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Articles about Liturgy and Music

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  • What Exactly Is Sacred Music?

    • The author sought out different opinions, a bishop, some experts, and included references to Church teaching about music for Mass​

    • I think this is a good contribution to the current state of the discussion about what kind of music should be sung at Mass

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  • Propers of the Mass vs. the Four Hymn Sandwich

    • Explains the history of how hymn/song singing came to be common at Mass but explains that the Church has historically practiced and instructs a different ideal for music at Mass: singing the ordinary and proper texts of the Mass

    • References the Jubilate Deo Latin Mass chants and the collection of English propers by Fr. Samuel Weber that we sing chants from​

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  • Singing with Wisdom: Music in Roman Catholic Worship

    • ​A three-part series of articles at Bishop Barron's Word on Fire website that summarizes the history of Catholic liturgical music and attempts at reform (part 1), explains some of Vatican II's guidelines for reforming the Mass and its music (part 2), and proposes a way forward for correctly implementing the mind of the Church regarding the music to be sung at Mass (part 3)

    • The author suggests that what Vatican II intended for music at Mass is much different from what the most common experience of music at Mass has been since the reforms of the 1960s

    • At the ends of articles 1 and 2 there are links to the next article in the series

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  • Beauty Will Save the World: Liturgical Music

    • ​Another article at Bishop Barron's Word on Fire website. This one explains that music at Mass must suit the liturgy's purpose and contribute to the liturgy's beauty in a prayerful and even an ascetic way.​

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  • What Is the Role of Liturgical Music in an Apostolic Age?

    • This article refers to the short book from The University of Mary that I have posted under Book Recommendations: From Christendom to Apostolic Mission: Pastoral Strategies for an Apostolic Age

    • The author advocates that the way we celebrate liturgy must offer a compelling Christian vision and sacramental experience of the supernatural in contrast to the materialist worldview of Western culture​

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  • Five Articles about the Liturgical Reform

    • Not light reading. An excellent, comprehensive explanation and assessment of the Church's recent history of liturgical reform.​ Read the five articles in order by starting at the bottom and working your way up chronologically

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  • "Gathering Song" or "Entrance Chant": What's in a Name?

    • Explains the history of options and terms for singing during the entrance, offertory and Communion processions at Mass​

    • Encourages parishes and liturgical musicians to be consistent in adopting the terminology used by the Church in the Missal when referring to the music sung at Mass rather than using substitute descriptions or terms

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  • Principles for Liturgical/Sacred Music at Mass

    • Short article that summarizes and explains a 1903 instruction about sacred music issued by Pope Saint Pius X​; includes a video at the end of the article with a discussion about liturgical music

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  • Sing a New Song

    • A Catholic columnist writes about her experience attending Mass at a Catholic parish that she visited

    • Reflects on how people's experience and understanding of Catholic faith is potentially affected by the replacement of the deep tradition of Catholic sacred music with contemporary songs

    • Asks why so many Catholic parishes sing music that merely reflects "the ideas of some guy who happened to write a piece that some company liked, bought and then sold this parish the rights to sing" instead of being drawn from the Church's Tradition of sacred music

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  • The Gift of the Liturgical Reform

    • Long article about the changes made to the Mass after Vatican II and how they were designed to increase the spiritual fruitfulness of the Mass for Catholics

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  • Planning for Beauty

    • Explains the difference between the ordinary of the Mass and the propers of the Mass; stresses that the antiphons/propers that the Church has selected for each Mass are part of the "sacred curriculum" of the Mass and the liturgical year, along with the readings in the Lectionary and the priest's prayers in the Roman Missal​, and encourages music directors to factor the antiphons/propers into account when planning music for the year

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  • Fourteen Easy Ways to Improve the Liturgy

    • Fourteen very simple steps for repairing the weaknesses that mar many U.S. Catholic liturgies. Small changes week by week will make a huge difference over time.​

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  • Why I Chant the Mass

    • Essay by a parish pastor about why he chants the Mass texts and prayers​

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  • Encourage the Clergy to Sing

    • Explains that the ideal realization of singing at Mass is to sing the everyday, ordinary texts of the Mass using the tones that are provided in the Roman Missal.​

    • The common practice of the past 40+ years of speaking the Mass texts while inserting songs into the Mass has been upside-down: the way it's supposed to be done is that singing the everyday, ordinary texts of the Mass should have the first priority, with singing accompanying the entrance, offertory, and Communion processions having a much lower priority in implementation.

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  • Sea Shanties, Gregorian Chant, and Liturgical Work

    • Article at Bishop Barron's Word on Fire website that explains chanting the Mass by comparing it to ancient sea shanties: the work of sailing was assisted through song, and the work of liturgy is assisted through the sung dialogue between priest and assembly​​​

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  • Finding God in the Extraordinary

    • Another article at Bishop Barron's Word on Fire website that discusses the importance of celebrating Mass with reverence so it will be an extraordinary experience of divine mystery and holiness.​

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  • Missalette Music Is a Significant Cause of Shrinking Congregations

    • The article's title is a pun on "Breaking Bread". It argues that the contemporary Catholic music in missalettes and hymnals, such as those published by OCP, is a significant reason why Mass attendance has decreased sharply over the past several decades. Contends that chant should be the dominant style of music at Mass.​

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  • "Singing the Mass" by Bishop Thomas Olmsted

    • A series of columns about the history of liturgical music and what the Church teaches about music at Mass; originally appeared in the Diocese of Phoenix's newspaper from 2011-2012

    • Also here

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