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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

That’s Entertainment, Folks!

Richard J. Clark · August 7, 2015

HE FIRST PRESIDENTIAL debate of the season was hands down the most entertaining in recent memory if not in history. There was plenty of intrigue, banter, and side plots to distract from substance and policy. Speculation of if and when Donald Trump will wear thin with voters makes for Must See TV. But at some point, politicians must lead. At some point, they must govern. Our lives depend upon it.

Politicians often superficially manipulate perception. Music can do the same. (And I always tell my choir that we must never discuss religion or politics. Rimshot, please.) It is not enough that we are entertaining. In fact, entertainment distracts from the Real Presence. We must lead. We must offer substance. Our spiritual lives depend upon it, as do those whom we serve.

But in order to do so, we too must be spiritually fed and nourished as well. Therefore, we must ask ourselves this simple question, “Are we being fed?”

GOOD BAROMETER FOR THIS IS THE FOLLOWING: When you are in prayer (in the role of a musician or not) are you being fed spiritually? In other words, are your batteries being recharged or are they being drained?

Of course one expects to feel fatigued after working hard in the role of a musician at several Masses. But one should also be uplifted in spirit with energy to forge on in service to God and others.

If one is completely drained, there are two possibilities at play: One is that we are not taking time for silence and reflection during or before the Mass. The second possibility is that there is a disconnect between the music and the Mass itself.

Consider the words from Sacrosanctum Concilium:

112. “(S)acred music is to be considered the more holy in proportion as it is more closely connected with the liturgical action, whether it adds delight to prayer, fosters unity of minds, or confers greater solemnity upon the sacred rites.

ACRED MUSIC NEEDS TO LIVE among the sacred. Otherwise we have two separate and incongruent things going on: entertainment on the one hand and prayer that seems awkwardly out of place on the other. We have seen the “talk-show” celebrant that may be incongruent with reverent music. And we have seen a prayerful celebrant with music that selfishly draws too much attention to itself (regardless of style).

From US Bishop’s document Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship (SttL):

125. The role of music is to serve the needs of the Liturgy and not to dominate it, seek to entertain, or draw attention to itself or the musicians…The primary role of music in the Liturgy is to help the members of the gathered assembly to join themselves with the action of Christ and to give voice to the gift of faith.

As such, sacred music is not simply a “nice addition to the Mass.” It is wedded to the Mass, just as chant grew up side by side with the Roman Rite. Sacred music exists to help us pray the words of the Mass. If this is not happening, we may often feel instinctively out of sorts. If the words of the Mass are constantly changed, this too contributes to a disconcerted feeling.

RE YOU BEING FED? If not, examine your environment. Seek God in silent prayer. Tell Him the desires are that are deep in your heart. Allow Him to enter your life in close relationship. If not, God will still seek you out. He will go after you, find you, feed you, and send you forth to do what He calls you to do. For this, be joyful.

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 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

“Like all other liturgical functions, like offices and ranks in the Church, indeed like everything else in the world, the religious service that we call the Mass existed long before it had a special technical name.”

— ‘Rev. Adrian Fortescue (THE MASS, page 397)’

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