Abstract
The liturgy is the summit toward which the activities of the
Church are directed and the fount from which all her power flows (Sacrosanctum Concilium 10). Indeed, the
Eucharistic Sacrifice is “the fount and apex of the whole Christian life” (Lumen Gentium 11). Through conscious and
active participation in the liturgical celebrations, the lay faithful carry out
their functions of common priesthood and are united with other members of the
Church – the Mystical Body of Christ to offer an efficacious sacrifice that is
most pleasing to God. The Liturgical Movement of the early 20th
century, which had its roots in the 19th century, paved the way for
various reforms carried out in the liturgy, the principles and norms of which
were later set out in Sacrosanctum
Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican
Council promulgated on 4 December 1963. Music tradition is a treasure of the
Church which forms an integral part of the liturgy. As such, Sacrosanctum Concilium dedicated the
entire Chapter VI to sacred music. Later, the Consilium set up to implement Sacrosanctum
Concilium prepared Musicam Sacram
(14 May 1967), setting out instructions on the practical norms on the use of
sacred music in the Mass, the Divine Office and other liturgical celebrations,
so as to unite the efforts of pastors, musicians and the faithful “to attain
the true purpose of sacred music, which is the glory of God and the
sanctification of the faithful” (Musicam
Sacram 4).
Half a century has passed since the promulgation of Sacrosanctum Concilium and Musicam Sacram. Thanks to the Second
Vatican Council and Sacrosanctum
Concilium, the modern liturgy has indeed undergone key reforms to enhance
participation by the faithful, most notably through the extensive use of the
vernacular and the more active response of the lay faithful during the
liturgical celebrations. Nonetheless, as pointed out by Pope John Paul II in Ecclesia de Eucharistia (17 April 2003),
“unfortunately, alongside these lights, there are also shadows” (EE 10). The following paper aims to make
an assessment on the situation of Catholic liturgical life today in light of
ideals and original goals of the Liturgical Movement and Sacrosanctum Concilium, putting a specific focus on the importance
of sacred music to enhance participation of the faithful in the liturgy. The
first part of the paper covers the objectives and developments of liturgy; the
background of the Liturgical Movement of the 20th century and the
liturgical thoughts of key theologians behind the Movement. The second part
discusses the objectives of using sacred music in liturgy in the light of the
Movement, including promoting active participation of the faithful, encouraging
a sense of community in the liturgy, and enabling the faithful to experience
the divine mystery. The main emphasis will be put on the Mass, while the Divine
Office and other liturgical celebrations will also be briefly touched upon.
Finally, some initial recommendations will be made as to how to make better use
of sacred music in the modern time to facilitate conscious and active
participation of the faithful in the liturgy.
Importance of Sacred Music to Enhance Participation of the Faithful in the Liturgy
Liturgy
(leitourgia) is a Greek word
originally meaning a public duty or service that one must do for his state. The
word has been applied to the worship of God, meaning that creatures have the
duty to participate in the work of God. For Christians, we can understand the
“work” as the mutual blessing between
the Trinity and humanity. God the Father, who is the source of all blessings,
gives humanity the gift of love and His life through the Son and with the Holy
Spirit. Humanity returns God’s blessing by “adoration and surrender to his
Creator in thanksgiving” (CCC 1078).
Indeed, “from the beginning until the end of time the whole of God's work is a
blessing” (CCC 1079). The Judeo-Christian tradition is a revealed religion. In
the Old Testament, God established and renewed His covenants with Noah and Abraham.
Despite the disobedience and unfaithfulness of His chosen people, God continued
with His revelation and blessing through astonishing and saving events, most
notably the escape from Egypt; promulgation of the Law through Moses; the
Promise to David; the construction, destruction and re-construction of the
Temple; the voice of the prophets; etc. Of particular importance to the Jewish
people is the Passover meal they celebrate every year. By celebrating the
Passover feast, they remember the
redemptive acts of God who freed their ancestors from the slavery of the
Egyptians, and respond to the divine blessing with praise and thanksgiving. The
concept of memory in the Jewish
thought is not limited to remembering a past event, but every Jew who
celebrates the Passover feast considers himself personally participating in the
past event, i.e., coming out of Egypt by the salvation power of God.
When the fullness of time had come, God sent His
only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ to this world so that humanity may get the
fullness of divine revelation. With the dying of the God-man on the Cross for
our sins, and his Resurrection from the dead, thereby defeating the Devil who
brought death to this world, God’s salvation plan for mankind is fulfilled and
His blessing fully revealed to humanity. Jesus did not leave his disciples
orphans with his Ascension. He promised to send the Advocate, i.e., the Holy
Spirit (c.f. John 14:26) and established the Church on earth which continues to
bestow God’s blessing to his disciples, especially through the liturgy. In the
Church's liturgy the divine blessing is fully
revealed and communicated (CCC
1082). The New Testament validated that the early Christians obeyed the command
of our Savior at the Last Supper to celebrate the Eucharist in remembrance of
him (c.f. Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25), by breaking bread at home and
sharing it with glad and generous hearts (c.f. Acts 2:46), while praising God
who added more and more people into the fellowship of the Church in the midst
of persecutions. Indeed, the early Christians who were admitted to the Church
were primarily motivated by genuine conversion experiences in their lives and
not few of them were prepared to be a martyr and sacrifice their lives for
faith in Christ. By participating in the Eucharistic celebration, they received
divine grace poured out upon them and had a good taste of the heavenly liturgy
in anticipation of eternal life. They grasped the true meaning of sacrificial
meaning of the Eucharist – Jesus’ bloody sacrifice on the Cross is re-presented
every time they celebrated together the unbloody sacrifice of the
Eucharist using bread and wine, which become his Body and Blood as the only and
most pleasing sacrificial offering to God.
With the Edict of Milan (313), the persecution of Christians
came to an end. The development of Christendom meant that Christianity was able
to spread much more rapidly, while on the other hand, the motive of becoming a
Christian might not always be pure. Since the fourth century, attempts to
safeguard the liturgical orthodoxy of doctrine had led to the “standardization
of liturgical practice and the disappearance of extemporized prayer” (Bradshaw
269). As time went by, the Eucharistic celebration evolved into an act which
could be complete and effective even without the participation of the faithful.
In the late Middle Ages, the Mass had lost its original flair of a community
celebration and turned primarily into an occasion when the priest offered a
sacrifice on behalf of the people who were engaged in their own private
devotions. While the reformers of the Protestant Reformation in the early 16th
century saw the deficiencies of the Church’s liturgy, they came short in
acknowledging the sacrificial meaning of the Eucharist. In their opinion, simplicity
rules. They disposed of the sacramental symbols, reduced the Mass to a
catechesis on the Last Supper and disregarded its sacrificial meaning. Their
reform of the liturgy unfortunately ran into heresy.
The Church convened the Council of Trent (1545-1563) to
condemn the heresies and reform her liturgy to eliminate superstitious acts and
reinstate its holiness in order to help the faithful to contemplate the most
sublime things which are hidden in the sacramental symbols. Moreover, in order
to counter the reformers who advocated the use of the vernacular for liturgical
celebrations, the Council also directed that it was not advisable for the Mass
to be celebrated everywhere in vernacular language as it had been a tradition
for celebrating Mass in Latin since the ancient rite. Nevertheless, the
pastor should explain frequently to the faithful the things read during the
Mass and the mystery of this most holy sacrifice (Council of Trent Session XXII Chapter VIII).
The following few centuries saw huge social, cultural,
economic and political developments especially in the West, primarily
influenced by the Enlightenment, Industrial Revolution and the related
technological advances. The French Revolution in the late 18th
century brought about far-reaching social and political upheaval, while at the
same time triggered attempts at reform of worship wounded by political
intrigue. In 1833, Dom Prosper Guéranger (1805-1875), a French Benedictine
monk, together with a few other monks recovered an abandoned priory in the damp
ruins of Solesmes. Guéranger was determined to create a liturgical congregation
which was to be an exemplar. The monks spent several hours in choir everyday
“reciting all the canonical offices in public and celebrating the Eucharist.
The rites and music were perfected so that the beauty of the services would be
a witness to the power of the liturgy.” The liturgical mission of the Solesmes
was confirmed by Pope Gregory XVI in his apostolic letter Innumeras inter, which recognized the Benedictine’s work in
“reviving pure traditions of liturgy.” Pope Leo VIII’s Nos quidem endorsed the restoration of Gregorian chant in 1901.
Later in 1904, Pope Pius X awarded the preparation of a new edition of the
chant books of the Church to Solesmes (Franklin 152). In 1905, Pius X issued a
decree Sacra Tridentina in support of
frequent communion. He also reformed the Liturgical Calendar and the Breviary,
and urged the restoration of Gregorian chant to help the faithful to participate
more actively in the liturgy. In 1909, at the National Congress of Catholic
Action at Malines, Dom Lambert Beauduin (1873–1960), another Benedictine monk
of Belgium, presented an important paper entitled “The True Prayer of the
Church” which outlined that popular Christian piety of his days was divorced
from the public liturgy, and he “proposed method for a renewal, arguing that
active participation in the liturgy, which is the true source of piety, can be
achieved by understanding the liturgical texts” (Fenwick and Spinks 25).
The Benedictines continued to lead the Liturgical Movement in
their monasteries of Beuron and Maria-Laach of Germany, and Maredsous and
Mont-César of Belgium. Their environments, emphasizing on the liturgy
celebrated frequently throughout the day, “were particularly fertile places for
exploring and developing new approaches to liturgical activity and liturgical
theology” (Love 126). Another representative Benedictine of the Movement is Dom
Odo Casel (1886-1948),
a monk of the monastery of Maria Laach in Germany. During his life, he
witnessed the significant development of weaponry, and as a German, he also
witnessed the loss of Germany in World War II. Casel recognized that the
answers of the neo-scholastics, who relied heavily on reason to defend Catholic
doctrines, were no longer adequate for the purpose of evangelization in a world
destabilized by wars that had dehumanized mankind, and ruined man’s ability to
recognize himself as truly human created in the image and likeness of God. In
his book The Mystery of Christian Worship, he wrote, “For never have they
(mankind) wandered so far away from the Mystery of God, or stood so near to
death … this God of mystery has become a burden to man, a burden of which he
would gladly be quit, in order to go his own way unhindered” (Casel 1). In
Casel’s view, modern man thinks that by human reason alone, he can make himself
the true master of the world. This closely resembles the Fall of man at the
beginning of God’s creation where our first parents needed no parental care,
made themselves a god, while suddenly “the eyes of both were opened and knew
that they were naked” (Gen 3:7). Our sins repeat again and again, but every
time the result is the same – the revolutionary becomes a slave. Casel
considered that “today this slavery is perhaps at its worst, when the
revolutionary (i.e., modern man) imagines he has freed himself from all bonds
whatever” (Casel 3). In this age of individualism, man closes up for himself
the road to God. “The clear consequence of this was a withdrawal of emphasis on
the Church’s mystery” (Casel 4). The liturgy has thus become a “God’s affair”
which cannot be comprehended by human reason. While the problem with the
reformers in the Protestant Reformation was dispensing with the sacrificial
meaning and ministerial priesthood in the Eucharist, a key problem with the
modern Church lies with the lack of perception and understanding of the role of
common priesthood among the lay faithful (Koenker 23).
To
address this issue, Casel considered it necessary to cultivate the appreciation
(or restore the traditional appreciation) of the “liturgical celebration in
which Christ’s saving power in death and resurrection becomes present in us.”
In liturgy, he believed, “the saving deed of Christ was objectively
re-presented as an efficacious reality, thus enabling believers to enter into
salvific contact with it” (Gilbert “Odo Casel: prophet and mystagogue”).
Casel’s understanding of the liturgy is “a mystery presence mediated with graduated
intensity, culminating in the presence of Christ in the consecrated bread and
wine.” As such, while Christ’s presence in the Eucharistic elements is
definitely real, the whole Christian liturgy indeed “makes present, as ‘really
real,’ Christ’s saving Person and activity” (Love 131). By recognizing the
redeeming work of the Risen Lord in the liturgy, members of the Church can join
with Christ, her head and bridegroom, to offer an efficacious sacrifice
of their own lives to God. The liturgy will allow man to encounter God and
acknowledge Him as the Creator who has given meaning to all things – in times
of joy, happiness, gain, fear, loneliness, despair, loss, and hope. His mystery
is no longer hidden from modern man, but revealed to those who actively participate
in the liturgy in union with Christ whose Paschal Mystery is made present in
every liturgy.
The Liturgical Movement was culminated with the promulgation
of Sacrosanctum Concilium, the
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy by
Pope Paul VI on 4 December 1963. Under the aggiornamento
(bringing up-to-date) theme of the Second Vatican Council, the Church
“earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that fully conscious,
and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the
very nature of the liturgy” (SC 14).
Active participation by the faithful is grounded in their Baptism, which made
them “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people” (1
Peter 2:9). The Constitution sets out the principles and norms concerning the
promotion and reform of the liturgy. Although Casel’s name was not mentioned, Sacrosanctum Concilium had included many
of his main thoughts. In Article 7, for example, it is mentioned that Christ is
present everywhere in the liturgy: in his Word, prayers, songs, the minister,
and the Eucharistic species. Moreover, in Article 11, it is emphasized that the
faithful’s disposition is important to cooperate with divine grace. They should
be fully aware of the importance of active participation and not only in
observing the laws. In revising the rites to meet the needs of modern time, Sacrosanctum Concilium reminded that
great care must be undertaken by understanding that some elements are divinely
instituted (i.e., they cannot be changed); while some elements are subject to
change and ought to be changed over time (SC
21). The revised rites should also be simple enough for the faithful to
appreciate the underlying meanings of the liturgy (SC 34). Besides the general principles and norms, the Constitution
covers different aspects of liturgical life: the most sacred mystery of the
Eucharist, the other sacraments and sacramentals, the Divine Office, the
liturgical year as well as sacred music, art and architecture.
Sacrosanctum Concilium
dedicated the entire Chapter VI to sacred music. “The musical tradition of the
universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of
any other art … it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy” (SC 112). From the letters of St. Paul,
it is evident that the early Christians sang psalms, hymns and spiritual songs
in their worship and gathering: “be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs among themselves, singing and making melody to
the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for
everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18-20). “Let the
word of Christ dwell in you richly … with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms,
hymns, and spiritual songs to God” (Colossians 4:16). It is very likely that
the early Christians participated actively in the liturgy by singing hymns and
psalms in response to the prayers of the celebrant. In fact, St. Augustine
(354-430) also testified to the holiness of music, he said, “Music, that is the
science or the sense of proper modulation, is likewise given by God's
generosity to mortals having rational souls in order to lead them to higher
things” (Musicae Sacrae 5). He bore
witness on the frequent singing by the faithful in the liturgy, as well as the
significance in doing it:
Apart from those moments when the Scriptures are
being read or a sermon is preached, when the bishop is praying aloud or a
deacon is specifying the intentions of the litany of community prayer, is there
any time when the faithful assembled are not singing? Truly I see nothing better, more useful, or more holy that they could
do (Milner 21).
In the Exposition on
Psalm 73 authored by the great Doctor of the Church, he added, “For he that
sings praise, not only praises, but also praises with gladness; he that sings
praise, not only sings, but also loves him of whom he sings. In praise, there
is the speaking forth of one confessing; in singing, the affection of one
loving” (The Catholic Encyclopedia “Exposition on Psalm 73” 1). This quote is
often abridged to “he who sings prays twice” in modern times.
Of the different kinds of sacred music used in the liturgy,
the Gregorian chant holds a special position as “it was inherited from the
ancient fathers” (Tra le Sollecitudini
3). As mentioned above, Dom Prosper Guéranger spent several hours a day with
his companions of the Solesmes community in singing the Divine Office and the
Eucharist. Guéranger is often considered a pioneer of reviving the Gregorian
chant; and from there began to spread wider in the Church (Fenwick and Spinks
18). Later, Pope Pius X issued an instruction on sacred music Tra le Sollecitudini (22 November 1909),
urging the restoration of Gregorian chant which could help the faithful to
actively participate in the Sacred Mysteries (Fenwick and Spinks 24). The Pope
highly commended the use of Gregorian chant in liturgy: “the more closely a
composition for church approaches in its movement, inspiration and savor the
Gregorian form, the more sacred and liturgical it becomes; and the more out of
harmony it is with that supreme model, the less worthy it is of the temple” (TS 3). Dom Lambert Beauduin also
advocated “a wider use of Gregorian chant as desired by Pope Pius X,
emphasizing sung or high Mass with congregational singing of Latin chant, and
reintroducing parish Sunday Vespers” (Kocik “Singing His Song”). A few years
prior to the Second Vatican Council, Pope Pius XII issued the encyclical Musicae Sacrae (25 December 1955) to
stress on the importance of sacred music, which is over and above other liberal
arts in the liturgy, because “sacred music enters more intimately into divine
worship than many other liberal arts, such as architecture, painting and
sculpture … [because sacred music] has an important place in the actual performance of the sacred
ceremonies and rites themselves” (Musicae
Sacrae 30). Like his predecessor Pius X, Pius XII also praised Gregorian
chant as a treasure of the Church. He directed that “new Gregorian melodies
must be composed, this should be done by true masters of the art. It should be
done in such a way that these new compositions obey the laws proper to genuine
Gregorian chant and are in worthy harmony with the older melodies in their
virtue and purity” (Musicae Sacrae
44). It is therefore not a coincidence that Sacrosanctum
Concilium dedicated the entire chapter to sacred music, and acknowledged
that “Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore,
other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical
services” (SC 116).
Afterwards, the Consilium
which was set up to implement Sacrosanctum
Concilium prepared Musicam Sacram
(14 May 1967), setting out instructions on the practical norms on the use of
sacred music in the Mass, the Divine Office and other liturgical celebrations,
so as to unite the efforts of pastors, musicians and the faithful “to attain
the true purpose of sacred music, which is the glory of God and the
sanctification of the faithful” (Musicam
Sacram 4).
To enable the faithful to actively participate in the
liturgy, Musicam Sacram has
established the following key norms:
(a)
Celebration in song makes the liturgical worship
more noble (Musicam Sacram 5);
(b) Use of sacred music should start with parts of the liturgy which are
sung by the priest or the minister with the people replying, or by the priest
and people singing together (Musicam
Sacram 7);
(c)
At proper times, all should observe a reverent
silence (Musicam Sacram 17);
(d) Proper musical, liturgical and spiritual formation should be given to
members of the choir (Musicam Sacram
24);
(e)
Three degrees on the use of sacred music in the
sung Mass (Missa cantata) should be adopted.
The most important parts (i.e., those belonging to the first degree) include the following: (i) the entrance rites (not
the Entrance song which belongs to the third degree), i.e., the greeting of the
priest together with the reply of the people and the prayer; (ii) the
acclamations at the Gospel in the Liturgy of the Word; (iii) in the Eucharistic
Liturgy are: the prayer over the offerings, the preface with its dialogue and
the Sanctus, the final doxology of the Canon, the Lord's prayer with its introduction
and embolism, the Pax Domini, the prayer after the Communion, and the formulas
of dismissal. Parts belonging to the second and third degrees (e.g., the Kyrie,
Gloria and Agnus Dei which are of the second degree, and the Entrance and
Communion songs which are of the third degree) should not be sung without singing the parts belonging to the first
degree (Musicam Sacram 28-31). It is
apparent that the first degree concerns the parts of the liturgical rite requiring interactive dialogues between the priest
and the people as well as the Lord’s Prayer where the priest and the people are
saying the prayer taught by Jesus together. It is noteworthy that this
instruction is not normally observed in today’s Mass.
(f)
Singing of the divine office is strongly recommended
and it best accords with the nature of this prayer (Musicam Sacram 37);
(g) Use of sacred music in other sacraments and sacramentals is also
encouraged. It should however be noted that the introduction of music which is
merely secular and incompatible with the liturgy, particularly in celebration
of marriages is to be avoided (Musicam
Sacram 42);
(h) As far as the language is concerned, singing in different languages is
permitted in the same celebration (Musicam
Sacram 51);
(i)
Because of the importance of Gregorian chant in
the liturgy, the study and practice of Gregorian chant is to be promoted in
seminaries, novitiate and houses of study of the religious, Catholic schools,
etc. (Musicam Sacram 52);
(j)
Sacred songs of vernacular texts should be
prepared by experts of sacred music and approved by the competent ecclesiastic
authority (Musicam Sacram 57);
(k) Musical instruments may be suitably used in the liturgy (Musicam Sacram 62);
(l)
Diocesan Commission for sacred music is to be set
up, and it is commendable for it to be combined with the Liturgy Commission for
unity of efforts in liturgical celebrations (Musicam Sacram 68); and
(m) The bishops' conference and diocesan bishop should give further
directions as and when necessary (Musicam
Sacram 12).
On a careful analysis of the roles of music in the liturgy,
we should be able to identify three important aims in relation to the
Liturgical Movement. First, promoting active participation of the faithful in
the liturgy; second, encouraging a sense of community among the faithful in the
liturgy as members of the Mystical Body; and third, enabling the faithful to
experience the divine mystery of Christ as advocated by the key theologians of
the Movement such as Odo Casel (Love 133). How does music help achieve these
three objectives?
First, in promoting participation, it is clear that the early
Church and fathers advocated the use of psalms and hymns in the liturgy because
music can help us to pray and lead our souls to see and understand the higher
and invisible things hidden in the liturgy. An intrinsic nature of music is its
expression of hope. According to its very essence, sound is not static
(otherwise it would be silent) and is on the move into the future. And music is
not just “sound” per se, but beautiful
sound which moves us into the future. The idea of a “beautiful future” is
essentially the same as that of hope. Therefore, “whenever music breaks out in
our heads, this is normally when we are optimistic, or when we wish to retrieve
hope out of a state of despondency. That is, music breaks out in our heads when
we already have, or wish to revive, hope” (Love 134). This characteristic of
music corresponds nicely with the purpose of active participation by the
faithful in the liturgy,
i.e., it allows man to encounter God and acknowledge Him as the Creator who has
given meaning to all things – in times of joy, happiness, gain, fear,
loneliness, despair, loss, and after all hope
for the Lord’s continued blessings and his comfort of our sorrows and
penitence, along our earthly journey and in the world to come.
Second, music is not only meant for solo performance, but is
particularly suitable for expressing and establishing bonds within a community.
“Sounds do not have exclusive boundaries - they can blend, harmonize, resonate with
each other in endless ways. In singing there can be a filling of space with
sound in ways that draw more and more voices to take part, yet with no sense of
crowding” (Love 135). As such, music can lend its support to building and
reinforcing a sense of community of the Mystical Body in the liturgy. Taking
this into consideration, we can better appreciate why Musicam Sacram has instructed that the use of sacred music should
start with parts of the liturgy which are sung by the priest or the minister
with the people replying, or by the priest and people singing together (Musicam Sacram 7), because it is obvious
that singing together in these parts of the liturgy can leverage most on the
characteristic of music in extending its reach beyond an individual into the
community.
Third, music is a vehicle for the richer apprehension of the
mystery. We have already mentioned that St. Augustine testified to the holiness
of music that it is “the science or the sense of proper modulation, is likewise
given by God's generosity to mortals having rational souls in order to lead
them to higher things” (Musicae Sacrae
5). Modern Irish thinker Nóirín Ni Riain (born 1951), an authority on Gregorian
chant claims that sound and for that matter music is “a privileged point of
openness to transcendence.” She has proposed the idea of “theosony” (sonic
theology) which argues that:
for the power of sound to evoke that sense of
transcendence necessary to bring ... religious experience to fruition and thus
for sound as a central symbol and privileged means of encounter with God's
grace. Theosonance ... is the religious dimension of human hearing. It is a way
of understanding self and reality through sound in relation to the divine (Love
136).
Music is not just
phrases of words. It also conveys ideas and feelings that may be perceived
differently by different people because of the differences in their own state
of life. Nobody can establish a definite reference in a musical piece. In a
certain sense, “music evokes a sense of speech reference, but in an unconsummated way, for music's meaning,
although somehow insistent, remains mysterious” (Love 137). As such, sacred
music becomes an excellent vehicle to convey both the words of truths and
something mysterious, i.e., their meaning not yet fully understood, in the
liturgy. In not rare occasions, we do not understand the intention of God in
our lives during miserable times, e.g., grief over the loss of a loved one.
Liturgical music can help us uncover the “unfinished truth” as it touches our
hearts and souls. In addition, sacred music can become an approach road to the
deeper mystery in the liturgy and allow us to grasp such unfinished truths as
the “paradoxes” of Incarnation, Paschal Mystery and Trinity with our eyes of
faith, particularly during the special liturgical celebrations like the Easter
Triduum. With the suitable use of sacred music in the liturgy, we can thus
better achieve the goal of Sacrosanctum
Concilium to have a foretaste of the heavenly liturgy which is celebrated
in the holy city of Jerusalem (SC 8).
So, has liturgical music been able to achieve the above goals
almost 50 years after the promulgation of Musicam
Sacram in May 1967? I would say partly but not entirely. Over the years,
good hymns in the vernacular have been composed by Christian musicians and
incorporated into the hymn books approved the competent ecclesiastic
authorities for use in the liturgy. Therefore, there is no lack of sacred music
that the faithful can comprehend and sing during the Mass and other liturgical
celebrations. However, when we take a closer look at the places where sacred
music is being used, it is not difficult to notice that the Entrance,
Offertory, Communion and Recessional songs are most frequently used in a sung
Mass apart from the Ordinary chants (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus
Dei) and the Lord’s Prayer. But strictly speaking, the four songs mentioned
above are not parts that are intrinsic to the Mass and thus are often omitted
from the “read Mass.” On the other hand, it is seldom that the parts that are
of the “first degree,” e.g., the entrance rites, the preface with its dialogue
before the Sanctus, the prayer after the Communion, etc. are sung in accordance
with Musicam Sacram. Despite that the
current practice can serve the credible purpose of promoting active
participation in the liturgy, it does not seem to be in line with the original
instruction in Article 28 of Musicam
Sacram which states that “These (three) degrees are so arranged that the
first may be used even by itself, but the second and third, wholly or
partially, may never be used without the
first.” Perhaps one of the reasons of the above is that modern priests are
not too used to singing their own parts in the sung Mass while it is still
desirable to engage the faithful in singing more songs during the liturgy,
especially on Sundays. That said, we still need to acknowledge that “the items
in the first degree of Musicam Sacram
are not just the easiest chants of the Mass, they are the most profound ways in
which we can externally participate in the Mass” (Schaefer “Vatican II and
Musicam Sacram”). In other words, the very words in the liturgy, which are not
subject to change, at least not lightly, are the dialogues between the priest,
who is acting in persona Christi and
his people. And by singing the liturgy, not just singing in the liturgy, can
the faithful better achieve the three objectives of liturgical music as
discussed above.
Moreover, Gregorian chant which was so highly commanded
during the Liturgical Movement as well as in Sacrosanctum Concilium and
Musicam Sacram is rarely used in modern liturgy. In fact, the ideal place
to hear and sing Gregorian chant nowadays appears to be in the monasteries. It
would be a definite loss to the Church if its Gregorian chant tradition could
not be spread to the wider Church community outside the monasteries.
Furthermore, with the extended use of the vernacular in the modern liturgy, the
use of Latin in the modern Mass almost disappears, apart from the Extraordinary
Form of the Mass. While Sacrosanctum
Concilium directed that “steps should be taken so that the faithful may
also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of
the Mass which pertain to them” (SC
54), it does not appear that today’s faithful would be conversant with the
minimum repertoire of Latin chant (Joncas 64). Recognizing that Latin is the language of the universal Church,
can we use music to revive the use of Latin in at least certain parts of the
Mass? Recognizing the above deficiencies in the use of liturgical music, some
initial recommendations to address the issues are as follows:
(a)
More effort is to be made to sing parts of the
liturgical rite, particularly during Sunday Masses which require interactive
dialogues between the priest or other ministers and the people in accordance
with Article 7 of Musicam Sacram.
Musical formation for the priests, other ministers, the choir and the lay
faithful should be stepped up accordingly. In this manner, it is hoped that the
faithful become more disposed in not only praying in the liturgy, but praying the liturgy (or “praying twice”
the liturgy by singing) through unity of interiority and outward ritual (Love
“Praying the Liturgy”).
(b) Latin songs are to be used more regularly in the Ordinary Form of the
Mass, e.g., the Lord’s Prayer, response to the General Intercessions or some
special songs sung during festive periods, such as “Misericordes sicut Pater!” in the Jubilee of Mercy. While
translation of such songs into the vernacular is useful, its Latin form should
be retained and used, maybe in alternation with the local translation. Other
beautiful Latin hymns such as Salve
Regina and Panis Angelicus may
also be suitably used occasionally. Appropriate training or practice should be
conducted to enable the faithful to sing together in Latin those parts which
pertain to them in accordance with Article 54 of Sacrosanctum Concilium.
(c)
Gregorian chant (may be adapted for use in local
language) is to be used more widely in the liturgical rite mentioned in (a)
above as well as in the responsorial psalms of the Mass. Musicians are to be
encouraged to compose new Gregorian melodies in accordance with Article 44 of Musicae Sacrae. These melodies should be
simple enough for the priest and the faithful to manage and sing together.
Moreover, the Divine Office, especially Vespers, is to be celebrated more often
in the Church on Sundays (in accordance with Article 100 of Sacrosanctum Concilium) with participation
of the faithful singing Gregorian chant in a community. After Vespers, the
faithful can participate together in the adoration and Benediction of the
Blessed Eucharist and sing in Latin Tantum
Ergo written by St. Thomas Aquinas. Indeed, linked to the Eucharistic
celebration, “the worship of the Eucharist outside of the Mass is of
inestimable value for the life of the Church” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia 25). Furthermore, to ensure that the
priests and the faithful would be acquainted with the singing of Gregorian
chant, the study and practice of Gregorian chant is to be promoted in
seminaries, novitiate and houses of study of the religious, Catholic schools,
and parishes in accordance with Article 52 of Musicam Sacram.
(d) It appears from the New Testament that the early Christian worship was
quite charismatic. St. Paul instructed the Corinthians in his letter: “When we
come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an
interpretation. Let all things be done for building up” (1 Corinthians 14:26).
As music is a vehicle for the richer apprehension of the mystery, experiments
on the improvisation of music may be done in certain parts of the liturgy to
enable the faithful to co-create with the Holy Spirit sacred music that can
allow grace to “raise our natural skills to new heights” (Love “Musical
Improvisation and Eschatology” 241). For example, chants of the Taizé community
may be used in suitable parts of the liturgy, e.g., during the Offertory or the
Communion to help the faithful to encounter God spiritually and establish a
more intimate relationship with Him. At the same time, at proper times of the
liturgy (e.g., after the Bible readings, at the conclusion of the Homily and
after Communion), all should observe a reverent silence in accordance with
Article 17 of Musicam Sacram.
(e)
The diocesan Commission for sacred music, in
collaboration with the Liturgical Commission is recommended to re-visit the
principles, instructions and norms of Sacrosanctum
Concilium and Musicam Sacram and
propose concrete improvement measures to further promote a full, conscious and
active participation of the faithful in liturgical celebrations. Such proposals
should then be submitted to the competent ecclesiastic authorities for
approval, and if needed to the Holy See for recognition before putting into
experimentation in accordance with Article 12 of Liturgicae Instaurationes.
As rightly pointed out by Dom Casel almost a century ago, the
challenges ahead are growing and becoming more serious – the Information Age
has brought about unprecedented opportunities for improving people’s quality of
living, but at the same time it further increases the risk of relying on reason
and intellect alone for human development – to the extent of substituting human
beings by robots and artificial intelligence even for matters of a spiritual
nature. Through a reinvigoration of the Liturgical Movement in promoting a
fully conscious and active participation in the liturgy by moving towards the right
way of celebrating the liturgy inwardly and outwardly, in conjunction with a
proper disposition of modern world believers in the liturgy by suitable
adoption of liturgical music in helping us to experience divine mystery beyond
human reason, it is hoped that the liturgy can foster our internal
transformation through a true encounter with God in offering Him our daily
pleasures and anxieties in union with other members of the Mystical Body. May
the Mother of God, who is the most perfect model of the Church in her
relationship with the most holy mystery, continue to lead our way in becoming a
true disciple of her Son in professing our faith and God’s love before the
world.
Bibliography
Bradshaw, Paul F. The Effects of the Coming of
Christendom on Early Christian Worship, in The Origins of Christendom in the
West, Kreider, Alan, ed., New York: T&T Clark, 2001, pp. 269-286.
Casel, Odo. The
Mystery of Christian Worship. New York: Crossroad Pub., n.d. Print.
Catechism of the Catholic Church. New York:
Doubleday, 1995. Print.
"Council of
Trent, Session Twenty-Two." EWTN Global Catholic Network, n.d. Web. 26
July 2016.
Fenwick, John R. K., and Bryan Spinks D. Worship in Transition: The Liturgical
Movement in the Twentieth Century. New York: Continuum, 1995. Print.
Franklin, R. W. "Guéranger and Pastoral
Liturgy: A Nineteenth Century Context." Worship 50.2 (1976): 146-62. ATLA.
Web. 14 Aug. 2016.
Hugh, Gilbert. "Odo Casel: Prophet and
Mystagogue." Canon Law. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 06 Aug. 2016.
Kocik, Thomas M., Singing His Song: The Liturgical Movement. Brightspace of Saint
Joseph’s College, Maine. n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2016. pdf.
Koenker, Ernest B. "Objectives and
Achievements of the Liturgical Movement in the Roman Catholic Church since
World War II." Church History
20.2 (1951): 14-27. JSTOR. Web. 14
Aug. 2016.
Joncas, Michael. "English-language Roman
Rite Liturgical Music since Sacrosanctum Concilium: Some Reflections."
Worship 88.1 (2014): 59-71. ATLA.
Web. 14 Aug. 2016.
Love, Cyprian. "Glenstal Abbey, Music and
The Liturgical Movement." Studies in
World Christianity 12.2 (2006): 126-41. ATAL.
Web. 14 Aug. 2016.
---. “Musical Improvisation and Eschatology: A
Study of Liturgical Organist Charles Tournemire (1870-1939).” Worship, 81.3
(2007), 227-249. ATLA. Web. 17 Sept.
2016.
---. "Praying the Liturgy."
Catholicireland.net. N.p., 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.
Milner, Anthony. "Music in a Vernacular
Catholic Liturgy." Proceedings of
the Royal Musical Association 91st Sess. (1964): 21-32. JSTOR. Web. 14 Aug. 2016.
"Musicam Sacram." Vatican, n.d. Web. 14
Aug. 2016.
Pope John Paul II. "Ecclesia De
Eucharistia." Vatican, n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2016.
Pope Paul VI. "Sacrosanctum Concilium."
Vatican, n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
---. "Lumen Gentium." Vatican. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2016.
Pope Pius X. "Tra Le Sollecitudini."
Adoremus, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.
Pope Pius XII. "Musicae Sacrae."
Vatican, n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2016.
Sacred
Congregation for Divine Worship. "Liturgicae
Instaurationes – September 5, 1970." Adoremus, n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2016.
Saint Augustine of Hippo. "Exposition on
Psalm 73." The Catholic Encyclopedia.
Ed. Knight Kevin. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.
Schaefer, Edward. "Vatican II and Musicam
Sacram." Adoremus, n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment