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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

No Salvation From Decrees (2 of 3)

Jeff Ostrowski · September 16, 2013

“The 1967 instruction Musicam Sacram repeats the words of the constitution and again insists on the use of Gregorian chant, which should be given ‘pride of place.’ It must be taught in seminaries and sung in parish churches, both in Masses celebrated in Latin and in the vernacular, since nothing prohibits that in the same celebration different parts be sung in different languages.” — Msgr. Richard J. Schuler   [source]

E HAVE EXAMINED and now understand, having read Part 1 of this series, that the following assertion is without validity:

“Vatican II never said Gregorian chant should have pride of place in the liturgy. This only applies to Masses celebrated in Latin.”

Therefore, Archbishop Annibale Bugnini was incorrect when he wrote the following remarks about the “treasury of sacred music” mentioned in Sacrosanctum Concilium §114 and subsequent relevant paragraphs like §116:

When, therefore, the Constitution allowed the introduction of the vernaculars, it necessarily anticipated that the preservation of this “treasure of sacred music” would be dependent solely on celebrations in Latin [ … ]
In this part of the text, the instruction intends to make it clear that just as there are two forms of celebration, one in Latin, the other in the vernacular, in accordance with the norms established by competent authority, so the use of the musical repertory that is connected with the Latin text is for celebrations in Latin, although it is possible to use some parts of it even in celebrations in the vernacular.
[Bugnini, The Reform of the Liturgy, 1948-1975, page 907]


By the way, I’m not going to address here the whole question of what we properly call “Gregorian chant” sung in the vernacular. Funny enough, neither did the Second Vatican Council. I realize some people are obsessed with what they consider the “correct terminology,” but I quickly get bored of such discussions. I once received a phone call wherein a priest screamed at me for 15 minutes because I used the term “Gregorian chant.” He yelled, “How dare you call it Gregorian chant? Are you saying that St. Gregory wrote all those melodies by himself? The only acceptable term is cantillation.”

Incidentally, you might be surprised how often Bugnini was flat out wrong about stuff. Take, for example, those short little paragraphs quoted above. As Susan Benofy has pointed out:

There is nothing in the Constitution on the Liturgy, however, to indicate that the Council Fathers envisioned anything like “two forms of celebration”. They did not envision an entirely vernacular liturgy.   [source]

Monsignor Schuler pointed another basic flaw in Bugnini’s paragraphs:

The instruction orders that the distinction between solemn, sung and read Masses, sanctioned by the instruction of 1958, is to be retained.   [source]

FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT, let’s pretend that Bugnini’s argument was correct, and Gregorian chant only has pride of place for Mass celebrated in Latin. What exactly does that mean? How does one define a “Mass in Latin”? When the Eucharistic Prayer is said in Latin? Or perhaps just the Mass parts? What about the General Intercessions? Do those have to be in Latin, too? How about the Kyrie Eleison? If the Kyrie is said in Greek, is it still a Latin Mass? What about the homily? What about the readings? Obviously, his argument is untenable.

More importantly, however, the Council ordered Latin to be retained in the liturgy and “did not envision an entirely vernacular liturgy” (c.f. quote by Benofy above). Sadly, like so many of the Council’s wishes, this order was ignored.

This article is part of a series:

Part 1   •   Part 2   •   Part 3

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

    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

For the most part, a “good pope” is defined as someone who does what the critic would do if he were pope.

— William F. Buckley Jr. (6 September 1978)

Recent Posts

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