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When we join our voices in song to praise God we are joined together as the Body of Christ. This makes music sound very important, and so it is. Can we take part in liturgy and not sing? Sure, just as we can come to Mass and choose to stay isolated from those around us instead of joining in the communal celebration. We go through the motions, but we miss opening ourselves to the power of the liturgy! We close ourselves to Christ's presence among us in many powerful ways.
Liturgical music is much more than "four hymns". In reality, it isn't "four hymns" at all. Music in Catholic Worship, a 1972 document from the U.S. Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy, explains that the four-hymn pattern grew from trying to fit vernacular hymns into the Latin Mass. Paragraph 52 states, "It is now outdated, and the Mass has more than a dozen parts that may be sung, as well as numerous options for the celebrant."
Our liturgical celebrations include hymn singing as well as music that is part of the ritual itself. We sing the acclamations of the Mass: Gospel Acclamation ("Alleluia"), the "Holy, Holy", Memorial Acclamation and Great Amen. These are to be sung, even when very little other music is sung. We sing the scriptures that were originally written as song, the Psalms. We sing, according to David Phillipart in Saving Signs and Wondrous Words, "both to express and to deepen praise." He suggests, "Think of the acclamations that we sing, strange and simple words set to music: Amen, Alleluia, Holy, Holy, Holy. To speak these words is somehow deficient... But when we sing these words, the praise that they contain bubbles up and out, and the words ring true. And even if I do not feel like praising God right now, if I join in singing 'Holy, holy, holy,' with the rest of God's people, the singing nonetheless carries my heart heavenward. Singing together not only does something inside me and you, but it also does something for us as a body. It unites us." (©1996, Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, Chicago)
The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the first document of the Second Vatican Council, says this about the role of music in the liturgy: "…Therefore sacred music will be the more holy the more closely it is joined to the liturgical rite, whether by adding delight to prayer, fostering oneness of spirit, or investing the rites with greater solemnity." …(paragraph 112)
This document goes on to state that the purpose of sacred music "…is the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful…" The reference is to all of sacred music, both pieces for instruments only and those compositions for voices. Often, it is the beauty of the instrumental selection played at an appropriate place in the liturgy that lifts us up and helps us enter more deeply into the prayer. Instruments of all kinds have a place in the liturgy, but they do not replace the singing of the assembly.
What is the role of music in the liturgy? It unites us and helps us to praise God. Most of us do not sing anywhere else in our lives, but we are expected to do so when we come to celebrate Eucharist. The music of life surrounds us, but in the church we make the music; our lives are the music. Have you ever been tired and feeling low, but then you sing and find energy and a bit of joy? Ask any choir member who has dragged their tired self to the weekly rehearsal, intending to cut out early, only to find themselves renewed and inspired. The very act of singing draws a community together.
The physical action combines breath, heart, spirit and voice. It's a personal thing that becomes a community experience. The text of the prayer is deepened by its marriage to the music. We fill the worship space with the sound of our combined voices and, in this way, each of our individual voices is strengthened. What better way to enter into the celebration? One cannot stay outside the pull of the liturgy if one puts their singing voice into it. Sing and your body is joined to the Body of Christ.
Pat Campbell is Director of Music and Worship at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Warren, Ohio and has recently (7/11/07) become a Certified Director of Music Ministries through NPM and recognized by the USCCB. Pat has a degree in music education. She is a pianist, organist and singer who also plays guitar and recorder. As her son is serving in Iraq and her daughter begins college, she and husband Steve (married 26 years) enter a new phase of life in the fall. Pat can be reached at pat@stevesteez.com.
This article was reprinted with permission from the Catholic Exponent, the newspaper of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio.
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The Role of Music in the Liturgy: