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Views from the Choir Loft

Broken Rosaries and a Triptych of Wisdom

Richard J. Clark · August 30, 2019

ROKEN ROSARY beads can be highly frustrating! It happens all too frequently. Such frustration certainly works against prayer and contemplation!

First grain of wisdom: simple words of consolation from a friend, now a priest said, “That means they’re being used.” Well, no kidding! That’s pretty obvious. And perhaps profound.

What has this to do with sacred music? Perhaps a good deal. Our tools for prayer and music are far too often fragile and broken. If we are to be honest with ourselves, perhaps so are we. This extends to the people with whom we make music (and pray) and to the very people we serve and pray for.

This includes music programs built with love, tenacity, and painstaking perseverance perhaps over a period of years or decades. They too are fragile and potentially subject to the whims of new personalities. They are also subject to our own limitations or imperfections, which we may strive for years to overcome or at least improve.

Church musicians, no matter how talented, are potentially vulnerable, but persist nonetheless in prayer and the need to make music for the glory of God. Despite brokenness, we persist in prayer and in music. Such perseverance will yield much fruit—some we may never witness personally. But know it is there.

SECOND GEM gem of wisdom I recently heard from a homily (paraphrased and summarized): My thoughts are never at rest, always worrying endlessly about an infinite number of things. But I am only at rest when I am proclaiming God’s great glory.

I am only at rest when praising God and giving him glory.

This sentiment resonated with me greatly. We have many worries about things real and perceived. (I certainly do!) Am I a good enough musician? Did I program the most stellar (and admired?) music? What do they think of me? Am I doing enough? Did I get everything done that I need to?

All ridiculous.

I am only at rest when praising God and giving him glory.

Only if I am honest with myself so these words ring true. Perhaps I should pay attention to this truth.

HIRD: Rev. James Keenan, S. J., whom I have heard preach regularly for more than a dozen years, speaks often of mercy. He defines mercy as: “the willingness to enter into the chaos of another.” This sounds entirely inadvisable at first, but is in perfect harmony when viewed through the prism of compassion and recognition of another’s dignity, beauty, and worth regardless of what incomprehensible disorder may be taking over their lives.

And what does this have to do with sacred music for Holy Mass?

Everything.

I never tire of repeating that we don’t know what burdens, grief, and pain people carry in their hearts when they enter the doors of our churches. Therefore, mercy is our starting point.

Keenan states: “I believe that mercy defines Catholicism.” Lex Vivendi: mercy informs us of how to live our lives and treat each other: (E.g., Matthew 25. e.g. John 13:14 Mandatum Novum e.g., Ubi Cariatas et amor Deus ibi est.)

If we are not praying (especially in our brokenness), if we are not resting in the Lord by praising Him, if we are not merciful to our neighbors (i.e., choir members and parishioners), then our music only serves ourselves.

But mercy does not mean we don’t strive for excellence in sacred music. Quite the opposite: excellence is a form of service. Excellence demands singing prayerfully, singing with praise and in mercy to those we serve.

FINAL WORD word on mercy and charity with regard to sacred music: I have no stomach for disparagement of each other, i.e., ad hominem attacks or disparagement of music we deem unworthy, distasteful, or simply not to our liking. This must stop. It is deleterious to the soul and counterproductive to the cause of catechesis.

We are united in the love of Christ—although perhaps not necessarily in other things. It is OK to disagree on certain topics. Disagreement is not mutually exclusive with unity. This second line of Ubi Caritas: Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor is a perfect reminder of our commitment to unity.

This does not mean we don’t observe the Three Judgments as outlined in 2007 US Bishop’s document Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, or the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM).

I don’t apologize for my deep passion for traditional sacred music. (Some of you are well aware of my eclectic musical background and interests.) I will continue to shine the light on our living traditions because I believe our Catholic faith and treasury of sacred music is a jewel. I advocate for the Church’s treasury of sacred music—new and old—not merely because it is what the Church asks of us, but based upon its own merits which I believe to be salutary and transformative.

But all this means nothing without prayer, praise, and mercy. I pray I can live by my own words.

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

President’s Corner

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —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

“I prefer to preach,” said one priest “even without immediate preparation, for I can always draw—from the various studies stored away during the seminary years—enough material to interest our good Catholic people. But when I have to go to the altar and sing High Mass or a Requiem, and I know that I cannot read a note of the Preface and the ‘Pater Noster’, I feel like going to martyrdom. Yet the notes are right there before my eyes, but they seem to mock my ignorance.”

— From a 1920 article by Very Rev. Leo P. Manzetti

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