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Views from the Choir Loft

Have We Lost The Church Music Battle?

Jeff Ostrowski · September 8, 2014

897 Keep Calm ERNADETTE FARRELL once argued that Church musicians like James MacMillan should choose the “selfless path” and stop insisting upon our Church’s traditional music, but her argument was erroneous. Those of us who work in parishes know that nothing is easier than giving people “the music they want”—and I suspect many of us are guilty of playing inappropriate music to avoid conflict (especially at weddings).

On the other hand, standing up for music corresponding to the Church’s criteria requires bravery and strength. I’ve received hundreds of emails from our readers, and many have shared their heroic stories. They are trying to implement the music they feel called by God to implement, but often encounter fierce opposition. Many have burning questions:

“Why isn’t there a Schola Cantorum in each church? Why aren’t the Propers sung everywhere? Why do so many parishes allow such horrible music? Why am I persecuted for trying to follow Church teachings in this area? How did we lose the battle over good church music?”

My answer may shock you. I feel our movement HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL BEYOND OUR WILDEST DREAMS. Now, let me explain why I say this.

WHILE IT’S TRUE THAT TOO MANY Catholic churches employ inappropriate music, the good news is that—against all odds—the traditional music still triumphs in one important area: parishes run by “no-nonsense” priests. Whenever I encounter serious parishes, I notice they choose authentic Sacred music without exception. 1 Moreover, new resources are added constantly. I recently mentioned eleven collections of Mass Propers, and we’ll soon be posting a review of the new English Gradual by Belmont Abbey.

Why don’t more churches choose authentic Sacred music? For one thing, it’s difficult; and we tend to avoid difficult things due to human nature. However, there are deeper reasons, and it’s crucial that we become aware of them. It’s imperative that we know “what we’re up against.”

Listen to this brief excerpt from Disney’s Lion King :

      * *  Mp3 Audio File: Lion King (Disney, 1994) — “Stampede”   2

The soundtrack here is absolutely superb. Perfectly composed, flawlessly performed, skillfully mastered—it fits this film like a glove. The director knew what music was suitable (to borrow Bugnini’s favorite word) and no one disputes this. Yet, when it comes to Church music, it has been forbidden over the past four decades to discuss what type of music is suitable for Mass. A drafter of the USCCB document on Church music even said publicly that Church music “need not sound Catholic.”

Now, consider an example from Barney & Friends :

      * *  Mp3 Audio File: Disgusting Sprechstimme (Barney & Friends)   3

Did you notice how the soloists spoke their lines, instead of singing true pitches? Such a technique can be acceptable on occasion—like when Rex Harrison does it—but it’s become a plague. In fact, this technique is abused so often, it has contributed to the erosion of our culture. Children no longer understand what it means to sing. By the way, the banal lyrics to that Barney song remind me of much contemporary Church music. 4

The next example dates back to 1999, when I was in 12th grade. At that time, I was rehearsing a Mozart concerto in a practice room:

      * *  Mp3 Audio File: Mozart Concerto No. 23 — Practice Session Excerpt (1999)

      (Please excuse any errors. At that time, I lacked experience playing concerti.)

Mozart wrote that beautiful concerto for just one reason: the delight of the listener. I am so grateful that I had parents and teachers who taught me to value such music. I had disavowed by that time all the music I used to love—Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Green Day, Foo Fighters, and so forth—because I had found something better. In fact, I smashed all my rock’n’roll tapes with a hammer.

Pop music has done much to erode our culture. So many pop songs are obscenely simplistic and excessively repetitive. For instance, consider Viva la Vida (a wildly popular song by Coldplay). The entire piece is set over a four-bar phrase that repeats for the entire song. Should we really be shocked that good Catholic people have difficulty appreciating more sophisticated art forms like Gregorian chant & polyphony?



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   For the record, the same thing applies to the Catholic Church’s “hard” teachings. For instance, down the road from us, a young “traditional” priest was recently assigned as Pastor. He has refused to “water down” the Gospel. For example, they have glossy pamphlets at each door explaining Catholic teaching on artificial contraception. Yet, this doesn’t drive anyone away. The pews are packed each Sunday, tithing has more than quadrupled, and the free Bible study courses are packed. It seems people are hungry for the truth!

2   I’d prefer that you listen, but if you absolutely must watch, click this link.

3   You can see the video by clicking this link. For the record, this isn’t the best song for Barney, since his facial expression remains the same no matter what.

4   If you think I’m exaggerating, Google the lyrics to “Bread Of Friendship, Bread Of Love,” written by Owen Alstott (husband of Bernadette Farrell).

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Owen Alstott Bernadette Farrell, Secular vs Sacred Music at Mass 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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President’s Corner

    PDF Download • “Polyphonic Extension” (Kevin Allen) for Gloria III
    EVIN ALLEN was commissioned by Sacred Music Symposium 2025 to compose a polyphonic ‘middle section’ for the GLORIA from Mass III, often denoted by its trope name: Missa Kyrie Deus sempiterne. This year, I’m traveling from Singapore to serve on the symposium faculty. I will be conducting Palestrina’s ‘Ave Maria’ as well as teaching plainsong to the men. A few days ago, I was asked to record rehearsal videos for this beautiful polyphonic extension. (See below.) This polyphonic composition fits ‘inside’ GLORIA III. That is, the congregation sings for the beginning and end, but the choir alone adds polyphony to the middle. The easiest way to understand how everything fits together is by examining this congregational insert. You may download the score, generously made available to the whole world—free of charge—by CORPUS CHRISTI WATERSHED:
    *  PDF Download • Gloria III ‘Middle Section’ (Kevin Allen)
    Free rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #24366. Related News • My colleague, Jeff Ostrowski, composed an organ accompaniment for this same GLORIA a few months ago. Obviously, the organist should drop out when the polyphony is being sung.
    —Corrinne May
    “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
    “Yahweh” in church songs?
    My pastor asked me to write a weekly column for our parish bulletin. The one scheduled to run on 22 June 2025 is called “Three Words in a Psalm” and speaks of translating the TETRAGRAMMATON. You can read the article at this column repository. All of them are quite brief because I was asked to keep within a certain word limit.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    When to Sit, Stand and Kneel like it’s 1962
    There are lots of different guides to postures for Mass, but I couldn’t find one which matched our local Latin Mass, so I made this one: sit-stand-kneel-crop
    —Veronica Brandt
    The Funeral Rites of the Graduale Romanum
    Lately I have been paging through the 1974 Graduale Romanum (see p. 678 ff.) and have been fascinated by the funeral rites found therein, especially the simply-beautiful Psalmody that is appointed for all the different occasions before and after the funeral Mass: at the vigil/wake, at the house of the deceased, processing to the church, at the church, processing to the cemetery, and at the cemetery. Would that this “stational Psalmody” of the Novus Ordo funeral rites saw wider usage! If you or anyone you know have ever used it, please do let me know.
    —Daniel Tucker

Random Quote

“Parish Priests have to think first of the simple faithful: people now used to the Roman Missal at Mass. They don’t want change.”

— Cardinal Spellman (one of the Vatican II fathers)

Recent Posts

  • PDF Download • “Polyphonic Extension” (Kevin Allen) for Gloria III
  • “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
  • PDF Download • “Text by Saint Francis of Assisi” (choral setting w/ organ: Soprano & Alto)
  • “Yahweh” in church songs?
  • “Music List” • Pentecost Sunday

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