Chapter VI:112 of Sacrosanctum Concilium states: “The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art.”  Regardless of the era, music has been used to tell stories, inspire people, calm emotions, and emphasize a message (of Gospel).

It is hard to imagine a major Church Holy Day being celebrated without music.  Yet, with all that being said, music can be one of the most controversial subjects, when being discussed in terms of liturgy.  Traditionalists will tell you that the music in the church in the United States should return to its Latin roots, while many post Vatican II leaders will argue that the music needs to be updated so that it is more in line with the present culture and is better understood by the parishioners.  While both sides of this argument may have legitimate claims, the purpose for music during the Mass is not open for argument.

The primary purpose for music during a Mass is to enhance the assembly’s participation in the liturgy.  This can be accomplished by ensuring that the text of the hymns to be sung support both the season in which the Mass is being offered and readings of the day.  While it may be tempting to sing a hymn that may be a personal favorite of the musicians, or even of the congregation, if the text of the hymn does not serve to focus or refocus the attention of the congregation back to the altar, then the music is not serving its purpose.

Besides music that does not directly support the liturgy, there are other ways in which music can potentially detract from the focus on the altar.  This can happen when the music becomes a performance rather than a prayer.  It is also distracting when the music is done poorly.  The difficulty in correcting these two is that in fixing either one the tendency is to move very closely to the other.  In other words, churches that are simply looking to improve the quality of their music may fall into the trap where the performance becomes the focus of the musicians.  In the case where a church is trying to make the music have a more prayerful focus, the tendency is to lose musicians that are more performance centered, and then the quality of the music suffers.

The ideal situation is where the leader of the music ministry understands the true purpose of liturgical music and leads the members of the choir and the musicians to discover the power of the Holy Spirit in music.  When members of the ministry work hard at preparing the music while at the same time allowing the Holy Spirit to work through them, the hymns come alive.  This moves the congregation to a more fulfilling worship experience.

Saint Augustine said, “When we sing, we pray twice.”  When the music is prayerful, and united with the focus of the liturgy, it invokes the power of the Holy Spirit.  When that happens, it can melt the hardest of hearts and it can help to prepare the assembly to receive Christ in the most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist.


Dave Thomasberger