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Views from the Choir Loft

Dancing on the Edge with Truth and Beauty

Richard J. Clark · June 5, 2015

EAUTY IS TRUTH. And truth is beautiful even when difficult. The Gospel message is both Truth and Beauty and sometimes very difficult and challenging. Yet it delivers liberation, peace, and mercy—beautiful truths that may take a lifetime to understand, if ever.

So, the Mass, our greatest prayer, is incontrovertibly a messenger of Truth. United in the Eucharist, we commemorate Christ’s Death and Resurrection through which we are set free. As such, the Mass demands beauty because beauty conveys truth—the very truth proclaimed by the Gospel.

Another difficult reality, is that beauty and truth are rarely appreciated. Quite the contrary, they are a cause of fear and panic in many. Try fostering beauty and substantive theology in a parish music program, and one will often find oneself on the defensive. Proclaim the truths of our faith, in light of mercy and forgiveness, and one quickly may become a pariah.

LTHOUGH NOT NEW, the news of John Romeri’s resignation form the Office of Liturgical Music in Philadelphia is now getting much attention. There has been great speculation regarding the nature of the differences with the archbishop, and I doubt Mr. Romeri will ever reveal any specifics. However, amidst the drama, it is the last line in Mr. Romeri’s resignation letter wrote that struck like a thunderbolt:

“I encourage you to make music at the highest levels possible in your parishes. Our people deserve it and our God is worthy of the highest forms of praise.”

This is true and it is beautiful. Most beautiful, in that it is clear that we are servants of God, the liturgy, and the people. Such a person of humility and skill is ideally who we want leading prayer through music. The robustness of the music program at the Cathedral Basilica is witness to his work; no less his previous work at the Cathedral in St. Louis. By their fruits you will know them. (Matthew 7:16)

IT SEEMS WE ARE OFTEN DANCING ON THE EDGE. Do we uphold truth or do we compromise? Yet many of us face the daily reality of survival. One false move on the tightrope, and we find ourselves falling.

But beauty is what gives us hope to persevere through difficulty. Through beauty we praise God and we see His face. Furthermore, the truth of the Gospel is that God loves us more than we will ever comprehend.

Oremus pro invicem
Let us pray for each other. Support each other. We truly need it.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Beauty, Beauty in the Catholic Liturgy Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Baptism” • A Unique Hymn
    Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on Trinity Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. You can hear live recording from last Sunday by clicking here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“So, as in delirium a man talks in a long-forgotten tongue, now—when her heart is rent—the Catholic Church drops twenty centuries without an effort, and speaks as she spoke underground in Rome, and in Paul’s hired house, and in Crete and Alexandria and Jerusalem.”

— A non-Catholic describing the “Hagios O Theos” of Good Friday in 1906

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