There is no substitute for Gregorian chant in the Latin rite. It is the Word of God set to plainchant melodies. You never have to worry about the orthodoxy of the composer: the composers are the authors of the books of the Bible.
Other musical forms can convey the Word, including vernacular adaptations of Gregorian chant and polyphonic singing. I generally agree that Mass is not for entertainment, but it’s hard not to feel uplifted by good sacred music.
And before I’m labelled as some sort of radical traditionalist, I only attend Mass in the Ordinary Form, fortunately in a monastery where Gregorian chant is the norm every day of the week.
And here’s the kicker: I see plenty of young people, single, young couples and families… moved by Gregorian chant whenever I attend Mass at the monastery. And when our Gregorian schola sings in parishes, it is often the young people that come to ask us questions about this musical style after Mass, and to express gratitude for being exposed to it. It’s as if they are discovering something that their more revolutionary parents kept locked away and hidden from them.
