The Recovering Choir Director

Arlene Oost-Zinner and Jeffrey Tucker’s article are spot-on. Here’s a teaser:

In all but the most recent attempts, the efforts by the popes and saints managed to bring about a revival of sacred music. But it was not only the legislation that wrought the change; the most powerful case for great Catholic music comes from the listeners.

The bulk of post-conciliar music is based on popular and commercial successes. People hang on to these newer compositions, not because they are musically sound or in some way integral to the faith, but because their sound is something familiar, and, through repetition, easily accessible. These works are not based on anything in Catholic tradition, but rather, on rhythms and melodies coming from the secular world.

Chant and polyphony, on the other hand, are the Catholic tradition, and upon being reintroduced to the ears and hearts of the people, will once again begin to sound familiar and welcome. It is precisely because it is not played or heard that the beautiful sound of chant and its polyphonic offspring are unfamiliar to Catholic congregations, and this lack of familiarity is what impedes its acceptance. With a minimum of exposure, ordinary parishioners would come quickly to accept chant. Truly sacred music is spiritually compelling from the first note. (emphasis added)