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Views from the Choir Loft

Sacred Music as an Emotional Experience

Andrew Leung · August 6, 2015

CTL Emotional Sacred Music AVE YOU EVER gotten emotional after listening to a piece of church music? Or have you had someone in the congregation come up to you after Mass to tell you how they were touch by your music? During the summer, my choirs take a break from singing and the cantors take up the responsibility of leading the singing at Mass. Two of my youngest and best cantors sang at Mass this past Sunday. Because of the limited voices and John’s Gospel on the “Bread from Heaven”, I picked César Franck’s Panis Angelicus as the communion motet at the principle Mass. The two ladies sang a duet and did an absolutely beautiful job with it. After Mass, I got many compliments from parishioners. Many told me that the piece was very touching and a few people actually cried. Is that supposed to be the result of good church music?

St. Augustine mentioned about the danger of music being just “pleasures of the flesh” in the Confessions. I think liturgical music is not about “feeling good” nor “being touched”, but it is a form of prayer. Even though sometimes the Holy Spirit touches people with music, but making people emotional and touched was never my goal. My job is to make it a prayer to God by taking Sacred Music to the highest level. When people tell me about their emotional experiences with the music, I always remind myself not to rejoice for people being touched by my music; but to rejoice because God was glorified and the Holy Spirit is working through the music.

The above situation is really the “good side” of emotion in the field Sacred Music. If you are a music director, I am sure that you have also experience the “bad side”: negative comments and complains. I think the “bad side” can be divided into three categories in general. The first category is negative comments due to misunderstandings and the lack of liturgical catechesis. These conflicts can usually be solved by polite and objective explanations. The second category is negative, but constructive comments. These comments may make us feel bad at first but they are usually helpful. When you hear these comments, what you need to do is: calm down, analyze and improve. The third kind is the ridiculous complains that don’t make any sense. These unreasonable complains can drive us crazy and affect our performance. All you can do is pray for the person, control your own emotion and say the prayer to St. Michael and tell Satan to get behind you.

The field of Sacred Music is truly a place filled with emotions.

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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Alabama Assessment!

We received this evaluation of Symposium 2022 from an Alabama participant:

“Oh, how the Symposium echoed the words of Cardinal Merry Del Val: …choosing only what is most conformed to Thy glory, which is my final aim. In one short and fast paced week, the faculty and attendees showed me the hand of God and our Lady working in our lives. The wide range of education—from Gregorian Chant, jazz modes in organ improvisation, to ‘staying sane’ while leading a choir—were certainly first-class knowledge from the best teachers of the art. However, the most powerful lesson was learning how to pray as a choir. The sacrifice of putting songs together, taking time to learn the sacred text, meditating on the church teaching through the chants, and gaining the virtues required to persevere in these duties were not only qualities of a choir but of a saint. The sanctification of the lives of the attendees was a beautiful outcome of this event … and that in itself is worth more than a beautifully-sung Solesmes style chant!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
PDF Download • Trinity Sunday (22 pages)

Feel free to download this Organ Accompaniment Booklet for Trinity Sunday (Second Vespers). Notice how the modes progress by number. Psalm 1 is mode 1; Psalm 2 is mode 2; Psalm 3 is mode 3; Psalm 4 is mode 4; Psalm 5 is mode 5. I am told by an expert that other feasts (such as Corpus Christi) are likewise organized by mode, and it’s called a “numerical office.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
10 June 2022 • “Official” rhythm of plainsong

I continue to search for the most beautiful way to present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores. (Technically, the “pure” rhythm of the official edition is what everyone is supposed to use.) You can download my latest attempt, which is the Introit for this coming Sunday: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Because this is not an ancient feast, the Introit had to be adapted (perhaps around 750AD). Prior Johner says the adaptation is “not an entirely happy one.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Since the English is not meant to be sung—but only to tell people who do not understand Latin what the hymn text means—a simple paraphrase in prose is sufficient. The versions are not always very literal. (Literal translations from Latin hymns would often look odd in English.) I have tried to give in a readable, generally rhythmic form the real meaning of the text.”

— Father Adrian Fortescue (d. 1923)

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