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The Institute for Catholic Culture, a fine adult-education program based in Virginia, is presenting a lecture soon about the state of music in the Catholic Church in the U.S. On Tuesday, September 15, the poet and translator Prof. Anthony Esolen (Magdalen College) will speak on “Music and the Corruption of Catholicism“.

Dr. Esolen has written before on music and Catholic life. His book Real Music: a Guide to the Timeless Hymns of the Church includes a demonstration CD produced by one of the admirable choirs of St. john Cantius parish in Chicago. And for a sample of Dr. Esolen’s thinking on classic hymns, here’s an article from 2018 in Crisis Magazine.

The lecture on September 15 is to be streamed with live video starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, and registration is required.

Fr. James Moore, OP, explains the principles of sacred music in a clear and eminently shareable way.

One of the pandemic’s most interesting results is its effect on teleworking. Apparently many employers intend to continue telework even after the current crisis has passed.

It seems to me that this is an opportunity for the Church to give intentional thought to renewing and expanding its in-person programs.

The large numbers of working mothers during the last several generations has produced an inertia among families’ attendance at evening and weekend events. Workplace interactions have largely supplanted the need for the social life provided by clubs and other activities. Parents have been relieved to have free evenings for downtime, and sleep-in weekends.

All of this is changed by telework. Having been home all day in front of a computer screen, parents may well be ready for alternatives to the extension of screen time with tv. This is good news for the Gospel, which, although lately very well supported by online apostolates, has always thrived most on communal presence.

Since many parish music programs have been disrupted for the last few months, some pastors and their musicians may be looking to take advantage of this opportunity to “reboot” their music programs to serve the liturgy better.

A few years back I wrote this sketch of what a successful overhaul might look like, including a generous timeframe to allow parishioners to adjust. These are meant only as broad-stroke suggestions that I hope might be helpful if adapted prudently to local situations.

10 Steps to the Gradual

1. Examine the lyrics of the commonly used hymns and clear away any hymn that is questionable in its theology for us as Roman Catholics. This should not have to be said, but unfortunately some hymns in common use in parishes are questionable.
2. The most important step is the priest’s own example of chanting by his singing of the dialogues, using the tunes found in the Roman Missal, or even on a single note. If he can gradually add the orations and sing all that he can, this would be ideal. He can begin to introduce periods of silence and listening, beginning with those suggested by the GIRM (between “let us pray” and the oration, after the homily, and at the end of Communion). This would help parishioners begin to understand something that the Graduale takes for granted: listening is a kind of participation at Mass.
3. Begin singing a responsorial Psalm during the Communion Procession. The format and the musical style would be familiar to parishioners and easily accepted. No hymnals or leaflets are needed to join in the refrain. The GIRM allows for a hymn of praise to be sung after Communion has been distributed, when the people have taken their places again, but shows a strong preference for a Psalm to be sung during Communion.
4. Add the Introit at the beginning of Mass. I would not recommend replacing the Entrance Hymn with an Introit at this stage, but adding the Introit, probably in English, either before or after the Entrance Hymn, is an easily acceptable way to introduce the scene-setting Proper text for the Sunday.
5. Replace the Offertory hymn with an organ solo or a motet sung by the choir. The Offertory hymn is the least likely to be missed among all the hymns of the Entrance-Offertory-Communion-Recessional pattern that was the norm at Low Masses and has persisted. At the Offertory people are busy with the collection and are ready for a brief rest, and the omission will become welcome. If a motet is sung, its words should ideally be those of the Proper Offertory text for the Sunday. 

   If the above recommendations are implemented over the course of six months, I would suggest leaving things as they are for another six months, giving the people time to adjust to this new way of singing. In the meantime, I would suggest increasing the number of Confession times in the parish, and to include opportunities for Confession on Sundays in particular.

6. Beginning in a penitential season of Advent or Lent, introduce the simplest Chant Mass, the “Jubilate Deo” Mass or Mass XVIII, which Pope Paul VI asked be known and used in every parish.
7. Continue chanting the Ordinary outside of Advent and Lent, in English if this seems advisable. Many excellent English settings are available, including the ICEL Missal chants which are freely available on the internet. Gradually, over the course of 3-4 years, introduce the Latin ordinaries found in the Kyriale.
8. Replace the Entrance Hymn with the Gregorian Introit, and sing the Gregorian Communio at the beginning of Communion. If the congregation is very attached to English hymnody, sing a hymn of praise at the end of Communion and a recessional hymn. It may be necessary, depending on local circumstances, to retain the Entrance Hymn in addition to the Introit.
9. Begin singing the extensive Gregorian Alleluias with the jubilus. Choose a single Gregorian Alleluia and sing this at Mass for a season, gradually introducing more of the Alleluias. During Lent, sing the Tract. Beginning that Easter, sing the Alleluia of the week.
10. Finally, replace the Responsorial Psalm with the Gradual.

Just like the morning’s dawning bright
She rises to the heav’nly height,
Maria, splendid as the sun,
Just like the moon, most lovely one.

Today, the queen of all the earth—
Who to that Son has given birth
Who is, before the daystar shone—
Ascends unto her glorious throne.

Assumed above the angels, higher
Than every heav’nly angel choir
This single woman has outrun
The merits all the saints have won.

The One Whom in her lap she fed
And laid within a manger bed.
She sees as Lord of everything,
Now in His Father’s glory, King.

Virgin of virgins, intercede,
And with your Son with fervor plead.
He took up what is ours through you.
May what is His come through you, too.

Praise to the Father and the Son,
And Paraclete, forever one,
Who in the saints’ and angels’ sight
Have clothed you in their glorious light.

St. Peter Damian. Trans. c. Kathleen Pluth. This text may be used freely August 14-15, 2020. All other rights reserved.

Looking for a way to get online education on Sacred Music? The Sacred Music Institute of America is offering a range of courses for the fall, including a course taught by CMAA President, Dr. William P. Mahrt.

From the Sacred Music Institute of America’s press release:

In today’s rapidly-shifting environment of changing regulations and guidelines, the Sacred Music Institute of America, LLC stands by its commitment to provide high-quality educational experiences to meet the needs of sacred musicians beyond the confines of traditional academic programs.  This fall, we are honored to welcome Dr. William Mahrt to the faculty for a ten-week online course in Gregorian Chant.  “Gregorian and English Chant I” is a beginning course in chant which will proceed from reading and singing of the simplest chants and the study of their liturgical function and include chants of progressive difficulty for the priest, people, and choir in both English and Latin. 

In all of these categories, the study will proceed through chants of progressive difficulty, with priest’s prayers, versicles and responses of priests and people, chants for the Ordinary of the Mass in English and Latin for the congregation, and chants for the proper of the Mass in English for the choir.  For the proper of the Mass, chants of progressive difficulty will be studied, based upon The Proper of the Mass for Sundays and Solemnities of Fr. Samuel Weber, O.S.B. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2014).  The beauty of the chants as integral to the liturgy will be a consideration. 

Dr. Mahrt also teaches musicology and the performance of Medieval and Renaissance music at Stanford University.  

The Institute’s fall offerings also include online courses in “The History of Sacred Music,” “Music Theory I,” private lessons in organ, voice, and conducting, and mentoring for church musicians.  All fall classes begin on August 24.  More information is available at www.sacredmusicinstitute.org or by contacting the Institute at 614-395-7783 or administrator@sacredmusicinstitute.org.

The cost for registration in the 10-week courses will be $850, with various pricing for private lessons, depending on the teacher.

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