The Recovering Choir Director

The Washington Post blog has been covering the recent controversy over the music list for the Washington D.C. Papal Mass. Here is their third entry in the series (and here are the first and second entries). Below is my response to a commenter.

“Just because a song isn’t 500 years old doesn’t mean that it can’t touch people.”

Well put. To that end, I would ask that works by John Tavener, Morten Lauridsen, Henryk Gorecki, Arvo Paert, Maurice Durufle, Olivier Messiaen and Flor Peeters at least be considered. All of their works are under 100 years old; many of them are under 50, and a few of them are under 10 years old.

“Just because a song doesn’t resonate with you, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t resonate with someone else.”

This is a two-way street, is it not? Whether a song resonates with someone or not simply is not the point. Whether or not the music fulfills the role of singing the Mass (and not merely singing at Mass) is the point.

Those in the Church who despised the “bad old days” often bring up the canard of old ladies praying the Rosary instead of praying the Mass. It strikes me that many of the selections do not seem to correspond to the prescribed texts of the Mass at the entrance, offertory and communion. So, the music committee is advocating the musical equivalent of ‘praying the Rosary’ at Mass by singing ‘at Mass’ instead of singing the Mass. In effect, they force their devotional music on the rest of us. How richly ironic. At least the rosary-clutching church ladies kept quiet and to themselves!

“Just because you head a group with an important sounding name like the “Church Music Association” doesn’t mean you speak for liturgical musicians as a whole, nor do you head the National Pastoral Musicians (NPM), which is recognized as the association of Catholic liturgical ministers.”

Who speaks for liturgical musicians as a whole? I certainly do not, nor does the CMAA. The CMAA, of which I am a part, serves to bring awareness to what the Church teaches regarding sacred music and its role in the Sacred Liturgy. Its purpose is not to speak for liturgical musicians.

Do you maintain, then, that the National Assocation of Pastoral Musicians speaks for Catholic liturgical ministers? That too is an inaccuracy, because while I would fall under the NPM’s broad definition of a Catholic liturgical minister, NPM certainly does not speak for me.

“Just because a song is a classical masterpiece, doesn’t mean that 42,000 people can easily join in congregational singing of it in an outdoor setting.”

Just because a song is a modern marvel doesn’t mean that 42,000 people can easily join in congregational singing of it in an outdoor setting. Another two-way street.

Let me propose an ancient two-note masterpiece: “Amen.” This sung assent of faith has served Christians and their elder Jewish brethren marvelously well for millenia. If that masterpiece is replaced by a more complex classical or modern setting (and it does seem to be replaced by the latter), how does that help 42,000 people better enter into praying the Mass?

For those willing to delve further, here’s a downloadable RealAudio of Prof. Mahrt’s recent interview by Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ on EWTN Live where he speaks about the proper role of sacred music and how it serves the Sacred Liturgy.