Sacred Music, 128.1, Spring 2001; The Journal of the Church Music Association of America

8/14/2019 Sacred Music, 128.1, Spring 2001; The Journal of the Church Music Association of America

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SACRED MUSICSpring 2001Volume 128 No.1

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Society of St. John, Holy Week 2001 (Shohola, PAY

SACRED MUSICVolume 128, Number I, Spring 2001

FROM THE EDITOR 3

Meet the Millennials!

HYMNODY: A DEVELOPMENT OF THE MIDDLE AGES 4

Larry Rootes

ROMAN MISSAL 2000: THE GENERAL INSTRUCTION 11

Fr. Robert Skeris

LITURGICAL REVOLUTION: TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING 16

Kurt Poterack

SACRED MUSIC IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE LITURGY 19

Pope John Paul I I

PAPAL ADDRESS TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS

OF SACRED MUSIC 22

Pope John Paul I I

REVIEWS 25

OPEN FORUM 25

NEWS 26

CONTRIBUTORS 28


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SACRED MUSIC Continuat ion of Caecilia, published by the Society of St. Caecilia since1874, an d The Catholic Choirmaster, published by the Society of St.Gregory of America since 1915. Published quarterly by the ChurchMusic A ss oc ia tio n of America . Office of Publica tion: 134Christendom Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630-5103.E-mail: [email protected]

Editorial Board: Kurt Poterack, Ph.D., Editor

News: Kurt Poterack

Music for Review: Calvert Shenk, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, 2701 West ChicagoBlvd., Detroit, MI 48206Susan Treacy, Dept. of Music, Franciscan University, Steubenville,OH 43952-6701

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Cover: The Ghent Altarpiece, Hubert an d Jan Van Eyck, 1432.

Copyright by Church Music Association of America. 2001.ISSN: 0036-2255

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FROM THE EDITOR

Meet the Millenials!In a recent UPI article entit led "New Generation Is Looking Back," religion corre

spondent Uwe Siemon-Netto reports on a ne w generation wh o are more interested intraditional worship. The uMillenials" - s o named because they will live most of theirlives in the ne w millennium-follow the GenExers (who themselves followed the BabyBoomers). Born between 1981 an d 2000, this is a generat ion that wants Uto return to amore stable time, a period of tradition. No t the tradition of the fifties, bu t of a much earlier time, the tradition of the old, very old t imes."

At the college in which I teach, it is hard for me to tell ho w widespread this trend maybe, since the college tends to attract many tradition-minded students. However, I haveheard of anecdotal evidence that this more traditional generation, which is just beginning to enter college, is start ing to make its presence felt-and puzzle the more liberalprofessors at other colleges an d universities. What I definitely have become aware of isthat a number of these Millenial students grew up going to the Tridentine Indult Mass.I t was a normal part of their ecclesial experience. They do no t see it as "pre-conciliar"an d thus a sign of disloyalty to Vatican II. They just see it as beautiful, sacred an d a partof tradition. (Similarly these students do no t see the exclusive use of the vernacular an dthe rejection of Gregorian chant as either necessary or desirable.)

The article makes it clear that the influence of the Millenials is being felt in variousProtestant denominations (Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran) as well: "Conflicting field reports emerge from America's worship war, however. In the Lutheran Church-MissouriSynod, for example, the church growth movement is still throwing overboard this orthodox denomination's liturgical tradition. At the same time, this correspondent has encountered in the Washington area young an d energetic LCMS members passionatelypromoting a return to old, high forms of liturgy . . . . " Though it was no t mentioned, onealso thinks of the movement of evangelicals into the Orthodox Church in recent years asanother sign of interest in stable religious tradition.

The article makes the point that this love of t raditional worship is a t rend encompassing no t only the Millenials bu t also the GenExers an d some Baby Boomers. Thus thetrend encompasses those from their teens through their 40's. The question is: "Howwidespread is this trend?" (and "How widespread will it become?") My instincts tell methat this trend is still very much in the minority, bu t definitely growing. The problem istha t most people cannot help bu t be affected by the culture in which they live, an d theculture in which most people live (a cultu re of Fast Food, Shopp ing Malls, an d theInternet) is profoundly un-liturgical. Most Catholics are comfortable with a strippeddown, secularized liturgy, bu t then, most Catholics are comfortable with a str ippeddown, secularized faith. However more an d more Catholics are starting to segregate

themselves from the surrounding culture and home-school their children. Among theMillenials is the first generation of home-schooled children. While God's will is not tobe discerned in demographic trends, some demographic trends ultimately can make iteasier to accept God's will. Perhaps a generation that is extremely dissatisfied with astripped-down, untraditional liturgy will help to bring us true liturgical reform. May itbe God's will-soon!

K.P.

3

FROM THE EDITORS


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HYMNODY

4


HYMNODY: A DEVELOPMENT OF THE

MIDDLE AGESThe eminent Lutheran liturgical scholar of the first part of this century Luther D. Reed

writes: "Luther no t only taught the German people to sing in church bu t led the way ina significant development of German culture and expression." 1 Dr. Reed's statelnenttypifies a common notion expressed by many theologians an d musicians that Lutherwas not only the first major user bu t also the Father of vernacular an d especially Gerrnanvernacular hymnody. In more recent times, particularly in the last decade or so, musi-cologists have attempted to show that statements such as these expressed by Reed areincorrect, an d I have discovered that there was a rich tradition of vernacular hymnodyalive in Germany an d that the congregation also participated i n h ym n singing duringpublic worship services (i.e. the Mass) prior to Luther. The bet te r concept of Luther'suse of vernacular hymns would be tha t he simply built on a musical tradition alreadyknown an d loved by the German people. I t must also be remembered as Reed himselfsaid that "The Lutheran Church in Germany in the 16thcentury regarded itself as the le-gitimate heir to the liturgical an d musical culture of the Medieval centuries an d the con-server of all that was good an d pure an d beautiful in the great tradition of faith, won,hipand life of Western Christendom."z

Vernacular hymn singing, especially in German has a long tradition. Under the head-ing of "German Hymns," Willi Apel in The Harvard Dictionary of Music tells us that"[l]ong before any other nat ion, the Germans began to sing hymns in their native lan-guage."3 This ideal is equally shared by the eminent North American musicologist

Robert Marshall when he states: "During the later Middle Ages, when congregationalparticipation gradually disappeared from most parts of Western Europe, such practices


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actually increased in German-speaking regions. Between the 9th century and 1518 over1400 German vernacular hymns are known to have been written."4 Johannes Riedel, referring to the development of the Lutheran Chorale, states: "The roots of the LutheranChorale were nouri shed in the social, cultural, and political soils of Medieval Europe,especially during the three or four centuries preceding the Reformation era."5 Therefore,the fact cannot be ignored that vernacular hymnody was a part of the Medieval tradition an d wa s a vehicle of expression. So m uch w as this tradition alive that vernacularhymn singing invaded the domain of the Catholic Liturgy after the 16th century, mostnotably in Southern Germany. This process happened roughly at the same t ime as theLutheran Vernacular Service. 6

Having established the fact that vernacular hymnody was indeed a product of theMedieval period an d not a Reformation development, i t is important to trace the originsof vernacular and, more important, German vernacular hymnody. As I have said,German Vernacular hymnody is considered to be the oldest therefore that source willprovide the best historical documentation. Most (if no t all) vernacular hymns can beclassified in the following groups:

1. Liturgical-sequence an d trope.2. Latin or macaronic hymnody.

3. Pre-Reformation sacred lieder and contrafacta.

Of the four propers of the Mass usually assigned to the choir (i.e. Introi t, GradualAlleluia, Offertory and Communion) only the Alleluia m ad e a ny contr ibution to thevernacular hymnody which would evolve into the Lutheran Chorale. During theMiddle Ages the" Alleluia" accumulated a vast collection of literary and musical extens ion so ramif ied that t hey are given a special designation, "The Sequence."7 The"Sequence" is best described as a "Metrical Hymn s un g o n great Feast Days betweenthe Epistle and Gospel H and the word "Trope" is usually associated with the "Sequence."

The term "Trope" however is no t a synonym for the term "Sequence" bu t refers to a special type of musical construction-usually florid, ornate and heavily embellished whichwas no t only f ou nd i n the established vocal repertory of the Mass (both Ordinary andProper) but in the Office chants as well. The classical definit ion of a t rope is found inLeon Gautier's "Interpolation d'un Texte Liturgique" from which the following methodsof interpolation might be taken: 1) the addition of a ne w text to a mel isma of a t raditional chant, 2) the composition of a ne w melody an d text which is then sung with a traditional c ha nt i n various ways, or 3) an independently composed melody without textadded to an i tem of the standard repertory.Y Donald Jay Grout tells us in his A Historyof Western Music that the Sequence as a musical form became so important that it relatively early became detached from particular liturgical chants an d began to blossomforth as an independent form of composition. III One characteristic of the sequencewhich no doubt aided it to be developed as a vernacular congregational hymn wa s itsconstruct ion - especially the us e of the repetition. "I n its fully developed independentform the sequence is based on the principle ofrepetit ion: each strophe of the text is immediately followed by another with exactly the same number of syllables an d the samepattern of accents, these two strophes are sung to the same melodic segment, which isrepeated for the second strophe."l1

During the Middle Ages the Sequence reached a staggering number. The standardmodern reference work Analecta Himnica contains fifty-five volumes of Latin Hymnsand Sequences that were known in t he Midd le AgesY The ax weighed heavily in thearea of Sequences under the liturgical reforms of the Council of Trent (1545-63). Of thevast number of known Sequences only four were to be retained by the Council for litur

gical use: "Victimae Pashali Laudes"-Easter, "Veni Sancte Spiritus"-Pentecost, "LaudaSion"-Corpus Christi, and the "Dies Irae." A fifth sequence, the "Stabat lv1ater" ascribed

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HYMNODY

6

to Jacopo da Todi, a Franciscan friar of the 13th century wa s added to the Liturgy in1727.J3 The following example shows the development of six Medieval Latin Sequenceswhich were to be developed by Luther in various chorale books of his day and still arefound in many 20th century hymnals. (See Figure #1) There can be l i ~ l edoubt that agreat dea l of Medieval hymnody ha d it roots in the developmen t of the Trope an dSequence.

Use of the vernacular wa s to serve as an aid in comprehending the Latin of the chant.These vernacular versions were "performed by the congregation occasionally during theregular service at the principal Feasts of the Church Year, immediately after the Choiran d Clergy ha d performed the Latin original."14 Many of these versions concluded withthe refrain "Kyrielesis," one example of which is "Christ 1st Erstanden" a 13thcentury typeof vernacular Sequence Hymn based on the Easter Sequence "Victimae paschali laudes."The vernacular hymns derived from the Sequence were called "Leich" which Apel refersto as " the German counterpart of the 'Lai,' a form of the French Medieval poetry an dmusic developed mainly in northern France during the 13th century by the Trouveres.The German form is mainly a 14th century development which as a ru le observed thedouble-versicle structure of the Sequence."IS

A furthergrouping

of Medieval vernacularhymns

arebased

on the refrain "KyrieEleison;" hymns derived from this source were also called "Kirleis" or "leis," it should benoted that both the "Leis" an d "Leich" are found in Germany as early as the 9th Century.16Apel reaffirms this early use when he states "the oldest specimen 'Unser Trohtim HatFarsalt' dates from the 9th century."17 This example, a "9th century Freising Song to St.Peter," or "Leis" is normal ly to be considered a part of the general ca tegory "Ruf'(German for "cry," or "shout") an d is distinguished within that category by being characteristically in four line form. 18

The second group of vernacular hymns was the "Cantio." These hymns were no t usedliturgically (i.e. were no t parts ofthe Ordinary or Proper) bu t enjoyed a popular use. The"Cantio" or "Macaronic" (a mixture of German an d Latin) was originally "a nonLiturgical but sacred song that was cultivated from the 14th century, largely in monastic

an d literary circles. These songs were generally associated with Advent an d Christrnas.Many of the Cantiones were translated into German long before the Reformation an dwere frequently sung antiphonally. Again Germany takes the lead where these songswere often sung antiphonally, with alternating German an d Latin verses." 19 By the 15thcentury this form of hymnody showed a great f lowering as congregational songs; ashousehold devotional lieder; as processional or pilgrimage songs an d probably as schoolsongs. This particular form of vernacular hymnody wa s especially welcomed by theReformation because it wa s "closely related to the people, usefu l in congregat ionalsinging an d extremely popular."20 The most famous of this form wa s the popular"Quempas" Carol. Johannes Riedel in The Lutheran Chorale describes the following performance practice for this carol:

The 'Quem Pastores' i nt ro du ce d a special k ind of carol singing in Germany forChristmas Eve. During the Service four groups ofboys processed to the four comers ofthe church sanctuary, symbolically indicating their proclamation of Christ 's birth t o thefour comers of the earth. When the choirboys ha d reached their positions, each groupin tu m sang a phrase of the "Quempas" CaroL This was followed by the mixed choirwhich sang the first s tanza o f "The g lor ious Angels came Today." The refrain o f thecarol "God's ow n Son is born a Chi ld" followed. This was sung by the congregationwith the ass is tance of the tw o choirs. This beaut iful worshipful ri te became a majorcomponent of the Chr is tmas Eve Service. The custom of s inging the 'Quem Pastores,'probably of Czech origin was kept alive in Germany up to the 19th century. In the 20thCentury there was a revival of these antiphonal practices. 2J

The final group of vernacular hymnody consisted of that body of hymnody which isoften classified as "Extra Liturgical, folk-originated music." The term "Contrafacta" isalso applied to this grouping. This process involves" a vocal composition in which the


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original text is replaced by a ne w one, particularly a secular text by a sacred one, or viceversa."22 This of course is no t a ne w feature and will continue especially with regard tohymn tunes. The earl iest known examples of this procedure (sometimes referred to as"adaptation"), dating back to the 9th century used in connection with Gregorian Chant. 23

In this group we find such categories as German Sacred lieder, pilgrim songs, an d Leisen;sacred songs of the Minnesinger an d Meistersinger; songs of penitence (e.g. the famous"Geisslerlieder"-songs of the Flagellants); crusade songs an d sacred folk songs. 24Whatever the origins of tunes or texts an d the amount of interchanging of ne w texts toold tunes this category of hymnody enjoyed a great populari ty in the Middle Ages.Probably one ofthe best known examples of this type is the 13th century crusaders' Leise"In Gottes Narnen faren Wir." This melody was so well known that Luther used i t for h iso wn h ym n text "Dies sind die heilgen zen Gebot" t rans la ted usual ly as "These are ThyHoly Ten Commandments." This particular hymn as with many of its kind being closer to the folk song, was associated with less formal aspects of rel igious life such asLiturgical Dramas, processions an d pilgrimages. Many of these melodies, as "In GottesNamen faren Wir" show some preference for the Mixolydian mode. 25 As a pilgr imagehymn this wa s sung on all kinds of occasions, most importantly in the 14th century by

the Army of Albrecht of Hapsburg as they went into the battle of Gillheim.It

is mentioned as well by Gottfried von Strassborg in his famous Tristan and Isolde.26

Having looked at three distinct types of hymnody tha t existed in the Middle Ages Iwould next like to consider ho w the church made use of vernacul ar hymnody. Themajor surprise will be to discover that there wa s hymn singing during the actual serviceinvolving the entire congregation-both lay as well as Choir and Clergy. Much too oftenthe impression is given that the congregation stood passively in the role as worshipper.Quite the contrary happened. How frequently they sang is unknown bu t we cannot ignore the fact that the people di d sing. No t only di d they sing, bu t they sang in the vernacular - their everyday language. Through the singing of vernacular hymns; the presentation of the mystery plays (especially on major feast days) an d through preaching,the Gospel message wa s presented to the worshipper in a simple direct language thatcould be understood an d applied to his everyday life.

When and what d id people sing during the service? We have already discovered thatthe Festal Sequence hymns were sung in the vernacular after the Choir and Clergy ha dsung the original Sequence for the da y in Latin. This would have been between theEpistle an d the Gospel. Another place in the Mass where vernacular hymns were sungwas a t the en d of the Service. 27 This fact is also supported in the David Fellows' entryfor "Rut' in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Fellows also says that the"Ruf" which consisted of one o r two lines, wa s possibly sung at the en d of the Sermon. 28

It is interesting to note, although I am unable to prove this direct l ink, that it is at theseprecise places that Luther in both his Formula Missae et Communionis 1523 and hisDeutsche Messe first introduced vernacular hymns in the parish church at Wittenberg,

October 29, 1525.29

Perhaps he is already building o n an established tradition of singinghym ns in fixed positions in the Liturgy? Other occasions of vernacular hymn singingwithin the nave would be dur ing the Liturgical Plays which were performed before theproper Feast Day Gospel, an d seasonal singing of vernacular or macaronic (mixed vernacular an d Latin) carols as wa s discovered in the "Quempas Carol."

Outside the church building itself we know that vernacular hymns were sung. Theywere sung in connection with the performance of plays after performances were bannedfrom the church. But in addit ion to the plays people sang especial ly the more popularfolk hymns (contrafacta) in connection with the "penitential rites of the Flagellants, during processions in towns, on pilgrimages to sanctuaries in the countryside, at festivestate assemblies, and even during battles."30 One last item needs to be considered. Ho wwere these hymns transmitted? While no doubt there wa s some sort of oral tradi tion,we beg in to see the development of translations of Latin Hymnody an d more surprisingly the collection of translated hymnaries. Two pre-Reformation translators responsi-

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HYMNODY


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HYMNODY

8

ble for the most quoted paraphrase of Latin Hymns deserve mention for establishingthis development:

1. Johann of Salzburg (d. 1396) a monk, who is bel ieved to have translated at leasttwenty-nine Latin Hymns and Sequences into 14th century German including

A Solis Ortus Cardine(Von Anegang der Sunne clar)

Christe qui lux est et dies(Christe, der du bist Tag und Licht)

Veni Creator Spiritus(Kum seneter Trost heilger Geist).

2. Heinrich vo n Laufenberg (c. 1390-1460) whose work far surpassed Johann ofSalzberg.

Not only as a t rans lator bu t also by producing a considerable number of contrafac

ta.31

He was responsible for such hymns as "In Gottes Namen farhen Wir" an d for his nativity hymns. These nativity hymns are most remarkable for their major tonal melodiesan d their lulling rhythm in t riple meter. Two examples of this type of hymnody can beheard to th is day dur ing the Christmas Holiday season: namely "Joseph Lieber, JosephMein" an d "In Dulci Jubilo."32 I t should be pointed ou t that these late Medieval Hymnswere simply translations of texts an d were rarely provided with musical notation, bu tthe fact that these vernacular hymns kept their original meter certainly suggests thatthey were sung to the original melodies. Robert Marshall in his New Grove article on the"Pre-Reformation Chorale" goes on to say that these printed texts contained the "presence of Rubrics" which further suggests that they were used in the Liturgy.33

There can be no doubt that a popular vernacular hymnody developed i n Gennanduring t he Midd le Ages. This t rad it ion is so s trong that the Reformation vernacularhymns were to be sung not only in the Lutheran North bu t Catholic South as well. Thiscan be testified by the fact that after the 16th century vernacular hymns invaded the domain of the Catholic liturgy. In 1605 the demand for vernacular hymnody was so greatthat t he "Cantua l of Mainz" al lowed the use o f German Hymns for the Prope r o f theMass. Later in the same century the use o f German Hymns was extended to includeportions of the Ordinary. Such Masses were called "Singenmessen."34 Unfortunately weare no t told which movements of either the Ordinary of the Proper were substituted byGerman vernacular hymns. However if we look at Luther 's German Service which ashe says, he prepared on "account of the uneducated lay folk" then we can see where theCatholic Service might have substituted vernacular hymns as well.

Positions of Hymns in Luther's German Mass

Hymn or German Psalm in Tone I (opening of the Service)Hymn (between the Epistle an d Gospel) "I n German, b ut b y the Choir"Nicene Creed ("German versification sung by the Congregation")Sanctus ("versified") or HymnHymn or German Agnus Dei, "during, administration of the chalice"35

Frequent use of vernacular hymns demanded books or collections of this repertoire.Both Catholic an d Lutheran collections of vernacular hymns were published in the ea.rlypart of the 16th Century. Two of the most notable collections are:

1. The Cantiones Ecclesiastica published in Magdeburg in 1545 by JohannesSpangenberg (1484-1550) a prominent German Lutheran theologian, composer


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an d theorist. The work was in two parts: Part I contained Latin plainsong compositions. Part I I is devo ted to German religious songs. This work is the mostcomplete collection of religious music in use in the Lutheran Liturgy at that time.Its two-fold division made it a practical an d useful book for German Cathedralsan d larger churches as well as for services in smaller towns an d villages. 36 Thismagnificent folio volume containing 750 pages was directly inspired by Lutherwho urged its preparationY

2. Ein Neue Gesang Buechlein Geystlicher Lieder appeared in Leipzig in 1539. This, thefirst Catholic Hymnbook with German text, was published to meet the demandfor vernacular singing among Roman Catholics. Other collections appeared soonafter the most notable being the Geistliche Lieder und Psalmen by Johann LeisenTritto. This vernacular hymnbook was so popular that it went through three editions between 1567 an d 1584. 38 Consequently there should be n o d ou bt whatsoever as to the existence of vernacular hYmnody in the Middle Ages. Vernacularhymnody served to lead the people to worship in a variety of ways. It is important to remember that it is a German tradition that is fully developed by theReformation, so much so that it is a part of both Lutheran an d Catholic worship

practice.

FIGURE # 1

(the seasonal use of six hymns which have come down to us from Luther and other sources)

Roman Model German Title English Title Season

A solis ortus Christum wir sollen No w praise we Christ ChristmasCardine len loben schon the Holy One

Christie qui lux Christe, de r du bist o Christ, wh o art the Lentest et dies Tag un d Licht Light an d Day

o lux beata Der du bist drei in Thou, wh o are three TrinityTrinitas Einigkeit in unity

Pange lingua Mein Zung erkling Of the glorious PassionGloriosi (not Luther) Body telling

Veni Creator Komm Gatt Schopfer, Come Holy Ghost, PentecostSpiritus heiliger Geist Creator blest

Veni redemptor Nunkommder Savior of the AdventGentium Heiden Heiland nations come

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HYMNODY

10

NOTES

IThe Lutheran Liturgy, Luther D. Reed (Muhlenburg Press: Philadelphia, Pa. , 1947), p. 862Ibid., p. 85.3The Harvard Dictionary of Music, 2n d Edition, Will i Apel (The Belknap Press of HarvardUniversity: Cambridge, Mass, 1974), p. 398.

4Robert Marshall, in "Chorale #2 Pre-Reformation," The New Grove Dictionary of Music andMusicians (MacMillan Publishers: London, 1980), Vol. IV, p. 313.sJohannes Riedel, The Lutheran Chorale: Its Basic Foundation, (Augsburg Publishing House:Minneapolis, 1967), p. 13.6"Vernacular Hymnody" (Hymns an d Hymnals), M.M. Hueller, M.A. Bichsel, E.J. Selhors:,New Catholic Encyclopedia (McGraw Hill book Company: Ne w York, 1967), Vol. VII, p. 299.7Riedel, The Lutheran Chorale, p. 19.BReed, The Lutheran Liturgy, p. 712.9Apel, The Harvard Dictionary of Music, p.870-71.lO A History of Western Music, 3r d Edition, Donald Jay Grout (W.W. Norton & Co.: Ne wYork, 1980), p. 54.llIbid.12Riedel, The Lutheran Chorale, p. 21.13Grout, A History of Western Music, p. 54-55.14Marshall, "Chorale #2 Pre-Reformation," p. 313.ISApel, The Harvard Dictionary of Music, p.461.16Hueller, Bichsel, Selhorst, "Vernacular Hymnody," p. 299.17Apel, The Harvard Dictionary of Music, p. 476.IB"Leise" (Leis) "Ruf," David Fellows, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians,Editor: Stanley Sadie (MacMillan Publishers: London, 1980), Vol XVI, p. 642, Vol. XVIX p.318.19Marshall, "Chorale #2 Pre-Reformation" p. 314.20Protestant Church Music (translated), Friedrich Blume (W.W. Norton an d Company Inc.:Ne w York, 1974), p. 17-18.21Riedel, The Lutheran Chorale, p. 23.22Apel, The Harvard Dictionary of Music, p. 203.23Ibid.24Blume, Protestant Church Music, p. 203.2sMarshall, "Chorale #2 Pre-Reformation," p. 314.26Riedel, The Lutheran Chorale, p. 25.27Jbid., p. 14-15.2BFellows, "Leise" (Leis) "Ruf," p. 318.29Reed, The Lutheran Liturgy, p. 77.30Riedel, The Lutheran Chorale, p.14-15.3lIbid. p. 21.32Apel, The Harvard Dictionary of Music, p. 398.33Marshall, "Chorale #2 Pre-Reformation," p. 313.34Riedel, The Lutheran Chorale, p. 299.3sReed, The Lutheran Liturgy, p. 77.36Clement A. Miller, "5pengenberg, German Family of Music Theorists ," The New GroveDictionary of Music and Musicians, Vol. XVII, p. 815.37Reed, The Lutheran Liturgy, p. 85.3BHueller, Bichsel, Selhorst, "Vernacular Hymnody," p. 29.


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THE ROMAN MISSAL 2000GENERAL INSTRUCTION

I t was the summer of the Grea t Jubilee Year which brought to millions of RomanCatholics around the world the first publication of the new (third typical) edition of the

Roman Missal: the General Instruction. The paragraphs which follow are meant to offera preliminary overview for the benefit of the practicing church musician of those provis ions of the new document which deal directly with music. Translations within theseparagraphs are the author's, made from the Latin original which is cited by numbers inbrackets.

The first point of importance, rightly stressed by the General Instruction itself, is thatthis document stands in continuity with what preceded it: the Council, the subsequentimplementation decrees, the earlier editions of the Roman Missal. Thus the ne w Missalis n ot a n attempt to re-invent the wheel, an d so parish musicians and liturgy volunteersshould not feel obliged to do so every Sunday, either. After all, rite is rote.

Thus we are reminded that the primary liturgical task of the diocesan bishop is to increase or suppor t by feeding (alere, to nourish) the spirit of the Divine Liturgy in priests,deacons an d layfolk . In view of the prominent posit ion which singing holds atHoly Mass, as a necessary or integral part of the li turgy (SC 112), it is the task of theEpiscopal Conferences in each country to approve suitable melodies, above all for thetexts of the Ordinary of the Mass, for the responses an d acclamations of the people, an dfor the particular rites which occur during the course of the liturgical year. Likewise,they are to judge which musical forms, melodies an d musical instruments may be allowed in divine worship insofar as they are genuinely suitable for sacred use, or can bemade so . These provisions are founded on the Liturgy Constitution itself (SC 120,22/2, 37, 40). The nature of musica sacra is accurately specified by the Instruction whenit cites SC 112: liturgiae pars integralis. Such an appropriate pointer toward the realessence of sacred music can spare many the vain effort of seeking a narrow "functional

ist" explanation.Another important indicat ion of continuity, is the fact tha t Ordinary an d Properchants of the Mass of ten cons titu te categories valid today, in spite of the constan t attempts to declare more an d more parts of the Mass to be "acclamations," in the interestof claiming them for congregational "participation" only, thus revealing once again theanti-artistic Affekt of the post-conciliar zelanti.

The second point of significance for the competent Kapellmeister, is a heading foundinfrequently in older missals: the section on the importance of singing. I t begins by recalling that Christ's faithful wh o gather to await the coming of the ir Lord, are admon-ished by the Apostle of the Gentiles that they sing together psalms, hymns an d spiritual canticles (Col 3/16). Singing, after all, is a sign of the heart 's rejoicing (d . Acts 2/46),an d so St Augustine rightly says "The lover is wont to s ing" (Sermon 336/1 = MPL38/1472), and even in ancient times i t was proverbial that " He w ho sings well, praystwice." Accordingly, let there be great use of singing in the celebration of Mass,keeping in mind the natural capacity of peoples an d the abilities of each liturgical assembly. Although it ma y no t always be necessary, for instance in ferial Masses, to deliver in song each an d every text which in itself is designated for singing, care should byall means be taken that both ministers an d people sing their parts at Sunday Masses an don holy days of obligation. However, in selecting the parts which are actually sung, themore important are to be preferred, particularly those which are to be sung by the priest(or deacon or lector) an d answered by the people, or by priest an d people together ."Gregorian chant, as being proper to the Roman liturgy, should be given pride of placein liturgical services, other things being equal. But other kinds of sacred music, especially polyphony, are b y n o means excluded, so long as they accord with the spiri t of theliturgical action an d encourage the participation of all the faithful" (SC 116 an d d. 30).

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Since believers from different countries gather with increasing frequency, it is advan-tageous that the faithful know how to sing together in Latin at least some parts of theOrdinary of the Mass, chiefly the Creed an d the Lord's Prayer using more simple tunes(see SC 54, Inst. 64/90, Inst. 1967/47) .

The third major topic relevant to the task of the church musician concerns the indi-vidual parts of the Mass. They are summarized here, in order.

The rites which precede the Liturgy of the Word, namely Introit, Salutation,Penitential Act, Kyrie, Gloria an d Collect, have the character of prelude (exordium), intro-duction an d preparation. Their purpose is that the faithful coming together might con-stitute a fellowship, and rightly dispose themselves to hear the Word ofGod an d worthi-ly celebrate the Eucharist.

In certain celebrations which, according to the provisions of the liturgical books, areconnected with the Mass, the opening rites are omitted or performed in a special wa y.

The people having gathered, the Introit is intoned when the priest enters with the dea-con an d the ministers. The purpose of this chant is to open the celebration, foster theunion of those gathered, introduce their mind to the mystery of the liturgical season or

feast, and to accompany the procession of the priest and servers .The Introit is performed in one of four ways: choir and people in alternation, cantorand congregation alternately, congregation alone, or choir alone. One may use either theantiphon with its psa lm as printed in the Roman Gradual or the Simple Gradual, orsome other chant appropriate to the nature of the sacred action, of the day, or of the sea-son, whose text is approved by the bishops' conference (d. Dies Domini 1998/50)" I fnothing is sung at the entrance, the antiphon printed in the Missal is recited by either thecongregation, some of the congregation, a lector, or otherwise by the priest himself, wh ocan also adapt it in the manner of an opening admonition (d . par. 30) .

After the Penitential Rite the Kyrie is always intoned, unless of course it has alreadyformed part of the Penitential Rite itself. Since it is the song by which the faithful acclaimthe Lord and implore His mercy, it is usually sung by everyone, namely with people,choir or cantor all taking part. Each acclamation is normally repeated twice, withouthowever excluding a greater number of repetitions on account of the nature of the vari-ous languages, or for reasons of musical art, or because of the special circumstances.When the Kyrie is sung as part of the Penitential Rite, a 'trope' precedes each acclalna-tion .

The Gloria is that most ancient an d venerable hymn by which the Church, gatheredin the Holy Ghost, glorifies and supplicates God the Father an d the Lamb. The text ofthis hymn cannot be replaced by any other. I t is intoned by the priest or, if desired, by acantor or by the choir. The Gloria is sung either by all together, or by the congregationalternately with the choir, o r b y the choir alone. I f it is not sung, the Gloria is to be recit-ed by everyone all together, or by two groups responding to each other in alternation.

The Gloria is sung or said on Sundays outside of Advent and Lent, as well as onsolemnities an d feasts, an d in certain more solemn special celebrations. .The following prescriptions are valid for the next part of the Mass, the Liturgy of the

Word. The first lection is followed by the responsorial psalm, which forms an integralpart of the Liturgy of the Word an d is of great importance from the liturgical an d pas-toral point of view, since it fosters meditation upon the Word of God. The responsorialpsalm is to correspond to the individual lection an d is normally taken from theLectionary. I t is more appropriate that the responsorial psalm be sung, at least as far asthe people's response is concerned. Accordingly, the cantor of the psalm, ("psalmist")delivers the psalm verses from the pulpit or another appropriate position, whilst the en-tire congregation sits an d listens, indeed participating by their response as custom,lry,unless the psalm is done in directo, straight through without response. In order that thecongregation ma y more easily be able to make its psalmodic response, a few texts of re-sponses an d psalms for different seasons of the year or for various groups of saints have


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been selected. Whenever the psalm is sung, these can b e u sed in place of the text corre-sponding to the lection. If the psalm cannot be sung, then itis recited in the fashion mostappropriate for fostering meditation upon God 's Word. Instead of the psalm assignedin the Lectionary, one may also sing either the Gradual as given in the Roman Gradual,or the responsorial/Alleluia psalm as contained in the Graduale Simplex .

The next element in the Liturgy of the Word is what is termed the acclamation beforethe Gospellection. Following the lection which immediately precedes the Gospel, thereis sung the Alleluia or other chant called for by the rubrics, as the liturgical season mayrequire. This sort of acclamation constitutes an independent rite or act (rite sue acutumper se stantem) by which the congregation listens eagerly to the Lord Who will speak tothem in the Gospel, greeting Him an d professing its faith in song. Led by the choir orthe cantor, everyone stands an d sings the Alleluia which is repeated if need be; the choiror the cantor however sings the verse.

The Alleluia itself is sung all year round, except in Lent. The verses are taken from theLectionary or from the GraduaL During Lent the Alleluia is replaced by the sentence be-fore the Gospel printed in the Lectionary. One may also sing another psalm or the Tractas found in the Gradual .

In those cases where there is bu t one lection before the Gospel, then

a) in seasons when the Alleluia is to be sung, one ma y take either the alleluiaticpsalm, or the psalm with Alleluia an d its verse;

b) at times when the Alleluia is no t to be sung, one may choose either the psalm andverse before the Gospel, or the psalm alone.

c) If they are no t sung, the Alleluia or the verse before the Gospel ma y be omitted.The Sequence, which is optional except on Easter an d Pentecost, is sung after theAlleluia .

The Credo or Profession of Faith aims at a response of all the congregation to theWord of Go d proclaimed in the Scripture lections and explained in the sermon, as wellas at the recollection an d profession of the great mysteries of the faith by articulating, ina form approved for liturgical use, the rule of faith before the celebration of those mys-teries in the Eucharist commences . The Credo is to be sung or recited by the priestwith the people on Sundays an d solemnities; it may also be said in particular celebra-tions of a more solemn nature. If sung, the Credo is intoned by the priest or also by thecantor or the choir, bu t i t is sung by everyone together, or by the congregation alternat-ing with the choir. If it is no t sung, the Credo is to be recited by everyone together o r b ytwo groups alternately with each other .

At the Preparation of the Gifts, the Offertory chant accompanies the procession withthe gifts (d.


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the Gospel, the Sanctus, the anamnesis acclamation after the Consecration, an d thesong after Communion;

b) an d others accompany a certain rite, such as the Introit, the Offertory, the AgnusDei (at the fraction), an d the song at Communion .

The heart an d soul of the Catholic Mass is the Canon. The principal elements which

make up the Eucharistic prayer are distinguished as follows:

a) Thanksgiving, which is expressed above all in the Preface ....b) Acclamation, by which the entire congregation, uniting itself with the heavenly

hosts , s ings the Sanctus. This acclamation, which forms a part of the Eucharisticprayer itself, is pronounced by all the people with the priest .

At the conclusion of the Preface, with folded hands, together with everyone presentthe priest sings or recites in a loud voice: Sanctus.. In a concelebrated Mass, theprincipal celebrant alone sings or recites the Preface, bu t the Sanctus is sung or recited byall the concelebrants together with the people an d the choir .

At the Fractio panis, the priest breaks the Eucharistic Bread. The gesture of brea1ingperformed by Christ at the Last Supper, which in the Apostolic Age gave its name to theentire Eucharistic action, signifies the many faithful constituting one body (1 Cor 10/17)by partaking from the one Bread of Life which is Christ died an d risen for the salvationof the world. After the Pax has been given, the Fraction commences, an d i t is performedwith du e reverence, neither prolonged unnecessarily no r regarded as unduly important.This r ite is reserved to the priest an d the deacon. Whilst the priest breaks the bread anddrops a particle of the Host into the chalice, the Agnus Dei invocation is chanted as usual(or at least recited in an audible tone) by the choir or a cantor, with the people respond-ing. The invocation accompanies the breaking of the bread, an d so it m ay b e repeatedas often as necessary unt il the rite is completed. The final invocation ends with thewords, "dona nobis pacem" .

When the priest receives the Sacrament, the Communio (cantus ad communionem) is in-toned. I t is meant to express the spiritual union of the communicants by the unity of thevoices, shew for th joy of the heart, an d illustrate more clearly the 'communitarian' na-ture of the procession to receive Communion . The s inging is continued for as long asHoly Communion is d is tributed to the faithful. However, i f there is a hymn afterCommunion, the Communio should be concluded in timely fashion. Care should betaken that the singers can also receive Communion in good time . The Communionchant may be chosen either from the Roman Gradual with or without a psa lm, from theSimple Gradual (antiphon an d psalm), or from the other appropriate songs approved bythe episcopal conference. I t is sung either by the choir alone, or by the choir/ cantor withthe people. When there is no singing, the antiphon printed in the Missal can be recited

either by all of the congregation, or by some of them, or by a lector; bu ti f

not, then bythe priest himself after he ha s communicated and before he distributes HolyCommunion to the faithful . When the distribution of Communion has been com-pleted, priest an d people m ay p ra y i n silence for a period of time. I f desired, a psalrn orother canticle of praise, or a hymn, ma y be sung by the congregation..

Finally, the General Introduction plainly states that it is no t permitted to substituteother songs for the chants assigned to the Ordinary of the Mass, for instance at the AgnusDei . Even this brief preliminary overview indicates some of the important posi-tive points of the Genera l In troduct ion, for which church musicians can be grateful.These include the emphasis upon the key theological concept of pars integrans an d thenecessary distinction between the nature an d the function of musica sacra, the welcomestress upon the pastorally important notion of degrees of musical participation at HolyMass, an d the fact that on the subject of Gregorian chant, the Council 's stance remainsnormative.


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No t all, however, are overjoyed at the imminent official publication of the ne w Missalwith its General Instruction. Indeed, for some, the General Instruction to the RomanMissal (G.I.R.M.) is the ne w 'grinch' who 'stole' Christmas, as one reads in a clever parody now making the rounds of diocesan chancery offices . . . .

Questions surely remain. The contradiction between the position taken regarding thepolyphonic Sanctus in the 1975 Missal, repeated in 2000, an d the 1967 Instruction, re

mains unresolved, though the recent canonistic reflections of D. Galles offer a welcomebeam of l ight in a murky matter. 1 An d t he definition of the Mass given in the ne wGeneral Instruction is simply the conflat ion of the 1969/70 text with allusions toVatican II, Trent an d Paul VI which appeared in 1975. Whether this will suffice to settlethe doubts an d criticisms raised about such a key text, remains to be seen. After all, i t isa truism to say that i f a person's idea of the very core of Catholic worship, of the Mass,is skewed, then the functional conclusions which are drawn in pastoral practice can becatastrophic. Agere sequitur esse: the wa y a thing functions depends upon what it is. Theobjective truth of this matter is absolutely crucial. In this connection it is interesting tonote that the General Instruction cites the important article 7 of the Liturgy Constitutionseveral t imes to stress the real presence of Christ in Hi s Word-but no t when that article says that every actio liturgica is an actio praecellenter sacra.

Habent sua fata libelli . . .

ROBERT A. SKERIS

NOTESlDuane L.C.M. Galles, "The Question of a Ch ora l Sanctus after Varican II: A CanonLawyer's Opinion" in Sacred Music, Vol. 127 No.3 (Fall 2000). pp. 24-26

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REVOLUTION

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LITURGICAL REVOLUTION: TOWARDSA N UNDERSTANDING

(excerpt from a talk given Dec. 5,2000)

I f I ha d to pick a date on which the liturgical revolution first began to rear its uglyh ea d i n public in this country, I would choose August 27, 1964. What happened onthat date? August 27th wa s a Sunday an d the last da y of the 1964 "Liturgical WeekI/this wa s the weeklong convention which ha d been held every year since 1940 by theAmerican Liturgical Conference. The Liturgical Conference, which was centered atthe Benedictine Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, had been the chief conduit of ideasfrom the European liturgical reform movement during the pre-Conciliar years. It published, an d still publishes, a scholarly journal entitled Worship. The name of the journal, however, had been changed from Orate Fratres to Worship in 1951 du e to its in -creased advocacy of the use of the vernacular in public worship. It was, perhaps, :for

this reason, that the American bishops ha d given special permission to the LiturgicalConference to anticipate the date which they had set for the int roduct ion of the vernacular in this country-November 29th (the First Sunday of Advent in 1964). Thusthe first sung English Mass celebrated in this country was onAugust 27, 1964-the climax of that year's weeklong meeting of the American Liturgical Conference.

While the use of the vernacular in a Mass of the Roman rite wa s novel and, at thatmoment, unique, it wasn't "revolutionary" in the proper sense of the term (i.e., a sudden, radical change). No, something else happened a t that Mass which was the beginning of a liturgical revolution. That Mass wa s also the beginning of a paradigm ofliturgical change lasting well over thirty years which involved a union between an official reform and an unofficial, radical reform which became so entwined that it became very difficult to distinguish between the two.

N ow w ha t w as the revolutionary "something else" which was present at the firstsung English Mass in this country? It wa s a hymn entitled "God is Love." Written by


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a Father Clarence Rivers, this hymn was described as a "successful blend of blackgospel an d blues."] What (one ma y ask) does gospel music have to do with a Mass ofthe Roman rite--even one in English? From pictures I have seen there were no blackspresent at this Mass, except for the composer, Fr. Rivers. Besides, black Catholics ha dno custom of singing gospel music at Mass a t t ha t time. Furthermore, black Baptistsan d Pentecostalists wh o used gospel music never sang the blues in church. The blueswas considered secular, an d even, irrel igious music. So, ho w does one expla in thepresence of this "successful blend of black gospel an d blues" at the beginning of thepublic manifestation of the liturgical reform in America?

It is very important to answer this question, because this wa s no t an anomalousevent . Rather, i t wa s the beginning of a trend. In April of the following year (1965),Fr. Godfrey Diekmann addressed the National Catholic Education Association inMadison Square Garden on the "Student Mass." In his address, this influential leaderof the American liturgical movement an d one-time editor of the journal Worship calledfor the creat ion of the "Hootenanny Mass." That is, the use at Mass of music reminiscent of the "urban folk revival" (Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Kingston trio) which waspopular wi th college s tudent s a t t ha t time. On e year later, in 1966, a Fr. LeClerc-aFrench Canadian priest living in Cuernavaca, Mexico-invents the "Marriachi Mass."A few years la ter someone invents the "Polka Mass." An d all throughout this t imevar ious other s trange hybrids are developed: the Rock In' Roll Mass, the CountryWestern Mass, the Irish Ballad Mass-ad infinitum et nauseam.

What all of these things have in common is that they involve placing into the temple music which was considered by all up to that point "profane" in the original etymological sense of the word: not necessarily evil, bu t "pro-fanum," outside the''fanum,'' the temple. Did all of these musical styles, within tha t five-year period, allof a sudden acquire a sacral signification which would have allowed them to be legitimately placed within the temple? No. Something more radical happened.

What had happened was the beginning of a mass ive collapse of the notion of thesacred as something distinct from the secular in the popular mind. This refusal to

properly distinguish between supernature an d nature has a Catholic precedent in thecondemned theological modernism of the first half of the 20th century (particularlythe theology of Teilhard de Chard in an d la te r Karl Rahner). However, i t seems tohave been a Protestant by-product of theological modernism-the so-called theologyof "secularization"-which had the direct impact on Catholic liturgical reform i n t he1960's. An important exemplar of this shift in popular theological thought is the bookHonest to God, which was wri tten in 1963 by John Robinson, the Anglican bishop of thediocese of Woolwich, England. This extremely successful book, which sold over350,000 copies in less than a year, was largely a popularization of the thought of threeliberal Protestant German theologians of the 1930's an d 1940's, namely, RudolfBultmann, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and , in particular, Paul Tillich.

Throughout the book, Bishop Robinson constantly criticizes the notion of a Go d"u p there" or "out there" an d seizes upon Paul Tillich's image of G od as "ground ofou r being." Go d is indeed the "ground" or "source" of ou r being. Although Robinsonis rather ambiguous, one gets the impression he is casting doubt on Go d as a beingseparate f rom his creation. At any rate, one can see strong resonances of theTeilhardian project of running creation an d incarnation together in a passage in whichRobinson talks about becoming a "new creation" in Christ:

This ne w reality is transcendent, it is "beyond" us, in the sense that i t is no t ours to command. Yet we experience it, like the Prodigal, as we "come to ourselves." For it is acoming home, or rather a being received home, to everything we are created to be. Itis what the Ne w Testament can only call grace. 2 (emphasis added)

So, apparently, being in a state of grace is just a matter of reaching your full humanpotential-"being all that y ou can be." Thus the distinction between grace an d na-

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ture, the supernatural an d the natural, is no t qualitative, merely quantitative. This isclearly no t the Church's conception of "grace." Grace is "freely given" by God, but no t"a given" of ou r created nature- i t is a gift, separate from a nd a dd ed to ou r creatednature.

This modernist conception of grace being simply the highest form of created exis-tence has repercussions on worship. To quote Bishop Robinson, worship is

the proclamation to the Church an d to the world that the presence of Christ with hispeople is tied to a righ t receiving of the common, to a r ight relationship with one'sneighbor . . . I t must be made to represent the truth that "thebeyond" is to be found flatthe center of life," "between m an a nd man."3

In another passage he says that

[t]he test of worship is ho w far it makes us more sensitive to "the beyond i n o u r midst,"to the Christ in the hungry, the naked, the homeless an d the prisoner ... 4

And one might add, "to the segregated minorit ies" an d those "discriminated

against." Here we have the answer to ou r question, "Why was there a piece of 'gospelmusic' at the first sung English Mass in 1964?" Well, 1964 wa s the climax of the CivilRights Movement an d i f the " test of worship" is to make us more sensitive to "the be-yond in ou r midst," it seems to follow naturally to have some black music at Mass. Yousee, once that first move is made- the blurring of the distinction between grace an d na-ture-other moves, formerly inconceivable, become no t only possible, bu t inevitable.An d we are no t just talking about turning the Mass in to a soap box for various politi-cal causes (no matter ho w noble some of them ma y be), we are also talking about turning the Mass in to a ce lebrat ion of human culture, of the good in human l i fe- thus theHootenanny Mass, the Marriachi Mass, an d the Polka Mass follow naturally.

This loss of a sense of the sacred in worship- the failure to distinguish between theholy an d the merely good is the first, the most enduring, an d the most serious casual-ty of the liturgical revolution. We see it throughout the Roman Rite today a nd w e haveall gotten used to a diminished sense of the sacred. This problem has the same deeptheological roots which many of the Church 's o ther problems have- the blurring ofthe distinction between grace an d nature. At least this is a thesis I have been toyingwith for sometime an d which I think bears further investigation . . .

KURTPOTERACK

NOTES

IGiles Pater an d Fred Moleck, "Alexander Peloquin, Orner Westendorf, Clarence Rivers:Music for the Movement" in How Firm a Foundation: Leaders of the Liturgical Movement,edited by Robert Tuzik (Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 1990), p. 337.2John A.T. Robinson, Honest to God (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1963), p. 80.3Ibid., p. 88.4Ibid., p. 90.


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Society of St. john, Holy Week 2001, Holy Thursday Procession

SACRED MUSIC IS A N INTEGRAL PART

OF THE LITURGY(Holy Father welcomes members of th e Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music as it cel-

ebrates i ts 90th anniversary)

Venerable Brothers in th e Episcopate an d the Priesthood,Dear Professors an d Students of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music!

1. I am pleased to welcome you on th e occasion of the 90th anniversary of your in-stitute, f ou nd ed i n 1910 by my revered Predecessor St. Pius X, with i ts seat at PalazzoSant'Apollinare. I think back to the vis it I paid yo u on 21 November 1984, an d affec-tionately extend my cord ia l gree ting to yo u all. I also greet the delegation fromCatalonia. A t t he s am e time, I congratulate the dignitaries wh o have been awarded th edoctorate "honoris causa" for their achievements in the field of sacred music.

I express my particular gratitude to Archbishop Zenon Grocholewski, Prefect of th eCongregation for Catholic Education an d you r Grand Chancellor, for his courteousgood wishes, also offered on your behalf. I would like to express again my esteem an dmy satisfaction with th e work yo u all carry ou t with a sense of responsibility an d val-ue d professionalism.

On this occasion, as I glance a t you r activities to date an d consider your future pro-jects, I thank God for th e work accomplished by the Pontifical Institute of SacredMusic for th e benefit of the universal Church. Indeed, music a nd song are no t merelyan ornament or embellishment added to the liturgy. On the contrary, they form on ereality with the celebration an d allow for a deepening an d interiorization of the d iv inemysteries.

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I therefore hope that all of you-teachers, students, an d lovers of sacred musiccan grow da y by day in the love of God, "singing an d making melody to the Lordwith all your heart" (Eph 5:19) an d helping others do the same.

2. This, in fact, is the specific mission which the Supreme Pontiffs entrusted to yourpraiseworthy insti tution from the beginning. I am think ing first of all of the Motu

Proprio of St. Pius X, who in 1903, with his liturgical sensitivity, emphasized that sacred music should be "a n integral part of the solemn liturgy, sharing its overall purpose which is the glory of G od a nd the sanctification an d edification of the faithful"(Tra Ie sollecitudini, ASS 36 [1903], p. 332). The most important result of this Instructionwa s the creation in 1910 of the Superior School of Sacred Music. Hardly a year later,St. P ius X published his approval of the school in the Brief Expleverunt desiderii, an don 10 July 1914 honored it with the title "Pontifical."

On 23 September 1914, a few days after his election to the papal throne, PopeBenedict XV said that he regarded the school as a beloved legacy left to hi m by hisbeloved Predecessor and tha t he would support an d promote it in the best wa y possible. We should also mention Pius Xl's Motu Proprio Ad musicae sacrae, promulgated on 22 November 1922, in which the special connection between the school an d theApostolic See wa s reaffirmed.

With the Apostolic Constitution Deus scientiarum Dominus of 1931, the school, entitled "Pontifical School of Sacred Music," was included among the ecclesiastical academic institutes an d as such continued its praiseworthy activi ty of service to the universal Church with even greater effort. After being trained here, many students laterbecame teachers in their respective nations, in accordance with the original spirit desired by St. Pius X.

Here I would like to honor the professor who have worked a t your institution formany years and, particularly, its presidents wh o devoted themselves to it without reserve, with a special mention of Monsignor Higini Angles, president from 1947 untilhis death on 8 December 1969.

3. The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, continuing the rich liturgical traditionof previous centuries, said that sacred music "is a treasure of inestimable value,greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that,as a combination of sacred music an d words, i t forms a necessary or integral part ofthe solemn liturgy" (Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 112).

Christians, following the various seasons of the liturgical year, have always expressed gratitude an d praise to God in hymns an d spiritual songs. Biblical tradition,through the words of the Psalmist, urges the pilgrims on arriving in Jerusalem to passthrough the doors of the temple whi le pra is ing the Lord "with trumpet sound, withtimbrel an d dance, with strings an d pipe, with sounding cymbals!" (d . Ps 150). Theprophet Isaiah, in tum, urges the singing with stringed instruments in the house of theLord all the days of one 's life as a s ign of gra ti tude (d . Is 38:20).

Christian joy expressed in song m us t m ar k every da y of the week an d ring ou tstrongly on Sunday, the "Lord's Day," with a particularly joyful note. There is a closelink between music an d song, on the one hand, an d between contemplation of the divine mysteries an d prayer, on the other. The cri terion t ha t mus t inspire every composition an d performance of songs an d sacred music is the beauty that invites prayer.When song an d music are signs of the Holy Spirit's presence an d action, they encourage, in a certain way, communion with the Trinity. The liturgy then becomes an "opusTrinitatis." "Singing in the liturgy" must flow from "sentire cum Ecclesia." Only in thisw ay d o union w ith God a nd artistic ability b lend in a happy synthesis in which thetw o elements-song an d praise-pervade the entire liturgy.

4. Dear brothers an d sisters, 90 years after its foundation your institute, in gratitude to the Lord for the good it has achieved, is intending to turn its gaze to the new


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horizons awaiting it. We have entered a ne w millennium an d the Church is whollycommitted to the work of the ne w evangelization. May your contribution no t lack thisfar-reaching missionary activity. Rigorous academic study combined with constant attention to the liturgy an d pastoral ministry are required of each of you. You, teachersan d students, are asked to make the most of your artistic gifts, maintaining an d furthering the study an d pract ice of music an d s on g i n the forms a nd w it h the instruments privileged by the Second Vatican Council: Gregorian chant, sacred polyphonyan d the organ. Onl y in this way will liturgical music worthily fulfill its function dur-ing the celebration of the sacraments and, especially, of Holy Mass.

May G od help you faithfully to fulfill this mission at the service of the Gospel an dthe Ecclesial Community. May Mary, who sang the Magnificat, the canticle of truehappiness to God, be yo ur model. Down the centuries music has woven countlessharmonies with the words of this canticle, an d poets have developed it in an immensean d moving repertoire of praise. May your voice also join theirs in magnifying theLord an d rejoicing i n G od ou r Savior.

On my part, I assure you of a constant remembrance in prayer and, as I hope thatthe ne w year just begun will be full of grace, reconciliation an d inner renewal, I impart

a special Apostolic Blessing to you all.

POPE JOHN PAUL II

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POPE CONGRESS

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PAPAL ADDRESS TO PARTICIPANTS IN

THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OFSACRED MUSIC

Holy Father addresses participants in International Congress of Sacred Music heldin the Vatican

(On Saturday, 27 January, the Holy Father me t those attending the InternationalCongress of Sacred Music organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture, the NationalAcademy of St. Cecilia, th e Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, th e Rome Opera an dthe Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts an d Letters of the Virtuosi at the Pantheon. Hereis the English t rans la tion of his address , which wa s given in Italian, French, an d

Spanish.)

Your Eminence,Dear Friends,

1. I cordially greet all of you who are a ttending the International Congress ofSacred Music, an d I express my deep grati tude to the authori ties that organized thismeeting: the Pontifical Council for Culture, the National Academy of St. Cecilia, thePontifical Council of Sacred Music, the Rome Opera an d the Pontifical Academy ofFine Arts an d Letters of the Virtuosi at the Pantheon. I especially thank Cardinal PaulPoupard for his k in d w or ds o f welcome on your behalf.

I am pleased to greet you, composers, musicians, specialists in liturgy an d teachersof sacred music, who have come from all over th e world. Your skill provides this congress with a real artist ic an d liturgical quality an d an unquestionably universal di-


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mens ion. I welcome the distinguished representatives o f t he Ecumencial Patriarchateof Constantinople, th e Patriarchate of th e Russian Orthodox Church an d the LutheranWorld Federation, whose p re sence is a stimulating appeal to share ou r musical treasures. Such meetings will enable us to advance on th e path of unity through prayer,on e of whose mos t beautiful expressions is f ou nd i n ou r cultural an d spiritual heritages. Lastly, I greet with respect an d gratitude the representatives of th e Jewish community, who h av e w is he d to s ha re t he ir specific experience with specialists inChristian sacred music.

2. "The hymn of praise, which resounds eternally in the heavenly halls an d whichJesus Christ the High Priest introduced into this land of exile, ha s always been continued by th e Church in th e course of so many centuries, with constancy an d faithfulness,in the marvelous variety of i ts forms." The Apostol ic Constitution Lauds Canticum, bywhich Pope Paul VI promulgated th e Divine Office in 1970 i n t he dynamic of th e liturgical renewal inaugurated by th e Second Vatican Council, well expresses th e profoundvocation of t he C hu rc h, cal led to th e dai ly service of giving thanks in continuousp ra is e o f t he Trinity. The Church offers he r perpetual praise in th e polyphony of he rmany ar t forms. He r musical tradition is a priceless heritage, for sacred music is called

to express the truth of th e mystery celebrated in th e liturgy (d . Sacrosanctum Concilium,n.112).

Following the ancient Jewish tradition (d . 1 Chr. 16:4-9, 23; Ps 80) on which Christan d the Apostles were raised (d. Mk 26:30; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16), sacred music developedover the centuries on all the continents, in accordance with the special genius of variouscultures, revealing the magnificent creative energy expended by the different liturgicalfamilies of East an d West. The last Council gathered the her itage of the pas t and undertook a valuable systematic work with a pastoral vis ion, dedicat ing a whole chapterof the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium to sacred music. At thet ime of Pope Paul VI, the Sacred Congregat ion of Rites detai led the implementat ion ofthis reflection in the Instruction Musicam sacram (5 March 1967).

3. Sacred music is an integral part of th e liturgy. Gregorian chant, recognized bythe Church as being "specially suited to the Roman liturgy" (ibid., n. 116), is a uniquean d universal spiritual heritage which has been handed down to us as th e clearest musical expression of sacred music at th e service of God's word. I t ha d a considerable influence on the development of music in Europe. The learned palaeographic work ofthe Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Solesmes an d the publicat ion of collections of Gregorianchant encouraged by Pope Paul VI, as well as th e proliferation of Gregorian choirs,contributed to th e renewal o f t he liturgy an d of sacred music in particular.

Although th e Church recognizes the pre-eminent place of Gregorian chant, sh e haswelcomed other musical forms, especially polyphony. In an y case, these various musical forms should accord "with the spi ri t of th e liturgical action" (ibid.). From this

standpoint , the work of Pierluigi da Palestrina, th e master of classical polyphony, isparticularly evocative. His inspiration makes him a model for composers of sacredmusic, which he put at th e service of th e liturgy.

4. The 20th century, part icularly the second half, sa w a development of popular religious music in line with th e desire expressed by th e Second Vatican Council that it be"intelligently fostered" (Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 118). This for m of singing is particularly suitable for the part icipation of the faithful, both in devotional practices an din the l i turgy itself. I t requires of composers an d poets qualities of creativity, in orderto open th e hearts of th e fai thful to th e deeper significance of th e t ext of which themusic is the instrument. This is a lso true of tradit ional music, for which the Councilexpressed grea t esteem an d requested that it be given "its proper place b ot h i n e du

cating people's religious sense an d in adapting worship to their native genius" (ibid.,n.119).

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POPE CONGRESS

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Popular singing, which is a bond of unity an d a joyful expression of the community at prayer, fosters the proclamation of the on e faith an d imparts to large liturgical assemblies an incomparable an d recollected solemnity. During the Great Jubilee,I had the joy of seeing an d hearing large numbers of the faithful gathered in St.Peter's Square celebrating with one voice the Church's thanksgiving. I once againthank all those wh o contributed to the Jubilee celebrations: the us e of the resourcesof sacred music, especially during the papal celebrations, wa s exemplary. Gregorianchant, classical an d contemporary polyphony, popular hymns, particularly theHymn of the Great Jubilee, made possible liturgical celebrations which were ferventan d of high quality. Organ an d instrumental music also had their place in theJubilee celebrations and made a magnificent contribution to the uniting of hearts infaith an d charity, transcending the diversity of languages an d cultures.

The Jubilee year also sa w the staging of numerous cultural events, particularlyconcerts of religious music. This form of musical expression, which is as it were anextension of sacred music in the strict sense, is of particular significance. Today,w he n w e are commemorating the centenary of the death of the great composerGuiseppe Verdi, w ho o we d m uc h to the Christian heritage, I wish to thank the composers, conductors, musicians, performers, an d also the heads of societies, organizations an d musical associations for their efforts to promote a repertoire which is culturally rich an d expresses the great values linked to biblical revelation, the life ofChrist an d the saints, an d the mysteries of life an d death celebrated by the Christianliturgy. Religious music likewise builds bridges between the message of salvationan d those who, while no t yet fully accepting Christ, are sensitive to beauty, for"beauty is a key to the myste ry an d a call to transcendence" (Letter to Artists, n. 16).Beauty makes a fruitful dialogue possible.

5. The application of the Second Vatican Council's guidelines on the renewal of sacred music an d liturgical song-especially in choirs, sacred music groups, an d schalaecantarum-today requires of pastors an d faithful a sound cultural, spiritual, liturgicalan d musical formation. I t also calls for profound reflection in order to define the criteria for creating an d disseminating a high-quality repertoire which will enable musical express ion to serve its purpose, " the glory of Go d an d the sanctif icat ion of thefaithful" (Sacrosanctum Cancilium, n. 112), in an appropriate way. This is particularlytrue for ins trumenta l music . Even if the organ is the instrument of sacred music pa rexcellence, today's musical compositions incorporate ever more diversified instrumental formations. I hope that these riches wil l help the Church at prayer, so that thesymphony of he r praise ma y be attuned to the" diapason" of Christ the Savior.

6. Dear friends-musicians, poets an d liturgists-your contribution is indispensable. "How many sacred works have been composed through the centuries by people deeply imbued with the sense of the mystery! The fai th of countless believers hasbeen nourished by melodies flOWing from the hearts of other believers, either introduced into the liturgy or used as an aid to dignified worship. In song, faith is experienced as vibrant joy, love an d confident expecta tion of the saving intervent ion ofGod" (Letter to Artists, n. 12).

I am sure that you will work generously to preserve an d increase the cultural heritage of sacred music in order to serve a fervent liturgy, the privi leged place for theinculturation of the faith an d the evangelization of cultures. I, therefore, entrust yo uto the intercession of the Virgin Mary, who knew ho w to sing of God's marvels , as Iaffectionately impart my Apostolic Blessing to you nd all your loved ones.

POPE JOHN PAUL II


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REVIEWS

Books

The Advent Project: The Later-Seventh-Century

Creation of the Rom an M ass Proper by JamesMcKinnon. Berkeley, CA: Unive rsity ofCalifornia Press, 2000. 466 pp. $50.00 cloth. ISBN0-520-22198-2.

According to the dust jacket, Professor JamesMcKinnon, Richard H. Fogel Professor of Musicat the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,offers "persuasive evidence tha t the Mass Propertexts an d music primarily came into being during a few year s at th e en d of the seventh centuryas part of a concerted effort he calls 'the Advent

Project.' According to McKinnon, the schola can-torum in Rome, wishing to consolidate a uniformpractice, began with the Advent-Christmas season, composed appropriate texts an d music, an dthen moved on to the next sequence, Lent.Analyzing th e Mass Proper as a whole,McKinnon says, leaves the distinct impression ofan ambitiously conceived project undertaken top ro vi de P ro pe r c ha nt s for every da y of thechurch year. Too large a task for perfect realization, the project e nd ed w it h a number of compromises an d wa s transmitted northward i n th eeighth century, becoming what we know asGregorian chant." This is a book w it h a n interesting thesis which is sure to provoke debate.

KURTPOTERACK

The Mendelssohn Companion edited byDouglass Seaton. Westpor t, Connect icut :Greenwood Press, 2001. 785 pp. $120.00 cloth.ISBN 0-313-28445-8.

This magisterial collection of essays onMendelssohn covers such topics as the composer 's aesthetic outlook, his dramatic music an dhis songs. Of particular interest to readers of thisjournal would be Georg Feder's essay "O n FelixM en de ls so hn B ar th ol dy 's Sacred Music,"

FriedheIm Krummacher's essay " A r t -

History-Rel igion: On Mendelssohn's OratoriosSt. Paul an d Elijah" an d Robert Mann's essay on"The Organ Music."

K.P.

OPEN FORUMThe Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter announces

the appointment of Gerald W. Holbrook to theposition of Professor of Music at Our Lady ofGuadalupe Seminary near Lincoln, Nebraska.Mr. Holbrook will focus primarily on the devel-

. opment of a full- time program of instruction inGregorian Chant. In addition, he will overseethe entire music program which includes training an d conducting tw o chant scholas an d apolyphonic choir. In the s um me r h e will teachan intensive three-week Chant Practicum opento musicians, clergy an d laity who desire a sol idfoundation in chant . The summer of 2001 coursewil l t ake place during th e f irst three we eks ofJuly. For information, call the Seminary a t (402)

797-7700.The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is a society

of apostolic life of pontifical right, founded withthe approval of His Holiness John Paul II in 1988for the formation an d sanctification of priests inthe f ramework of the t raditional l iturgy of theRoman Rite an d their pastoral deployment inservice to the Church.

Priests of t he Fraternity of St. Peter are privileged to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Massan d administer the sacraments according to theliturgical books of 1962.

The North American headquarters of th eFraternity an d i ts f lagship school (St. Gregory'sAcademy, a boarding high school for boys) arelocated in Elmhurst, Pennsylvania. The firstphase of construction of the Fraternity seminary,Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary near Lincoln,Nebraska, wa s completed in 2000. I t is the firstseminary built from the ground up in the UnitedStates in decades an d home to more than sixtyseminar ians . The Fraternity ha s apostolates in21 dioceses i n the Uni te d States an d Canada, alloperating with the endorsement of the localbishops.

Prior to coming to Nebraska, Mr. Holbrookwas in Sausali to, California where he wasDirector of Music at St. Mary Star of the SeaChu rch, t he Director/Founder of Schola MarisStellae (a choir of Gregorian Chant andPolyphony), an d the Gregorian Chant Instituteof Sausalito. He also taught a t t he ArchdiocesanSchool of Pastoral Leadership a nd w as a staff accompanist a t two ballet schools.

Mr. Holbrook holds a Masters degree in pianoperformance f ro m R oos ev elt U ni versi ty inChicago, Illinois where he studied with Ludmilla

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Lazar. He has also s tudied with Beth MillerHarrod of Lincoln, Nebraska (where he made hisorchestral debut at age 19), William Browningfrom the American Conservatory of Music inChicago, an d Kendall Taylor from the RoyalCollege of Music in London, England.

He has performed as piano soloist in recitalsan d with several symphony orchestras, as anorgan recitalist an d also has a background incomposition and voice. His organ studies havebeen under John Car ter Cole of Lincoln, JerryJelsema, Thomas Weisflog an d David Schraderof Chicago. H e s tu di ed composition with thelate William Ferris of Chicago an d worked as hisAssociate at Ou r Lady of Mt. Carmel Church,known for i ts high standard of liturgical music.While in Chicago he also founded an d directed

The Ashmore Ensemble (a professional choralensemble), an d sang an d recorded with theWilliam Ferris Chorale.

His long interest in Gregorian chant led him tostud y with Dr. Theodore Mar ie r from TheCatholic University of America in Washington,D.C. an d Fr. Marc-Daniel Kirby, O. Cist. ofRougemont in Montreal, Canada. H e w as the instructor in residence for the Convent of St.Birgitta in Connecticut and conducted a schola ofgraduate s tudents a t The Catholic University ofAmerica in later years whi le he was studyingphilosophy an d theology there. He continues toconduct workshops in chant for music directorsan d non-musicians alike in this unique field an dgives instruction to religious communities beginn ing to reclaim their Gregorian Chant heritage.

NEWS

Adoremus Bulletin has been running a series bySusan Benofy ent it led "Buried Treasure." Thepoint of this series seems to be a survey of the

his tory of Latin Rite liturgical music reform inthe twentieth century, starting with the 1903 motuproprio an d concluding with the present day. Iusually get nervous when a non-expert attemptsto wri te on such a specialized topic, but SusanBenofy has done her homework well. What willbe particularly informative for most people is herdetailing of the specific steps by which we wentfrom Vatican II calling for the preservation of the"treasury of sacred music" (chant an d polyphony) to the current situation in most parishes (Ms.Caruso Cantor at the front of the church wavingher arms an d leading us through the latest Gloryand Praise hit). I highly recommend this continu-

26

ing series in Adoremus Bulletin for those wh owish to learn more about ho w Roman Rite sacredmusic became "buried treasure."

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I have yet to receive a serious critique ofDuane Galles' "The Question of a ChoralSanctus af ter Vatican II: A Canon Lawyer' sOpinion," which wa s published in the Vol. 127No.3 issue of Sacred Music. I f anyone wishes tomake such a critique, please do so an d send me acopy.

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There wa s an interesting letter to the editor inthe June/July 2001 issue of First Things by Alicevo n Hildebrand enti tl ed " Pro per FraternalReproof." Referring to a symposium on "TheFuture of the Papacy" in an earlier issue she lays

it on the line as to wh y the Orthodox don't takeou r ecumenical overtures more seriously: a) wedon't excommunicate enough heretics, an d b)ou r l iturgy is a mess.

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The Holy Father gave two addresses on sacredmusic in January, both of which are relhinted. inthis issue. In particular, the January 27 addressgiven to the International Congress of SacredMusic is an almost point by point reaffirmationof Chapter VI of the Constitution on the SacredLiturgy, which was itself a summary of 20 th century papal teaching on sacred music.

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The Latin Mass magazine has a ne w look, ane w editor an d a new subtitle. Formerly subtit led "Chronicle of a Catholic Reform," it is no wsubtitled "A Journal of Catholic Culture."Founding editor Roger McCaffrey has s teppeddown after (I believe) ten years an d is letting Fr.James McLucas take up the reins. The look andthe intellectual tone of the magazine had beenimproving under editor McCaffrey an d i t looks

like this will continue under the ne w editor.Though the tone of the magazine continues to bea tad curmudgeonly, I thoroughly enjoyed thelatest issue (Vol. 10, No.2). It m us t b e a difference of personal style, but I prefer to rejoice whena crippled ma n gets u p an d takes his first haltingsteps rather than to lament that he is no t yet lunning a marathon. Nonetheless, someone has toplay the "Dutch Uncle" an d ask the hard questions--even of Cardinal Ratzinger (see ThomasWoods' review of The Spirit of the Liturgy, pp. 5457). I guess The Latin Mass will continue to playthis role.


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On May 7th th e Vatican Congregation forDivine Worship made public the FifthInstruction "For the Right Implementation of theConstitution on the Sacred Liturgy of th e SecondVatican Council"-Liturgiam Authenticam. Thisdocument deals with th e principles an d procedures for vernacular translations of th e Latin textof the Roman rite. Accordinj!; to an article byPaul Likoudis in th e May 17 tf i Wanderer thi s is"the most important liturgical document issuedby th e Holy See since Vatican II's Constitution onth e Sacred Liturgy," because it "reverses th e 40year project of th e modernist l it urgist s i nWestern Europe and North America to deRomanize th e liturgy of th e Western Church."

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On e might also sa y that Liturgiam Authenticamis an attempt to overturn the almost 40-year project of neo-modernists to de-sacralize the liturgy.One of the key problems in theology before th eCouncil wa s the tendency of some theologians toblur the distinction between grace an d nature.Ultimately this le d to the posi t ion that all of n ature is s ee n a s a lr ea dy "graced" an d th e distinction between the sa cred an d th e secular collapsed. What follows f rom this is that th e purpose of worship- i f t her e is t o be such a t h i n gis to celebra te thi s already "holy creation," perhaps even to celebra te "contemporary socialmovements" (i.e. political liberation, feminism)which are seen as divine "irruptions" in creation.

The correct view is that while all of creat ion isgood, i t is no t holy-only God is holy. However,things involved in th e worship of God ca n acquire that charism of holiness by association.This is th e concept of the "sacramenta l; " thusthere ca n be s uc h a t hi ng a s sacred music, sacredvestments, an d a truly sacral language. LiturgiamAuthenticam seems to have this in mind when it

says in article 47 that "liturgical prayer not onlyis formed by t he g en iu s of a culture but itselfcontributes to th e development of that culture . . .. Liturgical translation that takes du e account ofth e authority an d integral content of th e originaltexts will facilitate th e development of a sacralvernacular, characterized by a vocabulary, syntax an d grammar tha t are proper to div ine worship, even though it is no t to be excluded that itma y exercise an influence on everyday speech,as has occurred in the languages of peoplesevangelized long ago."

Th e point is that, while it is a bi t of a two-waystreet, for th e most part grace flows out from di-

vine worship (the true locus of th e holy) an dtransforms society, no t vice-versa. This brings usto th e thorny question of "inculturation."

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Let us see what th e instruction says about inculturation: "Indeed, it ma y be affirmed that th eRoman Rite is itse lf a precious example and aninstrument of true inculturation. For th e RomanRite is marked by a signal capacity for assimilating into i tself spoken an d sung texts, gesturesan d rites derived from th e customs an d th e genius of diverse nations an d particular Churches.. . . This characteristic is particularly evident ini ts orations, which exhibit a capacity to transcend th e limits of their original situation so as tobecome the prayers of Christians in an y time orplace. [Therefore the] . . . work of inculturation,of which th e t ranslation into vernacular languag

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Sacred Music, 128.1, Spring 2001; The Journal of the Church Music Association of America

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