Sing to the Lord a New Song, Archbishop Sample of Portland

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This Archbishop is certainly clear with this directive. I learned quite a bit regarding music and the Liturgy. Thanks for sharing.
 
On recorded music Archbishop Sample is at odds with the Vatican, the Conference of Bishops and his 2018 Archdiocesan Liturgical Handbook.

The Vatican in the Directory for Masses with Children (22 October 1973) has:

“32. … With these precautions and with due need and special discretion, recorded music may also be used in Masses with children, in accord with norms established by the conferences of bishops.”

This is from Chapter 3 of this document “Masses with Children in Which Only a Few Adults Participate”. In Chapter 2 “Masses with Adults in Which Children Also Participate” it has: “19. … Wherever the bishop permits, in addition to the adaptations already provided in the Order of Mass, one or other of the particular adaptations described late in the Directory may be employed in a Mass celebrated with adults in which children also participate.”

The Conference of Bishop document has (from Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship, approved by the Latin Church members of the USCCB on 14 November 2007 at https://www.yakimadiocese.org/pdf/SingToTheLord.pdf ) has:

“ Recorded Music
  1. Recorded music lacks the authenticity provided by a living liturgical assembly gathered for the Sacred Liturgy. While recorded music might be used advantageously outside the Liturgy as an aid in the teaching of new music, it should not, as a general norm, be used within the Liturgy.
  2. Some exceptions to this principle should be noted. Recorded music may be used to accompany the community’s song during a procession outside and, when used carefully, in Masses with children. Occasionally, it might be used as an aid to prayer, for example, during long periods of silence in a communal celebration of reconciliation. However, recorded music should never become a substitute for the community’s singing.”
Archbishop Sample’s 2018 (Archdiocesan Liturgical Handbook, Archdiocese of Portland, 2018 at https://archdpdx.org/documents/2018/6/ALH First Edition REV - 3 June 2018.pdf accessed 31 January 2019):

“1.46.4 While recorded music might be used advantageously outside the liturgy as an aid in the teaching of new music, it should not, as a general norm, be used within the liturgy, for it lacks the authenticity provided by a living liturgical assembly gathered for the Sacred Liturgy. Recorded music may be used to accompany the community’s song during a procession outside and, when used carefully, in Masses with children. Occasionally, it might be used as an aid to prayer; for example, during long periods of silence in a communal celebration of the Sacrament of Penance. However, recorded music should never become a substitute for the community’s singing.”

Archbishop Sample in 2019 on page 18:

“4] Pre-recorded music may not substitute for actual musicians during the Mass. All music in the Mass is to be sung and played by musicians who are physically present as worshipers. If an organist or other instrumentalist suitable for the celebration of Mass is not available, it is certainly in accord with the spirit of the Roman Rite to sing the Mass in unaccompanied plainchant.”
 
I wonder how common the use of prerecorded music at Mass is at different parishes. I encountered it at one nearby parish where we would sometimes go when my son was in school. They had two or three song leaders up front with what seemed to be a sampling keyboard, almost like a karaoke machine. It played prerecorded music and rhythms while the song leaders did the actual singing. Some of the tunes had a kind of calypso beat. A far cry from the archbishop’s directive, but the pastor of this parish apparently approved, and the congregation seemed okay with it too.
 
I’m surprised no one has mentioned that the Diocese of Portland is home to the much-despised (on CAF) publishing juggernaut Oregon Catholic Press.

It will be interesting to see whether Bishop Sample makes any effort to police their publications in exchange for his imprimateur.

I don’t really expect much change, but as the bishop feels strongly enough to write this letter, he may also take a closer interest in OCP’s publications.
 
He is not at odds with Vatican II. He is just more restrictive, as is his prerogative. Also, Sing to the Lord only carries the authority allowed by each bishop, whereas AB Sample’s document carries the only episcopal authority in his diocese.

This is one of the more restrictive instructions on music in liturgy I have seen, but whether it is good or bad, I have no frame of reference, since I know nothing of the Church in Oregon.
 
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I was thinking to commission some new Church music when I got the money, but I’m not sure if it would be appropriate for Mass.
 
I live in the Archdiocese of Portland and we are very fortunate to have Archbishop Sample. He is very traditional and orthodox. He freely allows Latin masses and ad orientem masses. At our parish, the liturgy is celebrated ad orientem. We have an extremely educated, orthodox priest who is super traditional. Our midnight mass was a traditional Latin mass. It was beautiful.
 
Actually, Archbishop Sample’s letter is just a collection of long-established, post-Vatican II directives that are already around, and just have not been followed.

You tell people that recorded music is a no no.for liturgical worship, and they just don’t believe you - but Archbishop Sample is letting his flock know.
 
Music seems to be an area where everyone has an opinion, and some have more than one.

Gregorian Chant was having problems when Vatican 2 said it had pride of place, and had been for decades before that, as it was being used less and less.

My own personal opinion is that it belongs where it started - and that is in abbeys, where (nearly) everyone chants it. And someone who is adept at musical history and theory might want to chime in as to the differences between Gregorian chant and plain chant.

IMHO, there are far, far far too many choirs who can slaughter Gregorian chant, and precious few who have a director who even knows what it should sound like. And I speak from having been part of a schola in college seminary, which cut a record (there was nos such thing as Cd’s) in the mid 1960’s, with a Benedictine monk who, during practice for the recording, would walk up and down the main isle listening, stop, and point over to a person who was either flat or sharp (musically, not intellectually).

50+ years ago Our Lady of Guadalupe Abbey had something like 50 monks, and they all sang - and rather well, being it was a daily activity throughout the day. There are now something like 16 to 18 monks, the majority over 70, and the singing - well, they chant the Office, but collectively could not carry a tune in a washtub with a lid closed tight. Age has its reckoning.

There is a professional choir about in Portland; a few years back they were singing at St. Patrick’s for the Saturday evening Mass. They did Palestrina as it is supposed to be done (I don’t think there was a person in the choir who did not have professional voice training) and I would take new RCIA Catholics, post-Easter, to hear them. I would then go to Mass on Sunday, as the music was so distracting to me. I don’t go to Mass to hear a concert, and that was how it came across to me.

For those who continue to carp at Oregon Catholic Press, there is plenty of sacred music, and instead of some of the sappy hymns we had in the 1950’s, they are actually text based on Scripture. You don’t like them? That is fine with me, you may have my share of Palestrina, and gladly. I am not suggesting that some of OCP’s repertoire could not stand to be archived, but I particularly like the use of scriptural texts in music.

Or as the old lady said: “To each their own” as she kissed the cow.

Does some of the music within the archdiocese need to be updated/revised/clarified/cleaned up? Yep. Is everyone going to fall into the vision of the Archbishop lock, stock and barrel?

If history shows anything, there will be some improvement in some places.
 
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