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Views from the Choir Loft

Changing the Culture: Progress, Not Perfection

Richard J. Clark · January 31, 2014

NLY GOD IS PERFECT and we are not. As theologian Fr. Michael Himes is often fond of saying, “God is God and we are not.” This seems like a ridiculously obvious point. Strangely, it is a point worthy of reinforcement.

Musicians and liturgists are something of a perfectionist lot. We often berate ourselves for lack of perfection and are highly critical when liturgy falls short of rubrics or expectations. This is understandable for myriad reasons and a topic for another day.

“God is God and we are not” bears repetition. Yet, God loves us in our brokenness and frailty. Humanity is by definition, flawed and weak. Should this bring us discouragement or joy? That God holds us in our weakness should be a constant occasion for joy. That notion also bears repeating every day.

So what does this have to do with liturgy? Quite a bit actually. For progress is not an excuse to not give our best or strive for the ideal. In fact, achieving progress is very difficult. Very difficult. It requires vigilance. It requires years of slow and incremental change. It requires years of consistency.

Having been in my current position for over nearly twenty-five years (gulp) a colleague once mentioned, “It takes that long to get something done.” Perhaps hyperbole, perhaps not, there is truth to this statement regarding the arc of progress and the arc of changing the culture.

No one likes change. I don’t like it. But progress only takes root if the culture or system is changed. This is the hardest thing of all, and one must not become discouraged. This will take a lifetime.

R. WILLIAM MAHRT DISTILLED THIS POINT simply and gently at the close of the Sacred Music Colloquium in 2013. What he said was striking because we had all been fully immersed in sacred music and chant. After such an intense experience, we heard him directly concluded the following (I am paraphrasing): that upon returning to our parishes, one perhaps might find that one can only add one piece of chant in the liturgy. But by doing so, beauty and dignity have been added to the liturgy. In short, his emphasis was on progress in the light of the reality that the ideal is not immediately possible.

Nor should it be immediately possible. Fifty years after Sacrosanctum Concilium, changing the culture that took root all this time will not be easy. One may find it possible to expose congregations to chant and polyphony while still offering some of what is still in their comfort zone. This is not easy. This is why progress is perhaps even harder than insisting upon perfection (not to be confused with shoddy performance). For progress brings along the entire community—or at least as much of the community as possible. Perfection makes demands that require an immediate decision to stay or go, i.e., let the chips fall where they may.

I have barely scratched the surface on this important topic and it will require more discussion and follow-up.

N THE MEANTIME, I WANT TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE to the readers of “View from the Choir Loft.” (This quite related to the ideas of progress.) I have been writing for “Views from the Choir Loft” for a little more than a year. When I began I absolutely did not have the time, between two jobs and children. However, the discipline of writing something every week has been a blessing far greater for me than perhaps for anyone else. It helps keep me focused on prayer and mission. This is made possible by the readers. I hope that what is presented here helps make progress despite my personal emotional baggage or perhaps wrong assumptions. I hope that my weekly “bloviations” assist in some small way. I hope we can make progress together. The readers have helped me make progress in my own professional and personal life.

Thank you!

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

    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“The sun’s disc did not remain immobile. This was not the sparkling of a heavenly body, for it spun round on itself in a mad whirl, when suddenly a clamor was heard from all the people. The sun, whirling, seemed to loosen itself from the firmament and advance threateningly upon the earth as if to crush us with its huge fiery weight. The sensation during those moments was terrible.”

— ‘Dr. Almeida Garrett, professor of natural sciences at the University of Coimbra (1917)’

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