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Corpus Christi Watershed

“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

Revisiting Musicam Sacram

Fr. David Friel · March 8, 2017

UNDAY marked the fiftieth anniversary of Musicam sacram (MS), the 1967 instruction on sacred music crafted by the Consilium for the implementation of Sacrosanctum Concilium. To prepare for this occasion, I reread the document (available here) and wrote an article that has been featured as the lead story in the latest edition of Altare Dei. Available here, Altare Dei is a new magazine devoted to liturgy and sacred music.

My article is entitled “Revisiting Musicam Sacram: The Second Vatican Council’s Vision for Sacred Music,” and it has four main sections. First, it addresses the question of whether or not MS is still in force. Secondly, it assesses some of the strengths of the instruction. Thirdly, it reflects upon a few of its weaknesses. Finally, it explores the meaning of “progressive solemnity,” a term which first appears in MS 38.

Following are two excerpts from my article. The first concerns some of the strengths I observe in MS:

There are many very fine aspects of this document. Some of its best elements, though, even fifty years later, still have not been wholeheartedly received or implemented. Greater attention to the encouragements and prescriptions set forth herein would almost certainly advance the state of sacred music. Included in this Instruction, for example, is a directive that pastors should cultivate among the faithful the ability to sing the ordinary of the Mass in Latin (MS 47). Although this noble mandate echoes the desires of SC 54 and IO 59, it has nonetheless often been overlooked. Preserving the use of Latin in the Divine Office, particularly among clerics, is also encouraged (MS 41), although this guidance is widely disregarded.

The second excerpt concerns what I perceive to be a weakness of MS:

[One] critique concerns a presumption that is made about the participation of the faithful. The text seems to suggest that a greater variety in the format of liturgical celebrations from day to day will engender more active participation among the people: “In order that the faithful may actively participate more willingly and with greater benefit, it is fitting that the format of the celebration and the degree of participation in it should be varied as much as possible” (MS 10). The presumption undergirding this encouragement, though, is suspect. What evidence is there that constantly changing liturgical structures helps people to “participate” or “engage” more deeply? It could easily be argued that the opposite is actually truer, namely, that constancy in liturgical structures permits people the freedom to participate deeply.

In order to read the full article, click here to download the third issue of Altare Dei. For only €6, you will receive a 10-page musical insert and a wealth of excellent articles by such scholars as David Fagerberg, Peter Kwasniewski, and Joseph Shaw. The musical insert includes an SATB setting of Adoro Te Devote (Mauro Visconti), a unison setting of Ave Maria with organ accompaniment (Aurelio Porfiri), and an expressive SATB version of Laus tibi Domine (Colin Mawby).

You can also find out more on the Altare Dei website about the recently published Declaration on Sacred Music, Cantate Domino Canticum Novum. The text is available for download in eight languages, and the complete list of signatories is given.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Altare Dei Magazine Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —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

“In all this mediaeval religious poetry there is much that we could not use now. Many of the hymns are quite bad, many are frigid compositions containing futile tricks, puns, misinterpreted quotations of Scripture, and twisted concepts, whose only point is their twist. But there is an amazing amount of beautiful poetry that we could still use. If we are to have vernacular hymns at all, why do we not have translations of the old ones?”

— Fr. Adrian Fortescue (d. 1923)

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