Christian Ritual Music

Summary

Introduction

1 Music as an Expression of Human Life

2 Music in the Judeo-Christian Tradition

2.1 The “Song of Moses” and the “Song of the Lamb”

2.2 The “Praises” of the Lord

2.3 Singers and Instrumentalists

3 Christian Ritual Music

3.1 Music as Rite

3.2 Liturgical Repertoire

3.3 Criteria for the Choice of Liturgical Repertoire

4 By Way of Conclusion

References

Introduction

Given the breadth of the topic in question, we have chosen to approach it through three axes, namely: 1) music as an expression of human life; 2) music in the Judeo-Christian tradition; 3) Christian ritual music. We have also opted to use the term “ritual music” to designate that music linked to the rites of various peoples and cultures, and “Christian ritual music” for the music used in Christian liturgy.

1 Music as an Expression of Human Life

Since its origin, human life is populated with sounds. The experience of hearing the first sounds dates back to the maternal womb. In the intrauterine world, the new being is gestated in a potentially sonorous environment, starting with the sounds coming from its own mother’s body and the reverberation of others, from the outside world. After birth, the newborn gradually expands its listening capacity, based on the multiple sounds coming from the new world that surrounds it: from nature itself and from those produced by humans. It is through this listening that the child, in a gradual way, reacts and emits its own sounds.

            Music is the result of the “organization” of sounds, from its most elementary form to complex structures, involving musical instruments and the human voice. Indeed, it can be affirmed that the origin of music is intertwined with the genesis of the human being and, equally, it can be assured that it exerts an extraordinary power over humans. This power is capable of influencing behaviors, of transforming them positively or negatively, and transporting them from one extreme to another, to the point of turning sadness into joy, agitation into serenity, despair into hope… and vice versa. It is probable that the famous “classification” of the Gregorian modes, by Adam of Fulda (†1490), has to do with this:

Omnibus est primus, sed alter est tristibus aptus;

tertius iratus, quartus dicitur fieri blandus;

quintum da laetis, sextum pietate probatis;

septimus est iuvenum, sed postremus sapientum.

(The first lends itself to all feelings, the second is suited for sad feelings;

the third for anger, the fourth is said to be flattering;

the fifth is joyful, the sixth is for the devout,

the seventh is of the young, but the eighth is of the wise.)

Another medieval proverb, likewise, states:

Primus gravis, secundus tristis;

tertius misticus, quartus harmonicus;

quintus laetus, sextus devotus;

septimus angelicus, octavus perfectus.

(The first mode is serious, the second sad,

the third mystical, the fourth harmonic,

the fifth joyful, the sixth devout,

the seventh angelic, the eighth perfect.)

In short, music accompanies people in various circumstances of life, such as in leisure, work, occupational and medicinal therapy, at parties, in mourning… However, the quality of this “presence” and the degree of intensity at which this or that music affects each person will depend on the cultural nature of each people or group, including their internal and external dispositions.

In the religious sphere, music occupies a privileged place, to the point of exercising a type of “spiritual power.” For many traditions, besides favoring direct contact with the divinity, it possesses divine attributes and, for that very reason, is capable of leading people into a trance, ecstasy, or hypnosis. Already in ancient times, there was also the awareness that music possessed a magical virtue, capable of disposing, in favor of or against a person, good or evil spirits. This explains the predilection of ancient peoples for music in their cults and sacrifices.

However, it is worth noting that the concept of “music” should be understood here in a broad sense, encompassing “from the cries or the more or less rhythmic noises, achieved by the percussion of hands on empty fruits or trunks, to the most artistic music with melodies sung to the sound of more elaborate musical instruments” (BASURKO, 2005, p. 51).

2 Music in the Judeo-Christian Tradition

Among the various peoples, that of Israel stands out as an eminently musical people. The Holy Scripture is the best reference for this. In this sacred book, abundant references to music are found, both linked to the human voice and to various musical instruments. “Instrumental music, united with dance, poetry, and song, collaborated with the constant renewal of the People of God, memorizing the content of their Sacred History” (MONRABAL, 2006, p. 16).

As a matter of curiosity, it is worth mentioning that the word “to sing,” as well as its derivatives, is considered the most used in the Bible: in the Old Testament, it occurs 309 times; in the New Testament, 36 times (cf. RATZINGER, 2019, p. 121). From this, it is deduced that when the human being proposes to enter into contact with the divinity, simple speaking is insufficient. Song is a more eloquent expression for the loving dialogue of creatures with their creator: “I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies” (Ps 57:9-10).

2.1 The “Song of Moses” and the “Song of the Lamb”

Not by chance, the foundational experience of Israel’s faith — the crossing of the Red Sea — was celebrated with a “song” (Ex 15:1-18). This “song of Moses,” besides being a paradigm of the liberating experience of God lived by the people of the First Covenant, is, also, the first reference to singing in the Holy Scripture. From this original praise blossomed the psalms and other biblical canticles, poems that, in addition to alluding to musical instruments and the various ways of singing them, express, above all, life experiences converted into prayer and song: mourning, lament or accusation, fear, hope, trust, gratitude, joy, etc. “The psalms often spring from very personal experiences of pain and of fulfillment, but then lead, however, to the common prayer of Israel, just as they are nourished by the common foundation of the actions already performed by God” (RATZINGER, 2019, p. 123). Not without reason, some Church Fathers see in these hymns the summary of all Scripture.

If the “song of Moses” (Ex 15:1-18) is a paradigm for the people of the First Covenant, the “song of the Lamb” (Rev 15:2-4) is, equally, paradigmatic for the people in the “new and eternal Covenant.” In fact, these two songs constitute a framework that encompasses the entire Holy Scripture. Hence, their regular use in the liturgy.

In the Jewish tradition, the “song of Moses” was intoned in the morning prayer of Shabbat, after the evening sacrifice and, presumably, in the Passover liturgy, especially on the seventh day of Passover (cf. BASURKO, 2005, p. 180). The primary reason for this singing consists in the dynamic of the memorial which, besides updating the experience of the founding event of Israel’s liberation from the servitude of Egypt, includes the future perspective, when the “new song” will be sung, in the days of the Messiah. In the Christian liturgy, this canticle is intoned at the Easter Vigil, right after the proclamation of the third reading (Ex 14:15-15:1), and in the Liturgy of the Hours, in the Office of Lauds on Saturday of the first week of the psalter.

The “song of the Lamb,” in turn, appears related to the “song of Moses”:

I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire; and all those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name were standing on the sea of glass, holding harps given them by God. And they sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy! All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed” (Rev 15:2-4).

As an example, we will point out some significant correspondences between the two songs, namely: a) the image of the “sea of glass mixed with fire,” an allusion to the Red Sea of the Exodus; b) the protagonists “victorious over the beast,” an allusion to those who crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, while the Egyptians were swallowed by the waters; c) the (typological) images of “Moses” and the “Lamb”; d) the liturgical gestures: “standing,” “they sang…”, common in the respective accounts.

In short, it can be affirmed that the “song of the Lamb” is a summary of the “song of Moses,” as well as of all Salvation History, since its text is limited to singing, generically, the “great and admirable works of the Almighty” and to reaffirming that God’s ways are “just and true” and that his “just decisions have been made manifest.” And more: the “song of the Lamb,” is, in fact, the “new song” that brought definitive redemption. “It is the new, admiring response to the newness of the heavenly Jerusalem, where he who sits on his throne has made all things new” (BASURKO, 2005, p. 192). The “song of the Lamb” is intoned in the Liturgy of the Hours, in the evening office of Friday.

2.2 The “Praises” of the Lord

The psalms and other biblical canticles constitute a memorial heritage of the prayer of Israel. In these “praises” are expressed feelings that spring from the depths of the human heart, before the one who, since always, manifests himself as creator, liberator, protector, defender… The various genres (praise, thanksgiving, supplication…) allow us to glimpse the state of the “thirsty soul” that seeks the living God (Ps 42/41:1). The psalter holds

a mystery, so that the generations may not cease to return to this song, to purify themselves in this spring, to pause at each verse, each word of the ancient prayer, as if its rhythms had the pulsation of the worlds. For the world has recognized itself in it. As it narrates the history of all, it has become the book of all, a tireless and insightful ambassador of the word of YHWH to the peoples of the earth. There too it has insinuated itself everywhere: in all baptisms, in all weddings, in all burials, in all churches. It is present in all the feasts and in all the mournings of almost all nations (CHOURAQUI, 1998, p. 13).

Christians, from early on, made use of these sacred poems. Our fathers and mothers in the faith inserted themselves into the prayer of Israel, conscious of intoning a “new song,” for

The Holy Spirit, who inspired David to sing and to pray, makes him speak of Christ, or rather, makes him the mouth of Christ, and thus, we, in the psalms, through Christ, speak to the Father in the Holy Spirit. This jointly pneumatological and Christological interpretation of the Psalms, however, does not refer only to the text, but involves the musical element: it is the Holy Spirit who first teaches David to sing and then, through him, Israel and the Church (RATZINGER, 2019, p. 124).

It is above all in the Liturgy of the Hours that these “praises” reveal their power to elevate minds, to awaken hearts to the deepest affections, as well as to provide consolation, strength, and encouragement. “Whoever psalmodizes wisely will go through verse by verse, meditating one after another, always disposed in their heart to respond as the Spirit who inspired the psalmist demands and will equally assist the devout people, disposed to receive his grace” (IGLH n. 104). To this double movement of recitation and listening, Goffredo Boselli calls “spiritual intelligence” or “intelligence of the senses.” This “intelligence” presupposes a balanced integration of the senses in the liturgical action, for these are a “privileged way” to reach meaning, the knowledge of the mystery (cf. BOSELLI, 2019, p. 155-159).

2.3 Singers and Instrumentalists

The “ministries” of singers and instrumentalists in Israel came from the tribe of Levi and were exercised according to family groups, as narrated in the First Book of Chronicles:

David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals. […] The musicians Heman, Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals. Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to alamoth. Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah were to play the harps, directing according to sheminith. Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it. […] The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God (1 Chr 15:16, 19-22, 24).

Some psalms even preserve the indications of these families: “Asaph” (Ps 50/49; 73/72-83/82); “Korah” (Ps 42/41; 44/43-49/48); “Ethan” (89/88), etc.

Another significant scriptural account allows us to glimpse the beauty and dignity of the liturgical-musical service provided in the Temple of Jerusalem:

All the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, with their sons and their brothers, stood there, dressed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps and lyres, to the east of the altar, along with a hundred and twenty priests who blew the trumpets. When all together they began to play and to sing, a single voice was heard praising and giving thanks to the Lord: “Yes, he is good, his mercy is forever” (2 Chr 5:12-13).

Since instrumental music was intimately linked to sacrifices, it lost its reason for being with the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem. Such silencing was an expression of mourning for that tragedy. Added to this motivation, a “spiritualist current” in Judaism — existing even before the fall of the Temple — despised the use of musical instruments in worship. Among the main masters of this doctrine of “spiritual worship,” Philo of Alexandria (15 BC-45 AD) stands out. With the Temple no longer existing, the function of the Levites was reduced to two privileges in synagogue worship: being called to do a reading and serving in the ablutions of the priests before reciting the congregation’s blessing. The function of “singer” continued to be highly appreciated, but anyone could exercise it, provided they had a beautiful voice (cf. MONRABAL, 2006, p. 24).

In the Christian tradition, in the first seven centuries, musical instruments were practically not used in the liturgy. In patristic literature, for example, we find a total rejection of their use. Instruments were seen by the Fathers as a symbol of pagan life, stigmatized by idolatry and immorality. Even the “renunciation of the devil and all his works,” which catechumens had to make at the baptismal font, also included the renunciation of the “spectacles and songs” of the pagans (cf. BASURKO, 2005, p. 127-128).

Even while disapproving of the use of musical instruments in the liturgy, the Fathers bequeathed to us an expressive and edifying (allegorical) literature on musical instruments. Within these allegories, spiritual and doctrinal aspects are hidden. The direct target of this literature is the pagan world and its threats to the integrity of the faith. Among the countless allegorical images of musical instruments in general, used by the Fathers, we highlight those of the cithara and the lyre.

The image of the cithara — related to the action of the Spirit in the singing assembly — is processed as follows: just as the different strings of the cithara, thanks to the skill of the player, produce a harmonious melody, so too the Church (the living strings), directed by the Holy Spirit, unites its voice in the most perfect harmony. In other words, the function of the Spirit is to unify the singing community. The figure of Christ, on the other hand, appears as the musician who achieves the artistic union of the sounds of the various strings of the lyre and raises a marvelous concert to the Father. Often Christ himself is represented as an instrument of God, and the cithara, with his passion: the strings stretched over the wood in this musical instrument are seen as an image of the body of Christ stretched on the wood of the cross (cf. BASURKO, 2005, p. 113-116).

The Fathers are unanimous in affirming that the human voice is the most perfect instrument for the praise of God, and they strive to convince the faithful — mostly new converts from the pagan world — that pure song is superior to the sound of any musical instrument made by human hands. “The people of God, gathered in the temple for the singing of hymns and psalms, are now the spiritual cithara that replaces and surpasses the instruments used by the Jewish people.” Eusebius of Caesarea goes so far as to say that “superior to any material psaltery is the multitude that, spread throughout the whole world, celebrates the God who is above all things, with a single song and a single harmony.” For Eusebius, singing is superior to psalmody. The latter still requires bodily actions (the use of instruments like the psaltery), while singing is more noble and more spiritual — devoid of instrumental support — more in tune with contemplation and theology.

In short, not only the voice, but the human being as a whole is, for the Fathers, the most perfect musical instrument, as Saint Augustine well summarizes: “You are the trumpet, the psaltery, the cithara, the timbrel, the choir, the strings, and the organ.” Therefore, for the holy Fathers, instruments were considered in a “spiritual” sense.

It is worth remembering that, even after the gradual introduction of musical instruments into worship, a certain ambiguity persisted regarding what was and what was not licit to do in matters of music. Indeed, this dilemma dragged on throughout the second millennium. Still at the beginning of the 20th century, Pius X, in his Motu Proprio Tra le Sollecitudini (1903), admits the organ in the Church; tolerates some wind instruments; prohibits the piano, the drum, the bass drum, cymbals, bells, and the like (cf. TLS n. 14s). Pius XII, in the encyclical Musicae Sacrae Disciplina (1956), praises the use of the organ and admits the use of violins and other string instruments, yet remains reticent about the use of instruments considered “raucous” and “noisy” that are “dissonant with the sacred rite and the gravity of the place” (cf. MSD n. 28-29).

All pending issues regarding the use of musical instruments in the liturgy seem to have come to an end with the reform of the Second Vatican Council. The Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium (1963), in addition to classifying the “pipe organ” as the most appropriate instrument for the liturgy, admits that other instruments may also be used, provided there is the “consent of the competent authority” and, depending on the region, that these are adapted to the circumstances and customs of the place (cf. SC n. 120).

The Instruction Musicam Sacram (1967), besides recognizing the usefulness and importance of musical instruments in the liturgy, also presents us with their main functions: to support the singing, to facilitate participation, and to create the unity of the assembly. It warns us that the sound of the instruments should never cover the voices, so as to make it difficult to understand the texts. And more: they must “be silent when the priest or the minister pronounces in a loud voice any text, by virtue of his proper function.” As for instrumental solos, the same Instruction — taking the Eucharistic liturgy as a reference — provides for four suitable moments for this type of music: at the beginning, during the entrance procession of the presider and other ministers; while the procession and preparation of the offerings are taking place; at communion; and at the end of the mass (cf. MS n. 62-65).

As for purely vocal music, little is known about how it was performed in the first three centuries of the Christian era. As for choirs, their emergence dates back to the 4th century. They were formed by men, especially monks who, initially, were grouped in the first rows of the assembly. These were not yet specialized singers, but people who assisted the community’s singing, performing those more difficult parts of the intonation of psalms, hymns, acclamations, litanies, and responses.

In order to spread Gregorian chant throughout Europe, the so-called Scholae Cantorum appear around the 7th century, which, in reality, were highly specialized choirs of boys and clerics. This became necessary because the chant had become more elaborate and difficult to perform. Consequently, the choirs began to monopolize liturgical singing, while the people were content in the condition of listeners to the “divine music.”

This situation worsened even more with the emergence of classical vocal polyphony at the beginning of the second millennium. From then on, gradually, the music of the Latin Church became confused with concert music, reaching its peak in the 18th and 19th centuries. The separation between choir and assembly occurred in such a way that churches could not be without a “choir loft” — an elevated place normally above the entrance hall of the temple, reserved for musicians.

The liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council did not abolish the choir, but merely established clear criteria regarding its ministry in the liturgical assembly. A well-formed and oriented choir can provide an important service to the assembly, exercising a multiple ministry, either by reinforcing the liturgical singing of the assembly in unison, or by enriching the melodies by performing arrangements for more voices. For example: the litanic forms of the “Lord, have mercy,” of the “Lamb of God”; or even the antiphonal form (choir and assembly performing the same song, alternately) are effective means of integration between choir and assembly. In addition to these possibilities, the choir may also sing a piece, or motet, during the procession and preparation of the offerings, during or after communion.

It is always opportune to remember that some songs, in principle, should never be performed solely by the choir, such as the “Gloria” and the “Sanctus.” Because these hymns belong to the entire community, eventual vocal arrangements for the choir should never impede, but rather, favor and reinforce the participation of the people. And as for the singers and instrumentalists, their best place is close to the other faithful, since their ministry is exercised for the purpose of the assembly’s participation in the celebrated mystery.

3 Christian Ritual Music

In this section, the approach to Christian ritual music will be limited to three points, namely: a) music as rite; b) the liturgical repertoire; c) criteria for the choice of repertoire.

3.1 Music as Rite

As mentioned earlier (item 1), music occupies a broad space in human life and lends itself to various uses. However, there is a type of music that has its own character and is imbued with “sacramental” density when performed in a ritual action. This “ritual music,” in the various religious traditions, has a close link with the “mystery” celebrated.

By ritual music, we understand any musical and instrumental practice that, in the celebration, is distinguished from the usual forms, whether in spoken word or in ordinary sounds or noises. The sonorous domain thus designated expands what is normally defined as “music” or as “song” in certain cultural environments (UNIVERSA LAUS, 1980, n. 1.4).

Aldo Terrin, when making considerations about ritual music in ancient civilizations, such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, Vedic India, China…, points to the intrinsic relationship between music and rite, and likewise emphasizes the “power” that this music exerts on people, in these terms:

it is no longer a music of accompaniment, but a music that enters to “preform” and “perform” the rite with cathartic, apotropaic, initiatory, and enthusiastic objectives. In these cases, music is not only an integral part, but a constitutive part of the rite, accompanying it almost necessarily, being part of its essence. In this context, one can say that the rite slides into the musical fact and almost merges with it (TERRIN, 2004, p. 298).

However, the same author warns us that it is not just any music, but an authentic “ritual music.” This, in turn, must adapt to the symbolic whole of the rite, functioning as its support and its commentary. Ultimately, it is the rite that, by virtue of its own nature, must appropriate a particular musical structure. Since the rite does not accommodate elements foreign to its nature, the music used there should never be arbitrary or autonomous (cf. TERRIN, p. 311-312).

In this same vein, Christian ritual music fits in. This, in turn, expresses the paschal mystery of Christ, the axial axis of Christian liturgy. Joseph Gelineau recalls that the Church, since its earliest days, has sought to resolve questions related to the admission or not of this or that expression of emerging musical art into its worship. Throughout history, three principles have become fundamental: a) music must not serve two masters, that is, the world or demons on one side, and the God of holiness on the other (moral principle); b) music must not refuse its service to the true God and never serve itself — art for art’s sake (theological principle); c) music must not disorient the faithful (pastoral principle), that is, become a foreign body in the context of the liturgical action (cf. GELINEAU, 1968, p. 54).

Seeking to link examples from the history of Christian ritual music to each principle above, J. Gelineau highlights: a) the irreducibility of the Church, in the first seven centuries, regarding the non-use of musical instruments in the liturgy. These were seen as a symbol of paganism; b) the conflict arising from the “world of fine arts” — of beauty for beauty’s sake — disconnected from “liturgical aesthetics”; c) some forms of polyphony that made the liturgical text unintelligible, with only the complex interplay of voices standing out. This issue was even discussed at the Council of Trent (cf. IBID p. 54-61).

In short, nothing should hinder the participation of the faithful in the celebrated mystery. As the Second Vatican Council teaches us, the liturgical action is the action of Christ and of his body, the Church, carried out through sensible signs that signify and realize salvation (cf. SC n. 7). Ritual music, in turn, can never cause estrangement in the faithful or make them passive or indifferent spectators.

3.2 Liturgical Repertoire

Five decades after the Second Vatican Council, theological-liturgical-musical reflection tends to direct its focus to the issue of the “liturgical repertoire.” This is necessary in the face of the avalanche of new compositions that have emerged in this period, and because, unfortunately, not everything can be used for liturgical use.

Repertoire is, therefore, the set of songs that each community chooses for use in celebrations throughout the liturgical year. It presupposes an objective and careful choice, backed by a code of criteria, arising from the very nature of the liturgy. The idea of a repertoire is intimately linked to that of rite. The rite, by its very nature, is repetition, memory, collective consensus.

The sedimentation of a repertoire occurs through repetition. The intrinsic pedagogy of repeating, in each season or feast, a basic repertoire of songs, leads the faithful to a more intense spiritual experience of the celebrated mystery thanks to the renewing action of the Holy Spirit. However, this principle does not rule out the possibility of expanding the repertoires, which should naturally happen in the journey of each community.

A biblical-liturgical repertoire that remains alive in the memory of the faithful, besides facilitating its execution as such, also rescues the dimension of memorial — essential for the liturgy. The command for iteration given by Jesus (“do this in memory of me”), actualized in each liturgical action, also applies to ritual music. This is placed at the service of recalling the salvific facts, a significant past that emerges in the events, in the today of the Christian community and projects it into the future, towards full configuration to the glorious body of Christ. “Thus, in Christian liturgy, ritual music is charged with ‘sacramentality’: it is the transforming action of God in us, which makes us participants in his divine life, which deepens in us the paschal life and keeps us on the path of following Jesus” (BUYST, 2008, p. 8).

The liturgical repertoire is also sedimented through collective consensus. However, it is not advisable for this consensus to be restricted to merely subjective tastes, but the objective character of the liturgical action must be added to it.

In the liturgy, the beauty of a song or a piece of music does not exist independently of the celebration, the place, the rite, and the assembly that welcomes them. Certainly, song and music can manifest and enhance the truth that an assembly lives. But what matters is the state of listening to the song of this assembly, the availability that beautifies it and opens it to the beauty that comes (UNIVERSA LAUS, 2002, n. 2.8).

In short, all liturgical celebrations (sacraments, sacramentals, funerals…) should have their repertoire.

3.3 Criteria for the Choice of Liturgical Repertoire

The conciliar principle that ritual music should be fully configured to the lex orandi, as a “necessary or integral part” of the various rites, aims to lead the faithful to active and fruitful participation in the celebrated mystery. Everything else corroborates this: the beauty of the forms, the perfect “marriage” between text and other musical expressions, the noble simplicity, etc. As a summary, we will present some criteria for the choice of liturgical repertoire, regarding the text and the music.

In the musical tradition of the Church, the text has always had primacy. The melody and other musical expressions, in turn, should make it explicit and never obscure it. This presupposes objective criteria, such as:

a) Biblical-liturgical criterion. The texts “should be drawn from Holy Scripture and liturgical sources” (SC 121). J. Gelineau masterfully summarizes the application of this criterion in the liturgical tradition of the Church, in these terms:

It is from the biblical word that the best pieces of the Latin and Eastern repertoires have come […]. But, from the biblical word recited, memorized, savored, meditated upon, repeated, proclaimed, announced, sung, came the psalmodies, the responses, the short or long antiphons; on this solid trunk, the troporia and hymns would later sprout (GELINEAU, n.d., p. 68).

b) Criterion of ministerial function. Ritual music is a necessary or integral part of the liturgical action and will be all the more liturgical the more intimately it is linked to the liturgical action, whether by expressing prayer more gently, by fostering unanimity, or, finally, by giving greater solemnity to the sacred rites. Its purpose is the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful (cf. SC n. 112).

Ritual functionality cannot be viewed solely from the perspective of the raw rite (the signifier). It also and above all implies its recipients, their sensitivity, their culture, their dispositions, their conscious and unconscious reactions. It is not enough for the psalm to be in responsorial form for it to actually have a response from the assembly to the Word. […] When it is truly an integral part, it becomes impossible to isolate, in a song, the sound result from the global action in which it is inserted. The aesthetics of a liturgical song are not only those of a text with its music, but of the entire celebration in which the song intervenes (GELINEAU, 1968, p. 116-117).

c) Criterion of the “liturgical season.” This criterion is closely related to the previous one. The seasons and feasts of the liturgical year are an integral part of the liturgical action. Ritual music, as well as the other elements that make up the celebration, must express the spirituality of each season or feast of the liturgical calendar.

d) Aesthetic criterion. Ritual music privileges poetic language. After all, every authentic experience of prayer is, first and foremost, a poetic experience. This language is the one that best fits the symbolic character of the liturgy. Therefore, it is not enough for its content to be biblically inspired. Obvious explications, redundancies, moralisms, intimacies, and clichés disqualify ritual music. The melody, in turn, in addition to enhancing the theological liturgical-spiritual meaning of the texts, must be accessible to the great majority of the assembly. However, it is worth warning not to confuse “accessible” with banal or superficial.

e) Criterion of originality. The National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), in 1976, had already warned about the observance of this criterion:

In relation to the texts, avoid songs with adapted lyrics. In addition to infringing on the author’s rights, such an adaptation, in itself, reveals the inappropriateness of the original which will be mentally evoked, evidencing an impoverishment of the liturgical celebration and distorting its meaning (CNBB, 1976, n. 3.9).

The same criterion applies to other musical expressions: adaptations of popular songs, soundtracks from films and soap operas, etc., should be avoided.

f) Criterion of liturgical inculturation. Ritual music cannot dispense with the musical culture of the people, from which the participants of the celebrating assembly come. From this cultural “environment,” composers should seek musical expressions that best fit the spirituality of each season or feast of the liturgical year. Religious ethnomusicology can be a precious source. Inculturation has to do with participation. By inculturated ritual music, we mean that which, as an integral part of the liturgy, expresses the mystery through the typical musical language of a people. Thus, music will more effectively fulfill its mystagogical function of introducing the faithful to the experience of the paschal mystery of Christ, since they see in this music the “way” of their own culture.

In the scope of the inculturation of ritual music, the Church in Latin America has striven to sediment liturgical repertoires that better express the cultural characteristics of its peoples. In the case of Brazil, for example, two significant references deserve mention: a) the Hinário Litúrgico (Liturgical Hymnal) of the CNBB, which contains an ample repertoire for celebrations of the Eucharist, of the Word, of the other sacraments and sacramentals, covering the entire liturgical year; b) the Ofício Divino das Comunidades, which, since 1988, has been a valuable support for ecclesial communities to celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours, through a popular poetic and musical language.

4 By Way of Conclusion

In a panoramic view, we could see that music is an art that has always accompanied human life and also has a close relationship with the transcendent. The various peoples discovered that musical language is an effective means of communication between the human being and the gods. From this discovery, these peoples used music as an integral part of their rites. In this same vein is the Judeo-Christian tradition.

We have also seen that music is an indispensable element in the liturgical action and, when well-crafted (symbiosis between text and other musical expressions) and duly integrated into the ritual moment, it throws us, by the force of the Holy Spirit, into the ineffable of God. However, this “integration,” in its full sense, does not happen automatically. It presupposes a permanent theological-liturgical formation of the clergy, of the liturgical-musical agents (conductors, psalmists, choirs, instrumentalists), and of all the people of God. Indeed, there is a close relationship between “formation” and “participation”: formation is a condition for participation. Sacrosanctum Concilium recognizes that the liturgy is the first and necessary source from which the faithful can draw the genuinely Christian spirit. And, for this to be carried out, an adequate formation of the clergy and of all the people is essential (cf. SC n. 14b).

We believe that this permanent formation can happen through three levels of liturgical pastoral care, a saber:

a) In “weekly meetings” of the celebration team. In these weekly meetings – an occasion to evaluate previous celebrations and prepare for the following ones – all people scheduled to exercise some ministry in the next weekend’s celebrations (lectors, psalmists, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, acolytes, sacristans), as well as other interested faithful, should participate. The high point of these meetings is the meditation on the Word of God (always starting from the gospel) and its incidence on the “today” of the faith community.

b) In “monthly meetings” of the groups according to their ministerial condition. Each group (musicians, lectors and psalmists, extraordinary ministers of communion…) should meet, monthly, for more systematic theological-liturgical formation meetings and for evaluation regarding the performance of the respective ministry in the celebrations.

c) In “occasional” gatherings. These are expanded gatherings for the integration of the various groups (musicians, lectors, psalmists, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion…), lasting for a day or a weekend. This modality of formation could take the form of a “retreat” or “mini-course” and be held, preferably, on the occasion of the beginning of a new liturgical season. Such gatherings should be included in the annual planning of the community’s activities.

All this effort has as its main objective the active, conscious, and full participation of all the priestly people in the liturgical action and its consequent fruits in daily action. After all, the ultimate reason for our singing lies in the one “who sits on the throne and to the Lamb,” for to them alone belong praise, honor, glory, and dominion for ever and ever (cf. Rev 5:13b).

Joaquim Fonseca, OFM – Jesuit Faculty of Philosophy and Theology and Saint Thomas Aquinas Institute, Belo Horizonte. Original Portuguese text. Posted in December 2020.

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