In a newly released pastoral letter to the Diocese of Marquette, Bishop Alexander Sample (now archbishop-designate of Portland) calls for implementation of Church teaching on the use of sacred music in the liturgy.
Drawing on a century’s worth of papal and council documents, he points out that Catholics do not just “take the Mass and simply ‘tack on’ four songs.” Rather, “since sacred music is integral to the Mass, the role of sacred music is to help us sing and pray the texts of the Mass itself [the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, Psalm, Alleluia, etc.], not just ornament it.” In short, “we sing the Mass at Mass, rather than sing songs during Mass” (emphasis his).
Bishop Sample also reviews the qualities of sacred music and its traditional forms from Gregorian chant, which the Second Vatican Council gives “pride of place” in the Mass, to polyphony, hymnody, psalmody, and others. About singing hymns at Mass, a subject we’ve debated here before, he writes:
Hymns are a musical form pertaining more properly to the Liturgy of the Hours, rather than the Mass. Hymn-singing at Mass originated in the custom of the people singing vernacular devotional hymns at Low Mass during the celebrant’s silent recitation of the Latin prayers. However, the current Missal as well as official liturgical documents envision a singing of the Mass as outlined above.
The Roman Missal assigns a few hymns to various Masses in the course of the liturgical calendar . . . However, the hymns and songs commonly sung at Mass every week at the Entrance, Preparation of the Gifts and Communion are not identified in the Missal. It is important to recognize that when we sings hymns at these moments during Mass, it is because we are omitting some of the Mass chants.
While the Proper chants in the Missal should be sung if at all possible, he concludes, “singing hymns in place of [some] Proper chants is permissible for pastoral reasons.”
Read the whole pastoral letter here. And let us hope that the Diocese of Marquette is not the only place that will carry out Bishop Sample’s instructions.
February 14th, 2013 | 1:00 pm
I thought this would be about a bishop sampling liturgical music maybe for a hip-hop album.
The bishop might be hyper-legalistic at times but I like the general direction. But why Mass of Resurrection? I’d prefer Schubert’s Deutsche Messe adapted by Proulx or any Proulx Mass.
One factoid from the GIRM I didn’t know: “Since the faithful from different countries come together ever more frequently, it is desirable that they know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the Profession of Faith and the Lord’s Prayer, according to the simpler settings.”
Those are the parts least likely to be sung in Latin and I’m not sure they should be. They’re the most ecumenical prayers of the Mass. There’s value in reciting them in the vernacular. If we want to introduce more Latin/Greek I’d start with the Kyrie.
February 14th, 2013 | 1:18 pm
I’m guessing he mentions DeBruyn’s Mass of the Resurrection (which can be heard on Youtube here) because it’s one of relatively few settings that were written for the new translation of the Mass, meaning it’s at least better than awkwardly shoehorning the new translation into old musical settings (as I’ve heard many parishes do). I’m not a huge fan of the Mass of the Resurrection either, and some of it (the Alleluia, for example) seems like the average congregation may have trouble singing it. I haven’t heard Proulx’s Mass settings but I’ll check them out!
February 14th, 2013 | 1:28 pm
P.S. For anyone interested, I’ve just found an updated version (for the new translation) of Richard Proulx’s Community Mass — here on Youtube.
February 14th, 2013 | 5:59 pm
Interesting stuff! If this is the start of a new wave of liturgical music, it’s going to take years and years and years to implement.
February 15th, 2013 | 9:40 am
There are actually quite a large number of Mass settings composed which were for the new translation. I’m partial to this one:
http://www.benesonarium.com/roman-missal/
February 15th, 2013 | 11:43 am
This is excellent! The true spirit of Vatican II: the next logical step after “Don’t pray at Mass; pray the Mass.” To me, tacking four hymns onto the liturgy is just about as appropriate as it was to pray the rosary during Mass, the way the little old ladies used to. Okay, if it’s all you can manage, and I’m sure God appreciates the good intentions, but it’s not how things are supposed to be. Also, a priest friend who’s of the same mind as Bishop Sample points out that the one time Catholic congregations do actually sing is when they’re singing parts of the Mass like the Lord’s prayer or the Preface dialogue.
February 15th, 2013 | 2:19 pm
Thanks for the suggestion, William Serious. Turns out he directs near me. I think I’ll check it in person.
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