The Recovering Choir Director

Fred Moleck and the Pittsburgh-area NPM illuminati fret about the newly constructed music review board of the USCCB Bishops Committee on the Liturgy, and I can see why he has cause for concern, given what he relates about the Rev. Carlo Rossini, one-time “supreme” director of liturgical music for the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

I personally don’t foresee the resurrection of the “black list”, a “musical offenders’ registry”, or even a “Gregorian Gestapo”—at least, not on a large scale. I don’t even think that the BCL’s music review board will even have much weight regarding grassroots musical selection. Music selection will rely on the local music director’s level of awareness, and his (and the parish staff and council’s) willingness to assent to and implement what the new GIRM asks—just like it’s been for as long as I can remember. He outlines GIRM’s requests below:

Paragraphs 48, 61, and 87 in the most recently revised and translated GIRM list what the sources are for musical items to be sung at the entrance rite, the responsorial psalm, and the communion processional. These paragraphs are part of the adaptations for the dioceses of the United States:

1. the antiphon and psalm from the Roman Missal as set to music by the Roman Gradual or in another musical setting;
2. the seasonal antiphon and psalm of the Simple Gradual;
3. a song from another collection of psalms and antiphons, approved by the USCCB or the diocesan bishop, including psalms arranged in responsorial or metrical forms;
4. a suitable liturgical song chosen in accordance with GIRM, no. 47.

In all three instances of sung items during the entrance song, responsorial psalm, and communion processional, there is reference to the USCCB music committee. There is, however, a loophole in the inclusion of the diocesan bishop as an authority (”approved by the USCCB or the diocesan bishop”).

Just as an aside, in paragraph 61, which deals with the responsorial psalm, a concession is made that psalms in metrical form can be used. I read that to mean that hymns that are metrical psalms are permitted. The next sentence: “Song or hymn may not be used in place of the Responsorial Psalms.”

Go figure.

I am more than just curious, . . . I am obsessed to see how a committee will review the tons of liturgical music we have accumulated in the past forty years, how it will be evaluated and deemed worthy or unworthy.

I am equally curious to see how many parishes in the United States build their music repertory around the Roman Missal, the Roman Gradual, or the Simple Gradual. [Read on...]

I, for my part, am curious to see how many parishes in the United States are even aware of the Roman Missal (Shame on me, how dare I say that!), the Roman Gradual, or the Simple Gradual. GIA proffers the Solesmes chant books on their website, but are you going to find a link to them from the home page? Good job educating the masses, former Gregorian Institute of America. We’ll still buy your hymnals, though, ‘cuz we don’t know any better.