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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Book Review: Good Music, Sacred Music, and Silence

Fr. David Friel · March 23, 2024

UBLISHED several months ago, Good Music, Sacred Music, and Silence: Three Gifts of God for Liturgy and for Life is one of Peter Kwasniewski’s latest books. As one can surmise from the title, it is a book that would naturally be of interest to readers of our Views from the Choir Loft blog.

The book is commendable for its structure, which is tripartite:

Part I: Music Fit for Kings: The Role of Good Music in the Christian’s Life
Part II: Music Fit for the King of Kings: The Role of Sacred Music in the Church’s Life
Part III: Giving Way to Silence

This structure, more than simply being clever, enables the author to distinguish sacred music from secular music in a way that does justice to the importance of both, while also not neglecting the value of silence.

The first section follows a Platonic line of thought, arguing that all music has a moral impact on those who hear it, whether positive or negative. The section on sacred music clearly delineates the spiritual and theological reasons for the supremacy of chant and polyphony in Catholic worship. The final section, on silence, is brief, but it is a welcome corrective against the modern impulse to fill every moment with sound, whether within or without the liturgy.

Throughout the book, the author demonstrates a real familiarity with the interplay between rhythm, melody, harmony, and lyrics. His insights reveal that he has not only been a practitioner of music (as a composer and choir member/director), but also that he has thought deeply about music from a philosophic perspective. Many of the chapters demonstrate fluency with the thought of Aquinas and Ratzinger, Pärt and Pieper, Swain and Scruton.

Readers will be intrigued by a number of musico-liturgical analogies, including the comparison of traditional Catholic rites to Baroque music and the reformed rites of the Second Vatican Council with jazz (p. 33). Another parallel is drawn between those who know but reject the Church’s teaching on sacred music and those who know but reject the Church’s teaching on contraception (pp. 140-141).

The book’s chapters began as articles in various places, including this very blog. Other places where these chapters initially appeared include New Liturgical Movement, OnePeterFive, Homiletic & Pastoral Review, and Rorate Caeli. Many of these articles warranted a wider audience, so I view their publication in book form as an excellent thing. There is a certain cohesion to the work, thanks to its good structure, but there are also a number of places where quite similar material is repeated. Some readers will wish that these sections had been edited so as not to be so repetitive.

I find the text especially praiseworthy for its encouragement to become “missionaries for the beautiful” (p. 75). In this respect, there remains much mission territory in the Church today.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Gregorian Chant, polyphony, Sacred Choral Works Kwasniewski Last Updated: March 24, 2024

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    2-Voice Arr. • “Creator of the Starry Height”
    Do you direct a choir consisting of women or children only? (Some call this a “treble” choir.) Download a two-voice arrangement of Creator of the Starry Height set to the tune of IOANNES by clicking here and then scrolling to the bottom. In our times, this hymn is normally used during ADVENT, and the Latin title is: Cónditor alme síderum. It’s important to say “cónditor”—placing the accent on the antepenult—because ‘condítor’ in Latin means “one who embalms the dead.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Equal Voices” Choir Pieces
    My colleague, CORRINNE MAY, has posted some delightful compositions for equal voices: that is, choirs consisting of all men or all women. Included there are settings of the “Ave Maria” and “Tantum Ergo.” They strike me as relatively simple and not excessively lengthy. (In other words, within reach of volunteer singers.) Even better, all the scores have been made available as instant PDF downloads, completely free of charge. Bravo!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

The Council of Trent taught: “In this divine sacrifice which takes place at Mass, the same Christ is present and is immolated in an unbloody manner, Who once on the Cross offered Himself in a bloody manner. For the victim is one and the same, now offering through the ministry of priests, Who then offered Himself on the Cross; only the manner of offering is different” (Session XXII, cap. 2, Denzinger, n. 940).

— Pope Pius XII (2 November 1954)

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