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Views from the Choir Loft

The Sacral Language of Liturgiam Authenticam as Applied to Choral Diction

Dr. Alfred Calabrese · November 11, 2015

jp stained glass tall FEW WEEKS AGO ONE OF OUR PRIESTS gave a homily on sacred language. In it, he said the following:

“The Church has its own language and its own culture. The culture of the Church is about being a ‘native speaker.’ Are you a part of this culture or just a visitor?” Later, he went on to say, “What is this language? It is the language of Jesus Christ.” This got me thinking.

Liturgiam Authenticam (2001) is the Fifth Instruction for the “Right Application of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy” of the Second Vatican Council. It provides, as part of Pope John Paul II’s focus on liturgical renewal, a formulation of the principles by which vernacular translations of the texts of the Roman liturgy are to be created. One of its abiding principles is that liturgical language is a sacred language different than ordinary speech. It is unique and proper to divine worship.

Consequently it should cause no surprise that such language differs somewhat from ordinary speech. Liturgical translation…will facilitate the development of a sacral vernacular, characterized by a vocabulary, syntax and grammar that are proper to divine worship…
(Liturgiam Authenticam §47).

And on choosing the kind of vocabulary to be used:

…words that lack such a sacral character are not to be used instead;
(Liturgiam Authenticam §50.c)

Although this document refers to the kind of vernacular translations to be promulgated in liturgical books, a sacral language can be fostered and developed within our choirs in the area of choral diction. If the language of our Catholic culture is truly sacred, then it behooves us, choristers and conductors alike, to develop our singing diction in a manner that is set apart, exalted, and special. This should become our native language.

It is not an approach that merely makes the text clear or intelligible. It’s more than a good ‘t’ at the end of a word, or a clear starting ‘gl’ at the beginning of the Gloria. It means heightening the formulation of vowels and consonants and moving these away from every day pronunciation. A pet-peeve of mine is the American pronunciation of ‘R’. In both Latin and English pronunciation I insist on a flipped or even rolled ‘R’. (Only in purely “American” styles, such as a folk song, do we dispense with the flipped ‘R’). Over aspirated consonants such as [s] or [t] are not attractive and sound uncared for. Specific attention to the matching of pure vowels, without the intrusion of regional diphthongs, is crucial to achieving a sacral choral language. Conductors should never give up trying to create beautiful sounds with the five basic Latin vowels. A great choral sound can be built on the foundation of a pure and united [u] (“oo”) vowel, and much harm can come when the [Ɛ] vowel (such as in the final syllable of Kyrie) is allowed to sound like [Ɛ:I:i] (“ay-ee”). An overly bright ‘E’ vowel [i] is usually an unwelcome sound. If the regional dialects of our singers are left unchecked, more than a poor choral ‘blend’ will be the result. The language of everyday speech becomes the norm, and the exalted, special, and sacral language of Jesus Christ is lost.

Many untrained singers balk at this approach. They may not hear the difference, or may think it’s a lot of extra work, or may not understand why it’s so important. Vigilance is the key. Not only will this attention to unity of sound produce a healthier and more beautiful result, but as in everything that we do to prepare for the liturgy, only our very best will suffice. We should be native speakers of a sacral and beautiful language that is “…worthy of the mysteries being celebrated.” (Apostolic Letter of John Paul II,Vicesimus Quintus Annus, 20; 1988).

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 Dr. Alfred Calabrese

Dr. Alfred Calabrese is Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Rita Catholic Church in Dallas, TX. He and his wife have two children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 5th Sunday of Easter (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 5th Sunday of Easter (18 May 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. The Communion Antiphon was ‘restored’ the 1970 Missale Romanum (a.k.a. MISSALE RECENS) from an obscure martyr’s feast. Our choir is on break this Sunday, so the selections are relatively simple in nature.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion Chant (5th Sunday of Easter)
    This coming Sunday—18 May 2025—is the 5th Sunday of Easter, Year C (MISSALE RECENS). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON “Ego Sum Vitis Vera” assigned by the Church is rather interesting, because it comes from a rare martyr’s feast: viz. Saint Vitalis of Milan. It was never part of the EDITIO VATICANA, which is the still the Church’s official edition. As a result, the musical notation had to be printed in the Ordo Cantus Missae, which appeared in 1970.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 4th Sunday of Easter (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 4th Sunday of Easter (11 May 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. I don’t know a more gorgeous ENTRANCE CHANT than the one given there: Misericórdia Dómini Plena Est Terra.
    —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

“We turn to the East when we stand to pray, since this is where the sun and the stars rise. It is not, of course, as if God were there alone and had forsaken the rest of creation. Rather, when these earthly bodies of ours are turned towards the more excellent, heavenly bodies, our minds are thereby prompted to turn towards the most excellent being, that is, to our Lord.”

— Saint Augustine of Hippo

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