Liturgical Cogitations - XII

The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council considered music to have such a high importance in the sacred liturgy that they devoted an entire chapter to that subject in the Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy ("Sacrosanctum Concilium"), placing it prior to and separate from their treatment of other sacred art and sacred furnishings. The Council declared, "The musical tradition of the Universal Church is a treasure of immeasurable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred melody united to words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy." Pope Benedict XVI, who, when still a young priest, was present at the entire Council as a "peritus" ("expert"), observed, "The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy does not see music as merely an addition or ornamentation on the liturgy, but as liturgy itself, an integrating part of the complete liturgical action." The Council teaches, "Sacred music increases in holiness to the degree that it is intimately linked with liturgical action, winningly expresses prayerfulness, promotes solidarity, and enriches sacred rites with heightened solemnity."

The GIRM (The General Introduction to the New Roman Missal, which will come into obligatory use in the United States at the beginning of next Advent) states, "Great importance should be attached to the use of singing in the celebration of Mass, with due consideration for the culture of the people and the abilities of each liturgical assembly. Although it is not 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 the celebrations that occur on Sundays and on Holy Days of obligation. In choosing of the parts 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."

Our Holy Father notes, "The importance of music in biblical religion is shown very simply by the fact that the verb "to sing" (with related words such as "song") is one of the most commonly used words in the Bible. It occurs 309 times in the Old Testament and 36 times in the New Testament. When man comes in contact with God, mere speech is not enough. Areas of his existence are awakened that spontaneously turn into song. Indeed, man’s own being is insufficient for what he has to express, and so he invites the whole of creation to become a song with him (Psalm 57: 8 etc.)."

The GIRM tells us about our attendance at Mass: "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 (Colossians 3:16). Singing is the sign of the heart’s joy (Acts of the Apostles 2:46). Thus Saint Augustine says rightly: ‘Singing is for one who loves!" There is also the ancient proverb: One who sings well, prays twice." The Council says to us: "Holy Scripture has bestowed praise upon sacred song (Ephesians 5:19), and the same may be said of the Fathers of the Church and of the Roman Pontiffs, who in recent times, led by Saint Pius X, have explained more precisely the ministerial function rendered by sacred music to the service of the Lord."

Our Christian ancestors in the early Church never forgot (nor should we) that Jesus Himself was recorded as singing. It was after He instituted the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, and what He sang was most probably the "Great Hallel", which usually was sung by devout Jews after their annual celebration of the Passover Meal (Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26; Psalms 120-136). Historians and scientists have determined also that in the time of Jesus it was customary to have singing in Jewish synagogues, and it was most likely that this brought singing into the liturgical practice of the Catholic Church from her earliest years, as the art in the catacombs illustrates. The Holy Father, following Saint Thomas Aquinas, remarks that the continuous use of the psalms in the Church’s liturgy means that whole wealth of feeling of Israel’s prayer was always present in the Church.

In this connection various biblical scholars and exegetes have pointed out how Saint Paul’s New Testament writings indicate that he used hymns in his preaching and teaching which were already well-known to the Christian communities to whom he was communicating in his Epistles (1 Corinthians 14:25-26; Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:18-20). They also show how the New Testament contains the texts of some actual early Christian hymns (Philippians 2:5-11; Ephesians 2:14-16; 2 Timothy 2:11-13). It is in the line of this long continuity of tradition that the Second Vatican Council asserts: "Liturgical action is given a more noble form when sacred rites are solemnized in song with the assistance of the sacred ministers and the active participation of the people."

Pope Benedict XVI points out how, from the Book of Revelation, we learn that in the end times those who conquer the "beast, its image, and the number of its name" will then, "standing beside the sea of glass with the harps of God in their hands, sing the song of Moses, the servant of God (Exodus 15:1-21), and the song of the Lamb" (Revelation 15:2-4). The sacred liturgy is always, among other things, a symbol and anticipation of what is yet to come. Thus, liturgical singing is seen as an already existing anticipation of Christian destiny in eternity.

The Second Vatican Council proclaims: "The Church acknowledges Gregorian Chant as proper to the Roman liturgy. Therefore, other things being equal, it must be given pride of place in liturgical services. But, other kinds of sacred music, especially polyphony, are by no means excluded from liturgical celebrations, so long as they accord with the spirit of liturgical action...." This kind of music is called "Gregorian" because it was codified, polished, and synthesized by Pope Saint Gregory the Great at the beginning of the 7th century in Rome. Some of those chants, however, are called Ambrosian, because of the work of Saint Ambrose when he was the Archbishop of Milan a century earlier.

The Holy Father points out too how the Second Vatican Council produced "a positively enthusiastic panegyric upon the pipe organ, causing J.A. Jungmann to remark that this most ancient instrument of church music is praised in terms markedly different from the usually sober, juridical language." The Council states: "In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument and one that adds a wonderful splendor to the Church’s ceremonies and powerfully lifts up a man’s mind to God and to heavenly things. But, other instruments also may be admitted for use in divine worship with the knowledge and consent of competent territorial authority... This may be done, however, only on condition that the instruments are suitable for sacred use, or can be made so, that they accord with the dignity of the temple, and truly contribute to the edification of the faithful."