Category: Liturgy and Music

I’m glad to see the news that Pope Benedict is following up on the Synod on the Eucharist by stopping some questionable practices. He’s directed the “Neo-catechumenal communities” to put a stop to most of their liturgical deviations. (Maybe instead of “neo-” that should be “quasi-” or “pseudo-“.)
(Hat tip to Dom.)

My lovely wife and I had the distinct pleasure of attending a reverent Low Mass here on Saturday and a reverent (and exceedingly well-sung by the outstanding schola cantorum) High Mass here on Sunday morning. These churches are unconditionally recommended for travelers to either of these fair cities.

[Petitions for use in the Byzantine Divine Liturgy, by the Very Rev. Michael Hayduk, Syncellus for Doctrine and Worship, (Byzantine-Ruthenian) Eparchy of Parma]
We also pray, O Lord, for those who face incomprehensible anguish, sorrow and loss in the destruction of Hurricane Katrina; deliver them from every affliction, trouble, distress, wrath and need; that they may be safeguarded by Your holy angels; grant them assistance, peace, health and a long life, we pray You, hear and have mercy.
Lord, have mercy! (3x)
We also pray for those departed as a result of Hurricane Katrina, for their grieving loved ones; for families who were separated that they may be reunited; reassure them of Your divine presence and heavenly grace, we pray You, hear and have mercy.
Lord, have mercy! (3x)
We also pray for all involved in the relief efforts, O Lord, in this special time of need; strengthen them in body, mind and spirit as they labor and serve our neighbors in need. Grant them and all of us the firm resolve to support their efforts in love and generosity, we pray You, hear and have mercy.
Lord, have mercy! (3x)

Sentimental songs with lyrics of doubtful orthodoxy: that’s a common complaint about contemporary kitsch, but there’s old kitsch too, even 100-year-old stuff, that fits the same description.
Yesterday before Mass at my suburban parish, a male soloist was belting the ballad “The Holy City”, with choral backup. A parent in the loft pews said to her child: “Do you hear the singing? The man’s singing very pretty.” She must have been desperate to distract her little one from something else, as it was the sort of obvious lie that makes children think their parents are idiots.
Anyway, a Protestant page points out that the 1892 song is probably more an expression of its authors’ Masonic thought than Christian doctrine, exalting the Temple of Solomon while mentioning the Cross as only a shadow on a hill. No wonder I never liked it!
Here’s the text of the hymn and the critique:

Here’s an excerpt from the preparatory document (instrumentum laboris) for the synod on the Eucharist in October, with comments and some emphasis added:

60. The People of God, gathered in the Lord’s House, give thanks and praise through speaking, listening, singing and moments of silence.	The document reminds us of two points: first, the church where Mass is offered is a sacred place, the House of the Lord, where all our thoughts, words, and actions should be focused on Him. Respect and reverence are fitting; worldly talk and our personal pursuits can be left aside. Also, listening and silence are forms of participation in Mass. Actual participation includes — indeed, requires — these interior forms as well as the more obvious forms of participation, namely speech, song, gesture, and posture.
Various responses to the Lineamenta recommend that singing at Mass and Eucharistic Adoration be done in a dignified manner. The faithful need to know the standard Gregorian chants, which have been composed to meet the needs of people of all times and places, in virtue of their simplicity, refinement and agility in form and rhythm.
As a result, the songs and hymns presently in use need to be reconsidered. To enter into sacred or religious usage, instrumental or vocal music is to have a sense of prayer, dignity and beauty. This requires an integrity of form, expressing true artistry, corresponding to the various rites and capable of adaptation to the legitimate demands of inculturation. This is to be done without detracting from the idea of universality. Gregorian chant fulfills these needs and can therefore serve as a model, according to Pope John Paul II. Musicians and poets should be encouraged to compose new hymns, according to liturgical standards, which contain authentic catechetical teaching on the paschal mystery, Sunday and the Eucharist.	This is a call for reform: new compositions are needed, taking chant as a model. In particular, the church needs music “corresponding to the various rites”: chants for the sacred rites themselves. The Mass is not well served by the “four-hymn syndrome” in which the congregation sings hymns at the entrance, offertory, communion, and dismissal, but the Mass itself is mostly spoken.
61. Some responses particularly mentioned the use of musical instruments, referring to the general guidelines contained in the Constitution Sacrosanctum concilium. In this regard, a certain appreciation was often voiced in the Latin tradition for the organ, whose majestic sound adds solemnity to worship and is conducive to contemplation. Some responses also made reference to experiences associated with the use of other musical instruments in the liturgy. Positive results in this area were achieved with the consensus of competent ecclesiastical authority, who judged these instruments proper for sacred use, in keeping with the dignity of the place and the edification of the faithful.	The document is urging bishops to step up and actually regulate here in an area where some well-meaning people have had too much free rein. For example, the use of electric guitars in youth Masses can well be judged inappropriate, and a bishop can reasonably exclude such instruments.
In other responses some lamented the poor quality of translations of liturgical texts and many musical texts in current languages, maintaining that they lacked beauty and were sometimes theologically unclear, thereby contributing to a weakening of Church teaching and to a misunderstanding of prayer.
A few responses made particular mention of music and singing at Youth Masses. In this regard, it is important to avoid musical forms which, because of their profane use, are not conducive to prayer. Some responses note a certain eagerness in composing new songs, to the point of almost yielding to a consumer mentality, showing little concern for the quality of the music and text, and easily overlooking the artistic patrimony which has been theologically and musically effective in the Church’s liturgy.
In keeping with the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum concilium, the suggestion was made that, at international gatherings, the liturgy be in Latin, at least the Eucharistic Prayer, to facilitate a proper participation of the concelebrants and those who are not familiar with the local vernacular language.	Latin is the Roman Church’s universal language. Priests are expected to know it; and it is expected that many of the lay faithful too will know enough Latin to participate in Mass.
A certain satisfaction is drawn from the fact that some countries have a sound tradition of religious songs and hymns for special times in the liturgical year: Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. These songs, known and sung by the people, promote recollection and assist the faithful to live in a particularly spiritual way the celebrations of the mystery of faith in each liturgical season. Many hope that this positive experience might spread to other nations and provide a certain tone to these significant seasons in the liturgical year, thereby allowing the faithful to perceive the season’s message through music and lyrics.

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