What About 1967's Musicam Sacram?

| EWTN 6/22/23, 9:47 AM

What About 1967's Musicam

Sacram?
Author: ZENIT

A ZENIT DAILY DISPATCH

WHAT ABOUT 1967'S "MUSICAM SACRAM"?

ROME, 13 JAN. 2004 (ZENIT).

Answered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina

Apostolorum Pontifical Athenaeum.

Q: What norms should be followed regarding music during celebrations of the

Eucharist? On March 5, 1967, the Sacred Congregation of Rites issued the

instruction "Musicam Sacram" (AAS 59 [1967] 300-320) with the approval and
confirmation of Paul VI, indicating its provisions should go into force on
Pentecost Sunday, May 14, 1967. So far as I know, the document's provisions

never have been followed in the U.S. But also, so far as I know, the document's
provisions never have been replaced or abrogated. — G.G., Emmitsburg,
Maryland

A: The following extract (below) from the new General Instruction on the Roman

Missal should respond in part to the question. From the footnotes it is clear that
"Musicam Sacram" has not been abrogated and indeed its principles are still in
force.

Some details of the document have been rendered obsolete by the publication

of the Missal at a later date — such as the formal distinction between solemn,

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sung and read Mass — but on the whole it is still valid.

The new Roman Missal in Latin clearly shows the desire to remain faithful to the

principles of "Musicam Sacram" by printing the musical notations for the

ordinary of the Mass and for all of the major Prefaces. It even goes further in
providing chant tones for the readings and for all four Eucharistic Prayers.

The reason why much of the document has remained a dead letter was perhaps,
to paraphrase Chesterton, not that it was tried and found wanting but found

di!cult and left untried.

In some cases the document specified tasks for the episcopal conferences or the
bishop to regulate sacred music. Unfortunately, with so much on their hands
after the Second Vatican Council, many episcopal conferences did not consider

liturgical music a priority. Thus in many cases the document was left without any
regulatory organs on the local or national level to implement its dispositions. The

choice of music was thus often left to each parish with relatively little o!cial

guidance and supervision — at the same time other sources, sometimes

motivated by commercial concerns, o"ered parishes a wide range of music of

disparate quality.

In part this situation has been redressed by the U.S. episcopal conference, which

has inserted into the new General Instruction a requirement that all musical
settings of the texts for the people's responses and acclamations in the Order of

Mass and for special rites that occur in the course of the liturgical year must be

submitted to the bishops' Secretariat for the Liturgy, for review and approval
prior to publication (No. 393).

Some episcopal conferences, such as in Italy and Spain, have published o!cial

repertoires of songs and psalms for liturgical use.

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A further reason is the mistaken idea that the people have to sing everything,

and even that Latin was forbidden. This led to the disbandment of many choirs
who had no outlet for their repertoires. Once gone, they were di!cult to start

again.

Finally, another reason is that many priests either cannot sing, or else found the

English translations too di!cult to sing according to the traditional chants and
so, never applied the norms regarding the order of choice in singing the liturgy.

There are probably other reasons also but I think these are among the principal

ones.

— Extract from the General Instruction —

The Importance of Singing

39. The Christian faithful who gather together as one to await the Lord's coming

are instructed by the Apostle Paul to sing together psalms, hymns, and spiritual
songs (cf. Col 3:16). Singing is the sign of the heart's joy (cf. Acts 2:46). Thus Saint

Augustine says rightly, "Singing is for one who loves."1 There is also the ancient
proverb: "One who sings well prays twice."

40. Great importance should therefore be attached to the use of singing in the

celebration of the Mass, with due consideration for the culture of the people and

abilities of each liturgical assembly. Although it is not always necessary (e.g., in

weekday Masses) to sing all the texts that are of themselves meant to be sung,
every care should be taken that singing by the ministers and the people is not
absent in celebrations that occur on Sundays and on holy days of obligation.

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

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by the priest or the deacon or the lector, with the people responding, or by the

priest and people together.2

41. 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.3

Since faithful from di"erent 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.4

__________

1
Cf. Sacred Congregation of Rites, Instruction Musicam sacram, On music in the
Liturgy, 5 March 1967, nos. 7, 16: AAS 59 (1967), pp. 302, 305.

2
Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy,
Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 116; cf. also Sacred Congregation of Rites,

Instruction Musicam sacram, On music in the Liturgy, 5 March 1967, no. 30.

3
Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy,
Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 54; Sacred Congregation of Rites, Instruction Inter
Oecumenici, on the orderly carrying out of the Constitution on the Sacred

Liturgy, 26 September 1964, no. 59: AAS 56 (1964), p. 891; Sacred Congregation
of Rites, Instruction Musicam sacram, On music in the Liturgy, 5 March 1967, no.
47: AAS 59 (1967), p. 314.

4
Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy,

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Sacrosanctum Concilium, nos. 30, 34; cf. also Sacred Congregation of Rites,

Instruction Musicam sacram, On music in the Liturgy, 5 March 1967, no. 21.

***

Follow-up: 1967's "Musicam Sacram" [from 1-27-04]

Father Peter Schineller, an American Jesuit who has ministered for 18 years in

Africa and who has authored a "Handbook on Church Music — for Choirs, Priest
and Catholic Faithful," wrote the following commentary on our response
regarding "Musicam Sacram" (Jan. 13):

"1. We are primarily not to sing at or during the Mass, but SING THE MASS —
that is, sing the important parts of the Mass in response to the priest. This
means that the priority in singing should be the four Acclamations (Alleluia; Holy,

Holy, Holy; Acclamation of Faith; and the Great Amen). If there is any singing,
these are the first and most important before [the] entrance hymn or
Communion hymns (cf. Nos. 7,16,29).

"2. A main focus of the choir is to lead and stir up the voices of all in the
congregation. It is not to replace the congregation, not to perform. The choir

should be evaluated, not by how well the choir sings, but by how well, how
actively, the entire congregation sings (cf. No. 19).

"3. For both of these wishes of the document to be implemented, the burden lies

on the priest to lead and to instruct his choir and parishioners. If the priest does
not chant the important parts, the people will not sing them (cf. Nos. 13,14,26)."

I substantially agree with everything that Father Schineller says and that he is
quite correct in his interpretation of Church documents.

Regarding his a!rmation that we are not to sing at Mass but sing the Mass —

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paraphrasing a famous statement of Pope Pius XI regarding not praying at Mass

but praying the Mass — I would add that not just the acclamations but also the
greetings and responses ("The Lord be with you," etc.), the presidential prayers,
the responsorial psalm and the people's invocation of the Prayer of the Faithful,
the Our Father, the Lamb of God and the final blessing should also ideally be

sung.

While no Sunday Mass should be without some singing, there is plenty of room

for a gradual approach to distinguish and emphasize the more solemn feasts
from lesser celebrations and even distinguish among the various Sunday Masses
so as to cater to diverse spiritual sensibilities.

The experience of several pastors who arrived at parishes where there was little
tradition of congregational singing seems to prove that the best way of
fomenting this form of active participation is through the singing of the common

prayers that are repeated every week.

Once people get used, for example, to singing the Alleluia, the Holy Holy Holy

and the Our Father, they gradually lose their fear of singing and join in with
gusto. After this they readily participate in more complex pieces such as the
Gloria and the Creed as well as other hymns.

The vast majority of the faithful find that this form of singing helps them to live
the Mass in a fuller way, which is logical as this form of celebration is, pardon the
pun, more in tune with the mind of the Church.

Often this aspect is neglected while there are endless discussions about
selecting the most appropriate entrance, o"ertory or Communion hymn, which,
as Father Schineller correctly points out, are the least important elements from
the liturgical point of view.

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While our correspondent is correct in saying that the choir should be evaluated
by how actively the congregation sings, this does not exclude the possibility that
sometimes the choir may sing alone.

The purpose of the choir is to help the people pray, and while this is principally
achieved through leading the congregation in singing, it may also be done
through the beauty of a musical expression that favors silent meditation.

"Musicam Sacram" expressly calls for the conservation of the Church's Gregorian
and polyphonic patrimony (Nos. 50-53), and some recent liturgical compositions
blossom fully only when executed by a choir. The best way to conserve the

patrimony of liturgical music is to use it in the setting for which it was composed
and not just the occasional concert.

Thus the choir can solemnize some special feasts by using a classical or

Gregorian Mass setting. Or it could sing a more complex piece during a more
meditative moment, such as the preparation of the gifts. Some excellent
compositions alternate refrain and strophe between choir and people, allowing
both to participate.

The choir's participation should never lead to the total exclusion of

congregational participation. Provision should be made for the people to have a
copy and translation of the texts being sung so as to heighten the spiritual
e!cacy of the musical interpretation.

Finally, Father Schineller correctly places much of the onus on the priest to carry
out the Church's desire regarding the proper order of liturgical singing. The
traditional simple chants used for singing priestly prayers and greetings are well

within the range of most priests although the magnificent tone for the preface
can sometimes be a challenge.

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The priest is the first who has to lose his fear of singing, including his fear of
appearing ridiculous. Once begun he will find that singing the prayers and

greetings not only adds a touch of solemnity but also frees him from the
temptation of having to act or stress the prayers in order to put feeling or
meaning into them.

Thus singing, rather than emphasizing the individual personality of the priest,
serves to accentuate his priestly function.

These prayers were probably composed in order to be sung and find their best
expression in the traditional simple prayer chants or in similar tones adapted to
the vernacular.

Once the priest leads he will find that the people will follow him. And the
spiritual benefits of singing the Mass will undoubtedly follow for, as St. Augustine
said, "He who sings prays twice." ZE04012723

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