Sacred music and chant

It is no wonder that some Holy See documents are not noticed by the local media since they also bypass the attention of more than a few ecclesiastical circles.

Very little, if any, attention has been given to a very recent document about the role of sacred music in the Holy Liturgy - the chirograph of the Pope issued last November to commemorate the centenary of the Motu Proprio, Tra le Sollecitudini, on sacred music. It is unlikely that this will have the same reverberations as the document on the same subject issued at the beginning of the 20th century.

One hundred years have already elapsed since the saintly Pope Pius X published his document about the reform of Church music and chant. His aim was to purify Church music, "from the contamination of profane theatrical music that in many countries with a Catholic tradition had polluted the repertoire and musical praxis of the Liturgy".

The same Pope affirmed the principle of the "sound form", namely that there can be no music composed for the celebration of the sacred rites which is not either "true art" or which is not in line with the Church's objective to admit the art of musical sounds into her liturgy.

After praising the Gregorian chant, he set down a general dictum: "The more closely a composition for Church approaches in its movement, inspiration and savour the Gregorian melodic 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". This norm, however, by no means excludes polyphonic chant and popular songs which have been duly approved and are welcome additions.

Notwithstanding all its merits, the pontifical document of Pius X was not received with universal and whole-hearted acceptance in every part of the Catholic world. Even in our country, whose allegiance to the Supreme Church authority in those days was taken for granted, it took some time to digest the pontifical ruling and to abide by it as it was discordant with the prevailing tastes during that epoch.

There were only a handful conductors of Church music who understood the importance of these new ecclesiastical norms and did their best to observe them. The Maltese composer Joseph Caruana, who died at the age of 51 in July 1931, was certainly one of them. His musical activity reached its peak with the reform of Church music. His attempts to promote this kind of music met a lot of opposition, from fanatics which included certain parish priests. But because of his strong determination, strenuous work and the approval of the local Church authorities, his ideas eventually prevailed.

The latest document on Church music published last November contains very few innovations, if any. Many of its recommendations seem to be rather a reminder of the norms already formulated in the Liturgical Constitution of Vatican II and other post-conciliar documents.

In a nutshell, it reaffirms the importance of increasing the repertoire of musical compositions worthy of the exalted nature of the mysteries celebrated and, at the same time, suits contemporary sensibilities. It also recommends setting up on a diocesan, interdiocesan and national level special commissions of qualified people competent in sacred music.

The bishops' conferences should examine texts destined for liturgical chant and devote special attention to evaluating and encouraging melodies that are truly suited to sacred use and with preference for the traditional pipe-organ to ensure that musical instruments are fitting for the dignity of the Church.

Some of these norms are known and duly observed in many churches - but not everywhere. It is high time, therefore, and imperative that they be given closer attention, to give us better liturgical celebrations with more active participation from the faithful.