Carson, no, it is simply the fact that the people haven't become totally used to the changes. Once they are taught how to properly chant it it will flow better. Yes it does sound different than the old chant, but it is essentially making the chant fit english better. If you can sing Slavonic, sing something in Slavonic then in English. In many cases the english was choppy. As prostopinije was not written for any language other than Slavonic it is going to take some work to get it to "fit" English. Of course everyone could go back to complete Slavonic. While it will be easy to sing, no one will understand a word of it.

In my parish, it flows just fine now, thank you! We didn't ask for our songs to be changed, and we don't want them changed.

I think it is worse. I think it is the other way around, and the english is being forced to accomodate more complicatedmusic. It doesn't sing easier, or they would not have hired and paid professional singers to sing it on the cds. Ordinary people could have sung it, if it was easier to sing, and better.

It is the arrogance of the 'few', that they know better than the 'many' who have been singing from their hearts all these years in the parishes.

We didn't need 'professionals', it may be the Roman Catholic tradition to hire 'professional musicians' but it isn't our tradition. In my parish, we sing, and we should be left to it!

We didn't ask for a new version of the music, we didn't ask for a revised Liturgy. 'experts' have hijacked my Church, while we weren't watching.

Nick

"We didn't ask for a new version of the music, we didn't ask for a revised Liturgy. 'experts' have hijacked my Church, while we weren't watching."

What's the ransom demanded by the hijackers? Obedience of a flawed Liturgy? No thanks!!

Glory to Jesus Christ!

I, as a Latin-Rite Catholic, apologise heartly for what my rite has done and is doing to your much more lovely rite. "Experts" have run our Church for a while, and we have come to expect that; but now, apparently, our "experts" feel that your Church needs their advice, and are beginning their systematic annihilation of all that is beautiful in your rite.

Perhaps this chant does "sound" more like the Slavonic chants - but it is not them. Perhaps it is based upon the old form - but it is not the old form. This is a trick of the "experts", in my experience, to appeal to sense rather than tradition.

Our Latin hymnals have one bit of chant left in them; but it is not Gregorian chant, though it sounds like it. Gregorian chant is the codified chant of the Church as contained in the Graduale Romanum; everything else is modal music composed in the Gregorian style. Do not lose your authentic Ruthenian chant to Ruthenian-style chant, and do not overlook the difference.

-Uspenije

Who is we?

St. John's Cathedral has been the chief experimental parish for the new music. Now no one sings anymore. We used to sing really good. Especially when Metropolitan Judson was just a priest. Now no one sings except the cantor and someone else upstairs. It was so bad we now go to St. Elias. When they are forced to take the new liturgy we will probably to to St. Nicholas in Homestead.

If you don't believe how bad nonexistent the singing at the cathedral has gotten go visit any Sunday morning. You will leave crying at what they have done with our liturgy. We won't be there. We will be at St. Elias.

Thank you Archbishop Schott for wasting $ 1 million of our money.