A CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE!! Choosing Music For Mass.

Music at Mass, why would that ever be considered controversial?

When people discuss music at Mass they talk about what they like rather than what the church teaches.  Since everyone likes something different, there will be disagreement about what should be sung or played.   As I have said on this blog a couple of times:  It is not a matter of what I like, but rather we should look at what the church teaches and why.

Where do we go for the answer to the question about music?  Our book on how to do liturgy is called the "General Instruction of the Roman Missal", normally referred to as:  Girm.  In our diocese we have been using the Girm since the year 2005.  This is not some old outdated document, but the newest document we are given by the Church.

If you would like to read the Girm, follow the link:

http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/current/revmissalisromanien.shtml

 Each paragraph has a Number and that is how I will refer to the document.   The importance of song is Girm #39.

In choosing music here is the first odd thing:   Girm #40  "In the choosing of the parts actually to be sung, however, preference should be given to those that are of greater importance and especially to those to be sung by the priest or the deacon or the lector, with the people responding, or by the priest and people together."

Did you catch that, the most important thing to be sung as Mass are the priest parts and the dialogues between the priest and the people.   The goal is not to sing at Mass, but it is to sing the Mass.  We actually sing the prayers, and dialogues:  we sing THE MASS, NOT just AT MASS.

Girm 41 is really a surprise in our current musical environment:  "All other things being equal, Gregorian chant holds pride of place because it is proper to the Roman Liturgy. Other types of sacred music, in particular polyphony, are in no way excluded, provided that they correspond to the spirit of the liturgical action and that they foster the participation of all the faithful.
Since faithful from different countries come together ever more frequently, it is fitting that they know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the Creed and the Lord's Prayer, set to the simpler melodies."

The most important music because it was written specifically for the Mass is GREGORIAN Chant.  This does NOT mean we cannot do other music, but the most important music for Church is Gregorian Chant.   We have many great hymns in different styles, and we can and should have them in our church, but we should give center stage to Chant.   See, this could be seen as controversial to some, but it is also what our church teaches.

It also teachs that we need to know the responses and prayers at Mass in Latin as well.   When people hear this they get nervous.   This nervousness comes from not knowing or understanding.  We have not had Latin or Chant in our church for over 40 years.  However, our Church teaches that it has pride and place.

This post is long enough:  In the future I will look at what the Girm says about the Opening Song.

peace