From the bulletin of March 7, 2021
Last week, we looked at the first part of Pope St. Pius X’s document on sacred music, which gave some basic principles for what kind of music should be used at Mass and other forms of the liturgy. The glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful are the reasons for sacred music and because of this, such music should be holy and beautiful in a way that transcends a single cultural expression. By way of example, the pope pointed to Gregorian Chant as the music developed by the Church herself and which is considered the basic standard for other kinds of sacred music. From there, the Pope does indicate a particular developed after Gregorian chant called, “Polyphony” and then gives particular praise to Palestrina, who is even still considered a great composer worth studying.
Of course, music isn’t just a thing of the past. Pope Pius X is clear that new music can very well serve to expand the Church’s repertoire of sacred music. He does, however, caution us about too quickly adopting the latest musical trend. It was true back then and it’s even more true now that most new music is made for “profane uses.” By that, the pope means secular and non-religious uses. This means the design and style of the music is less likely to fit with the goal of sacred liturgy. Entertainment and worship are two different things and it is unwise to mix the two because you’ll simply do both badly. So, at this point the document goes on to lay out particular guidelines.
He turns next to the words of the music. At this point, the Church still used only Latin so this document maintained that policy. This is a policy that can be adjusted and it has since Pope Pius X wrote this. The truth, however, is that Latin is still expected to be used in most liturgies. We’ve gotten away from that culturally, but the official expectation of the Church is that every Catholic know a few simple pieces of music using Latin. We’ll get to this more later one. One thing the pope says here that does still apply is this: the words for Mass should not be altered. Within the past 20 years, the Church actually reinforced this principle and, in the United States, many publishers were forced to redo their hymnals to use the correct wording of things like the Gloria, the Holy, Holy, Holy, and the Lamb of God. The pope also emphasizes that the music should keep the words “intelligible to the faithful who listen.” The reason is simple. The point of the music is to embellish the words. To override the words for the sake of the music is to get it backwards.
At this point, Pope Pius gives specific instructions for specific liturgical functions, but those have changed since then so we need not spend time on it. He then gives some directions on the singers themselves. Some music, specifically Gregorian Chant, is meant to be sung without instruments. He also instructs that the choir should not be in too prominent a place. The reason for this is to avoid putting people’s attention in the wrong place. When we go to a concert for entertainment, we put the band front and center. When we go to Mass to worship God, we put God front and center (tabernacle, altar, etc.). When you put the musicians in front, it can subconsciously shift the emphasis from the God we’re singing for to the choir who is doing the singing.
Regarding instruments, he taught that the organ is generally preferred and several instruments were outright forbidden: drums, cymbals, pianos, and other “frivolous instruments.” That last phrase is the key point. The pope wants to avoid frivolity and undue showiness in the liturgy. These policies are no longer the primary rule. The current policy of the Church on instruments is less clear and it doesn’t give a strict list anymore, so we rely on good judgment and the guidance of our local bishop to avoid being “frivolous.” What is clear, however, is that the Church always prefers the human voice to any instrument. To this day, pre-recorded music is forbidden for that reason. The goal is for living people present at that liturgy to offer praise to God, not to simply listen to music. And the whole point of this document is that the music we make is appropriate for that purpose. As we navigate what that looks like in our own time and culture, we should trust the guidance of the Church while continuing our efforts to find and produce genuine beauty for the glory of God and the sanctification of our souls.
In Christ,
-Fr. Albert