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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.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Reading Honestly

Andrew R. Motyka · August 7, 2013

VERY NOW AND THEN, we have to go back and read the documents. Like all good music directors, I was formed with the primary writings regarding music, those leading up to and following the Second Vatican Council. We must remember, however, not to “proof text” any of these documents any more than we do the Bible.

Last week, at the NPM convention, I attended a presentation on implementation of the propers. As I mentioned last week, I was (and still am) optimistic about the number of people in attendance. The presenter has not put his talk online, and was likely not speaking with the intention of it being a public talk, so I will not share his name. I do want to comment on part of the material, though.

The first thing that struck me was, although this was a talk about propers, how apologetic he was about their use. It seemed to me that he was almost reluctant to give the people more information than they already had, that the propers were a weakness and not a strength of the Roman liturgy. This was reinforced by his emphasis on both Musicam Sacram’s statement (and John Paul II’s reference to it): that Gregorian Chant should have pride of place in the liturgy when it is celebrated in Latin.

This formulation shocked me. I couldn’t remember ever reading that stipulation regarding Gregorian Chant’s primacy. I had to go back to read it for myself, and sure enough, it is there; Gregorian Chant has pride of place in Masses celebrated in Latin. Now, Musicam Sacram doesn’t have the only word on the matter. Both the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy and the General Instruction on the Roman Missal do not contain the temperance that Gregorian Chant is primary only in Latin.

And then it hit me: was that what Musicam Sacram was saying? That Gregorian Chant should be so highly regarded only in Masses celebrated in Latin?

The reality is that that sentence, divorced from the rest of the document, and indeed from the other documents and contexts about the Liturgy, can say something different than even what the author intended. Indeed, in the same chirograph of John Paul II’s, he praised the worthiness of new compositions based on their comparison with Gregorian Chant as the norm.

This analysis could go around and around, and I suspect that the disposition of the reader (and in this case, the presenter) affects the manner in which these passages are understood. We must be cautious not to put our own interpretation on the text, but to understand it, to the best of our ability, as the writer intended it to be understood.

The Church cautions against literalistic interpretation of Scripture, so why would she insist on that lens for her liturgical documents? Note that I am not encouraging a departure from said documents, or nor a wanton interpretation, but of a solid understanding.

I find life easier when I am given a strict guideline that I can stick to rigidly. Perhaps this is why Biblical fundamentalism is so attractive. The Church isn’t like that. She demands balance, and rarely speaks in absolutes except in moral issues.

Have no fear. Chant. Do it well, and know that you are singing the texts and the music of the Church. Let’s not try to twist words into saying what we think they should say, but what they actually say. I know I had that temptation even when writing this article; I wanted to come down hard on the NPM presenter, hammering him for misquoting the documents so. Indeed, he was quoting them correctly.

But was he correct in his understanding? I think we all, even (mostly!) I, must be in constant evaluation of our actions and the mind of the Church.

So here goes. Let’s try out this fancy “comments” system that the kids are all raving about. What do you think the Church is saying in Musicam Sacram? Is Gregorian Chant only primary in Latin Masses? Does that primacy extend to vernacular celebrations that are overwhelmingly ubiquitous?

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 Andrew R. Motyka

Andrew Motyka is the Archdiocesan Director of Liturgical Music and Cathedral Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 21st in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir returns on Sunday, 24 August 2025. Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for it, which is the 21st 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 spectacular feasts website. When it comes to the feast of the Assumption (15 August 2025), I have uploaded the music list for that Mass—but not the “bi-lingual” Mass in the evening (Spanish, Latin, and English) which has completely different music.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Entrance Chant” • 21st Sunday Ordin. Time
    You can download the ENTRANCE ANTIPHON in English for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) which is coming up on 24 August 2025. Corresponding to the vocalist score is this free organ accompaniment. It’s set in a melancholy mode, but if you heard my choir’s female voices singing it your soul would be uplifted beyond belief. If you’re someone who enjoys rehearsal videos, this morning I tried to sing it while simultaneously accompanying my voice on the pipe organ.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

Don Fernando de las Infantas wrote to the Pope, trying to get him to stop Palestrina from corrupting all the plainsong editions: “The errors which certain musicians, in all good faith, think they have found in plainchant are not errors at all, but on the contrary contain some of the most beautiful musical passages ever written.”

— Don Fernando de las Infantas (1578 A.D.)

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