the pastor. He said he never wanted to hear it again. I don't blame him, it is truly awful for numerous reasons.

However, I am really tired of dealing with folks who show up on our doorsteps and make demands based on their "culture." If it was so great, perhaps they should have stayed in it. Where CA Charles lives, it is a different situation with several cultures that have been present for centuries. A different matter altogether.

For what it is worth, I have also cheerfully told several folks who don't like chant and traditional music, that they might be happier down the road at St. Whatshisname's. One can only make accommodations so far for tiny minorities, especially when they are seriously out of step with the rest of the congregation.

Exactly, Jani. We have both Mexicans and Guatemalans in town. They hate each other, much less ever agreeing on something like music. They won't even attend the same parish at the same time. I try to satisfy the majority Anglo population that actually pays the bills and keeps the lights on.

However, just for info, we also have a Vietnamese congregation here. They left one of the parishes to form their own congregation, in their own building, to preserve their community and culture. They have a Vietnamese priest. Those folks were never a problem to anyone and are generally lovely people. It isn't being immigrants that makes some people obnoxious.

francis, don't go there. For your own sake, don't go there. Stay happy.