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Quotation |
Bands
Forbidden in Church |
"It
is strictly forbidden to have bands play in church, and only in
special cases with the consent of the Ordinary will it be
permissible to admit wind instruments, limited in number,
judiciously used, and proportioned to the size of the place -
provided the composition and accompaniment be written in grave and
suitable style, and conform in all respects to that proper to the
organ." (Pope St. Pius X, "Inter Sollicitudines",
1922)
Also
See: Music
is at the Service of the Liturgy & Not Vice Versa | Sacred
Music is Not For the Purpose of Pleasure or Showing Off | Suitable
/ Unsuitable Music | Forbidden
/ Allowed Instruments | Instruments
Should Not Oppress Singing | Those
Admitted to the Choir | Misc.
/ Sacred Music | Against
Applause / Noise in Church
| Beauty
& Decorum in the House of God
| Proper
/ Improper Church Attire | Reverence
| Silence
in Church
Note:
Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related
to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more
'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.
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Forbidden
/ Allowed Instruments |
"The
employment of the piano is forbidden in church, as is also that of
noisy or frivolous instruments such as drums, cymbals, bells and
the like." (Pope St. Pius X, "Inter Sollicitudines",
1920)
"It
is strictly forbidden to have bands play in church, and only in
special cases with the consent of the Ordinary will it be
permissible to admit wind instruments, limited in number,
judiciously used, and proportioned to the size of the place -
provided the composition and accompaniment be written in grave and
suitable style, and conform in all respects to that proper to the
organ." (Pope St. Pius X, "Inter Sollicitudines",
1922)
"As
the Philosopher says (Politica viii,6), 'Teaching should not be
accompanied with a flute or any artificial instrument such as the
harp or anything else of this kind: but only with such things as
make good hearers.' For such like musical instruments move the
soul to pleasure rather than create a good disposition within it.
In the Old Testament instruments of this description were
employed, both because the people were more coarse and carnal - so
that they needed to be aroused by such instruments as also by
earthly promises - and because these material instruments were
figures of something else." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of
the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
"The
pipe organ is to be held in high esteem in the Latin Church, for
it is the traditional musical instrument, the sound of which can
add a wonderful splendor to the Church's ceremonies and powerfully
lifts up men's minds to God and higher things. But other
instruments also may be admitted for use in divine worship, in the
judgment and with the consent of the competent territorial
authority... This may be done, however, only on condition that the
instruments are suitable, or can be made suitable, for sacred use;
that they accord with the dignity of the temple, and that they
truly contribute to the edification of the faithful." (Second
Vatican Council) [Note: The pipe organ, "the premier
instrument of the Catholic Church", has historically been
considered "the only instrument sacred enough for the
Mass"]
"These
norms must be applied to the use of the organ or other musical
instruments. Among the musical instruments that have a place in
church the organ rightly holds the principal position, since it is
especially fitted for the sacred chants and sacred rites. It adds
a wonderful splendor and a special magnificence to the ceremonies
of the Church. It moves the souls of the faithful by the grandeur
and sweetness of its tones. It gives minds an almost heavenly joy
and it lifts them up powerfully to God and to higher things.
Besides the organ, other instruments can be called upon to give
great help in attaining the lofty purpose of sacred music, so long
as they play nothing profane nothing clamorous or strident and
nothing at variance with the sacred services or the dignity of the
place. Among these the violin and other musical instruments that
use the bow are outstanding because, when they are played by
themselves or with other stringed instruments or with the organ,
they express the joyous and sad sentiments of the soul with an
indescribable power." (Pope Pius XII,
"Musicae Sacrae", 1955)
Also
See: Instruments
Should Not Oppress Singing | Music
is at the Service of the Liturgy & Not Vice Versa | Sacred
Music is Not For the Purpose of Pleasure or Showing Off | Bands
Forbidden in Church | Suitable
/ Unsuitable Music | Gregorian
Chant | Those
Admitted to the Choir | Against
Applause / Noise in Church
| Misc.
/ Sacred Music | Beauty
& Decorum in the House of God
| Reverence
| Silence
in Church
Note:
Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related
to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more
'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.
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Gregorian
Chant
Also See:
Music (Topic Page)
|
"And
if in Catholic churches throughout the entire world Gregorian
chant sounds forth without corruption or diminution, the chant
itself, like the sacred Roman liturgy, will have a characteristic
of universality, so that the faithful, wherever they may be, will
hear music that is familiar to them and a part of their own home.
In this way they may experience, with much spiritual consolation,
the wonderful unity of the Church. This is one of the most
important reasons why the Church so greatly desires that the
Gregorian chant traditionally associated with the Latin words of
the sacred liturgy be used." (Pope Pius XII, "Musicae
Sacrae", 1955)
"The
Church recognizes Gregorian chant as being specially suited to the
Roman liturgy. Therefore, other things being equal, it should be
given pride of place in liturgical services." (Second Vatican
Council)
"And
the Gregorian Chant which is to be used in every church of
whatever order, is the text which, revised according to the
ancient manuscripts, has been authentically published by the
Church from the Vatican Press." (Pope Pius XI, "Divini
Cultus", 1928)
"Gregory
the Great compiled the Antiphonarium and thus laid the ground for
the organic development of that most original sacred music which
takes its name from him. Gregorian chant, with its inspired
modulations, was to become down the centuries the music of the
Church's faith in the liturgical celebration of the sacred
mysteries. The 'beautiful' was thus wedded to the 'true', so that
through art too souls might be lifted up from the world of the
senses to the eternal." (Pope John Paul II)
"[Sacred
music] must be holy. It must not allow within itself anything that
savors of the profane nor allow any such thing to slip into the
melodies in which it is expressed. The Gregorian chant which has
been used in the Church over the course of so many centuries, and
which may be called, as it were, its patrimony, is gloriously
outstanding for this holiness. This chant, because of the close
adaptation of the melody to the sacred text, is not only most
intimately conformed to the words, but also in a way interprets
their force and efficacy and brings delight to the minds of the
hearers. It does this by the use of musical modes that are simple
and plain, but which are still composed with such sublime and holy
art that they move everyone to sincere admiration and constitute
an almost inexhaustible source from which musicians and composers
draw new melodies." (Pope Pius XII, "Musicae Sacrae",
1955)
"As
regards music, let the clear and guiding norms of the Apostolic
See be scrupulously observed. Gregorian chant, which the Roman
Church considers her own as handed down from antiquity and kept
under her close tutelage, is proposed to the faithful as belonging
to them also. In certain parts of the liturgy the Church
definitely prescribes it; it makes the celebration of the sacred
mysteries not only more dignified and solemn but helps very much
to increase the faith and devotion of the congregation. For this
reason, Our predecessors of immortal memory, Pius X and Pius XI,
decree - and We are happy to confirm with Our authority the norms
laid down by them - that in seminaries and religious institutes,
Gregorian chant be diligently and zealously promoted, and moreover
that the old Scholae Cantorum be restored, at least in the
principal churches. This has already been done with happy results
in not a few places." (Pope Pius XII, "Mediator
Dei", 1947)
"It
is the duty of all those to whom Christ the Lord has entrusted the
task of guarding and dispensing the Church's riches to preserve
this precious treasure of Gregorian chant diligently and to impart
it generously to the Christian people. Hence what Our
predecessors, St. Pius X, who is rightly called the renewer of
Gregorian chant, and Pius XI have wisely ordained and taught, We
also, in view of the outstanding qualities which genuine Gregorian
chant possesses, will and prescribe that this be done. In the
performance of the sacred liturgical rites this same Gregorian
chant should be most widely used and great care should be taken
that it should be performed properly, worthily and reverently. And
if, because of recently instituted feast days, new Gregorian
melodies must be composed, this should be done by true masters of
the art. It should be done in such a way that these new
compositions obey the laws proper to genuine Gregorian chant and
are in worthy harmony with the older melodies in their virtue and
purity." (Pope Pius XII, "Musicae Sacrae", 1955)
"Sacred
music, being a complementary part of the solemn liturgy,
participates in the general scope of the liturgy, which is the
glory of God and the sanctification and edification of the
faithful. It contributes to the decorum and the splendor of the
ecclesiastical ceremonies, and since its principal office is to
clothe with suitable melody the liturgical text proposed for the
understanding of the faithful, its proper aim is to add greater
efficacy to the text, in order that through it the faithful may be
the more easily moved to devotion and better disposed for the
reception of the fruits of grace belonging to the celebration of
the most holy mysteries. Sacred music should consequently possess,
in the highest degree, the qualities proper to the liturgy, and in
particular sanctity and goodness of form, which will spontaneously
produce the final quality of universality. It must be holy, and
must, therefore, exclude all profanity not only in itself, but in
the manner in which it is presented by those who execute it. It
must be true art, for otherwise it will be impossible for it to
exercise on the minds of those who listen to it that efficacy
which the Church aims at obtaining in admitting into her liturgy
the art of musical sounds... These qualities are to be found, in
the highest degree, in Gregorian Chant, which is, consequently the
Chant proper to the Roman Church, the only chant she has inherited
from the ancient fathers, which she has jealously guarded for
centuries in her liturgical codices, which she directly proposes
to the faithful as her own, which she prescribes exclusively for
some parts of the liturgy, and which the most recent studies have
so happily restored to their integrity and purity. On these
grounds Gregorian Chant has always been regarded as the supreme
model for sacred music, so that it is fully legitimate to lay down
the following rule: the more closely a composition for church
approaches in its movement, inspiration and savor the Gregorian
form, the more sacred and liturgical it becomes; and the more out
of harmony it is with that supreme model, the less worthy it is of
the temple." (Pope St. Pius X, "Inter Sollicitudines",
1906)
"It
is not permitted to have the chant preceded by long preludes or to
interrupt it with intermezzo pieces." (Pope St. Pius X,
"Inter Sollicitudines", 1919)
Also
See: Gregorian
Chant (Latin Mass & Catholic Tradition Section) | Polyphony
| Those
Admitted to the Choir | Music
is at the Service of the Liturgy & Not Vice Versa | Suitable
/ Unsuitable Music | Sacred
Music is Not For the Purpose of Pleasure or Showing Off | Bands
Forbidden in Church | Forbidden
/ Allowed Instruments | Instruments
Should Not Oppress Singing | Against
Applause / Noise in Church
| Misc.
/ Sacred Music | Beauty
& Decorum in the House of God
| Reverence
| The
Latin Language (Latin Mass & Catholic Tradition Section)
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Instruments
Should Not Oppress Singing |
"As
the singing should always have the principal place, the organ or
other instruments should merely sustain and never oppress
it." (Pope St. Pius X, "Inter Sollicitudines",
1918)
Also
See: Bands
Forbidden in Church | Forbidden
/ Allowed Instruments | Music
is at the Service of the Liturgy & Not Vice Versa | Suitable
/ Unsuitable Music | Gregorian
Chant | Polyphony
| Sacred
Music is Not For the Purpose of Pleasure or Showing Off | Those
Admitted to the Choir | Against
Applause / Noise in Church
| Misc.
/ Sacred Music | Beauty
& Decorum in the House of God
| Reverence
Note:
Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related
to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more
'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.
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Music
is at the Service of the Liturgy & Not Vice Versa
Also See:
Music (Topic Page)
|
"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." (Pope St. Pius
X, "Inter Sollicitudines", 1923)
Also
See: Sacred
Music is Not For the Purpose of Pleasure or Showing Off | Suitable
/ Unsuitable Music | Gregorian
Chant | Polyphony
| Those
Admitted to the Choir | Bands
Forbidden in Church | Instruments
Should Not Oppress Singing | Forbidden
/ Allowed Instruments | Against
Applause / Noise in Church
| Misc.
/ Sacred Music | Beauty
& Decorum in the House of God
| Reverence
Note:
Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related
to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more
'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.
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Polyphony
Also See:
Music (Topic Page)
|
"Sacred
polyphony, We may here remark, is rightly held second only to
Gregorian Chant." (Pope Pius XI, "Divini Cultus",
1928)
"Classic
Polyphony agrees admirably with Gregorian Chant, the supreme model
of all sacred music, and hence it has been found worthy of a place
side by side with Gregorian Chant, in the more solemn functions of
the Church, such as those of the Pontifical Chapel." (Pope
St. Pius X, "Inter Sollicitudines", 1910)
"These
[liturgical] laws warn that great prudence and care should be used
in this serious matter in order to keep out of churches polyphonic
music which, because of its heavy and bombastic style, might
obscure the sacred words of the liturgy by a kind of exaggeration,
interfere with the conduct of the liturgical service or, finally,
lower the skill and competence of the singers to the disadvantage
of sacred worship." (Pope Pius XII, "Musicae Sacrae",
1955)
"Choir-schools
for boys should be established not only for the greater churches
and cathedrals, but also for smaller parish churches. The boys
should be taught by the choirmaster to sing properly, so that, in
accordance with the ancient custom of the Church, they may sing in
the choir with the men, especially as in polyphonic music the
highest part, the cantus, ought to be sung by boys. Choir-boys,
especially in the sixteenth century, have given us masters of
polyphony: first and foremost among them, the great Palestrina."
(Pope Pius XI, "Divini Cultus", 1928)
"But
it is neither wise nor laudable to reduce everything to antiquity
by every possible device. Thus, to cite some instances, one would
be straying from the straight path were he to wish the altar
restored to its primitive table form; were he to want black
excluded as a color for the liturgical vestments; were he to
forbid the use of sacred images and statues in churches; were he
to order the crucifix so designed that the divine Redeemer's body
shows no trace of His cruel sufferings; and lastly were he to
disdain and reject polyphonic music or singing in parts, even
where it conforms to regulations issued by the Holy See."
(Pope Pius XII, "Mediator Dei", 1947) [Note:
'Reducing to antiquity' does NOT refer to the
Traditionalists attempts to restore the traditional Latin
('Tridentine') Mass and pre-Vatican II practices, but to the
modernists quest to 'restore' the Church to a 'primitive form'
that better corresponds with Protestant sensibilities. In fact,
the 'reduction to antiquity' of the Modernists and the restoration
sought by the Traditionalists are diametrically opposed. The
'reducing to antiquity' of the Modernists has been condemned by
the popes - whereas true faithfulness to tradition has always been
guarded in the Church, and is even praised in Holy Scripture. For
more information, try the Latin
Mass / Catholic Tradition Section.)
Also
See: Suitable
/ Unsuitable Music | Gregorian
Chant | Those
Admitted to the Choir | Music
is at the Service of the Liturgy & Not Vice Versa | Sacred
Music is Not For the Purpose of Pleasure or Showing Off | Bands
Forbidden in Church |Forbidden
/ Allowed Instruments | Instruments
Should Not Oppress Singing | Against
Applause / Noise in Church
| Misc.
/ Sacred Music | Beauty
& Decorum in the House of God
| Reverence
Note:
Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related
to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more
'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.
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Sacred
Music is Not For the Purpose of Pleasure or Showing Off
Also See:
Music (Topic Page)
|
"[St.]
Jerome does not absolutely condemn singing, but reproves those who
sing theatrically in church not in order to arouse devotion, but
in order to show off, or to provoke pleasure. Hence Augustine says
(Confessiones x,33): 'When it befalls me to be more moved by the
voice than by the words sung, I confess to have sinned penally,
and then had rather not hear the singer.'" (St. Thomas
Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the
history of the Church")
"The
soul is distracted from that which is sung by a chant that is
employed for the purpose of giving pleasure." (St. Thomas
Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the
history of the Church")
Also
See: Music
is at the Service of the Liturgy & Not Vice Versa | Suitable
/ Unsuitable Music | Gregorian
Chant | Polyphony
| Those
Admitted to the Choir | Bands
Forbidden in Church | Forbidden
/ Allowed Instruments | Instruments
Should Not Oppress Singing | Against
Applause / Noise in Church
| Misc.
/ Sacred Music | Beauty
& Decorum in the House of God
| Reverence
Note:
Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related
to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more
'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.
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Catg.
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Suitable
/ Unsuitable Music
Also See:
Music (Topic Page)
|
"Can.
1264 § 1 Music, whether of the organ or of other instruments or
sung, in which there is mixed anything lascivious or impure is
entirely forbidden from churches; and the liturgical laws
concerning sacred music are to be observed." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"They
shall also banish from churches all those kinds of music, in
which, whether by the organ, or in the singing, there is mixed up
any thing lascivious or impure; as also all secular actions; vain
and therefore profane conversations, all walking about, noise, and
clamour, that so the house of God may be seen to be, and may be
called, truly a house of prayer." (Council of Trent,
Twenty-second Session)
"It
cannot be said that modem music and singing should be entirely
excluded from Catholic worship. For, if they are not profane nor
unbecoming to the sacredness of the place and function, and do not
spring from a desire of achieving extraordinary and unusual
effects, then our churches must admit them since they can
contribute in no small way to the splendor of the sacred
ceremonies, can lift the mind to higher things and foster true
devotion of soul." (Pope Pius XII, "Mediator Dei",
1947)
"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." (Pope St. Pius X,
"Inter Sollicitudines", 1911)
"[T]he Church must insist that this
(musical) art remain within its proper limits and must prevent
anything profane and foreign to divine worship from entering into
sacred music along with genuine progress, and perverting it" (Pope Pius XII)
"[T]he chants and sacred music which are immediately
joined with the Church's liturgical worship should be conducive to
the lofty end for which they are intended. This music - as our
predecessor (St.) Pius X has already wisely warned us - 'must
possess proper liturgical qualities, primarily holiness and
goodness of form; from which its other note, universality, is
derived.' It must be holy. It must not allow within itself
anything that savors of the profane nor allow any such thing to
slip into the melodies in which it is expressed." (Pope Pius XII)
"It
is, however, to be deplored that these most wise laws in some
places have not been fully observed, and therefore their intended
results not obtained. We know that some have declared these laws,
though so solemnly promulgated, were not binding upon their
obedience. Others obeyed them at first, but have since come
gradually to give countenance to a type of music which should be
altogether banned from our churches. In some cases, especially
when the memory of some famous musician was being celebrated, the
opportunity has been taken of performing in church certain works
which, however excellent, should never have been performed there,
since they were entirely out of keeping with the sacredness of the
place and of the liturgy." (Pope Pius XI, "Divini Cultus",
1928)
"Moreover, in the encyclical Mediator Dei, We
Ourselves gave detailed and clear regulations concerning the
musical modes that are to be admitted into the worship of the
Catholic religion. 'For, if they are not profane or unbecoming to
the sacredness of the place and function and do not spring from a
desire to achieve extraordinary and unusual effects, then our
churches must admit them, since they can contribute in no small
way to the splendor of the sacred ceremonies, can lift the mind to
higher things, and can foster true devotion of the soul.' It
should hardly be necessary to add the warning that, when the means
and talent available are unequal to the task, it is better to
forego such attempts than to do something which would be unworthy
of divine worship and sacred gatherings." (Pope Pius XII,
"Musicae Sacrae", 1955)
Also
See: Gregorian
Chant | Polyphony
| Those
Admitted to the Choir | Sacred
Music is Not For the Purpose of Pleasure or Showing Off | Music
is at the Service of the Liturgy & Not Vice Versa | Bands
Forbidden in Church | Forbidden
/ Allowed Instruments | Instruments
Should Not Oppress Singing | Against
Applause / Noise in Church
| Misc.
/ Sacred Music | Beauty
& Decorum in the House of God
| Reverence
Note:
Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related
to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more
'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.
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Those
Admitted to the Choir
Also See:
Music (Topic Page)
|
"Finally,
only men of known piety and probity of life are to be admitted to
form part of the choir of a church, and these men should by their
modest and devout bearing during the liturgical functions show
that they are worthy of the holy office they exercise. It will
also be fitting that singers while singing in church wear the
ecclesiastical habit and surplice, and that they be hidden behind
gratings when the choir is excessively open to the public
gaze." (Pope St. Pius X, "Inter Sollicitudines",
1916)
"Where
it is impossible to have schools of singers or where there are not
enough choir boys, it is allowed that 'a group of men and women or
girls, located in a place outside the sanctuary set apart for the
exclusive use of this group, can sing the liturgical texts at
Solemn Mass, as long as the men are completely separated from the
women and girls and everything unbecoming is avoided. The Ordinary
is bound in conscience in this matter.'" (Pope Pius XII,
"Musicae Sacrae", 1955)
"Can.
1264 § 2 Religious women,
if it is permitted to them according to the norm of their
constitutions or liturgical law, and having come to the local
Ordinary, can sing in their own church or public oratory, provided
that they are singing from a place where they cannot be seen by
the people." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
Also
See: Women
Not Admitted to the Choir | Sacred
Music is Not For the Purpose of Pleasure or Showing Off | Music
is at the Service of the Liturgy & Not Vice Versa | Suitable
/ Unsuitable Music | Gregorian
Chant | Polyphony
| Forbidden
/ Allowed Instruments | Instruments
Should Not Oppress Singing | Bands
Forbidden in Church | Misc.
/ Sacred Music | Beauty
& Decorum in the House of God
| Proper
/ Improper Church Attire | Reverence
Note:
Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related
to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more
'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.
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Women
Not Admitted to the Choir
Also See:
Catholic Women (Topic Page)
Note:
The liturgical practice of all male singers may date back to the Old
Testament (see 1 Chron. 6:16-32). |
"On
the same principle it follows that singers in church have a real
liturgical office, and that therefore women, being incapable of
exercising such office, cannot be admitted to form part of the
choir. Whenever, then, it is desired to employ the acute voices of
sopranos and contraltos, these parts must be taken by boys,
according to the most ancient usage of the Church." (Pope St.
Pius X, "Inter Sollicitudines", 1914)
"Choir-schools
for boys should be established not only for the greater churches
and cathedrals, but also for smaller parish churches. The boys
should be taught by the choirmaster to sing properly, so that, in
accordance with the ancient custom of the Church, they may sing in
the choir with the men, especially as in polyphonic music the
highest part, the cantus, ought to be sung by boys. Choir-boys,
especially in the sixteenth century, have given us masters of
polyphony: first and foremost among them, the great Palestrina."
(Pope Pius XI, "Divini Cultus", 1928)
Also
See: Sacred
Music is Not For the Purpose of Pleasure or Showing Off | Music
is at the Service of the Liturgy & Not Vice Versa | Suitable
/ Unsuitable Music | Those
Admitted to the Choir | Misc.
/ Sacred Music | Beauty
& Decorum in the House of God
| Proper
/ Improper Church Attire | Reverence
| Women
Not Admitted to the Choir? (flier)
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Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related
to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more
'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.
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Catg.
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Misc. |
"The
dignity and lofty purpose of sacred music consist in the fact that
its lovely melodies and splendor beautify and embellish the voices
of the priest who offers Mass and of the Christian people who
praise the Sovereign God. Its special power and excellence should
lift up to God the minds of the faithful who are present. It
should make the liturgical prayers of the Christian community more
alive and fervent so that everyone can praise and beseech the
Triune God more powerfully, more intently and more effectively.
The power of sacred music increases the honor given to God by the
Church in union with Christ, its Head. Sacred music likewise helps
to increase the fruits which the faithful, moved by the sacred
harmonies, derive from the holy liturgy. These fruits, as daily
experience and many ancient and modern literary sources show,
manifest themselves in a life and conduct worthy of a
Christian." (Pope Pius XII, "Musicae Sacrae", 1955)
"To
arouse men to devotion by teaching and preaching is a more
excellent way than by singing. Wherefore deacons and prelates,
whom it becomes to incite men's minds towards God by means of
preaching and teaching, ought not to be instant in singing, lest
thereby they be withdrawn from greater things. Hence Gregory says
(Registrum iv, Ep. 44): 'It is a most discreditable custom for
those who have been raised to the diaconate to serve as
choristers, for it behooves them to give their whole time to the
duty of preaching and to taking charge of the alms.'" (St.
Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian
in the history of the Church")
"These
laws and standards for religious art apply in a stricter and
holier way to sacred music because sacred music enters more
intimately into divine worship than many other liberal arts, such
as architecture, painting and sculpture. These last serve to
prepare a worthy setting for the sacred ceremonies. Sacred music,
however, has an important place in the actual performance of the
sacred ceremonies and rites themselves. Hence the Church must take
the greatest care to prevent whatever might be unbecoming to
sacred worship or anything that might distract the faithful in
attendance from lifting their minds up to God from entering into
sacred music, which is the servant, as it were, of the sacred
liturgy." (Pope Pius XII, "Musicae Sacrae", 1955)
"A
congregation that is devoutly present at the [Eucharistic]
Sacrifice, in which our Savior together with His children redeemed
with His sacred blood sings the nuptial hymn of His immense love,
cannot keep silent, for 'song befits the lover' and, as the
ancient saying has it, 'he who sings well prays twice.' Thus the
Church militant, faithful as well as clergy, joins in the hymns of
the Church triumphant and with the choirs of angels, and, all
together, sing a wondrous and eternal hymn of praise to the most
Holy Trinity in keeping with words of the preface, 'with whom our
voices, too, thou wouldst bid to be admitted.'" (Pope Pius
XII, "Mediator Dei", 1947)
"The
Church also needs musicians. How many sacred works have been
composed through the centuries by people deeply imbued with the
sense of the mystery! The faith of countless believers has been
nourished by melodies flowing from the hearts of other believers,
either introduced into the liturgy or used as an aid to dignified
worship. In song, faith is experienced as vibrant joy, love, and
confident expectation of the saving intervention of God."
(Pope John Paul II, 1999)
"[T]he
praise of the voice is necessary in order to arouse man's devotion
towards God. Wherefore whatever is useful in conducing to this
result is becomingly adopted in the divine praises. Now it is
evident that the human soul is moved in various ways according to
various melodies of sound, as the Philosopher state (Politica
viii,5), and also Boethius (De Musica, prologue). Hence the use of
music in the divine praises is a salutary institution, that the
souls of the faint-hearted may be the more incited to devotion.
Wherefore [St.] Augustine says (Confessiones x,33): 'I am inclined to
approve of the usage of singing in the church, that so by the
delight of the ears the faint-hearted may rise to the feeling of
devotion': and he says of himself (Confessiones ix,6): 'I wept in
Thy hymns and canticles, touched to the quick by the voices of Thy
sweet-attuned Church.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the
Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
"[T]he
Church must insist that this [musical] art remain within its
proper limits and must prevent anything profane and foreign to
divine worship from entering into sacred music along with genuine
progress, and perverting it. The Sovereign Pontiffs have always
diligently fulfilled their obligation to be vigilant in this
matter. The Council of Trent also forbids 'those musical works in
which something lascivious or impure is mixed with organ music or
singing.' In addition, not to mention numerous other Sovereign
Pontiffs, Our predecessor Benedict XIV of happy memory in an
encyclical letter dated February 19, 1749, which prepared for a
Holy Year and was outstanding for its great learning and abundance
of proofs, particularly urged Bishops to firmly forbid the illicit
and immoderate elements which had arrogantly been inserted into
sacred music. Our predecessors Leo XII, Pius VII, Gregory XVI,
Pius IX, and Leo XIII followed the same line. Nevertheless it can
rightly be said that Our predecessor of immortal memory, St. Pius
X, made as it were the highest contribution to the reform and
renewal of sacred music when he restated the principles and
standards handed down from the elders and wisely brought them
together as the conditions of modern times demanded. Finally, like
Our immediate predecessor of happy memory, Pius XI, in his
Apostolic Constitution Divini cultus sanctitatem (The Holiness of
Divine Worship), issued December 20, 1929, We ourself in the
encyclical Mediator Dei (On the Sacred Liturgy), issued November
20, 1947, have enriched and confirmed the orders of the older
Pontiffs. Certainly no one will be astonished that the Church is
so vigilant and careful about sacred music. It is not a case of
drawing up laws of aesthetics or technical rules that apply to the
subject of music. It is the intention of the Church, however, to
protect sacred music against anything that might lessen its
dignity, since it is called upon to take part in something as
important as divine worship." (Pope Pius XII, "Musicae
Sacrae", 1955)
Also
See: Music
is at the Service of the Liturgy & Not Vice Versa | Sacred
Music is Not For the Purpose of Pleasure or Showing Off | Suitable
/ Unsuitable Music | Gregorian
Chant | Polyphony
| Those
Admitted to the Choir | Women
Not Admitted to the Choir | Bands
Forbidden in Church | Forbidden
/ Allowed Instruments | Instruments
Should Not Oppress Singing | Against
Applause / Noise in Church
| Beauty
& Decorum in the House of God
| Reverence
| Silence
in Church | Proper
/ Improper Church Attire
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