In preparation for a revision of
Music in Catholic Worship (1972, 1983) and
Liturgical Music Today (1982), the Music and Liturgy Subcommittee called for a consultation from groups and organizations dealing with music, scheduled to take place October 9, 2006. Both the President and the Vice President of the CMAA are scheduled to speak.
As Monsignor Richard J. Schuler recounts in his
masterful history of music since the Second Vatican Council,
Music in Catholic Worship was originally prepared by the Music Advisory Board of the Committee on the Liturgy as an American interpretation of the Roman instruction
Musicam Sacram (1967). And though the document was never voted on by the whole body US Bishops, it has nonetheless had an enormous impact of the music in American Catholic liturgical life.
Looking back at this document today, especially in light of the progress currently being made in accomplishing what the Second Vatican Council actually intended concerning music, one is struck by the notable ways in which the American document is contradicted by the teaching of
Musicam Sacram, the
General Instruction on the Roman Missal, and the statements by John Paul II and Benedict XVI concerning music.
Three examples will suffice to make the point.
First:
Music in Catholic Worship (paragraph 51) boldly declares: "The former distinction between the ordinary and proper parts of the Mass with regard to musical settings and distribution of roles is no longer retained."
And yet
Musicam Sacram repeatedly refers to the sung Proper and sung Ordinary of the Mass, as does the
General Instruction on the Roman Missal, so these distinctions have in fact been retained. Indeed, without understanding these distinctions, it would be difficult to make sense of large amounts of the Church's legislation concerning music past and present.
It is highly regrettable that anyone might have assumed that ignoring the Propers and Ordinary (as found in the
Graduale Romanum) is consistent with official directives of the Church. And yet the confusion is pervasive today, due in part to the confusion sewn by the statement above, and this has detached several generations for their musical heritage and provided no clear direction for the future.
Second: the same paragraph 51 continues: "For this reason the musical settings of the past are usually not helpful models for composing truly liturgical pieces today."
Such a claim runs contrary to the Second Vatican Council's statement from
Sacrosanctum Concilium that "The musical tradition of all the Church constitutes a patrimony of inestimable value, which exceeds that of other expressions of art, especially by the fact that sacred song, united to words, is a necessary and integral part of the solemn Liturgy"
In the same way,
Musicam Sacram urges composers to "examine the works of the past, their types and characteristics" and "pay careful attention to the new laws and requirements of the Liturgy, so that 'new forms may in some way grow organically from forms that already exist,' and the new work will form a new part in the musical heritage of the Church, not unworthy of its past."
Music of Catholic heritage is not only helpful; there can be no true progress without a thorough knowledge of it and competence in singing and playing it, particularly with regard to Greogorian chant.
Third: Music in Catholic Worship (paragraph 28) says that "style and value are two distinct judgements... We must judge value within each style."
But John Paul II affirmed an uninterrupted tradition of instruction in writing that: "not all musical forms can be considered suitable for liturgical celebrations."
There are further problems with the
Music in Catholic Worship, among which that it fails to clearly delineate the qualities of sacred music that distinguish it from other forms of music.
Whatever the reasons for the release of
Music in Catholic Worship, its impact on American liturgy has not served the cause of organic development or of beautiful and holy liturgy. It has certainly not served to exclude "repertoire that cannot enter into the celebration without violating the spirit and the norms of the Liturgy itself" ("
On Sacred Music," John Paul II).
A reassessment should begin with an acceptance of this foundational principle of the liturgical reform, as stated in the
GIRM and Article 7 and 116 of the
Liturgy Constitution.
"Every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest and of His Body which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others," and hence one of its integral and necessary parts will be
musica sacra.
"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."
