“When I was a kid…”
“liturgy was better.”
“The music was better.”
“We were much more aware of the Real Presence.”
Etc.
These sound familiar?
Now I have no doubt that Mass was, in general, probably more reverent than it is today (at least I don’t think there was the abundance of OSU t-shirts at Mass!). But still, it can’t have been perfect–can it?
Amy talks about this today: (my comments in bold)
It’s simply not real to imagine that everything in liturgical Christianity was great up until 1965. Again and again the liturgy has been reformed, and not just because people thought it would be nice to add new prayers. Something was being lost. Something had to be recovered.
(A moment to bring up something my friend David Scott once said: “The worst liturgical abuse at every Mass I attend is me.”)
So in the century before the Second Vatican Council, the sensibility deepened that something was being lost. Pius X (yay my parish’s patron saint!) saw it - speaking of motu proprios, his on Sacred Music from 1903 is worth a read. See if you can discern the problems he sees, from these excerpts:
Still, since modern music has risen mainly to serve profane uses, greater care must be taken with regard to it, in order that the musical compositions of modern style which are admitted in the Church may contain nothing profane, be free from reminiscences of motifs adopted in the theaters, and be not fashioned even in their external forms after the manner of profane pieces.
6. Among the different kinds of modern music, that which appears less suitable for accompanying the functions of public worship is the theatrical style, which was in the greatest vogue, especially in Italy, during the last century. This of its very nature is diametrically opposed to Gregorian Chant and classic polyphony, and therefore to the most important law of all good sacred music. Besides the intrinsic structure, the rhythm and what is known as the conventionalism of this style adapt themselves but badly to the requirements of true liturgical music.
17. It is not permitted to have the chant preceded by long preludes or to interrupt it with intermezzo pieces.
22. It is not lawful to keep the priest at the altar waiting on account of the chant or the music for a length of time not allowed by the liturgy. (Music minister at Seton, we’re talking to you!!!) According to the ecclesiastical prescriptions the Sanctus of the Mass should be over before the elevation, and therefore the priest must here have regard for the singers. The Gloria and the Credo ought, according to the Gregorian tradition, to be relatively short. More on this below.
23. In general it must be considered a very grave abuse when the liturgy in ecclesiastical functions is made to appear secondary to and in a manner at the service of the music, for the music is merely a part of the liturgy and its humble handmaid.
So…theatricality, subversion of the ritual to the needs of the music…etc.
But also note Pius’ concern - that the music not hide the prayerful content for those participating in the worship. Involved, conscious participation - it was a concern even then, and continued to be so throughout the century. I will get more into this in a post tomorrow, a brief review of another recent read, but the truth is that the concern that the Mass was general seen as the more or less private prayer of the priest to which the rest of us attached ourselves was real.
ME: Wow, the part about the music being overlong? Somebody needs to tell Certain Parish Music Directors Who Shall Not Be Named Here that rule. I’m sorry, I love “O Sons and Daughters” but all eleven (or however many) verses is just pushing it, for the choir, the congregation, the priest, etc. If the priest is on the altar, you stop. You do not blithely continue with the next 6 million verses, even if you happen to like them the best.
I sing in our church choir, as we know. I love it. It’s great. Our Choir Director’s motto (well, OK, one of them) is that we are here to serve the congregation. We are not here to be the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Put On A Show. Now, at Christmas, we do a nice 40 minute prelude. This year we did Christmas excerpts from the Messiah. That’s a little different. People knew we were doing that and if they wanted to come early to hear it, they could. But we weren’t going to shove it in the middle of the Mass! The same thing for Easter, when we do the “Hallelujah” after Mass is over, so that people don’t have to hear it if they don’t want to (but they should because it’s great and we do a good job :)).
Music is a tricky thing anywhere–where to put the choir in these post Vatican II non-choir loft churches, how much music, how little music, how contemporary, how non-contemporary, guitars or not?, etc., etc. But some of it is just common sense!
