Letter on Sacred Music in the Liturgy

to the parishioners of
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church
Lake Ridge, Virginia (Part 4)

IV. The New Parish Music Program

Choirs

Regarding the role of choirs, Pope Benedict XVI comments on a quote from the respected liturgical thinker Phillip Harnoncourt:

"The choir, in other words, is not related to a listening congregation as it is to a concert audience which allows something to be performed for it. Rather the choir is itself part of the congregation and sings for it as legitimate delegate." The concept of "delegation" is one of the basic categories of all Christian faith, and it applies to all levels of faith-filled reality, and precisely for this reason is also essential in the liturgical assembly.

The insight that we are dealing here with delegation, in fact resolves the apparent conflict of opposites. The choir acts on behalf of the others and includes them in the purpose of its own action. Through the sensing of the choir, everyone can be conducted into the great Liturgy of the communion of saints and thus into that interior prayer which pulls our hearts on high and permits us to join with the heavenly Jerusalem in a manner far beyond all earthly expectation.⁵²

The US Bishops further clarify the need for musically skilled choirs:

The congregation commonly sings unison melodies, which are more suitable for generally unrehearsed community singing. This is the primary song of the Liturgy. Choirs and ensembles, on the other hand, comprise persons drawn from the community who possess the requisite musical skills and a commitment to the established schedule of rehearsals and Liturgies. Thus, they are able to enrich the celebration by adding musical elements beyond the capabilities of the congregation alone.⁵³

We are excited to announce four new choirs. In a sense they descend directly from our previous choirs; on the other hand, they have completely new missions. We invite all parishioners interested in singing with the music ministry to considering participating in one or more of them.

Saint Dominic Savio Treble Choir

Named after the patron saint of choirboys, the Saint Dominic Savio Treble Choir will lead the singing at the Sunday 9am Mass. Since the Middle Ages, the Church has considered the pure and clear voice of a child to be one of the most angelic and inspiring sounds. The great amount of music, old and new, written for high voices testifies to this tradition. Open to all children in grades 2-8. No experience required. Rehearsal time TBD.

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Vigil Choir

Taking our parish namesake as its patroness, the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Vigil Choir will provide music for the Saturday 6:00pm Mass. In all ages, the Church has promoted fresh, new musical compositions by current composers. There is a great deal of wonderful music from twentieth- and twenty-first-century composers who have set venerated liturgical texts in ever-new ways. Open to anyone in high school or older with basic music-reading ability. Rehearsals held Wednesdays 7:30-9:30pm in the music room.

Saint Cecilia Polyphonic Choir

Named after the patroness of music, the Saint Cecilia Polyphonic Choir will provide music for the Sunday 10:45am Mass. Second only to Gregorian chant, the sacred music of the Renaissance has been honored by the Church as a repertoire to be preserved forever. This choir will carry on this tradition, as well as singing music descended from Renaissance polyphony in later periods, even up to the present. Open to anyone over the age of 16 who is able to read music. Rehearsals held Thursdays 7:30-9:30pm in the music room.

Saint Ambrose Schola Cantorum

As one of the Church's earliest authors of hymns, Saint Ambrose inspired his fourth-century congregation to lift their hearts and minds to God in songs designed to defend against the forces of heresy that were driven by a pagan secular culture. Today, medieval — and especially Gregorian — chant is just as fresh on our lips as it was then and still serves as a bedrock for all sacred music, an impenetrable bulwark against spiritual threats. The Saint Ambrose Schola Cantorum will lead the music at the Sunday 12:30pm Mass. Open to all. No experience required. Rehearsal time TBD.

Cantors and psalmists

The ministry of cantor, a "singer and a leader of congregational song,"54 comes from the ancient Jewish temple practice. Far from being an entertainer, the cantor leads the congregation and takes on solo roles to act in alternation with or on behalf of the congregation. A cantor who sings the Responsorial Psalm also takes the particular role of psalmist, a designation indicating the responsibility of proclaiming the Liturgy of the Word. "The psalmist should be able to proclaim the text of the Psalm with clarity, conviction, and sensitivity to the text, the musical setting, and those who are listening."⁵⁵ Open to singers who possess the requisite vocal and leadership skills.

Instrumentalists

Organists

Since the Middle Ages, the pipe organ has been the one instrument in universal use in the Roman Catholic Church. Organists have the important duty of supporting and driving forward the congregational and choral song and supporting the liturgical action by playing solo pieces and improvisations. Substitutes are occasionally needed when the parish Organist cannot play for certain parish Masses, as well as for some weddings and funerals.

Solo and ensemble instrumentalists

As stated above, the Liturgy has included a countless variety of instruments ever since the days of the ancient Temple. All manner of string, wind, brass, and percussion instruments have supported the human voice and the organ in expressing the many sentiments contained in the liturgical texts. Soloists will sometimes be needed for Sunday Masses, and ensembles will be assembled for certain solemnities throughout the liturgical year.

V. Conclusion

In this letter we have done our best to explain the Church's theology of liturgical music especially as it applies to our parish. Our selected quotations from Church documents are only a fraction of the wealth of teaching available on this subject. Please see the Sacred Music portion of the parish website for links to the full documents cited above, as well as many others relating to sacred music. Though the Sacred Music website is under construction, please be patient as a great deal of resources will soon be available.

We also pray that we have communicated the need for patience, understanding, and humility in the ongoing discussion about sacred music. Let the theological virtues of faith in the wisdom of God through the Church, hope in God's plan for our parish, and charity toward one another imbue our attitudes as we proceed through this period of change, at once both exciting and trying. We invite you to approach the heavenly Liturgy with us, to leave behind all worldly concerns, and to drink from the Wellspring of everlasting life:

The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come."
And let him who hears say, "Come."
And let him who is thirsty come,
let him who desires take the water of life without price.
How blessed are those invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.⁵⁶

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit!⁵⁷

Fr. David Meng, Pastor
Fr. James Searby, Parochial Vicar
Mr. Jonathan P. Laird, Organist and Choirmaster
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church

Endnotes

  ¹ Col 3:15-17.
  ² Pope Saint Pius X, Tra le sollecitudini [TLS], 1903. Emphasis added.
  ³ Rev 21:5.
  ⁴ II Cor 5:17.
  ⁵ Heb 12:26-29. Emphasis added.
  ⁶ Ratzinger, Joseph Cardinal. "'In the Presence of the Angels I will Sing your Praise': The Regensburg Tradition and the Reform of the Liturgy" in A New Song for the Lord, 1995. Emphasis added.
  ⁷ I Cor 6:19.
  ⁸ Cf. I Cor 11:17-34.
  ⁹ Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia de eucharistia, no. 52. Emphasis added.
¹⁰ TLS, introduction.
¹¹ Sacrosanctum concilium [SC]: the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Vatican Council II, 1963, no. 14.
¹² SC 30.
¹³ United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship, 2007, no. 12. Emphasis added.
¹⁴ Sing to the Lord 28.
¹⁵ Pope John Paul II, Address to Bishops of the Northwest Provinces of the USCCB, in Ad Limina Addresses: The Addresses of His Holiness Pope John Paul II to the Bishops of the United States, February 1998-October 1998, no. 3. Emphasis added.
¹⁶ John 6:60.
¹⁷ Cf. Jer 29:13; Jos 24:14; Phil 4:6; Col 4:2.
¹⁸ Pope John Paul II, Chirograph of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II for the Centenary of the Motu Proprio Tra le Sollecitudini on Sacred Music, November 11, 2003, no. 4. Emphasis added.
¹⁹ Pope John Paul II, address to the Plenary Meeting of The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments [CDW address], 2001, no. 4. Emphasis added.
²⁰ Cf. Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, 2001, no. 30.
²¹ SC 7. Emphasis added.
²² SC 8.
²³ Pope John Paul II, Vicemus quintus annus, 1988, no. 18.
²⁴ Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Dies Domini of the Holy Father John Paul II to the Bishops, Clergy, and Faithful of the Catholic Church on Keeping the Lord's Day Holy, no. 50. Emphasis added.
²⁵ Chirograph 10, 7. Emphasis added.
²⁶ Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy, 2000, p. 147.
²⁷ Cf. Romans 12:2.
²⁸ CDW Address 5.
²⁹ SC 123.
³⁰ Sing to the Lord 134-135. Emphasis added.
³¹ Preface of the Holy Eucharist II.
³² Preface for the Annunciation. Emphasis added.
³³ Preface of the Holy Eucharist I. Emphasis added.
³⁴ Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy, p. 148. Emphasis added.
³⁵ SC 112. Emphasis added.
³⁶ Chirograph 5.
³⁷ SC 121. Emphasis added.
³⁸ Chirograph 7. Emphasis added.
³⁹ SC 54.
⁴⁰ Sing to the Lord 61.
⁴¹ Sing to the Lord 73.
⁴² Sing to the Lord 74.
⁴³ SC 121.
⁴⁴ TLS 3.
⁴⁵ Chirograph 12.
⁴⁶ Cf. Sing to the Lord 27.
⁴⁷ Sing to the Lord 86.
⁴⁸ SC 120. Emphasis added.
⁴⁹ Sing to the Lord 87-88, quoting Pope Benedict XVI, Greeting of the Holy Father on the Occasion of Blessing of the New Organ at Regensburg's Alte Kapelle, Sept 13, 2006. Emphasis added.
⁵⁰ Pope Pius XII, Musicæ sacræ, 1955, no. 59.
⁵¹ Sing to the Lord 89-90, quoting Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, General Instruction on the Roman Missal, 2002, no. 393.
⁵² Ratzinger, "In the Presence of the Angels," p.177-178. Emphasis added.
⁵³ Sing to the Lord28.
⁵⁴ Sing to the Lord 37.
⁵⁵ Sing to the Lord 35.
⁵⁶ Rev 22:17; 19:9.
⁵⁷ Cf. Gal 6:18.

Copyright © 2010 Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church,
Lake Ridge, Virginia.
All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.