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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Positive Liturgical Fruits Of Vatican II: Second Part

Jeff Ostrowski · September 17, 2014

851 Paulus VI IMAGE N the first section, I mentioned what I consider to be an important and positive fruit of the postconciliar reforms. Today, I’ll speak of another positive development, but this one’s a bit tricky, because it’s in potentia. 1 In other words, Vatican II called for it, but it hasn’t yet been fully implemented.

Sacrosanctum Concilium, the very first document issued by Vatican II, made a declaration which corresponds to the desire of many 20th-century popes (especially Pius X and Pius XII):

“In the restoration and promotion of the sacred liturgy, this full and active participation by all the people is the aim to be considered before all else…” —Sacrosanctum Concilium, §14b

You’ve doubtless encountered some who wrongly interpret this sentence to mean we should remove Latin, sacred polyphony, choirs, Gregorian chant, and so on. But their statements are false … because the same document specifically mandates such things!

In my view, that sentence means liturgical music should be:

(1) consistent (so people know what to expect every Sunday)

(2) varied (so people don’t get bored and “zone out”)

(3) respectful of the space & congregation (to the extent possible)

(4) not excessively demanding (see below)

With regard to number 4, each party should do its part and nothing more. In other words, the congregation, priest, deacon, cantor, and choir all have different roles to play. It is horrible when the congregation is expected to sing everything, whereas AT MOST they should sing a few hymns, a few acclamations, a few alternatim Mass parts, and the dialogues. 2 On the other hand, I’m normally against “concert Masses” where the choir sings the entire Mass. I know that people will attack me for saying this, but I’m being honest, and I think the above quote from Sacrosanctum Concilium backs me up.

Regarding number 2, please go here and scroll down to the chart called “PDF Mass Outline”:

      * *  A Simple Plan To Improve Music At Mass

There’s no need to repeat everything I’ve said in that link. I would simply stress that the VARIETY—which includes choir-only pieces—keeps people’s attention and therefore helps them participate at Mass. If musicians took seriously the little chart I provided, they would find that congregations are moved more deeply by the choir-only selections … which is a good thing!

IN CONCLUSION, I WOULD LIKE to mention again the “insurmountable problem” we’ve so often alluded to in the past: no liturgy can perfectly fit each person in the congregation. Each of us is on a UNIQUE MUSICAL JOURNEY. For example, I’ve studied music since the age of six, and at a young age began listening to several hours of music each day: Bach, Chopin, Grieg, Liszt, Schubert, Mozart, Palestrina, Victoria, Lassus, Brahms, Ravel, and so forth. As a young teenager, I traded cassette tapes all over the world to obtain special recordings not available in the United States (especially “live” recordings which have never been released).

I mention all this because my UNIQUE MUSICAL JOURNEY will differ from other people’s. I remember being obsessed with numerous pieces which no longer really interest me. An example would be Chopin’s Andante Spianato & Grand Polonaise, which I memorized and played before audiences. On the other hand, certain masterpieces—such as Bach’s Art of the Fugue or his Goldberg Variations—stay with me year after year, decade after decade.

That’s why we must always choose music of quality (“depth”) for Mass, so that no matter where the congregation is on their UNIQUE MUSICAL JOURNEY, the liturgical music will be a source of delight for them. Music of quality need not be complex, by the way. In fact, it can be quite simple.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   This phrase—“in potentia“—is used by St. Thomas Aquinas and other philosophers. This concept helps us remember that unborn children & the mentally handicapped (for example) are every bit as human as anyone else, because of the powers they possess in potentia.

2   Please use a brisk tempo: don’t drag! So many congregations make the dialogue responses into a funeral dirge, which is unbearable.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

Yet, with all its advantages, the new Missal was published as if it were a work put together by professors, not a phase in a continual growth process. Such a thing never happened before. It is absolutely contrary to the laws of liturgical growth, and it has resulted in the nonsensical notion that Trent and Pius V had “produced” a Missal four hundred years ago.

— Josef Cardinal Ratzinger (1986)

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