Points to consider when reforming music

A recently ordained priest has come to a parish as an associate and finds himself in conventional music situation, dominating by what has been mainstream for at least a thirty years. He is seeking reform. So he sent the following memo to the liturgy committee and musicians:

1) It would seem unacceptable to sing compositions of texts from the ordinary of Mass that do not reproduce exactly the text. I believe St. Pius X’s norm from Tra Le Sollecitudini (Italian original) is the best way to understand “full adherence to the text it presents.”

My translation

“In particular, the following norms are to be observed: a) The Kyrie, the Gloria, etc. of the Mass should maintain unity in their composition proper to their text. It is therefore not licit to compose them in separate pieces, in such a manner that each of these pieces form an independent musical composition that could be removed from the rest and be substituted with the other.”

Question: In light of this, should the antiphonal Gloria be abandoned in favor of compositions that respect the integrity of the text? What about settings of the Angus Dei that do not respect the integrity of the text? (adding litanies, like “Jesus, Lamb of God” etc.) I do not believe that there is any justification for these practices in the GIRM, so it would seem to me that this continues to hold true.

2) In evaluating “sacred music”, we might to do well to follow St. Pius X’s definition, to which John Paul II refers favorably:

“Consequently, sacred music should possess to a greater extent the qualities that are proper to the Liturgy, precisely: holiness and soundness of form, and from these two should rise up spontaneously its other constitutive element, which is universality.”

3) Musicam Sacram on what constitutes Sacred Music

“By sacred music is understood that which, being created for the celebration of divine worship, is endowed with a certain holy sincerity of form. The following come under the title of sacred music here: Gregorian chant, sacred polyphony in its various forms both and ancient and modern, sacred music for the organ and other approved instruments, and sacred popular music, be it liturgical or simply religious.” (4)

4) Musicam Sacram on Choirs

“There should be choirs, Capellae, or scholae cantorum, especially in cathedrals and other major churches, in seminaries and religious houses of studies, and they should be carefully encouraged…” (19)

Question: In the liturgical tradition, such choirs have frequently been dedicated to singing at least some of the propers from the Graduale Romanum and polyphonic pieces, music that the congregation could not sing (see John Paul II reference above). Might we want to move in this direction?

5) Progessive solemnity (vide 29-36 of Musicam Sacram)

6) Use of Latin

“Pastors of souls should take care that besides the vernacular ‘the faithful may also be able to say or sing together in Latin those parts which pertain to them.’ ” (47)

Observation: I know that the GIRM establishes a lower minimum threshold, but since we are a major church, it would seem we could do better and have the entire ordinary of the Mass (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Mysterium Fidei, Pater Noster, Angus Dei, perhaps even the dialogues) chanted in Latin from time to time.

7) Use of melodies from the Missale Romanum in the Vernacular

“Among the melodies to be composed for the people’s texts, those which belong to the priest and ministers are particularly important, whether they sing them alone, or whether they sing them together with the people, or whether they sing them in ‘dialogue’ with the people. In composing these, musicians will consider whether the traditional melodies of the Latin liturgy, which are used for this purpose, can inspire the melody to be used for the same texts in the vernacular.” (MS 56)

Question: In the past, the celebrant HAD to sing the chants from the Roman Missal (there were, I believe two options, a ferial or a solemn tone). For the sake of simplicity, might we consider the possibility of using these tones for the celebrant and perhaps also for the people’s parts?

8) The use of accompaniment for the priest’s parts

“[W]hen some part is proclaimed aloud by the priest or a minister in virtue of his role, [musical instruments] should be silent.” (64)
Moreover, according to the GIRM #32, “The nature of the “presidential texts demands that they be spoken in a loud and clear voice and that everyone listen with attention. Thus, while the priest is speaking these texts, there should be no other prayers or singing, and the organ or other musical instruments should be silent.”