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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

The Greatest Enemy of Sacred Music?

Andrew Leung · February 5, 2015

349 Tempo HAT IS THE GREATEST enemy of Sacred Music? I sure hope it’s not your pastor or your congregation. Is it the text of the song? Or the instrumentations? No! Because there are some good Catholic hymns writers and composers who write sacred pieces very orthodoxly.

Pope St. Pius X referred Gregorian Chant as the Supreme Model of Sacred Music in Tra le Sollecitudini and of course, then, new pieces should be composed following the model of Gregorian Chant. The most important musical characteristic of Gregorian Chant is its rhythm. Gregorian Chant is not rhythmic, or at least not metrically rhythmic. It is a pure expression of the text. It is impossible for one to tap his toes while singing or listening to Chant. We can judge whether a piece is following the model of Sacred Music by looking at its rhythm.

What does rhythm do to us? I am sure that we all have experienced rhythmic songs before. Naturally, they make us want to tap our toes, clap our hands or even dance along with the rhythm. And when Gregorian Chant is being sung, our bodies naturally go into a more peaceful, still, and contemplative mode.

I would, therefore, like to suggest that when music is more rhythmic, it is more carnal because of our physical reactions; similarly, when music is less rhythmic, it is more spiritual.

In the Liturgy, music is meant to be God-centered instead of self-centered and that is why music that is more spiritual, instead of carnal, should be sung. In another words, less rhythmic music is more suitable for Mass.

HERE IS A GOOD EXAMPLE to demonstrate the role of Rhythm in different styles of music:

      * *  YouTube • Alleluias from Vatican Easter Vigil

There are three different settings and styles of the Alleluia in this video. The first one (0:17) is the Gregorian setting from the Missal. It is chanted in a free rhythm just like all Gregorian Chant.

The second one (3:10) is a less melismatic setting. It is a more hymn-like Alleluia that one can actually counts evenly in twos. Here, the role of Rhythm is just to keep the piece in a steady pace. And the focus of the piece is on the melody instead of the rhythm.

The third one (6:32) is a polyphonic setting. And again, Rhythm helps keeping all the melodies together in a steady pace. If we just pick out one of the melodies, it is basically in a free rhythm like Gregorian Chant. Rhythm keeps the many vocal parts in order so that we might hear the beautiful harmonies created by multiple melodies. And these harmonies are the focus of the style of polyphony.

Now, consider this:

      * *  Mp3 Audio Recording • Celtic Alleluia

Our ears can pick out that swinging rhythm right away with this famous setting. In this piece, Rhythm is playing an equal role with the melody, maybe even a more important role than the melody. The way to prove that is to sing the melody evenly without the swinging rhythm. It would be a whole different piece without the rhythm.

By comparing the four different settings of the Alleluia, we see the roles of Rhythm in four different styles of music. The more emphasis is put on Rhythm, the music become less spiritual. Looking into the western music history, secular music, like madrigal, opera, waltz, pop music, etc. has always been more rhythmic than sacred music. Rhythm continues to be the greatest enemy and challenge for Church Music today.

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 Leung

Andrew Leung currently serves the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers, and music director at Our Lady of China Church.—(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

“By no means would I offer the counsel that Mass be celebrated in languages other than Latin.”

— Archbishop Dwyer (one of the Vatican II fathers)

Recent Posts

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  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • The Tallis Scholars
  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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