Music Ministry: Performance or Prayer

Greg Yoko - Music Ministry2

\"Greg

Hopefully most Catholics know and understand that The Mass is the ultimate prayer that we can offer to our Lord Jesus Christ. It includes the major components of prayer: Praise, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Petition.

As mentioned in numerous articles here at Catholic Stand, many of the sacred rituals and practices that emphasized the prayer of the Catholic Mass have been watered down, and even lost with the diverse interpretations and implementations of Vatican II. One of the most egregious attacks on the prayer of the Mass has been the influence of the laity and non-Catholics on the music now heard from sea to shining sea.

Choirs and Choir Lofts

Prior to Vatican II, the singing at Mass originated from on high – high in the choir loft, almost always behind the congregation, by angelic voices that blended together as a choir and typically a pipe organ.

While a few churches have been able to maintain a choir for some Masses, most music lofts have been abandoned. Today, the overwhelming majority of musicians and singers alike are now stationed at the front of the church, alongside the altar. So, while Tabernacles have been moved from the front of some churches, they have been replaced by musicians.

It is one thing to invite members of the congregation to become involved in the Mass. It is another to turn musicians into the focus of the Mass.

Goodbye Organs, Hello Guitars

When older Catholic parish churches pushed the musicians out of the balcony to the altar, it was not possible to relocate the big and beautiful pipe organs. This literally opened the door for grand pianos, guitars, and a host of other instruments, including trumpets, drums, flutes and keyboards. The transition was made easier by the fact that the organs were expensive to maintain. Plus, there were not a whole lot of trained organists. But, it was easy to find “trained musicians” willing to volunteer and share their time and talent…and they even provided their own instruments.

The process was easier and became practically required at new parishes. In many churches built after Vatican II, one way to save costs was to delete the balcony and huge organ from the building plans. The altar was simply expanded to include a place for the other “stars” of the Mass.

With all of the musical accompanists, there wasn’t a whole lot of room for choir members. The result? Cantors.

Another result has been 40+ years of talent shows and American Idol competitions every weekend at almost every parish across the United States. As many can attest, it has not been pretty to listen to on many occasions. (Full disclosure/confession: My family was sucked into the competition too.)

From Traditional Hymns to OCP (Hass, Haugen, Hurd, Schutte and others)

A side effect of reducing the use of pipe organs and the introduction of music groups (church bands) to the Catholic Mass was the introduction of new music. Virtually all of the traditional hymns and solemn music was written for the organ. Now, with new instruments leading the groups, they needed music.

Since many of the traditional music did not “sound the same” when it was played on instruments other than an organ, new songs were written. As with most musical arrangements, there needed to be parts (musical scores) for multiple instruments so that everyone could participate.

These new songs, written and published by very talented individuals, however, have not often enhanced the prayerful experience and purpose of the Mass. In many cases, they became the entertainment to “break up the monotony” of the Mass, or to fill the quiet time that was originally intended to be reflective to allow individual prayers within the framework of the community prayer.

Through no fault of their own, many of the music writers are not familiar with the Catholic Mass. The result has been in some cases slight, in others dramatic. Musical lyrics have shifted from praising and thanking God, or requesting His mercy, to a more human self-centeredness. To put it in today\’s’ terms: it is “all about me/us” instead of about God.

This may not be entirely fair, but these song titles which we hear regularly illustrate this perception: We Are Called; Gather Us In; Here I Am Lord, Shelter Me, O God; We Will Rise Again; God Has Chosen Me.

While I realize that many of these songs are written based upon scripture, they are often interpreted in a different context when placed into musical pieces. For instance, “Here I Am, Lord” is sung like we are jumping up and down with our hands in the air screaming for the Lord to notice us so that He can put us to work for Him.

The reality is that this passage is stated numerous times in the Bible as a response to the Lord’s personal calling to an individual (i.e. Abraham, Moses, etc.). This song reverses the roles, and instead we are calling to God. He knows we are here. He is constantly awaiting our response to follow His call to act and obey accordingly. This could be a very powerful song if it were written in the proper context, and sung humbly and solemnly.

Some songs are just downright wrong when it comes to Catholic beliefs. The lyrics are inconsistent with our Faith and serve to undermine the teachings of the Church. How these make it into Catholic Hymnals is beyond comprehension. Take, for instance, the communion song Bread, Blessed and Broken which contains this wording “Bread, blessed and broken for us all, symbol of your love…”

This exacerbates one of the most misunderstood tenets of the Catholic Faith. How much time do we spend teaching and explaining to our children, Catholics, and non-Catholics the fact Catholics believe that the Bread and Wine are not symbols, but are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ during the Mass? Yet this song is often sung during communion. I just don’t understand.

The real shame in all of this is the fact that the sanctity of the Mass has – and continues to be – diminished by these weekly music concerts and performances. While I will admit that in some cases it has resulted in a more lively worship service with significant congregational participation, the purpose of the Mass is not for entertainment. We are supposed to be there to pray as a community…not play karaoke with the band.

© 2013 Greg Yoko  All rights reserved.

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37 thoughts on “Music Ministry: Performance or Prayer”

  1. Pingback: Musings on Music Ministry: Why I Sing | LIVING (AND LOVING) THE QUESTIONS

  2. OneTimothyThreeFifteen

    Firstly, I fully agree with the article. Spot on…

    …however, from my experience, I believe there’s an even greater temptation to make a traditional Mass into a concert, I’m afraid. Our cantor/DOM gargles before singing, for example…

    Many people I know who criticise ‘folk Masses’ are in deep self-deception. They simply don’t admit the frisson they feel at the TLM which motivates them in that direction is no different from the motivation of the people who love the kitsch, plat du jour, served up by Haugen, etc..

    The former are simply lucky their taste in music is backed by Sacrosanctum Concilium, which, in a sense, is worse, because their impure motivation is rationalised as something supposedly good, when it’s really no different from the person who loves kumbaya, and so misses the reason for music in the Mass to the same degree. Both sides treat it as a performance. It is the pot calling the kettle black.

    1. I agree with what you’re saying to some extent, or can at least see where you’re coming from.

      And I think the way to address impure motives on both sides is to look at Sacrosanctum Concilium and also Musicam Sacram and ask, “yes, but why?” Neither are some sort of lofty decree from On High, but gentle, loving documents that encourage us to take responsibility to nurture the gift that we’ve been given in the Church’s musical tradition. In the words of Pope Francis, God caresses and lovingly puts us back on track; He doesn’t slap. And frankly, Benedict didn’t smack anyone down, either.

      But the pervasive sense that “Vatican II did away with” Gregorian chant, polyphony, ad orientem, and Latin is simply not true, and arguably an insidious lie. That idea needs to be called on the carpet right now, and the sooner the better, precisely because clearing it up will address both sides and any misconceptions. A blog called “Catholic in the Ozarks” has it right that those who are concerned about “rad trads” should embrace “Summorum Pontificum,” and those who do care about the Latin Mass should be aware of how some people’s attitudes actually hurt the Latin Mass. I have a foot in both camps, and so I do see the hostility and snobbery coming from both sides. I do what I can to gently defuse it, in so far as I’m able to do anything at all. Any accusations of mandating what the Church does not can also easily run in both directions, and often does. Where we need to go is to examine what the Church gives us and encourage people to discover it, reassuring them that they should not, and need not, be afraid.

      Sacrosanctum Concilium doesn’t exist to prove that a certain group of people are “right” and that their musical tastes are “superior.” So this is still not about what anyone “likes.” SC and MS lay out certain directives for sacred music for particular reasons (namely, what it means for anything to be at service of the liturgy), and they also assume that we know what the Mass– and its spiritual reality– is. Moreover, when there are impure motives involved, then those occasions call for prayer that ask Christ to reorient those motives rightly. Part of the problem is that there is– perhaps justifiably– a lot of concern and even outrage at fifty years of bad catechesis, and a very fragmented sense of Catholic identity encouarged by badly celebrated liturgy. If it’s true that “in Him, the center holds,” then we can see why well-celebrated liturgy is very important, even though importance should not mean obsessive-compulsive fussiness, but a loving and humble respect for what it’s all about. It’s about spiritual realities that direct and are reflected in details. But it’s time we worked through any anger we might have more constructively. This calls for an examination of conscience.

      Personally, a lot of the polyphonic motets that I hear at the Latin Mass haven’t easily given me any sort of frisson; it’s not something I’ve taken to immediately, because– here, I’ll say it– I’m a lousy (and lazy) lapsed pianist, and therefore an all-around pretty bad one. But what’s enabling me to appreciate this sort of music are my historical– and theological– studies, both in terms of what I actually work on, and my private interests. There will be one or two pieces that “hook” me immediately, like the “Ave Maria” for four voices often mistakenly attributed to Tomas Luis de Victoria, or Thomas Tallis’s “Spem in Alium.” But my appreciation is slow, and more intellectual, before it trickles down to my heart– whereupon there, I see it all come together over time. Appetites can come with the meal, and one tries to approach that meal with both an open mind and an open heart. In addition, there are kinds of music that are more conducive to silence than others.

      So while I may not appreciate the musicological aspects of Byrd, Palestrina, Tallis, and Lassus with the same level of sophistication as others who are more talented in this area, I also know an invitation to sacred silence when I hear it, to say nothing of an invitation to engage with Someone Bigger Than I Am, Who also works within me at a profoundly intimate level if/when I let Him. It is an invitation to rest, for “Lord, You have made us for Yourself. Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”

    2. I’m not even sure I should be posting here but I felt I should speak up.

      I will TRY to keep this as brief as possible and give you a little history. I was raised and Baptized Roman Catholic, married a Lutheran woman and raised our children Lutheran. Now that our kids are grown, my wife and I volunteer in both churches, she as a singer, and I as a bassist. My son chose to stay Lutheran, and my daughter converted to Catholicism.

      There are many learned people who have responded here, I am not one of them, so please forgive any improprieties. I am simply a man who loves to serve and worship, and play bass guitar. I count myself as extremely blessed and humbled that I serve in a Mass to begin with, and in a way that hopefully contributes and not distracts from it. I’ve been playing bass guitar in church for almost 25 years now.

      First and foremost, it is imperative that the musicians understand that they are WORSHIPING, NOT PERFORMING. Many come from a performing background and I feel it is of the utmost importance to get that clear from the start. I’ve played with Grammy Winning musicians, professional studio musicians, as well as young children who have been playing a very short time, and I always try to convey that point to them. Musicians come in many different forms and ability levels, yet we strive to play at a level where everyone is comfortable. There is no “Star” of the group if you will, but there is a Praise Team Leader who works closely with Church Leadership.

      That being said, permit me give you my musician biased point of view.

      In all my years of playing in church on Sunday, I have in addition played every major holiday, church picnic, weddings and funerals, Pastoral retirement ceremonies, Confirmations, Baptisms, etc, Some times playing as many as seven Services/Masses on a Christmas Eve away from our loved ones as they prepare for the Holiday. Most Sunday’s, we don’t get to sit with our families to worship, A point my 25 year old son reminds me of often.

      We volunteer on our days off, we practice during the week, prepare & purchase our sheet music, look for and train/encourage new musicians, search out new music, sometimes spending thousands upon thousands of dollars (most of which we can’t afford) on equipment (frequently donating it to the church) …the list goes on and on. We do it willingly and lovingly in service to our Lord.

      What I humbly ask is that everyone keep some of these things in mind before they criticize. The overwhelmingly large majority of all Contemporary Music Ministries are volunteers. Many work without any kind of church budget. In the beginning I’ve had people say that what we do is “Sacrilege”, “disgusting” and that I’m a “heathen” for bringing “THAT” music into the church. I just smile and say that if what I’m doing is wrong that “I’m forgiven” and smile. 🙂 My standard response is “…Psalm 100. After 2000 years, isn’t is possible that God might like to hear something a little more upbeat? 😉 😉 😉 ”

      It’s not that there is anything wrong with the organ or hymns, they are beautiful and I too love to hear them. But why is it so difficult for people to accept that churches can offer both types of Services or Mass to appeal to more people? My Catechism teacher used to say “Our job is to get people into the church, then God will take it from there”. I never forgot that!

      Support your music ministry, you would be very surprised how a simple compliment is very much appreciated. Most of us put our hearts and soul into the worship service. Giving them a simple thank you is appreciated more than you could imagine.

      Thank you for your time.

      Psalm 100

      King James Version (KJV)

      100 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

      2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

      3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

      4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

      5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

    3. My standard response is “…Psalm 100. After 2000 years, isn’t is
      possible that God might like to hear something a little more upbeat? 😉
      😉 😉 “

      Actually, I do in fact consider that you put in a lot of effort before questioning the direction of those efforts– see my above comments where I said that I don’t doubt the sincerity or the effort. And I really do mean that. But I and others have good reason for raising the questions that we do, based on what the Church teaches. Or do we presume that all sincere efforts are necessarily beyond question and reproach? Making no effort to understand the Church’s musical tradition on its own terms before presuming to junk it with any manner of “don’t you think God would prefer something more upbeat after 2000 years?” is misguided at best, and disrespectful at worst. Moreover, I never presumed anything about what God “prefers,” because liturgical music isn’t about what God “prefers” to hear, but about reflecting Who He IS, and what we publicly profess to believe about Him.

      And I am in music ministry, by the way. I also believe very strongly that while it’s nice to be appreciated, it is more important to do what is right: what, therefore, does the Church ask of us, musically? She gives us particular kinds of music. Why? Also, Catholicism can reach out to others by being itself, and without compromising what it is in substance: the operative invitation there should be “come and see!” It is no less the same invitation that Christ offers us every day. That we are not met with hostility is a blessing. Indifference doesn’t bother us much, and the compliments we get are gravy. What that means is that we can hopefully evangelize. Besides, complaints are complaints: not all of them are legitimate. We can do our best to listen, and try to help with people’s stumbling blocks, fears, and misunderstandings, but in the end, we have to do the liturgy and its spiritual reality justice.

      We also share a particular Mass time slot with another choir, but that works for us. We do what we can, especially when we have our families to consider, too. As for costs and being cost-effective, why spend thousands of dollars on musical novelty when most of the Church’s musical tradition can be had for free? Going a capella is also free. We can’t yet afford to, say, go to the Church Music Association of America’s chant workshops to learn Gregorian chant, because of finances and because we do have varying abilities. But we do what we can, we start with what is simple, and we’re in good hands as far as having a solidly trained director goes, and we aren’t spending thousands of dollars for new equipment and music. As a professional musician, surely you can also ask yourself why we have lost so much confidence in the human voice as an instrument in its own right, and why we assume that all music has to be accompanied? The Catholic Church has lost no such confidence in the human voice. This is also not a matter of music professionalism; it’s a matter of theology and philosophy. You can read music, sir. Surely those skills are transferable to the Church’s musical tradition and training people in it? Your talents would never go to waste.

      It is fine to use pop music to engage others outside of Mass. But it is not okay to allow pop music to overwhelm Mass, demanding that Mass conform to its standards when Mass has its own rhythmic sensibility, whereby we thus risk obscuring what Mass is about. That promotes incoherence, and incoherence is arguably spiritually harmful because a strong faith and a love that’s even worth the name requires a rightly directed will that itself requires right reason. God will do the rest, but we should let Him be Himself– precisely because the promise of the Church is that she can enable us to live as God lives and love as God loves. What may be fine for a Lutheran service is not necessarily fine for a Catholic Mass, simply because we believe different things. This is not any “sowing division,” or “hating” anyone; it is simply a respect of theological differences. Papering over them and pretending that they don’t exist, whereby all is somehow interchangeable promotes a false peace. If Lutherans and other Protestants have a right to be who they are, so do us Catholics. I say these things not to offend or to belittle, but with all sincerity, as a young Catholic who has been denied my own tradition for almost all of my life. Moreover, respecting other traditions as I do, I also respect my own: I am not morally obligated to “tolerate” anyone other than the Church’s Magisterium telling me what I believe as a Catholic. Protestant sensibilities and assumptions have no place at the very heart of Catholic worship– the Mass– just as Catholic belief in the Real Presence would have no place at the center of a Protestant Sunday service. I have Protestant friends, by the way, all of whom respect that I’m Catholic, and who (hopefully) know that I respect that I’m Catholic.

      In addition, why do you and others assume that you know better than the Church’s musical tradition? Isn’t that the chronological snobbery of supercessionism? Catholicism thinks in continuities and organic development, not just changes. We build on what came before; we don’t presume to reinvent the wheel every time, and we don’t presume that everything that came before is lifeless or even crap, while we’re so awesome for being the new kids in town. Every single composer who composes liturgical music compatible with what the Catholic Church teaches, be they contemporary or from historical periods removed from ours, has a firm grounding in Gregorian chant– and here, I’m talking Palestrina, Tallis, Byrd, Bach, Mahler, Poulenc, Gorecky, Part, James MacMillan, and Kevin Allen. And again, I didn’t say that there’s no room for Christian pop music in the Church— as in the Mystical Body of Christ, and not just the building in which Mass is celebrated. But I’m not sure that Mass is the appropriate place for pop music, even pop music with Christian lyrics, because of its mode of composition. Besides, if you think that chant and polyphony aren’t “joyful” enough, then I suggest that you scout out more of it. Try Ludovico da Viadana’s “Exultate, Justi in Domino” (Exult in the Lord, you Just!). Try the Credo III– just listen to that melodic line fly off in ecstasy as we chant “He ascended into Heaven…”

      Also, your admonitions about criticism and consideration for the sensibilities of others also apply to you: how much effort have you made to investigate why the Church teaches that Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony should have first place in the liturgy? I would urge you to be more cognizant of the Church’s musical tradition and the reasons for its existence alongside what you already know and love before you criticize, also. Think of the difference you might make as a musician if you knew both the Church’s tradition as well as Praise and Worship music. I love all kinds of music from jazz to bluegrass to pop to classical to sacred music. But I don’t presume that something is appropriate at Mass just because I “like” it and it “speaks to my heart.” Chant and polyphony, particularly the latter, are an acquired taste for me. But it did allow me to question previously held assumptions about music, and the kind of music I was letting into my heart and therefore allowing to form me.

      God is timeless and God speaks loudest in silence. Remember Elijah hearing that “still, small voice”? Mass and the Blessed Sacrament are meant to constitute an oasis of calm and peace amid a noisy world that glorifies busy-ness, so that we may be fed and nourished and strengthened to bring the Church into the world– to witness at all times to that peace that surpasses all understanding– and not bring the world and its assumptions into the Church. And as I’ve observed many, many times before– particularly in my above comments, chant and polyphony exudes a sound that is both bigger than one’s self, and yet, so very, very intimate: that’s precisely how the Eucharist works. That’s how Christ gives Himself to us and transforms us. Chant and polyphony are big sounds for all their quietness. The people of God– from the People Israel to the Body of Christ– are a people brought out of Egypt and brought out of the world to be set apart for the Lord. How exactly does music that takes its standards and modes of composition from the world do this?

      Moreover, quote Scripture all you want, but the Bible is always read in light of faith in Jesus Christ– the Word made Flesh. Catholics are a people of the Word, not a people of the book, and the Word Made Flesh is never only about “the words.” Catholicism is the religion of the Incarnation. How the words of Scripture are conveyed, therefore, matter. Again, I would encourage you to investigate how Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony actually convey the words of Scripture. As someone who loves Scripture, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised: chant follows the flow and rhythm of the words of Scripture. It does not demand that Scripture conform to the meter. At Mass, we also step into God’s time, away from worldly time. What exudes strong beats, like contemporary pop music, does not convey any sense of timelessness, but rather the passage of time. I would also caution you against any assumption that sobriety and joy are incompatible or mutually exclusive. Especially not when St. Francis de Sales speaks of a “sober joy,” not when St. Therese of Lisieux speaks of experiencing bitterness in trial while still being deeply in love with her beloved Lord Jesus, and not when Pope Francis recently warned that joy and having fun are not the same thing.

      Most of us put our hearts and soul into the worship service.

      Of course. But those hearts and souls still have to be directed rightly. That’s true of all efforts in our spiritual life as Catholics. Moreover, all worship services beg the question of– and therefore reflect– the God we profess to worship. Again, however, your skills and talents are transferable to the music that the Church gives us. Think of how effective you’d be as an evangelist if you knew the Church’s tradition along with P&W.

      But why is it so difficult for people to accept that churches can offer both types of Services or Mass to appeal to more people?

      I would ask the same question of the contemporary-music-leaning folks. We often hear “it’s beautiful, but…” and then we know exactly what’s coming next. I’m going to assume ignorance here, and not malice. Yet, historical presumptions that the past is merely “dead,” with no thought toward or understanding of continuity and organic development are telling. We have also not heard any good reason to seriously consider why Haugen, Haas, etc. are as suitable as chant (be it in Latin or English), whereas we have seriously measured that music against what the Church teaches, asks of us, and provides for us, and find it wanting. As Jeffrey Tucker once asked: why do we think we can make things up, when the Church already provides us with the music we need throughout the liturgical season? Isn’t that unnecessary effort leading in the wrong direction? Isn’t hankering for and privileging novelty a way of promoting the “throwaway culture”? No-one should ever push anyone else off the liturgical cliff by trying to do too much, too fast. But those questions I raised in this post and others still nonetheless remain. We make accommodations based on logistics, because we have to meet people even as we attempt to educate them. The Church’s tradition is living, because it witnesses to Jesus Christ, ever ancient, ever new. It’s not meant to be mere “heritage” or to provide some crusty patina of superficial prettiness and bourgeois respectability. And why try to “keep up with the times,” when we can go broad and deep by sticking with the Alpha and Omega, Who is Past, Present, and Future for standing outside of Time itself? A Church that always tries to “get with the times” will find herself unable to read the Sign of the Times.

  3. I was one of those dreaded guitarists at the Holy Mass at the Church of St. Olaf in downtown Minneapolis during a decade long, long ago. I had the privilege of playing Silent Night on classical guitar to accompany the formidable choir. I was told our piece was well received.

    After Mass one Sunday afternoon, an elderly woman approached the musicians, she singled me out to tell me how very much she loved my song. She was simply beaming.

    We musicians packed up our things and headed to the sacristy to say farewell to the celebrant. The priest said, “I see you met Maria.” I smiled and nodded.
    (St. Olaf is where VIP Catholics attend Mass when they are visiting the Twin Cities. The celebrant is always informed who is attending and where they are seated.)
    “She seems like a sweet woman” I said.

    The priest could barely contain his excitement: “That was Maria von Trapp.”
    Anyway, back in that decade, our church buildings were empty. I can assure you they were not empty because of the guitars. The guitars came in after the pews emptied out. We dreaded guitarists were enlisted to spark the interest of a generation that had checked out.

    We were the effect, not the cause.

    Did I mention I was complimented by Maria von Trapp?

    1. That’s kind of my point above–the Church doesn’t actually call us to “combat” this kind of music. None of us remembers when chant or the most ancient polyphonic hymns were the “contemporary” Christian music of its day. But there was a time when they were.
      The Church instead calls us to “test everything” and retain what is good. And it is within the realm of possibility that, 300 years from now, a song composed by Matt Maher will be viewed as a very “traditional” song (he’s a deeply devout and very talented composer).
      It’s possible, and the Church in her wisdom remains open to such possibilities while also maintaining the integrity of the music that in many ways is uniquely associated with the Roman liturgy.

    2. Thank you, Deacon Jim. I was hoping that someone would get my drift. 😉

      As a former choir director for adults and children, I attended the National Association of Pastoral Musicians’ conferences as part of my responsibilities. And here is where Catholics are introduced to different methods in liturgical music in drawing people closer to a personal
      relationship with God during the Mass; classical, contemporary, folk, etc.

      I’m not criticizing the perspective of Greg’s article, or serving as his apologist, just sharing that liturgical musicians, if they participate in the NAPM as a parish music director, they are encouraged to use ‘appropriate sacred music for Mass that draw people into the Mass.’ They present music at these conferences that
      bring you to tears and others that make you want to shout with praise. How you choose to utilize that music is up to
      you and your pastor. However, and this point cannot be drilled home enough, at every single break out session, they reiterate that the music is not the focus of the Mass, but the backdrop. It is to help enhance your prayer with God, not detract from it. However, human beings are so egotistical and can easily be swayed from any selfless
      objective. I actually have a cantor yell at me before Mass one Sunday, because I did not schedule her to cantor at her usual Mass. Her comment to me, and I quote, “I’ll have you know that there are people who come to this particular Mass expecting to her me sing (cantor)” My response, and I quote, “Oh, really, then they will be disappointed when they don’t hear you this morning. How more unfortunate that they are attending Mass for the wrong reason.” It was shortly thereafter that I resigned. 😉 The drama was wearing my patience thin….and my Christian love was becoming transparent. No regrets! http://www.npm.org/

    3. I’m not sure it’s a matter of “combating” this type of music, or that anyone even should and should want to, but having a clearer sense of what’s appropriate and when.

      There is definitely room for praise-and-worship music, and music like Matt Maher’s in the Church. …but that raises the question as to whether Mass is that place, and it also begs the further question of what we actually mean by “Church.” …we tend to squish what we mean by this into the four walls of our parish, our dioceses, or “the Vatican”– namely, the institutional structure of the Church, which of course matters, but when we lose a sense of “the mystical Body of Christ,” then we forget that we’re supposed to bring the Church out into the world. Where Matt Maher’s and Audrey Assad’s music would work wonderfully, of course, is in the work of evangelization. There’s a bridge that can be built between the music they make and that of an artist like Sara Bareilles– in whose “Brave” I can hear a lot of Lumen Gentium, Caritas in Veritate, and Lumen Fidei, seen with Catholic eyes, while not saying in the least that her song is specifically Catholic or appropriate at Mass.

      Moreover, Pope Francis doesn’t celebrate his Masses with Matt-Maher-type music. His way of celebrating Mass is simpler than Pope Benedict’s, but it’s a far cry to say that what he’s doing allows for Christian pop or rock at Mass (he doesn’t chant, all the likely because he can’t sing). While Sacrosanctum Concilium does not say that Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony are the only music permissible at Mass, they are given “first place.” So why? Pope John Paul II has said a few things about this; about how the closer any piece of music is to Gregorian chant, the more appropriate it is for the liturgy.

      Teaching our Catholic young people the Church’s musical tradition is important. It’s not saying that the music “young people like” is “bad,” as it is raising the question of what’s appropriate. Not everything I like or find enjoyable is appropriate for Mass, and as I said above, composers like Bach, Josquin, Lassus, and Rachmaninoff had a sense that sacred music had different guidelines than the secular pieces they wrote. The secular pieces they wrote wouldn’t be appropriate for Mass or the liturgy at the time in which they wrote them, either, and they wouldn’t be appropriate now. Josquin wrote some beautiful polyphonic motets that one often hears at the Latin Mass. …but his “El Grillo,” a delightful piece about what a good singer the cricket is, who sings about love, would not be appropriate at Mass. There’s that driving, exuberant “dalle-dalle-beve-beve-grillo-grillo-canto,” after all. Someone could try to change up the words and make it about Jesus. But it still wouldn’t make it appropriate due to the structure of the piece.

    4. Dr. McLeod, you might want to read Sr. Roccosalvo on sacred music. She said that guitars often get a bad rap, but there’s a way of playing it– lute like– that is appropriate, as opposed to strumming vigorously and banging away at it. …which you clearly didn’t do.

    5. Thank you WS. Your reading recommendations for me have been superb in the past (Unintended Reformation is one of those books where one reads a paragraph and reflects for an hour).
      Yes I play classical guitar which is more similar to lute, and I own a lute though I can’t claim expertise at it yet.
      I am thoroughly enjoying your erudition in this thread. I detect a graduate degree in theology. You are very inspiring.

    6. I detect a graduate degree in theology. You are very inspiring.

      Thank you for the very kind words, Dr. McLeod. But nope. Not a graduate degree in theology, but a graduate degree in history. When it comes to theology and philosophy, we’re looking at training that I wish I had in a formal sense, but which I try to undertake as a geek in my spare time. 😉

    7. I can assure you that the guitarists I have
      seen and heard are nothing like you Dr. McLeod. Half of the ones I have
      come to know cannot even read music – they play what
      they think the songs should sound like without regard to 1/4-note rests
      or a measure or two before the next stanza..

    8. Yes sir, I read notes from the capa to the coda, complete with dynamics and tension. Nylon strings are unforgiving too, they catch every nuance so you have to have discipline in the fingers.

      I played Shubert’s Ave Maria two years ago. Gorgeous, gorgeous, it is such a joy to play. He obviously didn’t know this, but Schubert’s piece is just made for a guitarist’s hands. It “feels” amazing to play, the fingerings are so natural.

      Thanks for a great piece, I see where you’re coming from.

  4. For the sake of contrast: I am a Catholic singer song writer. I LOVE playing guitar and singing. I attend Mass at the Fathers of Mercy in The Chapel of Divine Mercy. The Chapel has a fantastic Organ. The young woman, Laura, who plays the organ at Mass plays keyboards in our band. If I arrived with my guitar to the choir loft for Sunday Mass she would fall of the floor with laughter along with all the Fathers of Mercy and the laity. They would say, “Has John LOST His Mind?” To see The Chapel of Divine Mercy go Here: http://www.fathersofmercy.com I also LOVE the Novus Ordo Mass at the Fathers!

  5. I’m certain that Catholics of the 1600’s would find music from the mass of 1900 (which appears to be the author’s desired period to transport to and worship) to be most bizarre. When one prefers pipe organ/choir loft-delivered music to the exclusion of OCP songs, the game is given away; get ye to a Latin mass, where you can worship among the pipe organ and the cobwebs. Jesus will show up in the Eucharist, as always, and “meet you where you are”… which appears to be that comfortable spot where you aren’t challenged to find what Jesus is trying to say to you through the direction in which His Holy Spirit is taking liturgical music.

    Granted, I’d like to have quiet time after communion, and it bothers me when our music director seems to be playing a medley of hits, but that’s Jesus’ challenge to me. But when one is critical of Dan Schutte (and I guess you don’t like John Michael Talbot either?), it’s obvious that you need to find a different mass or different parish to attend… and good luck with that.

    1. Actually, I do very much enjoy the Latin Mass – but I did not grow up with this type of music either. I am fortunate to live in a community with 15+ parishes and 3 diocese within a 20-mile radius and frequent a variety of Masses. I have no doubt that Jesus is present at the Eucharist and I am in no way suggesting to know what He prefers. However, I do know that we are called to attend Mass for the purpose of worship and praise of our Lord – not ourselves or our humanity. That is my point.

      As WSquared mentioned above – it is not that certain music should be forbidden, but is the Mass the correct venue for some of it. I listen to Christian Contemporary music frequently and enjoy it – but I do not believe that much of it has a place in the Mass. At a retreat, encounter weekend, celebration, concert, inspirational event, etc are certainly appropriate places, but not always at a Mass – Novus Ordo or TLM.

  6. Pingback: St. Nicholas, Bringing Presents, Punching Heretics - BigPulpit.com

  7. I agree with much of the article. But the fact remains that there is a shortage of skilled organists, and lots more people that can play guitar and other instruments. We are where we are and I think the challenge is for Catholic hymn writers and composers to write stuff suitable for parishes that may not have an organist or an organ.

    1. …or singers can always go a capella. 🙂

      Please, someone correct me: If I remember, Sacrosanctum Concilium does not say anything about accompaniment being necessary, but what accompaniment is appropriate. So I think the Mass can be sung without any accompaniment, right?

    2. I agree that there is a shortage of organists…but could this be that there is no longer a need for them. Musicians enjoy making music. If there was a void that needed to be filled, talented and skilled musicians would make the effort to become organists.

  8. Greg, thank you for this piece. So appropriate at this time of year when parishes get geared up for Christmas Mass. Many moons ago at our parish….at the children’s Mass… they actually sang “So This is Christmas” by John Lennon…the atheist. I was so shocked I didn’t know what to do. Of course, the pastor didn’t see anything wrong with it, because he was ultra-liberal and felt it “spoke to the youth.” Then at Lent the following year, we were “entertained” by the Offertory hymn “For Good” from the Broadway musical “Wicked.” Yes, believe it. The people who cried it was sacrilegious were condemned as being “too Catholic,” and not willing to “get with the more contemporary Mass.” Thank God that we now have a new pastor who is TOO CATHOLIC and proud of it. 😉

  9. A couple things to reflect on, in my view:
    First, it might bring some consolation to you to see the “Bread, Blessed, and Broken” thing as an important “both/and”–the Precious Body under the “appearance” of bread and the Precious Blood under the “appearance” of wine actually do both remain “symbols” *and* reality. The amazing thing about the Blessed Sacrament is that our senses perceive *only* the “symbol” while Jesus is truly substantially present in the Eucharist. So, there is a foothold in this sense for a lyric that speaks of this as a “symbol” of God’s love.
    Second, having reached the 50th anniversary of Sacrosanctum Concilium, it does at least bear pointing out that the Council Fathers determined that there is a legitimate place for instruments other than pipe organ and a legitimate role for contemporary compositions that draw from contemporary forms.
    So, while there may be much to lament regarding sacred music in the average Catholic parish, it seems to me more a question of achieving a better sense of balance and continuity–so, again a bit of “both/and.”

    1. But Mr. Russell, is “contemporary music” necessarily pop music/taking its cues from secular pop music?

      Kevin Allen, Arvo Part, and Maurice Durufle all composed “contemporary” liturgical music. But their compositions build on the Gregorian form.

    2. Hi, WS–you’re right that “contemporary” music can take many forms. And that it’s not *necessarily* (secular) “pop” music.
      The more penetrating question is, as I see it, how does music and instrumentation “transition” from what is secular or “pop” to what is “traditional” to what is recognized as a “sacred” form of composition or instrumentation.
      One can ask, for example, what was the “pop” (as in popular) music of Mozart’s day? Or when in history did the pipe organ cease being considered a merely “secular” instrument?
      Not posing such questions to excuse anything less than authentically prayerful and sufficiently dignified, but there are some good reasons that Sacrosanctum Concilium made an effort to acknowledge some other possibilities alongside of what is in a sense uniquely distinctive of the Roman Rite.

    3. The more penetrating question is, as I see it, how does music and instrumentation “transition” from what is secular or “pop” to what is “traditional” to what is recognized as a “sacred” form of composition or instrumentation.

      This probably has everything to do with form and function, as well as what the spiritual reality of the Mass is. Some forms of music better convey that reality than others. Gregorian chant, for example, has a weak beat– as opposed to a strong beat– and is not heavily metered. As such, it tends to follow the words of Scripture; it doesn’t force Scripture to conform to the meter. It is better able to convey Eternity rather than something with a strong beat that is more indicative of the marked passage of time.

      One can ask, for example, what was the “pop” (as in popular) music of Mozart’s day? Or when in history did the pipe organ cease being considered a merely “secular” instrument?

      I’m not sure this is the right question, or perhaps it poses the question too narrowly. Again, this likely comes down to form, function, and structure. SC mentions “sacred popular music,” but ultimately, it seems, the Mass and what it actually is has to have the final say with regard to what’s adaptable and what’s not.

      Regarding the “pop music” of Mozart or Bach’s time, not all pop music is equal– some of it may be adaptable; others not. Depends on what it is, depends on what it’s structure is like. Moreover, composers such as Mozart and Bach were aware that sacred music had different guidelines. Bach’s sacred work had the Lutheran liturgy in mind– and he did not write it in the same manner and style as his chamber pieces, the latter of which might be “traditional” to our untrained ears, but not necessarily appropriate for Mass. Likewise, Rachmaninoff wrote his Vespers to conform to the guidelines of the Russian Orthodox liturgy– and yes, it does lay down very real specifics, not only with regard to chant, but the kinds of chant. This is not music that he wrote with the same guidelines as his Piano Concerti or orchestral work, say, so just because something sounds “traditional” does not make it necessarily appropriate.

      I’m also not sure it’s correct to say that Gregorian chant and polyphony were the “pop music” of their day. Gregorian chant was written especially for the liturgy, and is formed by the liturgy. This music, as Benedict XVI once said, is itself liturgy. Sacred polyphony such as that from the Renaissance period builds on the Gregorian form. That’s why SC gives those forms of music first place, and why I suspect they essentially set the standard. Moreover, pop music during Mozart’s time didn’t sound anything like Beyonce and Lady Gaga, or even Matt Maher or Tenth Avenue North. Moreover, what would sound “traditional” and “classical” to us now– to give the polyphonic madrigals of the Renaissance as but one example– wouldn’t be appropriate for Mass at the time in which they were written, either, so what seems contemporary to us now that may seem “traditional” later still doesn’t mean that it’s appropriate or will be appropriate. Composers who wrote secular and sacred pieces, like Josquin or Lassus, understood the difference. They usually wrote sacred motets, even as they wrote secular songs and madrigals.

      In addition, I’m not sure if it’s a question of whether the pipe organ is specifically a “sacred” or a “secular” instrument. The pipe organ more readily mimics the human voice, the latter being the ideal instrument (which makes me wonder whether our insistence on accompaniment has made us lose confidence in the human voice as an instrument). The piano is a percussive instrument, and has a harder sound than the pipe organ: even if you play it softly, you’ll still get a lot of tinkle, tinkle, plink, plink. I know that the guitar gets a bad rap, but Sr. Roccosalvo made a good case for the guitar– whereby its appropriateness or inappropriateness is in the playing; one can play the guitar like a lute, and not aggressively strum and bang away at it. It also most certainly would not be appropriate to pull out all the stops and blast away at the pipe organ throughout Mass (recessional and processional, though? Okay). Perhaps the best way to go is a capella (and it’s a good opportunity to get back to how churches themselves produce sound).

      Moreover, adaptability in general is more a question of whether whatever it is can easily be adapted for use at Mass by how well it conforms to the Mass, and not the Mass adapted to whatever it is, whereby the Mass would be conformed to it. There would probably also be the matter of where something would be used in the Mass in relation to the Mass. Regarding your earlier question, the terms for transitioning over would likely be that the standard for what is appropriate is set by the Mass and what it actually is as a spiritual reality (something that Bishop Alexander Sample explained really well: Mass is a celebration. But what are we celebrating, and who is actually present? It’s not just us and Jesus. We participate in the liturgy of Heaven, and the Saints and Angels are also present).

      It is indeed correct that Sacrosanctum Concilium does make an effort to acknowledge some possibilities alongside of what is distinctive of the Roman Rite. But if I remember correctly, SC does not say that this can be done willy-nilly, or that the concession always must be made to the local culture. SC seems to have more of a “cross-pollination” model in mind. It mentions that inculturation has to take into account the other culture and what music that it has that can be successfully adapted to the Roman Rite, but those decisions should be made carefully, and be done so by those who thoroughly know the Roman Rite’s tradition. SC still gives Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony first place. Musicam Sacram has reiterated this, and so has John Paul II, reiterating Pius X.

    4. Yes, we share a lot of common ground on this subject, I think. Chant, for example, was not in my mind regarding “pop” music through history. It’s uniqueness and utter flexibility is precisely why it should and must be retained (and have, all things being equal, pride of place). I second what you have said about instruments and the human voice–much would be accomplished if we could regain some ground in properly understanding the human voice as the essential element of liturgical music. Some of the most moving sacred music to be found is completely vocal.
      Let’s pray we see in our lifetimes a stronger sense of continuity with the past, an awareness of the gifts of the present, and a sense of responsibility to hand on all that is good for the future.

    5. Let’s pray we see in our lifetimes a stronger sense of continuity with the past, an awareness of the gifts of the present, and a sense of responsibility to hand on all that is good for the future.

      Part of the problem of why “music at Mass” can be such a touchy subject is that we have a really constricted sense of “Church”– we seem to restrict it to the institutional structure, either on the parish or diocesan level, or “the Vatican.” We also tend to view spirituality as something mostly emotional, whereby any music that makes me “feel good” is somehow appropriate, or “any music that makes an individual’s heart soar toward God,” without even asking what we let into our hearts, and what we even mean by “God” (and what direction, therefore, is appropriate. In a culture that promotes “spiritual, not religious” and “Jesus is my savior, not my religion” the Catholic Church’s contention is that right religion qua right relationship and what we actually mean by “Jesus” matters).

      We need institutional structure, sure, for the global Church. But the Church is also the Mystical Body of Christ. We’re meant to take the Church out into the world, to choose for Christ, whoever we are, wherever we are. So I think there’s all kinds of room for different kinds of music in the Church, but that’s not the same thing as saying that Mass is “that” place.

      We tend squish being Catholic into the Mass. We don’t even have much in the way of devotions, and we don’t have a viable, sustainable Catholic subculture. Some of the music that is not adaptable to the liturgy very easily can be ported over to devotions, such as Eucharistic Adoration, as per that Matt Maher video. Or why not have music like that to open Theology on Tap? There’s something powerful about going from “my one defense, my righteousness, Lord, how I need You” outside of Mass to “Asperges me, Domine, hysoppo et mundabor…” (“you will sprinkle me with hyssop, Lord, and I shall be washed whiter than snow”). Lord, how I need You, indeed, because look at what You can do. Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come unto Thee.

      A viable Catholic subculture will in good part need a network structure; a web, of sorts that can put out feelers. Where music like Matt Maher’s, Audrey Assad’s, and L’Angelus’s, or Tenth Avenue North’s, say, would be great would be in the work of evangelization, alongside the musical tradition of the Church, the latter of which much evangelize, because it can– it’s a way to put out feelers to engage others, to invite people to come into contact with the Source and Summit of the Christian Life, the very heart of the Church. …which will be problematic if we obscure the latter, especially if we make no room for sacred silence. So it would be a good idea to get some cross-pollination going on re the gifts of the present and the Church’s tradition. Catholic musicians should ideally know both, and to know how that tradition–intellectual and musical– forms their own work, and why that tradition is a living tradition, and not just “the past”: if Christ is alpha and omega, past, present, and future, then having a very strong sense of Who He Is informing that tradition is why it’s a living one.

    6. Any hymn that requires me to put that much thought into making it relevant to Mass is not a hymn that I will select for liturgy.

      I am a musician recently hired at a local parish. The Pastor, assigned six months ago, has put quite a bit of thought into his music program.

      The first change that Father made is a return of the service music to chant (service music = Gloria, Sanctus, etc.) For me, this is the greatest source of relief. I don’t have to learn and teach yet another over-complicated arrangement that detracts from the beautiful words of our prayers at Mass. Every parish should be chanting the service music.

      The second change that Father made is, well, me. Hold onto your hats, people–I am one of those guitarists at whom many of you spew forth your vitriol. I am somewhat accomplished—I play finger-style guitar, have studied many classical pieces and apply the techniques to music for Liturgy. My job will be to revamp their 1960s “folk mass”, flat-picked, three-chord nightmare into a “praise and worship” Mass a la Franciscan University of Steubenville.

      There IS a place for contemporary style in Liturgy, because Liturgy means “WORK OF THE PEOPLE”. We not only have the right, but we have the obligation by virtue of our creation in the image and likeness of our Creator to express our love and worship of Him in every age, in every generation. To paraphrase Cardinal Arinze, within Liturgy should exist freedom. Good Liturgical Musicians know where and when to exercise this freedom, and when it’s done well, no matter what the style, it is effective.

      For the record, I personally hate organ music. Organs remind me of the circus. They remind me of monkeys. They remind me of the Roman Empire murdering us in the Coliseum to the windy sound of the organ. Additionally, most organists stink. They play everything too slowly, and they drone on too loudly. It’s obvious they never practice.

      Don’t worry, I am an equal opportunity hater. I also personally despise much piano & guitar music. PIanists far too often think that they’re in a night club and try to play all jazzy—TRY. Guitarists think they are Jimi Hendrix but they only know 2 1/2 chords and one strum pattern. Folk groups are made up of some of the worst singers I ever heard. Cantors have zero vocal training, but they belt away like they’re pop star.

      Sometimes I sit through Mass and pray for it to be over. Sad, isn’t it? Bad music serves no one.

      Hey Musical Directors, put a little effort in, will ya? Quit taking just anyone who wants to sing and demand excellence from your musicians. 90% of the complaints will just vanish if you care just a tiny bit more about your jobs.

  10. Agreed on all points, Mr. Yoko. I’m no musical expert, but I do have some rudimentary musical training, and I sing in a parish choir that is slowly going more traditional at the Ordinary Form without pushing anyone off the cliff. We’ve gotten very good responses so far, in that people do appreciate what we’re doing, and tell us that it makes them feel like they’re “really at Mass.”

    What we really do have to stress, in conjunction with Mass not being about ourselves, but about Jesus Christ, is that music at Mass is not about personal “taste.” It is about allowing Mass to be itself. Both the documents of Vatican II and John Paul II have stressed that while Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony aren’t the only music permissible at Mass, they do set the standard. It’s because they were developed especially for the liturgy, and are formed by the liturgy. Music at Mass is personal, however, in that it addresses the human person, and the Mass as God’s action has the ability to form disciples.

    One of the things that I do love about having a choir loft isn’t just not making the musicians some sort of focal point, but it impresses upon us that we are there at the service of the liturgy, the Mass itself being music. The point is that we are better able to watch Father and everything else that goes on at Mass. We don’t “accompany” Mass; when we put ourselves at its service, we enter into it, too. What we sing is to reflect its spiritual reality, and if we choose music badly, we risk obscuring that reality. But absenting a choir loft, there is always the option of choir stalls between the altar and nave. We’re a choir that is “up at the front,” too, though not in the sanctuary, but off to the side. The first time I sang with the choir, I felt that people were looking at us until I directed and redirected my gaze at the altar, and thereafter, all was well. Moreover, participating at Mass isn’t singing everything or getting people to sing everything or do more stuff. If we keep stressing that we have to learn to be and not just do in our daily lives, then how we approach “active participation” at Mass should tell us something.

    I take issue with complaints of “the monotony of the Mass.” If Mass is “monotonous,” then we don’t know what Mass is. It also works the other way around, too: when we enter into the Sacred Mysteries at Mass, badly chosen music for the usual “four-hymn sandwich” approach constitute four points at which the music can break people’s concentration and break up the cohesion of the Mass. So can vigorously strummed Ordinaries (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei). I don’t doubt anyone’s sincerity, dedication, and hard work at all. But what I do question is the direction of those efforts, and whether it is appropriate. The Church herself gives us the music that we need for Mass. So why do we think we can blow off her directives, and not be curious as to what she gives us and why? If love is not just an emotion, but an act of the will that wills the best for the other as other, then why do we not want to let Mass be itself, so that we learn to let Jesus be Truly Himself (which does mean that we also become truly ourselves by engaging Him and letting Him engage us)? If the Church’s teaching is meant to address the whole human person, then why do we think that what she teaches when it comes to music doesn’t matter?

    Moreover, reminders that music appropriate for Mass is not about “what we ‘like,'” isn’t about putting down anyone else’s tastes in music or “excluding” anyone, as it is recognizing that with music, form and function do matter. I love all kinds of music, from Jazz to bluegrass (and it was actually appreciating lots of Bach that enabled me to appreciate the tight harmony and counterpoint of bluegrass). But when I’m at Mass, I’m at Mass. This is time set apart, and God’s time– this is encountering, stepping into, and being lifted up into Eternity, and the opening up of what seems in human terms only a scant hour. Mass can take us deep, because Jesus Christ is Lord of all time as alpha and omega, and past, present, and future. I can listen to “my” music and whatever I “like” at any other time of the day. Moreover, I’d love to “jam” with other members of our choir, for example, singing secular music from the Renaissance, and I have no problem with pop music. But not at Mass. Likewise, classic Gospel might be more appropriate for processional and recessional, but not the actual Canon of the Mass (and there’s nothing to say how someone couldn’t write a Gospel piece that conforms to the Mass, but they of course first have to know what the Mass is as a spiritual reality). I like opera. But I would be just as annoyed, to the point of being livid, if I were to hear a soprano warble all of the Ordinaries of the Mass, as I would be if she belted them as if on the Broadway stage. If it’s one “commandment” that there should be for anyone who sings at Mass, it should be “thou shalt not showboat,” just as there should be the following guidelines: Mass is Christ’s Sacrifice at Calvary made present in our now. At Mass, we celebrate His Cross and Resurrection, and we look forward to the East for His Coming. If we wouldn’t do something at the foot of the Cross, we should not be doing it at Mass.

    I’m an ethnic minority and a Roman Catholic. So I’ve been thinking about questions of culture and inclusion/exclusion politics for a very long time. Which is why I don’t take kindly to sentimental “tolerance” and “inclusion” and “appreciating other cultures” as an excuse for inappropriate music at Mass. I have lived in three countries, and have attended Mass in several languages other than in my native English. I am also EF-OF bi-formal (so I am not “Latin Mass only”), and I more than aware of what it means to respect my ethnic background and culture, to say nothing of the dynamics of diaspora, while knowing also where that culture is incompatible with the Catholic faith (so I’m about the last person who needs to be told to “respect other cultures,” which does not at all contradict how when I hear Latin, I know I’m “home”). I lived through the “Spirit” of Vatican II’s liturgical Silly Season, and endured kumbayaa catechesis, only to be a Catholic revert. I have observed on many occasions, both inside and outside the Church, that for all the exhortations about “appreciating and respecting other cultures,” the one culture that the average American Catholic often disses and almost stubbornly refuses to understand on its own terms is the Church’s own tradition. More important than “tolerance” is genuine, respectful understanding, including an understanding of differences. And cultural understanding must go both ways. Gregorian chant, sacred polyphony, Latin, the Latin Mass, etc. are “my” culture, because I am a Latin Rite Catholic. This is not about what I “like,” but what the Church gives me. This is not about where I “come from,” but where I am going.

    That experience has allowed me to conclude that what “includes” me– truly includes me– at Mass and in the Catholic Church is not “nice people,” or “more people who are the same ethnicity as me,” but Jesus Christ. I don’t love John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis because they’re “nice people,” and they are not “old, celibate white men in the Vatican who don’t know anything.” Either the Catholic tradition can speak most fully to the fundamentals of what it truly means to be human, or it can’t. I love them because they show me Jesus Christ as he actually is, because that’s nothing more or less than what the Successor of St. Peter does. “Having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ” also begs the question of whether we know Who He Is, and whether we are prepared to let Him be Himself (if this wasn’t such an important question, Pope Benedict wouldn’t have written three books on the subject, Fr. Robert Barron wouldn’t have written The Priority of Christ, and Ross Douthat wouldn’t have written Bad Religion). Disciples of the Lord can only hand on what He’s given them in various ways as “reading the Signs of the Times” will demand, but not think they can make it up as they go along. We should be on fire for Christ, but we should also be careful of leading others to a Christ who is not worth following.

    The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. The way in which Scripture is conveyed and interpreted, and not just heard in terms of its basic content is important. This speaks to your earlier point about how it’s not just about whether the lyrics in something written by Marty Haugen, David Haas, etc. “contains Scripture” (the fact that any of them, however talented, are not familiar with the Catholic Mass is good reason enough for why their music should not be allowed to dominate the Mass). Moreover, I’ve noticed how those songs that “contain Scripture” actually jump all over the place, and not just get their interpretation wrong in the ways that you mention. With chanted propers, what one actually engages in is a form of lectio divina— a brief passage of Scripture, confident in its sound for its humility, that is received, contemplated, and chewed over. Taste and see that the Lord is good, indeed. Moreover, something that I do notice about Gregorian chant is that it is simultaneously Bigger Than You, and yet so very intimate. This is precisely how the Eucharist works.

    Given that our choir sings a capella, or sometimes with organ accompaniment, there are several other things that have occurred to me: when we talk about instruments at Mass, it’s as though we’ve lost confidence in the fact that the human voice is itself an instrument. Sure, not every parish might be able to afford a pipe organ– but does that mean that it should be buying a grand piano? The pipe organ mimics the human voice; the piano is percussive. And if we’re going to talk about “costs,” then what can be more “cost effective” than learning to sing a capella? Moreover, emphasis on “performance” often makes us forget that the music of the Mass is prayer that is learned– and learned by repetition (a solid prayer life, after all, is cultivated the same way, and patiently. It is not contingent upon daily novelty. We often hear about how the set prayers of the Church is how she teaches us to pray– whereby they also teach us to pray free-form better). How does anyone think that folks learned chant? A schola cantorum makes that emphasis clearer– that we’re all learning this stuff, and we keep learning it. That we have particular settings of the Mass for particular liturgical seasons comes as no accident.

    All of this would also be of benefit to our Catholic young people. That the musical tradition of the Latin Rite is something that is patiently and painstakingly learned is a valuable lesson that carries over to other areas of life– one’s spiritual life, and also cultivating the gifts that God has given us, whereby their cultivation is honed, nurtured, and integrated into one’s spiritual life. It is also a very fulfilling intellectual exercise to know how and why something works based on its direction and end.

    1. WW – I think I want to copy and paste your two lengthy comments and just use them for the next article!! I am humbled by your technical and theological approach. I wish I could have been as eloquent as you are to make my points. Excellent interpretation and elaboration on the message I was sending.

    2. Mr. Yoko, thank you for your kind words. I notice that your training is in communications and publishing. So I’m not surprised that you appreciate the technical parts of what I put across (I’ve only read here and there in the history of the newspaper– so I can tell you that when I hear things like “the Mass is meant to be sung,” and “the Gospel is meant to be chanted,” or when someone suggests that I should look at what Gregorian chant looks like on the page in Gregorian notation, a couple of light bulbs go off). Probably reason enough for me to read Inter Merifica at some point sooner rather than later.

      One thing that one of my advisers once told me was “always be aware of the relationship between form and function.” I don’t think he ever imagined that I would take that lesson to the Latin Mass with me one day, and essentially bounce it off the work of Benedict XVI and Fr. James V. Schall, SJ., only to be further intrigued by the likes of Jeffrey Tucker, the Chant Cafe, and the work of Corpus Christi Watershed, all of whom promote chant and sacred polyphony.

  11. I have sung in choirs all of my life. Been through many kinds of music. I do have my preferences. I find people pray in many different ways. Prayer is performed in many ways. Performances can be prayers in many ways. So, I suppose I would simply suggest people seek out a liturgy that fits better and supports their prayer life than one that doesn’t distract them from the purpose of the Mass: to entertain the thought that God is with us for real in the Mass and find joy in the actual and real presence of the Lord so each and every one of us may commune with Him and each other in the Mystical Body of Christ.

    In this respect, you may find the book “Prayer and Temperament” helpful in understanding that we all do not pray the same way and thus communicate with God in ways that others may find uncomfortable at times.

    { http://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Temperament-Chester-P-Michael/dp/0940136023/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386437052&sr=8-1&keywords=prayer+and+temperament ]

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