Seems like you are missing something? Is the world and history of Catholic music just a bit too intimidating? Richard Terry’s classic book is a great way to get up to speed. It is a super classic in the genre. It is also tremendously entertaining. This one book will give you the overview and the intellectual boost you need.
It is available on Amazon now.
Does anyone have Terry's "Short and Easy Requiem," which we often used for "Month's Mind" High Masses on weekdays? The Latin original was from Cary & Co in the UK, I think, while an English adaptation came out in 1965 from McLaughlin and Reilly in Boston.