Hymns / Vocal Religous Music

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The Canadian Catholic bishops is working on new hymnbooks and is asking the lay litugical committes to find hymns to anthologize . We have 100s , not only Catholic or Christan but all sorts of religons. What I wanted to know is what religous vocal music has touched you irregardless of tradition .

― anthony, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The pieces I’ve found most moving inevitably seem to be in some tongue other than English. E.g Les Mystere voix des Bulgares (on 4AD) or some Quawaali music.

I had a tape of a choir from Stornoway (on the Isle of Lewis, NW of Scotland geography fans) who sang in Gaelic that had some of the most beautiful, humble and otherworldly singing I’ve ever heard in my life.

Ironic really because the main church on Lewis is the Free Presbyterian church (or The Wee Frees), as it has one of the most zealous observance of the Sabbath of the Christian churches. I knew ferries and aircraft to the island didn’t run on Sundays but I couldn’t believe that someone from the council would lock up the children’s swing park as well. Needless to say they are well down on carnal ‘sins’ (sex outside marriage, homosexuality, etc etc).

― Billy Dods, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Qawalli is incredible. I am bushing for some keening irish funeral hymns that seem simialar but they are not going too fly.

― anthony, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Gregorian choral music, Avro Part, and years ago (when the content meant something to me) the hymns of John Wesley.

― stevo, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Episcopalian liturgical music. I don't know any of the authors, but the songs still stay with me to this day. Sorry, that probably doesn't help. I remember on another mailing list, I was quoting the lyrics that I remembered, and Dan came up with which some of the pieces and authors were, but I can't rememeber. _Sleepers Wake_ from the Xmas even service, I think it's based on a Bach organ piece, but I can't be sure.

― masonic boom, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I keep coming across aetheists and other quite unreligious people who are fond of hymns, rather like myself - I'm not sure whether this stems from a deep need for the feeling of community offered by the church or a lack of confidence in my beliefs. I'd rather think it was purely because I like the music - this certainly has more effect on me than the verse. I prefer rousing to reflective (We Plough the Fields and Scatter over The Lord's My Shepherd), but anything sung by Welsh male voice choirs or performed by brass bands makes me come over all emotional.

― Madchen, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Jars of Clay. No, OK, actually The Feast of St. Ursela is a Greg. Chant-type thing by a chorus of women & is very beautiful.

― Mark, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hildegarde von Bingen before she got a new manager and went all New Agey.

― X. Y. Zedd, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

gyoto monks -'freedom chants from the roof of the world'- my 1st CD - bought it before i had a player - used it to freak rivals out at *meetings* ( play loud ) as well as chillout music.

― grdrcr, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

nick cave, elvis, and bob dylan all do some majorly wacky but great gospel stuff

― Geoff, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'Two Kinds Of People'.

― the pinefox, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Jars of Clay, Mark, why don't I just hunt you down right now and make you listen to the collected work of dc Talk and Plus One?

Religious vocal music? EZ -- just about anything Russian. Scrounge up the Russian Choral Music series on BMG from a couple of years back for some good examples.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Madchen: I think this often has more to do with a yearning for mythical lost countryside (not necessarily linked to Majorism) than with religion itself. Longest and most ridiculously detailed book on churches written by atheist Simon Jenkins ...

― Robin Carmody, Wednesday, 25 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

when i was small and had a beautiful treble voice (?!), i enjoyed singing in choirs and stuff, even tho i had by then long decided it was all wack nonsense. I had a rule: stay silent during all prayers etc, because speech you mean. But OK to sing, becuase no one means it when they sing. I have often wondered what implication this has, if any, for my current work.

― mark s, Wednesday, 25 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There's some beautiful vocal music on Harold Budd's 'The Pavillion of Dreams'. I'd also say lots of roots reggae aswell - maybe The Canadian Catholic bishops wouldn't be too taken by it, but stuff like The Congos, Hugh Mundell, The Abyssinians, Burning Spear is among the most glorious, life affirming, spirit quaking music you'll ever hear. Loads of old gospel, too. It's a shame that most religious music has always been so damned miserable. Maybe Christianity wouldn't be in such bad shape if they sounded like they were actually celebrating their Lord, rather than glorifying His suffering.

No offence meant to any Christians reading.

― Johnathan, Wednesday, 25 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

twenty-three years pass...

this is the time of year when i think about Now The Green Blade Riseth, which compares the resurrection of Jesus to the coming of spring, and blades of wheat that seem to spring forth miraculously from the dead ground. It has this very mysterious, minor-key melody that makes the whole thing feel like a secret you're being told.

Now the green blade riseth, from the buried grain,
Wheat that in dark earth many days has lain;
Love lives again, that with the dead has been:
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.

Here's the choir at Ely Cathedral singing it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En28Je8ehDs

― Tracer Hand, Friday, 28 February 2025 09:08 (one year ago)

i mean it's just incredibly goth no matter how you cut it. could be a Bauhaus song really.

― Tracer Hand, Friday, 28 February 2025 09:09 (one year ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZSUAsDRKLY

Da pacem Domine (Give peace, Lord)

The Lord ain't listening apparently, but what Arvo Pärt does with this trad piece is just fucking stunningly beautiful imo.

― vodkaitamin effrtvescent (calzino), Friday, 28 February 2025 10:01 (one year ago)

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