LITURGICAL MUSIC AS OBSERVED IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

A COMPARISON BETWEEN PAST AND PRESENT TIMES

INTRODUCTION

The Order of a Roman Catholic Church Mass

A typical Roman Catholic Mass is generally divided into two parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Word involves three biblical readings, while the Liturgy of the Eucharist involves the celebration of the Lord Jesus Christ’s passion, particularly the Last Supper. The Catholic Mass is divided into the following parts: (1) Introductory Rites. (2) Liturgy of the Word. (3) Liturgy of the Eucharist, and lastly (4) Concluding rite.

The introductory rites are as follows: the priest enters the church with the deacon or one of the altar servers (Just 2006). When he arrives at his chair, he leads the congregation in making a sign of the cross by saying, “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”, to which the congregation answers “Amen”. He then welcomes the congregation to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. After this, he leads the congregation in saying the Act of Penitence (Just 2006). Following this, the priest leads the faithful in saying the Kyrie Eleison, which in Latin translates to ‘Lord have mercy’: Alternatively, the Kyrie may be sung by the church choir. Following the Kyrie, the choir sings the Gloria in Excelsis Deo, which translates into ‘Glory to God in the highest’: The Gloria is a venerable hymn in which the church, gathered together in the Holy Spirit, glorifies and entreats God the Father and Jesus Christ (Just 2006). Lastly, the priest invites the congregation to pray. The form of prayer varies with the type of mass being celebrated (Just 2006).        

The Liturgy of the Word follows the Introductory Rite. It involves the reading of select verses from the bible by the Lector, depending on the date the mass is celebrated, and finally a reading from one of the four gospel books in the bible by the priest. The first reading is done by the lector from a book in the Bible’s Old Testament, after which the lector says “The Word of the Lord”, to which the congregation answers “Thanks be to God.” Following the first reading is the responsorial psalm, adapted from one of the verses of the Book of Psalms in the bible. It may be recited or sang. The cantor and choir recite the psalm, and the congregation sings the repeated (Just 2006). After this, a reading from a book in the New Testament of the bible is done by the Lector. After this, the Gospel Acclamation is sung by the choir in the words “Alleluia”, and the congregation responds in kind. This serves as a prelude to the Gospel Proclamation. Before the proclamation, the priest says “The Lord be with you” and the congregation responds “And also with you.” The priest then recites “A reading from the Holy Gospel according to {Matthew, Mark, Luke or John}” to which the congregation responds “Glory to you oh Lord” (Just 2006) while making a sign of the cross on their foreheads, lips and chests. This signifies the entry of the word of the Lord into their conscience, the firm resolve to speak and act according to the Lord’s teachings and the abidance of the word of the Lord in their hearts. The priest then pronounces the select gospel reading, and concludes with the words “The Gospel of the Lord”, and the congregation responds, “Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.” After this comes the homily, in which the priest provides a sermon to the congregation, usually focusing on that day's scriptures and/or on the feast or special occasion being celebrated at that Mass; however, the homily may also be based on any liturgical text from the bible (Just 2006). After the homily, the audience recites the Profession of Faith (Just 2006). The Liturgy of the Word concludes with the general intercession led by the lector who says a prayer of intercession, then concludes by saying “Let us pray to the Lord”, and the congregation responds “Lord hear our prayer.”     

The Liturgy of the Eucharist then begins with the collection of offering from the congregation, which mainly consists of monetary offerings, but may also include material offerings like agricultural produce and such. Also, part of the gifts offered is the bread and wine by the priest, which will be transubstantiated into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The priest recites prayers to ask the Lord to bless the bread and wine to transubstantiate it. After this, the priest says this prayer: “May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of his name, for our good, and the good of all his Church” and the congregation responds by saying “Amen” (Just 2006). The priest then recites the Eucharistic prayers, which recall the events of the Last Supper, speaking of how Jesus said “Take this bread and eat it, this is my body that will be given for your salvation.” The priest then kneels before the altar in adoration of the unleavened bread. Next, the priest recites Jesus’ prayer by saying “Take this. This is the blood of my salvation that is offered to you; I tell you that I shall not have any more wine until I am at my Father’s House.” The priest then kneels at the altar in adoration of the wine (Just 2006). The priest then leads the congregation in praying the Sanctus, which in Latin translates into ‘Holy Holy Holy Lord.’ The Sanctus is usually sung by the choir, but may be recited by the congregation during weekday masses (Just 2006). The Memorial proclamation then follows: the priest invites the faithful to proclaim the Mystery of Faith. This may be recited or sang both by the choir and the congregation (Just 2006). The priest then says the Doxology, and the congregation responds by singing the ‘Amen.’ Next comes the Communion Rite, where the priest invites the congregation to say the Lord’s Prayer by saying, “Let us pray with confidence to the Father in the words our Savior gave us.” The congregation then recites the Lord’s Prayer. The priest then leads the congregation in saying the Sign of Peace. The congregation then says “Amen.” The priest then says “The peace of the Lord be with you (Just 2006). The congregation responds by saying: “And also with you.” The priest then invites the congregation to show each other a sign of peace by saying: “Let us offer each other a sign of peace.” The members of the congregation then show each other a sign of peace by shaking each other’s hand, or by hugs between family members. The priest then recites the Agnus Dei, which in Latin translates into ‘Lamb of God’, while breaking the bread (Just 2006). The Agnus Dei may be recited by both the priest and the congregation, or may be sung by the priest, congregation and the choir. The Communion rite concludes with the priest saying “This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper.” The congregation responds by saying “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed” (Just 2006). A communion song is then performed by the choir, as the faithful proceed to the altar to receive the holy sacrament. When a member of the congregation goes to receive the Holy Communion, the priest, offers him/her the bread and “The body of Christ”, the response to which is “Amen.” The priest then gives the faithful the bread. The priest then offers the wine by saying “The blood of Christ”, to which the faithful says “Amen.” The priest then gives the chalice containing the wine to the faithful, who takes a sip of it (Just 2006). The faithful then proceeds back to his/her seat and meditates on the communion by saying a personal prayer, thanking Jesus Christ for his sacrifice. After all the faithful have received the communion, the priest has what is left of the Holy Communion, and says a personal prayer as well. After all this, any announcements present are made by the priest to the congregation.                    

Following this, the Concluding Rites are performed. The priest says “The Lord be with you.” The congregation responds “And also with you.” The priest invites the congregation to ‘bow their heads and pray for God’s blessings’ (Just 2006). The priest then gives the solemn blessing by saying: “May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit”, while the congregation makes a sign of the cross. The congregation then responds by saying “Amen” The mass then concludes with the priest saying: “Go in peace to love and to serve fellow mankind” (Just 2006).

OBJECTIVE

Observation of the similarities and marked differences in the music played in an American Catholic Mass versus an African Catholic Mass. Over the course of the past two centuries after missionary times, there has been a noticeable divergence in musics employed in worship and the style of worship utilized, with the latter incorporating more traditional influences, instrumentation, and other traditional vis-a-vis ethnic elements into their services.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

History of Catholic Church Music

The temporal change in Catholic liturgical music may be divided into three phases: Gregorian chant music, Polyphonic music and Modern music . The natural expression of prayer in song using an appropriate musical form was already present during the time of Christ As newer hoards of people were converted to Christianity, the musical form of liturgy was taught to them by the early missionaries. With the development of the catholic missal came the institution of different rites and chants in church services. Thus, the Byzantine liturgy took on Greek and Slavic forms under popes Cyril and Methodius; each area of liturgical development produced distinctive melodic settings, and this music manifested local differences of form. The advent of hymns, as used in religious worship, witnessed them incorporate a compromise between sacred text and music, and were regarded as a sort of free devotional literature of early Christendom alongside the fixed psalms.

The Gregorian tradition was characterized by the instilment of Roman Catholic liturgical chants.  Pope Gregory I (590-604 AD) policed a uniform liturgical and musical recension of the forms of worship for the Church in the entire West during the Merovingean period. Chants consisted of a call and response musical form, where the celebrant’s chant was different but concordant with the choir’s chant. Gregory I established the schola cantorum, which promoted the handing down of liturgical chants through the years; chants originally rested in the main instruction by the ear, but evolved into a form where written notation assumed . With the spread of the Roman Catholic Christian religion came the export of liturgical music to different geographic areas. There, it was influenced by various local traditional forms of music. This led to a multiplicity of versions of the Gregorian chant, all retaining the original chant’s basic form. The evolution of the Roman liturgy saw the inception of new forms of music, which were the Trope, the Sequence, the Cantio, the Rhymed Office and Hymns in the vernacular .

Polyphonic music took center stage, consisting of the aforementioned forms of music, while the Gregorian chant’s significance became somewhat diminished. These were considered an enhancement of solemnity, but they lost that deeper connection with the Liturgy (Fellerer 1961). During this time, an effort was made to establish tonal vigor as a contrast to the melodic rigidity of the chant. The Polyphonic form’s harmonic structure was created by a fusion of tones, and so a simple broadening of the melody was formed by the use of paralleled fourths and fifths. Also in use was a contrary motion and a freer form that interchanged the motions of the music. Finally, there was the free oblique movement over a bourdon-like held note, the so-called ‘rambling organum’ (Fellerer 1961). The same techniques of polyphonic composition meant a slight resemblance between ecclesiastical and secular music. Secular elements made inroads into the form of liturgical music. This was met by a backlash from conservative voices, which called for a rejection of the newly acquired melodic form and a return to the basic principles of earlier liturgical music, which had been characterized by the Gregorian chant (Hume 1956). As such, Pope John XXII emphasized the central position of liturgical melodies in 1324 (Fellerer 1961). There came with this a revision of the Gregorian chant, characterized by the contemporary developments to it with newer forms of melody, which however did not adulterate the solemnity and purity of the church liturgy.

Pope Pius X issued the Motu Proprio in 1903 on the topics of music to be used in mass. He noted the various abuses characteristic of the polyphonic music tradition, and lamented on the apparent loss of the dignity and splendor of the missal service, which he claimed were the result of the inroads of secularism into liturgy music. He proposed a return to the earlier, unadulterated manner of worship, and typically encouraged a return to the Gregorian chant tradition .

Finally came the advent of modern music, which saw a return to the polyphonic musical form interweaved with the use of the Gregorian chant. The polyphonic form’s text assumed the language of the particular geographic region the church was situated, implying a difference between countries. The Gregorian chant saw a preservation of the use of Latin. Polyphonic music is characteristic of hymns, while the Gregorian chant is witnessed in the various liturgical prayers in the course of the catholic missal.

Characterization of the Liturgical music of a Catholic Church in Philadelphia: A historic context

By 1800, there were four church parishes in existence in Philadelphia: St. Joseph’s, St. Mary’s, St. Augustine’s and the German parish of the Holy Trinity. St. Joseph’s parish was run by French missionaries, who saw to it that the catholic missal was observed to the latter. The first organ at the church was built in 1748, and was the impetus for a more active choir organization . The music portion of the church services relied heavily on the choir books of John Aitken; the first edition of his Compilation having been printed out in 1787.

The Rt. Rev. Msgr. Hugh T. Henry commented on the music of the Roman Catholic Church in Pennsylvania in the 18th Century: he wrote that the music was ‘a strange mixture’ in that Aitken’s Compilation included a large portion of other non-Catholic music, replete with the inclusions of so many ‘anthems’ and other forms. He contemplated that perhaps this spoke to the fact that Catholic musical repertoires were very restricted. A large number of the hymns used in the service took on the polyphonic form that had been frowned upon by the Holy See of the Vatican, according to its recommendation as declared in the Motu Proprio of 1903.

Composition of Liturgical Music in Uganda: The influence of local music traditions

Modern Kiganda church music is essentially a mixed style with two components: Western hymnody and traditional Kiganda song (Gray 1995). Traditionally, indigenous music was frowned upon in its quest for blending into liturgical music. However, the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) encouraged a more enlightening approach towards incorporating traditional music into Christian worship (Gray 1995). Efforts have been made to tailor the liturgy to suit the local scene: the Bible in its entirety and various hymnals have been translated into the Banganda language dialect, in order to cater to Uganda’s indigenous people.

There are three types of compositional techniques in place in the Roman Catholic Ugandan church missal: music imported from the West, music adapted in some way to suit local taste, and traditional style compositions. Western liturgical music is imported from Euro-American hymnals, and are mainly sang in English. There is a major difference between the Western diatonic scale and the Kiganda five-tone octave. Therefore, Western music had to be taught to the Kiganda faithful by introducing them to the concept of the Western diatonic scale. With time, Western music was adapted to tailor to local tastes and abilities. For example, a traditionally encultured Muganda would find the minor 3rd tone easier to sing than the major 3rd, because the former is closer to one Kiganda tone. Thus, the text and some harmonies have been translated or recomposed to suit the local scenario. Lastly are the traditional Kiganda compositions which have incorporated traditional Kiganda tunes and the double stanza form which is characteristic of a substantial number of local Kiganda compositions. There has been a rise in the number of composers who have taken up this technique: Benedikto Mugambizi, Joseph Kyagambiddwa, Expedito Magembe and Michael Mukisa, just to mention a few.

FINDINGS

Catholic Mass Service at the parish of St. Agatha St. James

I attended the 10:00am Mass service at the parish of St. Agatha St. James on the 16th of November, 2008. The choir was composed of female members, which indicates a monophonic texture if unaccompanied. The accompaniment consisted of a piano and a clarinet. The interweaving of harmonies from a chordophone and an aerophone made for a characteristically distinct timbre. Therefore, the texture of the all female choir and accompanying piano and clarinet made for a homophonic texture.

The gathering hymn was number 344, titled ‘On Jordan’s Bank.’ It was in 4/4 time, and its key was B-Flat major. Unlike most Catholic hymns, it did not contain a refrain. It consisted of five verses, but only two were sang because that was the length of time required for the processional of the priest and deacons to enter the church. The hymn’s notation was four quarter notes per bar, which made it sound rhythmically monotonous. The Kyrie Eleison was sung in Latin, while the Gloria in Excelsis Deo was sung in English. These were both composed by Marty Haugen, a renowned composer of Catholic Liturgical Music. The Responsorial Psalm was taken from Psalm 85, and it was ‘Lord, let us see your kindness and grant us your salvation.’ There was no instrumental accompaniment to the psalm. It took on a call and response form, where both components were sang in a monophonic texture. The key was in F Major, and the psalm was in 4/4 time. This marked the end of the musical portion of the Liturgy of the Word. With the commencement of the Liturgy of the Eucharist came the offertory hymn number 332 titled ‘Like A Shepherd.’ It was marked by a refrain and the presence of four verses. The purpose of the Offertory hymn is to facilitate the collection of offering of the faithful. Therefore, it must be a long hymn in order to facilitate the lengthy process the collection entails. The hymn was in ¾ time and in the key of E Flat Major. It was replete with instrumental accompaniment, making for a homophonic texture. The Sanctus was homophonic; it was sung as a strong proclamation of God’s majesty, and hence was sung con spirito. The Mystery of Faith and the Great Amen were also homophonic with instrumental accompaniment. They were both sung only by the choir. The Communion hymn was number 827, titled ‘Taste and See.’ It was in 4/4 time, and in the key of F Major. It consisted of a refrain and three verses. Finally, the processional hymn was number 333, titled ‘O Come, Divine Messiah.’ It was in 6/8 time and in the key of G Major, and consisted of three verses.

I spoke to a number of choir members, and to both instrumentalists. They were all very enthusiastic of their performance during the mass. They expressed a strong satisfaction playing a role in facilitating the delivering of the liturgy to the faithful, with the aid of music. One of them, Mary Kate Eubanks, told me that ‘the Holy Spirit will not descend without a song’, as claimed in the bible. I asked them what improvements they thought could be made to improve the liturgy music; they said that they would like to see the development of a four, or even two-part harmony. The monophonic texture, they claimed, came across as bland. They felt that the inclusion of a bass voice at the very least would make the music much more appealing.
All in all, I was both pleased and spiritually nourished by the church service, given that I am a practicing Roman Catholic. I felt that the liturgy music played a major role in contributing to the efficacy of the missal.

DISCUSSION

A major part of the missal tradition has been conserved between historic and modern times. The form of the liturgy has remained consistent. However, the liturgy music form in the American, and Ugandan context has been divergent from historic expectations, and against the behest of the Holy See of the Vatican. The Vatican firmly believes that American Catholic churches have their liturgy music rooted in the polyphonic form, and would thus be difficult to clearly delineate the difference between it and secular music. I, however, feel that the music form has been conserved for the better part, and that secularity does not have a significant hold on either an American or Ugandan mass celebration. I can speak more confidently on the conservation of tradition of the American Catholic church; the Ugandan church has become subject to local traditional influences, given its divergence from Western tradition. However, I could find no credible literature that would suggest an erosion in the missal standards of the Ugandan Catholic Church.

CONCLUSION

I have found that there are distinct differences in the liturgy music as practiced between an American and a Ugandan Catholic mass. I have also found that there has been a divergence in liturgy music tradition as compared to historic times, and much of it appears to be contrary to the recommendations of the Motu Proprio. However, I believe that current liturgy music has been efficacious in serving its functionality in the celebration of a Roman Catholic missal, both in America and Uganda.

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