..•.... ,~. ,. -.,.~, -r-. Twenty Years of Music in Catholic Worship: The Changes that Didn't Change hen the BCl announced in 1981 that Music in vision that has produced an understanding of the Church's Catholic Worship (MCW) was to be revised, many rites in which music is integral and no longer the "ancilla" of W of us fell into profound depression only after we the Motu Proprio. Music was still to be ancillary to the rite, landed from circling the walls. For almost ten years, but it was not just a "beautiful package wrapped up with a workshops, lectures, classes and pastor-musician gold ribbon" as an offering to God similar to the juggler's gift encounters had drawn enormous amrnunitien from the in front of the Madonna. Music was to be expressive of the document which validated pastoral music with the three community, relevant to the community, unifying the judgments in the selection of music-liturgical, musical and community and moving the community into the presence of pastoral. We could envision our lectures and demonstrations the Holy One. Music was to be prayer, not just being gutted and we would be left with,Ptu~ X's 'Motu ornamentation. Proprio' of 1903, hardly the best document to q~~te in the In the twenty years that have transpired since its advocacy of guitars and folk music. Our--fe~rsWere allayed , appearance, some discernible characteristics or conventions when the revision, Liturgical Music Today,(L:MT), appeared in are present in the church that were not there before the 1982. The new document was more of an amplification than Second Vatican Council. The obvious changes in the a revision. The language lost its poetic tone, but we public celebration of the Church's liturgy were the could still safely say "People in love make signs of /--", establishment of the vernacular, the altar facing love, not only to express their love but ~Iso to -c r ~ the community, the primacy of Scripture and the deepen it. love never expressed dies"' '," /.~~Iii.-:J active participation of the community. Therein ~Paragraph4 MC~.I) and "F~ith grows w~henit / ("1: f~~ /--;:'-:, lies the most earth-moving characteristi-the is well expressed In celebration. Good' 1'\"'1 ~j,g (J"~ .,~,.~. community, or in today's terminology, "the celebrations foster and nourish faith. Poor • \..:~:::.L~\.~ ~" assembly" and the power of the assembly. celebrations may weaken and destroy it.~, , '- \" '".-'- The assembly quickly emerges as the (Paragraph 6 MCW) And of course the 1 ~. .....~__ primary symbol of the liturgy that the CSl bombshell of the pastoral-musical-liturqical. ~ '.., envisioned. From the ministry of the judgment was still intact and continues to :be a ~/'~'" assembly come the other visible ones of valuable tool for negotiations with recalcitrant ; lector, cantor, presider, eucharistic minister. To clergy and unbudging musicians.' . express their roles and the common role of the The appearance of MCW in 1982 came at an assembly as celebrator, music is called upon to form important time in the development of the post-Conciliar a language that is to flesh out the rites. That language was liturgy. The constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (CSl) was to be shaped by that three part judgment cited above. No nine years old and the experimentation with the expression longer was it a solely aesthetic judgment. It was not enough of the ever changing forms of the liturgyw~s polarizing that the music piece be beautiful, but it was to function parishes and communities everywhere.TJ;le traditional appropriately at the liturgical moment and fall within the musician was threatened and felt under $,iege. The emerging pastoral requirements of that assembly. It is this last pastoral musician was faced with a small repertory and had judgment that is both the strength and weakness of the little or no clear direction of what to do with it other than sing document. What constitutes "pastoral"? it, strum it, and bear the derision of church gores who blamed Examples are better than definitions. 1. A bride requests the musician for everything they couldn't .stand about the Mendelssohn's wedding march as a recessional. The "New church." MCW gave us vocabularyorqanization and organist nearly hemorrhages at the thought and digs his or Of course, there are the important answers to the questions posed in the first days of the Council's reforms. 'What do we sing?" Acclamations, processional songs, responsorial psalms, everything else. There you have it. All lined up in preference. 'Who does the singing?" The assembly, the choirs, the presiders, the cantors, the psalm leaders. Those designations are based on the liturgical scheme which determines the function of the item. The clarity was a beacon in the dark storm of post-conciliar morass. The document enjoys good health today. That doesn't mean that it her feet in. No way! It violates Paragraph 55 states, "Liturgical music doesn't go in for a check up now and everything that the organist has held as today must be as diverse and multi- then. A major reflection and dialogue sacred. The bride falls into irrational cultural as the members of these on MCW oy The Milwaukee Symposia behavior (screaming) and promises she assembly ... Likewise the great musical for Church Composers has been will never ever come to church again. gifts of the Hispanic, Black and other prepared for study and evaluation. It is She has dreamed for years that this ethnic communities in the Church an example of how the document still is piece would make up her wedding. The should enrich the whole Church in the an active force in how we understand organist relents and plays the piece. United States in a dialogue of cultures." music in the celebration of the liturgy. The bride joins the choir after her The wisdom of this language is that it With this next wave of refinement we honeymoon and is elected president of admits inclusivity, but doesn't give come closer to understanding what the the parish council. That's sound guidelines or rules on how to do it. original opening statements pastoral judgment! Nothing could have been worse than to proclaimed, ·We are Christians have had the BCl mandating a national 2. The eighth grade plans their because through the Christian hymnal which would be the official graduation and would like to sing "On community, we have met Jesus Christ, . compendium of Anglo and non-Anglo Eagles Wings· for the three-hundredth heard his word in invitation, and repertory. Today, that hymnal would time. The music minister has a cow. responded to him in faith. We gather at have to be the size of the New York, He or she can't bear to schedule it one Mass (liturgy) that we may hear and Chicago, and Los Angeles phone books more time. The PTA asks why not? express our faith again in this assembly combined. With the concern of the The music minister senses the and by expressing it, renew and 1992 church for cultural diversity, the deepen it.-:- appropriateness for this group at this avenue is still open for further time. They sing "On Eagles Wings" as expansions of musical expressions and Fred Mo/eck the responsorial psalm. That's sound broad enough for cultural adaptation. Associate Professor of Fine Arts pastoral judgment Music Director, Campus Ministry -Seton Hill The role of the musician has gained 3. The director of religious studies College, Greensburg, PA new prestige with the document's thought it would be a good choice to Editor, GIA Quarterly, GIA Publications, lnc., important statements on music sing "Happy Days are Here Again" as Chicago,IL personnel and their training. Paragraph the recessional for Mass at the end of 77 in MCW champions the rights of the summer school. The contemporary Editor's Note: musicians as earners of just wages. ensemble works out a rag-time rendition The text of The Milwaukee Symposia lMT further expands that paragraph in of it. The pastor collapses at his chair for Church Composers: A Ten Year paragraphs 64, 65, and 66 which and so do the better-trained catechists. Report is copyrighted © 1992, includes the necessity of skill building That's bad pastoral judgment. Archdiocese of Milwaukee. and training. Within that context and The judgment is qualified by enjoying the thrust of those documents, The publication of the text is extenuating 'circumstances and the National Association of Pastoral copyrighted and co-published by: circumstances are always under Musicians (NPM) has certainly been a The National Association of Pastoral observation. MCW admits this variable. crucial factor in elevating the status of Musicians For the first time in nearly one thousand the Roman Catholic musician. These 225 Sheridan Street NW years, the understanding of the function two documents could very easily be the Washington DC 20011-1492 of a piece of music is given a breadth constitution of the NPM. 1-202-723-5800 that takes into account sociological and Liturgy Training Publications These areas of pastoral concern are cultural factors. Such an understanding 1800 North Hermitage Avenue sometimes missed when the document is reinforced by paragraphs 54 and 55 Chicago Il 60622-1101 is studied but they do provide an in Liturgical Music Today. These two 1-800-933-1800 important change of direction in the paragraphs echo the valuing of native understanding of the church's music. Copies of this document are available culture in chapter six of the CSL. from the Worship Office. - 2------------------------------------------------------------ -, . ~ As part of the preparations for the publication of a new edition of the lectionary, the American Bishops requested permission of the Vatican to amend the acclamations at the conclusion of the scripture readings: "This is the Word of the Lord;" and "This is the gospel of the Lord." On March 27, 1992, Archbishop Pilarczyk, President of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops announced that the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments had approved the slightly revised translation of "Verbum Domini" when used in the Liturgy.