ELEAGUERED. That word is cherished by dishonest people who masquerade as objective journalists. For example, suppose a bishop decides to promulgate (I’m just making this up) a decree saying priests in his diocese can no longer consume carrots and cauliflower. People who already disliked him will begin their articles: “In a desperate effort to salvage his career, the beleaguered bishop of such-and-such a diocese has launched a misguided assault on carrots and cauliflower…” All of us have read articles like that. Such authors could save time by writing: “I hate Bishop and everything he does is terrible.” But instead, they employ Beleaguer-Babble, thinking themselves clever. At Corpus Christi Watershed, our authors strive to avoid such subterfuge (which is a total waste of everyone’s time) and I think our readers like that. Today’s article is no exception.
Church Music Relativism • Let’s talk turkey. Ever since the 1960s, the Catholic Church has been infected with a disease which might be labeled as church music relativism. In a nutshell, that’s when people say: “All musical styles are equally valid and acceptable for Mass.” In a haughty voice, people who embrace this view tell us:
Foolish people used to think certain musical styles were more “sacred” and “dignified” than others. But homo modernus has become enlightened, so we now realize all musical styles are acceptable for the sacred liturgy: rap, hymnody, rock ’n roll, country, Broadway, jazz, Gregorian chant, polyphony, and so forth. Those who believe otherwise are not yet sufficiently enlightened, and suffer from a “European-centered orientation.” Their views are incorrect, but we can allow them to have a smattering of traditional music from time to time, as long as other styles—Broadway, folk, rock ’n roll—are included as well. There’s no such thing as holy (“set apart”) music. All musical styles convey the same thing.
Renouncing Relativism • I reject “church music relativism.” If you’ve read my articles over the decades, this revelation won’t shock you! I don’t have time to narrate my entire life story—besides, and I doubt you’re interested—but let me summarize it briefly. At a young age, I fell in love with the great masterpieces: Bach, Chopin, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninov, Scarlatti, Grieg, Tchaikovsky, MacDowell, Scriabin, Schumann, Mozart, Liszt, Schubert, and so forth. Then, through the FSSP, I was exposed to authentic sacred music at Mass—and there was no turning back. In my heart, I knew this music was fitting for the Holy Mass. It had nothing in common with the goofy, degrading, off-Broadway songs they sang at the local parish where I grew up. This was real church music! I’m talking about Gregorian chant, Victoria, Palestrina, Byrd, Guerrero, Marenzio, Lassus, Jacobus Händl, Zachariis, Bernabei, Nanino, Croce, Zoilo, Clemens Non Papa, Gabrieli, Buxtehude, and so forth. I was hooked.
Conciliar Conundrum • For decades, we’ve seen powerful clerics contradict explicit mandates of the Second Vatican Council. They tell us the way to honor Vatican II is to do the opposite of what its documents stipulate. It makes no sense…but that’s where we are. Will authentic sacred music survive? At the opening of this article, I promised the reader I’d avoid gobbledygook—and my straight answer is “yes.”
Fabulous Future • I realize not everyone agrees. For instance, MONSIGNOR FRANCIS P. SCHMITT (d. 1994) gave up on sacred music towards the end of his life, writing these depressing words: “Gregorian chant, Renaissance vocal polyphony, and the rest will become the property of the secular university and the traveling choir, not because they are no longer pertinent to worship, but because erstwhile champions never really understood or cared for them as music anyway. They were fads, unsuccessfully perpetrated on the uneducated by the half educated.”
At the beginning of the liturgical reform, ANSELMO CARDINAL ALBAREDA (d. 1966)—who was appointed to the Conciliar Commission on the Liturgy by the pope—warned his fellow reformers:
“The Vatican Library receives several requests every day for photographs of musical codices, especially for Gregorian chant. Many of these requests come from Protestant or Jewish sources in America where there is a truly obsessive interest in research into Gregorian chant and polyphony. There would be grave harm done were the Church now to abandon this sacred patrimony, while so many others are displaying such interest in it.”
We have seen that authentic sacred music was virtually abandoned in the 1970s (in spite of what was mandated by Vatican II). I’m not going to cite all the documentation here, because we’ve done that constantly. So why am I optimistic? It’s because I believe Catholics will continue to discover—as they have been doing—the intrinsic suitability of this music for the Holy Mass. Of course, people can always go find a priest who will allow goofy, undignified in church. But the saints never sought loopholes. The saints never asked: “how much can I get away with?” The saints sought that which was good, true, beautiful, and perennial. And so must we.
I Came From Somewhere • I have nothing against Disney songs. Some are excellent, and they’re enjoyable to listen to with kids in the car. However, when it comes to the public worship of Almighty God, I have often railed against the Disney-fication of music. But it’s not enough to condemn; we must replace what’s bad with what’s good, true, beautiful, perennial, life-giving, and holy. So what do I bring to the table? “The learning which I impart is not my own” (John 7:16). I came from somewhere! I have spent my life studying the musical traditions of the church, from mediæval times all the way to composers alive today. Twenty years ago, to help myself assimilate Catholic traditions, I meticulously transcribed all four (4) volumes of MUSICA DIVINA. (That was an excellent starting point for me.) For more than twenty years, I have read everything I can about sacred music, led choirs all over the United States, corresponded with experts in the field, and never stopped learning everything I possibly could. My point is this: I am attempting to pass on the traditions of the Church.
Examples From Real Life!
Creed • Perhaps examples from real life will help illustrate what I’m getting at. My choir is 100% volunteer (and most cannot read music). They are amazing Catholics. I recruited them from the pews. It is my pleasure and honor to direct such a group. Below is an excerpt from the Creed, which we sing in plainsong mixed with polyphony. Listen to the men sing “et vítam ventúri saéculi” so beautifully:
* Mp3 Download • CREED (Father Guerrero)
—Excerpt • Recorded on 16 April 2023 by a volunteer choir.
Contemporary Style • Here’s an example of contemporary polyphony, based on one of the plainsong Masses in the Editio Vaticana (1905):
* Mp3 Download • SANCTUS (Modern Composer)
—Excerpt • Recorded on 16 April 2023 by a volunteer choir.
Agnus Dei • We sing a polyphonic “Agnus Dei” which combines works by Giovanni Nanino (d. 1607) and Father Francisco Guerrero (d. 1599):
* Mp3 Download • AGNUS DEI (Mixture)
—Excerpt • Recorded on 16 April 2023 by a volunteer choir.
Flor Peeters • Since yesterday was “Dominica in Albis,” we sang a hauntingly gorgeous setting by Flor Peeters (d. 1986) of Ad Cenam Agni Providi, which is the hymn that explains where this Sunday got its name:
“Quasi Modo” Introit • The ladies in the choir sang the ENTRANCE CHANT (Introit), world-famous because of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831) by Victor Hugo:
Much Much More! • Those are just a few samples of the music we sang last Sunday. One thing that’s essential to our musical programs are the bright (“happy”) hymns in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal. Here’s an example we sang yesterday:
“It Came From Somewhere” • Something that sets the Brébeuf Hymnal apart has to do with its ties to Catholic history. At the bottom of each page, sources are given for each hymn—specifically the Catholic hymnals which contained that same hymn throughout history. Many thousands of pages were collected, scanned, and sorted by the Brébeuf editorial team. The following hymnal—“Christ The King Hymnal” by FATHER ALOYS KNAUFF—contains many of the hymn tunes chosen for the Brébeuf Hymnal:
However, there’s an important difference. Most of the old Catholic hymnals provided only one or two verses (!) for each hymn. The Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal gives all the verses—which means each hymn has approximately seven!
Mental Illness • I personally believe the current American culture will result in an unfathomable amount of mental illness. Very few learn foreign languages these days; they settle for Google translate. So many youngsters watch mind-numbing garbage on TICK TOCK (“vines”); and the American attention span is now 2.5 seconds long. Here in Los Angeles, nobody goes shopping anymore with real people; we order from Amazon, and a stranger (ghost?) drops it on our doorstep. Very few Americans ever experience nature or live on farms; instead we settle for genetically engineered food. Very few people answer the telephone; we demand that folks send a text message, which is very impersonal. People suffer from extreme anxiety if five minutes passes without them “checking” their iPhone. And on and on and on. From my perspective, one thing I’ve noticed is that many folks skim a whole lot when they read. Some resources I’ve tried to share with folks for many years. Yet some still say: “Why didn’t you ever tell me about such-and-such a resource?” I did, but the problem is that many people skim when they read. Therefore, when I say something truly important—viz. how crucial it is that the Brébeuf Hymnal has many verses for each hymn, instead of just a couple—I sometimes wonder if it “cuts through” to readers. I will keep trying my best.
See You Later? • On the other hand, there are still a lot of awesome people in the world; so much good in the world. I love coming into contact with readers in person or through email. Indeed, I wish I could meet all of you in real life!
