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Views from the Choir Loft

Away with the World—Let Heaven Enter

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · July 31, 2014

N 1858, BLESSED John Henry Newman published a magnificent essay called “The Mission of St. Benedict,” which I highly recommend in its entirety. There are many colorful passages about different figures in the Benedictine tradition. At one point Newman is speaking of St. Dunstan:

HE HAD A TASTE for the arts generally, especially music. He painted and embroidered; his skill in smith’s work is recorded in the well-known legend of his combat with the evil one. And, as the monks of Hilarion joined gardening with psalmody, and Bernard and his Cistercians joined field work with meditation, so did St. Dunstan use music and painting as directly expressive or suggestive of devotion. “He excelled in writing, painting, moulding in wax, carving in wood and bone, and in work in gold, silver, iron, and brass,” says the writer of his life in Surius. “And he used his skill in musical instruments to charm away from himself and others their secular annoyances, and to rouse them to the thought of heavenly harmony, both by the sweet words with which he accompanied his airs, and by the concord of those airs themselves.”

Now let us consider calmly what is being said here. Newman is praising Dunstan not just for the quality of his sacred music, but rather, for his use of the art of music simply speaking. The saint “use[d] music and painting as directly expressive or suggestive of devotion.” I believe there is a quite striking claim in this sentence: that the fine arts, of their very nature, are capable of expressing or suggesting to the soul the right attitude or relationship it should have with God. Naturally, this also means that they are capable of doing the opposite; and it is not at all clear to me that they are capable of being neutral, neither favoring nor hindering devotion.

Moreover, his biographer tells us that Dunstan used his skill in musical instruments―here, again, we are not in the world of unaccompanied plainchant for Mass or the Divine Office, but rather, looking to the effect of instruments played recreationally―to do two things, one negative and one positive. First, by his music he would “charm away from himself and others their secular annoyances.” Let us be terribly honest with ourselves. Is not much of our life in the world an annoyance to the spirit? We are constantly fighting the world, the flesh, the devil; it is hard going, an uphill battle, a steep climb, an unremitting campaign. Our path to heaven is strewn with obstacles, beginning with our own sins, and the temptations thrown at us to indulge in them. From time to time, we need the refreshment of losing ourselves in something peaceful and pacifying, beautiful and beautifying―something that exists for its own sake, just because it is good, like God. The world will always be with us while yet we draw breath; but its annoyances can be chased away for a blessed moment by the power of music.

That is not all; the best is yet to come. By his music, St. Dunstan would “rouse them to the thought of heavenly harmony.” Ah, the thought of heaven and its eternal harmony, where God’s will is ever done, and, for that very reason, every saint and angel is profoundly happy, resting in His ineffable sweetness, beauty, and glory! That goal should be the Christian’s mainstay in this valley of tears. We are being told that Dunstan’s music actually contained something of that goal in its “sweet words” and the “concord” of the airs or melodies. It is as if a little of heaven were present in his music, the way a person is already present when you hear his voice from a distance, even if he himself is not yet arrived. We see here a lofty saintly standard for all of our music. We learn about the true vocation of the musician, which is to elevate our sore, wounded, earthbound minds to sempiternal vistas of light, and even to set what is dark and difficult in the radiance of the light.

Music, for a Christian, should serve the same purpose as everything else in life: weaning us from excessive attachment to this world and lifting our souls heavenward. If Newman is right, the message poses a challenge for each of us. Is the music we create, listen to, and take delight in, whether it be sacred or secular, music that will fit us to be better Christians and more noble human beings? Is this even a question we are asking ourselves on a regular basis?

Please visit THIS PAGE to learn more about Dr. Kwasniewski’s Sacred Choral Works and the audio CDs that contain recordings of the pieces.

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 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.

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President’s Corner

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —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

“We have baptized about 240 this year … All the labors of a million persons—would they not be worthwhile if they gained one single soul for Jesus Christ?”

— Father Isaac Jogues, writing to his mother

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