The Power of Music

[Loud-living-dogma]

Maybe there should be a change to the GIRM, and it could say:
The Importance of Singing

1. The Christian faithful who gather together as one to await the Lord’s coming are instructed by the Apostle Paul to sing together psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (cf. Col 3:16). Singing is the sign of the heart’s joy (cf. Acts 2:46). Thus St. Augustine says rightly, “Singing is for one who loves.”[48] There is also the ancient proverb: “One who sings well prays twice.”
2. Great importance should therefore be attached to the use of singing in the celebration of the Mass, with due consideration for the culture of the people and abilities of each liturgical assembly. Although it is not always necessary (e.g., in weekday Masses) to sing all the texts that are of themselves meant to be sung, every care should be taken that singing by the ministers and the people is not absent in celebrations that occur on Sundays and on holy days of obligation.

In the choosing of the parts actually to be sung, however, preference should be given to those that are of greater importance and especially to those to be sung by the priest or the deacon or the lector, with the people responding, or by the priest and people together.[49]

1. All other things being equal, Gregorian chant holds pride of place because it is proper to the Roman Liturgy. Other types of sacred music, in particular polyphony, are in no way excluded, provided that they correspond to the spirit of the liturgical action and that they foster the participation of all the faithful.[50]

Since faithful from different countries come together ever more frequently, it is fitting that they know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, set to the simpler melodies.[51]

42. Unless you are near a Protestant megachurch, and you are trying to compete / keep your flaky parishioners from leaving, in which case, do whatever.

 

[pnewton]

But, does it matter what the Church teaches?

I think it important to say what you really mean is what does the Church say, as music is not a matter of doctrine. So looking at it this way, then the discipline is what is allowable by the current discipline. If that which is allowable is used, then there is no disobedience. Likewise, it is important to realize when the GIRM uses “should”, and other qualifiers, and those things that are “must” and “shall.”

 

[GodIsPerfection]

The focal point of the Mass is not music. The focal point of the Mass is the Eucharist, the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the physical presence of body and blood of Jesus Christ in the Mass, and partaking of that physical Host by the faithful.

The Mass on the cacaphonic din of the battlefield, or on the windswept deck of a ship, or in the midst of screaming infants is equally efficacious. Euphonic perfection is not the point.

Music lends grace, beauty, and mysticism to the Mass, but the role of music is merely supportive to the Eucharistic experience. Music is also worldly (imperfect), while the Eucharist, itself, touches the divinely perfect.

The best Mass music attempts to transcend the world (to which it belongs) and touch the Divine. For my own taste, I like the Gabrielli brothers reflective counterpoint of the 1500’s. But, the same, transcendent experience can be attained by a simple song like “Silent Night,” or another tune for someone else.

Consider that God has very fine control over all lives. You and others are brought to a certain Mass, on a certain day, at a certain hour for God’s pleasure. The shared musical experience is deemed correct by God for everyone attending. Your experience is not necessarily more important to God than that of some zealous croaker pouring his soul out to Him in song. So, focus on God (the Eucharist), SING, and you will find the beauty of Mass music in your particular musical experience of the day.

It’s ALL good!

 

[snarflemike]

but the role of music is merely supportive to the Eucharistic experience.

Or disruptive.

 

[VanitasVanitatum]

Can’t you just do something about that at least a local level?

 

[MiserereMeiDei]

I am curious as to what kind of virtue obedience is

It’s charity.

"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them; he it is that loveth me. Jn. 14:21
If you love me keep my commandments. Jn. 14:15

 

[Margaret_Ann]

I don’t understand.

 

[VanitasVanitatum]

It just means using a different text to a piece of vocal music.

 

[pnewton]

pnewton:

I am curious as to what kind of virtue obedience is

It’s charity.

"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them; he it is that loveth me. Jn. 14:21
If you love me keep my commandments. Jn. 14:15

That is obedience to Jesus. It is known in Arabic as “islam.” The rest of my quote, which was cut off, mentions that the object of obedience is all important, as Adolf Eichman illustrates. Is obedience really the same as charity?

 

[Loud-living-dogma]

Hmmm. Obedience is not a virtue?

The Virtue of Obedience - Catholic Exchange

Obedience, to the secular mind and more so than any other virtue seems to be a vice. This is because the secular world prizes individual freedom

catholicexchange.com

 

[Loud-living-dogma]

Here’s a little something for Peeps:
Q: Aren’t chant and polyphony too hard for regular parishes?

A: As with any art, sacred music ranges from very simple to very complex. From the earliest days of the Church, congregations have sung the simpler chant melodies. Collections like the Liber Cantualis (published by the Abbey of Solesmes) and Jubilate Deo of Paul VI (1974) contain chants that everyone can sing. At the same time, the fullness of the Gregorian repertoire, consisting of several thousand chants for every purpose, requires experience, practice, and often a high level of mastery. The same is true of sacred polyphony. Many congregations can sing four-part hymns, but more complex contrapuntal pieces require a well-trained choir to sing on behalf of the praying community.

For hundreds of years, parishes around the world have fostered choirs and promoted choral singing. To ensure the preservation of the Church’s treasury of sacred music, the Council insisted that choirs “must be diligently developed” (¶114). While professionals can greatly enhance performances of sacred polyphony, nothing prevents amateurs from singing this music, and even directing it, if necessary. It can be hard work, and demands more of performers and listeners than popular styles. But only the best is good enough for the God we worship.

https://musicasacra.com/about-cmaa/faq/

 

[Loud-living-dogma]

Q: What is sacred music?

A: Sacred music is “that which, being created for the celebration of divine worship, is endowed with a certain holy sincerity of form,” according to the Sacred Congregation of Rites in its Instruction on Music and the Liturgy, Musicam sacram (1967, ¶4). As defined by the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium (1963), sacred music surpasses merely religious music when it is joined to the liturgical rite to become “a necessary and integral part of the solemn liturgy,” whose purpose is “the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful” (¶112).

“As a manifestation of the human spirit,” said John Paul II in 1988, “music performs a function which is noble, unique, and irreplaceable. When it is truly beautiful and inspired, it speaks to us more than all the other arts of goodness, virtue, peace, of matters holy and divine. For good reason it has always been, and it will always be, an essential part of the liturgy” ([December 23, 1988]

-Sacred music is created for the celebration of divine worship
-Sacred music is created for the liturgical celebration of divine worship
Its form reflects that purpose

An essential part of the liturgy
Sacred music is not an incidental addition
Sacred music is distinguished from other religious music, which uses non-liturgical forms, styles, or texts

https://musicasacra.com/about-cmaa/faq/

 

[EmmaSowl]

LA is multicultural, and different than parts elsewhere.

Is the following to be applauded as multiculturalism (as in, Africans, South Americans, and Filipinos will LOVE it):

[

](http://thank God There Was No Mass At the Filming)

Still waiting to hear the reasons why chant is soooooooooooooo difficult.

 

[VanitasVanitatum]

The rest of my quote, which was cut off, mentions that the object of obedience is all important, as Adolf Eichman illustrates. Is obedience really the same as charity?

God gave the authority to the Church so whatever rules are made shouldn’t be taken lightly.

 

[PetraG]

Music lends grace, beauty, and mysticism to the Mass, but the role of music is merely supportive to the Eucharistic experience.

No, the elements of the Mass that are not indispensible to validity cannot be reduced to “merely supportive.” No, that is not the way to look at any element of the Mass. Literally, Heaven forbid that.

Consider that God has very fine control over all lives. You and others are brought to a certain Mass, on a certain day, at a certain hour for God’s pleasure. The shared musical experience is deemed correct by God for everyone attending…

What liturgical abuse would this not cover? No, the permissive will of God can’t be used to give carte blanche to anything and everything that somebody can think of to do at Mass, whether it is with the music or with any other element.

Your experience is not necessarily more important to God than that of some zealous croaker pouring his soul out to Him in song. So, focus on God (the Eucharist), SING, and you will find the beauty of Mass music in your particular musical experience of the day.

It is very good advice to adjure Christians to make the best of whatever conditions they find and to be charitable and to give the greatest benefit of the doubt to others at all times, but especially at Mass. Yes, that attitude is undoubtedly pleasing to God.

We cannot conclude from that, however, that we don’t need to care whether we are making our best effort at a particular Mass. No, as Benedict XVI put it: “Nothing can be too beautiful for God.” Surely God does not want to deny us the merit and consolation of striving for every sort of excellence at Mass, even though it is of course limited by the difference in resources from one place to another.

 

[pnewton]

pnewton:

The rest of my quote, which was cut off, mentions that the object of obedience is all important, as Adolf Eichman illustrates. Is obedience really the same as charity?

God gave the authority to the Church so whatever rules are made shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Of course not, but that is an entirely different point, one that no one is arguing. Neither should whatever rules are made be exaggerated, nor extra burden put on the faithful that God has not, either through revelation or through the Church.

Still waiting to hear the reasons why chant is soooooooooooooo difficult.

That is not something I have addressed or said, with or without the “o’s.”

Like I said, I know little of LA.

 

[pnewton]

Good article, though in all fairness, the biggest point is that it is obedience is not a vice. Going back to the very, very first time this came up, obedience to God was not the point. I never spoke to, or about, obedience to God. That is simply a silly straw man that no one here would question. The question is whether obedience is always good, whether it is to God, Satan, or a neutral party. I guess it could be seen that anything that denies our selfish nature has some value (as the article points out).

So then, to what should we be obedient (besides God, of course)? The Church is something Catholics must obey. Then the whole question here is constantly begged, over and over. The need to follow the Church is not being denied. But what does this mean? My point has been that the Church clarifies its rules in such matter through the chain of authority delegated to each bishop.

So if obedience to the Church is virtuous, then why is there so much resistance to obeying what one’s own bishop is doing in one’s own parish life? Who is exercising obedience, and who is not, might be a matter of perspective, and perhaps it best we not try and condemn others in an area that self-examination is more fruitful.

 

[Loud-living-dogma]

Wow – I read about that – but seeing it is even worse. Couldn’t watch too much of that!!

 

[Peeps]

While professionals can greatly enhance performances of sacred polyphony, nothing prevents amateurs from singing this music, and even directing it, if necessary. It can be hard work, and demands more of performers and listeners than popular styles. But only the best is good enough for the God we worship.

Well, I certainly agree with this, and one reason that my daughter is a stage manager today is that she grew up in a family where Mom (me!) was constantly involved in our Evangelical churches with “putting on a play or musical” with the amateur children in our congregation. (This is done often, or at least, used to be done, in Evangelical Protestant churches, BTW, usually presented on a Sunday evening.)

But nowadays, at least in our city, it seems almost impossible to find even four people who are willing to form an ensemble and sing in church once in a while (Protestant churches), let alone a group that is big enough to be called a choir (IMO, at least a dozen people, with all 4 parts represented).

I play for several choirs, and every one of them, in spite of amazing directors (and accompanists like me! ha ha!) have dwindled to a point where I honestly think they should just disband. The men’s choir that I accompany used to have 60 members back in the 1990s–now there are 7 men left. Even the Sweet Adelines are way down in numbers, and saddest of all, the boy’s choir in our city that used to be known world-wide and made several recordings (vinyl, for all of you young people reading this!), has only 6 boys left, and the director actually included girls last year to make up enough voices to sing the parts.

So sad. I don’t think every city is like this, as I have attended choir conventions where the men’s choirs or boy’s choirs have full numbers and sound glorious.

The schola at the Latin Mass parish in our city is fairly full, but almost all of these men and boys grew up in the Latin Mass (it has been around our city since the 1980s, with the full approval of our bishop), and grew up singing in the schola. Also, this schola does not visit other Catholic parishes like OraLabora’s schola does–they sing only at their Masses.

I just think interest in making music has dwindled, and people would rather hear “professionals” than try to sing or play themselves. So sad.

 

[JButky]

Collections like the Liber Cantualis (published by the Abbey of Solesmes) and Jubilate Deo of Paul VI (1974) contain chants that everyone can sing. At the same time, the fullness of the Gregorian repertoire, consisting of several thousand chants for every purpose, requires experience, practice, and often a high level of mastery. The same is true of sacred polyphony. Many congregations can sing four-part hymns, but more complex contrapuntal pieces require a well-trained choir to sing on behalf of the praying community.

For hundreds of years, parishes around the world have fostered choirs and promoted choral singing. To ensure the preservation of the Church’s treasury of sacred music, the Council insisted that choirs “must be diligently developed” (¶114).

So in my estimation this is where the rubber meets the road. We live in a non singing culture. People love to listen to singing, but singing is not part of their daily lives. Yes there are regional exceptions, but on the whole this is true. “Many congregations can sing four-part hymns…” well, that may have been true when the document was written, but many individuals are unwilling or unable to sing even a simple melody with some recognition. We are not a culture that does these types of things together and this has practically disappeared from cultural practice, again with a few exceptions. (people used to start or conclude certain meetings with a hymn, who does that anymore???)

So let’s face it, I just don’t see the Church fostering or supporting, in practice, choirs and choral singing. At this point that support is minuscule to the task to meet the rhetoric. Support is verbal for what is needed. In practice, however, the need and formula for accomplishment needs reconsideration given our current deplorable state of singing culturally.

I think this is probably what is at the root of @EmmaSowl 's issue.