Is it time for a parish liturgical music audit?
By Clare V. Johnson[1]
In the business world, when a corporation moves to implement a new strategic approach to conducting its core business, often an internal audit is carried out to determine areas of strength and weakness in production and delivery, management and implementation. Such an audit might investigate questions like: are the systems, procedures and equipment currently being employed achieving the stated aims and objectives of the corporation? What operational problems can be identified and what solutions can be recommended to remedy those problems? According to what standards will future goals and outcomes be measured and by what methods will they be achieved? An auditing process can be somewhat uncomfortable as it shines a light on all aspects of a corporation’s operations (positive and negative), but it can also be instructive as it offers an impartial view of what is actually occurring and makes recommendations to aid in the successful achievement of long-term goals.
In 2002, Pope John Paul II promulgated the fifth General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM 2002) since Vatican II, in order to implement a new approach to and updated understanding of the official rules, rubrics and expectations for the proper celebration of the church’s central ritual, the Eucharist. This instruction serves as a preface to the third edition of the Roman Missal following Vatican II, abrogating, correcting and updating previous general instructions,[2] and setting forth clearly the church’s current approach to celebrating the Eucharist. In introducing a new version of the Roman Missal, the church has made some adjustments to the manner and language in which we celebrate the ongoing presence of Christ in our midst, giving glory and praise to God. With the implementation of the new translation of the Roman Missal and its 2002 General Instruction, the church has provided an opportunity for local parishes to consider the manner in which they celebrate the Eucharist, and to determine whether what they are doing currently, aligns with official understandings and procedures for the correct performance of this central ritual act.
The GIRM2002 can be a useful tool for local parish communities to use in conducting an audit of their liturgical celebrations as a whole or of individual aspects of those celebrations, such as music. The GIRM2002 is a touchstone against which local Eucharistic celebrations can be measured. Understood well, the GIRM2002 can serve both as a guidebook for celebrating the liturgy properly and as a diagnostic tool to inform those charged with preparing liturgical celebrations, regarding the degree to which they are in accord with official church expectations. Such use of the GIRM2002 can also highlight the extent to which local upgrading and re-focusing may be needed in order to achieve the liturgical goals and outcomes delineated by the church in this document.
Given the importance of the role played by music in the celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy, it can be helpful to investigate what guidance the GIRM2002 offers to musicians regarding the church’s current expectations for the inclusion, choice and performance of music in the liturgy. Music is at once one of the most potent and one of the most contentious areas of the liturgy. Depending on how it is used, music can significantly add to or seriously detract from the overall liturgical celebration. Ill-chosen, ill-prepared or ill-performed music that has little regard for liturgical moment, season, musical ability or resources can be a source of disquiet, displeasure and distraction in the liturgy. Appropriately chosen and carefully prepared music that fits the liturgical moment, season, musical ability and resources of a parish can express what words alone cannot,[3] accessing a dimension of human expression, spirituality and experience that can be encountered in no other way, and constituting an unmatched vehicle for channelling the worshiping assembly’s unified expression of its faith in God.
The numerous references to music in the GIRM2002 underscore its status as a key element in the church’s celebration of the Eucharist. Beyond emphasizing the importance of liturgical music in general, the GIRM2002 elucidates certain principles[4] with regard to the choice, preparation, performance and place of music in the liturgy, which can be a helpful guide those interested in conducting a parish liturgical music audit.
- Singing is normative
Arguably the most prominent of the GIRM2002’s liturgical music principles is that singing is normative in the liturgy. Paragraphs 39 and 40 point out that from the earliest times, singing has constituted a central part of Christian prayer (see Col 3:16 and Acts 2:46), and that “great importance should therefore be attached to the use of singing in the celebration of the Mass...”[5] The GIRM2002 instructs that while it is not always necessary to sing everything that can be sung in the liturgy, ministers and assemblies should sing on Sundays and holy days of obligation.[6] The use of ‘should’ in this directive indicates obligation and normativity regarding singing. Paragraph 115 also instructs that it is appropriate “whenever possible” that the celebration of Mass with a congregation include singing.[7]
Throughout the GIRM2002 singing is preferred over speaking in the liturgy for those texts which “are of themselves meant to be sung.”[8] For example, paragraph 48 states “if there is no singing at the entrance, the antiphon in the Missal is recited...”[9] The clear implication here is that singing is normative at the entrance, and every effort should be made to enable and encourage singing at this moment in the liturgy. Whenever the GIRM2002 lists the option of either singing or speaking an element of the liturgy (such as the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, etc.), the sung option is always listed ahead of the spoken option, which offers a strong indication that singing rather than speaking these elements is the church’s preference.
- Importance of planning, preparation and decorum
The GIRM2002 instructs that the aim of careful planning is to facilitate the full, conscious and active participation of the faithful in the liturgical act.[10] Those charged with preparing the liturgy should aim to ensure harmony and diligence of that preparation “... in accord with the Missal and other liturgical books,”[11] which means that liturgical musicians should be educated regarding what is in the Missal and other liturgical books if they are to carry out properly their task of facilitating the assembly’s full, conscious and active participation in the liturgy via music. Further, as music is one of the liturgy’s “perceptible signs that nourish, strengthen, and express faith,”[12] “the utmost care must be taken”[13] in the choice and arrangement of music as one of the liturgy’s “forms and elements set forth by the church,” so that the full, conscious and active participation of the faithful in the liturgy may be facilitated, and so that their spiritual needs may be met.[14]
According to the GIRM2002 it is the responsibility of the bishop to promote the dignity and beauty of the liturgy, to which music (along with sacred space and art) “should contribute as greatly as possible.”[15] It is up to the local bishop then, to ensure that music as a central element of the liturgy is supported, resourced and encouraged in the parishes and schools under his jurisdiction, just as it is the responsibility of local parishes and schools to ensure that the liturgical music they perform is dignified, beautiful and “carried out with decorum.”[16] The choice of music for use in the liturgy is crucial in assuring that these qualities are evident as far as possible in liturgical celebrations.[17]
An important way of ensuring that liturgical music is performed with decorum, is to ensure that sufficient time is allocated for the sung parts of the liturgy, particularly those parts where the singing constitutes the liturgical act, e.g., the Gloria or the Creed, and that these elements are not truncated or omitted in service of ‘getting to the important parts’ of the liturgy (i.e., the liturgy of the Word or the liturgy of the Eucharist). Some consider the introductory rites simply to be preliminaries ahead of ‘the main event’. However, the layering of these varied rites one on top of the other is necessary in order to clothe us in and raise to consciousness in us of some of the complexities of our relationship with God. Acknowledging that we are redeemed sinners who need the opportunity to express both glorification and penitence as we enter into the presence of God, can help us to prepare to hear the Word of God honestly (not triumphantly nor cringingly).
- Silence
The GIRM2002 emphasises the importance of silence in the liturgy, or when not to use music. Paragraph 32 instructs that when the presider is speaking the presidential texts “there should be no other prayers or singing, and the organ or other musical instruments should be silent.”[18] Paragraph 45 emphasises the importance of the observance of silence at designated times.[19] Hence, musicians should not give in to the temptation to fill every liturgical space with music out of fear of being in silence, nor should they feel that the high points of the liturgy must be enhanced by musical accompaniment of some sort. Sometimes the most profound liturgical moments take place in silence, for example, the bishop’s laying on of hands in the rite of priestly ordination, where the inclusion of music clearly would be inappropriate and distracting, instead of being an enhancement.
The silences in the liturgy serve numerous purposes and seldom are they ‘empty’; on the contrary, they are often ‘charged’ with the internalised prayers of the assembly, their unvoiced intentions and unarticulated desires into which the intrusion of music can be unwelcome. The silences can offer needed moments of respite from what can be a relentless progression of sound in the liturgy (words and music) which can become burdensome if not balanced by respectful, reverent moments of silence.
- Progressive solemnity
While not named as such in the GIRM2002, the ‘principle of progressive solemnity’[20] in regard to liturgical music is apparent in the directive that “...preference should be given to those sung parts of the liturgy that are of greater importance, especially those sung by the priest, deacon or lector with the people responding (i.e., dialogues) or by the priest and people together.”[21] This principle of progressive solemnity was identified and explained in the Sacred Congregation of Rites’ 1967 instruction, Musicam Sacram,[22] which taught that while the liturgy licitly can be celebrated without singing, singing is preferred, and the more solemn the liturgical celebration, the more elements of the liturgy should be sung. Ideally as a minimum, the dialogues between presider and assembly should be sung, along with the Ordinary parts of the Mass (Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Mystery of Faith/Memorial Acclamation, Great Amen, and Agnus Dei). Entrance and communion antiphons, Creed, prayers of intercession, psalmody and offertory song are of lesser importance, but still should be sung where possible. While it has become customary for many congregations to conclude the liturgy with a hymn or song as the presider and ministers process out of the worship space, the GIRM2002 makes no mention of music at this point in the liturgy.
One implication of this principle of progressive solemnity is that resorting to the priest and assembly simply listening to recordings of other people singing the ordinary, psalmody and hymnody of the Mass, or replacing the assembly’s song with that of the choir in the singing of these parts of the liturgy is not at all preferred.
- Choice of liturgical music and importance of Latin chant
One of the most important planning tasks of the liturgical musician is choosing what music will be included in the liturgy. Different parishes are gifted with varying levels of musical personnel, resources, equipment and ability which will delimit the range of musical choices available to them. The GIRM2002 specifies that adaptations can be made by the priest celebrant in choosing which rites, texts, chants, readings, prayers, explanations and gestures should be used in the liturgy, so that these “respond better to the needs, preparation, and culture of the participants.”[23]
Working within the constraints of the local situation and in concert with the priest celebrant, those charged with choosing liturgical music should bear in mind the GIRM2002’s directives regarding musical types, forms, purposes and languages. Local liturgical music leaders should make an effort to carry out those directives to the best of their ability, recognizing the need to learn some new music and texts that, while unfamiliar at first, will help to bring local practice into consonance with the updated official expectations for liturgical celebrations indicated by the GIRM2002.
Paragraph 41 of the GIRM2002 instructs that (all other things being equal), in choosing music for liturgy, “Gregorian chant holds pride of place.” It goes on to state that other types of sacred music are not excluded provided they correspond with the spirit of the liturgical action and foster full conscious and active participation of the faithful.[24] There has been a tendency to allow chant to fall into disuse in many local parishes. Being reminded of the pre-eminence of chant may help parish musicians to remember to include it among the music chosen for liturgy. Teaching local congregations to sing the simpler chant settings of the Ordinary included in the Roman Missal is to be encouraged. An advantage of learning to sing a simple chant-setting is that the Ordinary of the Mass can still be sung by the congregation even if there are no instrumentalists available to accompany their song.
Paragraph 41 also directs that it is fitting that the faithful “know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, set to the simpler melodies.”[25] Assigning the singing of Latin chant to the choir or schola exclusively (and thereby potentially discouraging its singing by the assembly), is insufficient for the parts of the Mass that rightfully should be sung by the assembly.
With the degeneration of overall congregational exposure to, knowledge of and comfort with both the chant genre and the Latin language since Vatican II, parish musicians may need to engage in an active teaching program to aid local congregations in learning (often from scratch) sufficient basic ecclesiastical Latin pronunciation so that they can participate in singing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass, especially the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. While this may sound like an onerous and difficult task, it need not be. Beginning by introducing and practicing short sections of Latin (aided by a pronunciation guide in a handout or in the parish bulletin) can help local assemblies to gain aural familiarity with Latin, and eventually achieve a sufficient level of comfort with singing in Latin so that it becomes commonplace once more. The GIRM2002 in no way suggests that Latin will or ought to displace the vernacular in the celebration of the liturgy, rather that it must not be allowed to fall into complete disuse.
- Musical Form and Purpose
The GIRM2002 instructs that it is important for those choosing music for liturgy to utilise a variety of musical forms, that is, singing alternately by the choir and the people, cantor and people, entirely by the people, or by the choir alone.[26] The GIRM2002 enshrines as liturgical law the practice of using the organ and other musical instruments with moderation during Advent,[27] and playing them “only to support the singing” during Lent.[28] Demarcating the changing liturgical seasons through greater and lesser use of instrumental accompaniment can serve to reinforce the assembly’s experience of the different flavours of the liturgical year. It is easy to underutilise the variety of musical forms available and to become routine in the manner in which we perform music in the liturgy. Often musicians forget that it can be an empowering experience for the assembly to sing without instrumental accompaniment on occasion, and that often when the instruments rejoin the assembly after a break, the volume and intensity of the assembly’s song tends to swell even more.
Identifying and respecting the liturgical purpose of each piece of music is crucial in choosing appropriate music for liturgy. The decision-making process in regard to musical choice needs to move beyond mere personal preference or guarding against boredom among the musicians, to ensuring that the musical choices actually reflect what each piece of music is supposed to do at its particular moment in the liturgy. For example, GIRM2002 paragraph 47 specifies that the purpose of the entrance chant is to “open the celebration, foster the unity of those who have been gathered, introduce their thoughts to the mystery of the liturgical season or festivity, and accompany the procession of the priest and ministers.”[29] Given such a specific list of purposes for this chant (entrance song or hymn), choosing ‘just anything’ will not suffice. The choice must be one that fulfils the purpose of the entrance chant or it is an inappropriate choice. Paragraph 86 explains that the purpose of the Communion chant is “...to express the communicants’ union in spirit by means of their voices, to show joy of heart, and to highlight more clearly the ‘communitarian’ nature of the procession to receive Communion.”[30] This suggests the appropriateness of a psalm or other canticle that can be sung at least in part by the entire congregation during the Communion procession rather than by a soloist or the choir alone (which risks silencing the community’s voice).[31]