• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

  • Donate
  • Our Team
    • Our Editorial Policy
    • Who We Are
    • How To Contact Us
    • Sainte Marie Bulletin Articles
    • Jeff’s Mom Joins Fundraiser
  • Pew Resources
    • Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal
    • Jogues Illuminated Missal
    • Repository • “Spanish Music”
    • KYRIALE • Saint Antoine Daniel
    • Campion Missal, 3rd Edition
  • MUSICAL WEBSITES
    • René Goupil Gregorian Chant
    • Noël Chabanel Psalms
    • Nova Organi Harmonia (2,279 pages)
    • Roman Missal, 3rd Edition
    • Catechism of Gregorian Rhythm
    • Father Enemond Massé Manuscripts
    • Lalemant Polyphonic
    • Feasts Website
  • Miscellaneous
    • Site Map
    • Secrets of the Conscientious Choirmaster
    • “Wedding March” for lazy organists
    • Emporium Kevin Allen
    • Saint Jean de Lalande Library
    • Sacred Music Symposium 2023
    • The Eight Gregorian Modes
    • Gradual by Pothier’s Protégé
    • Seven (7) Considerations
Views from the Choir Loft

Music of High Artistic Value

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · May 2, 2013

HEN READING PAPAL DOCUMENTS about sacred music, we often find popes speaking about the need for music that possesses a certain sacrality, conduces to meditation, and exhibits high artistic quality. The popes are assuming that there is (or can be) general agreement—at least among pastors, liturgists, and musicians—about the kind of music that deserves these accolades as well as the kind that does not. In other words, the papal documents assume that the vocabulary of criteria is universally accessible.

I do not mean to say that a given musician will agree that solemn music is the most appropriate for the liturgy; in fact, there are many church musicians who would say “Palestrina’s solemn, for sure, but it’s much too serious and somber for modern-day church-goers. We prefer something lighter and happier-sounding, something you can sing along with and feel good about,” etc. This is significant, is it not? People know what is meant by “solemn music,” regardless of whether it helps them pray or bores them to tears. Many contemporary church hymns are intended to be, and are recognized as, precisely not solemn. A decision has been made, then, to reject one of the criteria of sacred music, namely, that it should respect and venerate the transcendent awesomeness of the divine mysteries.

Similarly, when it comes to artistic quality, few people in positions of pastoral authority are so poisoned by relativism that they would not be able to perceive the objective excellence that belongs to many older works of musical art and to judge them superior simply as exhibits of skilled craftsmanship or products of genius. Still, having made this judgment, many would argue that such works are no longer culturally relevant; they are too difficult to perform, they do not “actively involve the people,” and so on. Once again, a certain quality is shown to be capable of being recognized, even if it is not considered a relevant criterion—even if, indeed, it is repudiated.

The papal teaching addresses precisely the question of criteria; it does not attempt to teach people how to listen to music or how to discriminate different qualities of music. If such discriminatory abilities are lacking, the papal teaching can have no meaning for us. If it ever comes to pass that we can no longer distinguish finely-crafted art from trite toss-offs, a solemn atmosphere from a sentimental or familiar one, or sacral intentions from profane idioms, then the magisterium on sacred music would actually be totally irrelevant in practice, because its very words would carry no weight, no meaning, no force.

What do I conclude from this? That the most important long-term solution for the current crisis in sacred music is education, education, and more education. If faithful Catholics (clergy and laity alike) are not continually educated in the amazing and glorious heritage of sacred music that is ours by God’s gift, we can expect even the clear requirements of the Church to carry less and less meaning.

Some years ago I read a fascinating book by Oliver Bennett, Cultural Pessimism. Bennett observes: “In a ‘dumbed-down’ culture, the idea of an art which might be ‘ennobling and spiritualising’ was destined to be mocked” (129). Try this experiment. Tell someone who doesn’t care for polyphony, Gregorian chant, or the classic pipe organ repertoire that the reason you prefer these types or genres of music for the church is that they ennoble and spiritualize the listener. It can be guaranteed that your claim will be written off as either patronizing or incomprehensible and irrelevant. Bennett goes on to say:

“Why should this rise in relativism be seen as a manifestation of decline? Surely the collapse of old forms of cultural authority should be celebrated as a liberation from repressive forms of cultural domination? . . . The idea of ‘cultivation’, with its connotation of self-improvement, had been one of the chief casualties. It was replaced by an anthropological notion of ‘the cultural’, in which distinctions of value were dissolved and everyday activities, however banal, elevated to the status of ‘culture’. With the same logic, what had once been perceived as the greatest achievements of art turned out to be just another manifestation of ‘the cultural’. This, of course, played straight into the hands of the advertising industry, whose ceaseless hyperbole attempted, in the interest of sales, to bestow the status of ‘culture’ on even the most banal and mediocre of products.”

This is the kind of relativism and even nihilism that church musicians, liturgists, and lovers of tradition are up against—a relativism that can undermine even the comprehension of the vocabulary that papal documents have confidently used, relying all the while on the native intelligence and judgment of educated people. If we want to usher in a day when the consistent criteria of St. Pius X, Ven. Pius XII, Bd. John Paul II, and Benedict XVI are actually followed, we must work today to ensure that their aesthetic and theological language can be well and duly understood, especially among young Catholics.

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

Subscribe

It greatly helps us if you subscribe to our mailing list!

* indicates required

About Dr. Peter Kwasniewski

A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College (B.A. in Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy), Dr. Peter Kwasniewski is currently Professor at Wyoming Catholic College. He is also a published and performed composer, especially of sacred music.

Primary Sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Equal Voices” Choir Pieces
    My colleague, CORRINNE MAY, has posted some delightful compositions for equal voices: that is, choirs consisting of all men or all women. Included there are settings of the “Ave Maria” and “Tantum Ergo.” They strike me as relatively simple and not excessively lengthy. (In other words, within reach of volunteer singers.) Even better, all the scores have been made available as instant PDF downloads, completely free of charge. Bravo!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 30th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 26 October 2025, which is the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the top-notch feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“However well equipped and trained a choir may be, all its good points may be obscured by an unsuitable accompaniment. In fact the organist can, in a large measure, either make or mar his choir. It must be owned, however, that the accompanist of Plainsong has to contend with many difficulties. […] The purist will still find his best enjoyment of the chant when it is sung unaccompanied, but to most a becoming accompaniment gives an added charm.”

— Benedictines of Stanbrook (1905)

Recent Posts

  • PDF Download • Christmas Piece (SATB) — “Angels We Have Heard on High” with Text in Latin
  • “Equal Voices” Choir Pieces
  • A Practical Method of Projecting Solfege for Chant
  • PDF Downloads • Four (4) Simple Pieces in Harmony for Men’s Choirs
  • Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)

Subscribe

Subscribe

* indicates required

Copyright © 2025 Corpus Christi Watershed · Isaac Jogues on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.