Learning correct music for the Mass

“If your parish is singing the Our Father and not the Holy, Holy during Mass, you’re not following the guidelines of progressive solemnity of the sacred liturgy,” Father Gregory Labus, Director of Music in the Diocese of Brownsville said.

Father Labus conducted a music workshop for ministers of the liturgy in the Diocese of Corpus Christi on Oct. 1 at St. Pius X Church. This workshop and other upcoming workshops are based on the document “Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship,” developed by the Committee on Divine Worship of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The document supersedes “Music and Catholic Worship.”

The goal of these workshops is to inform parishes of the importance music has on the liturgy of the Mass.

Other than progressive solemnity, topics at the workshop included; the parts of the Mass to sing, ministers of liturgical music, kinds of music to sing and the kinds of instruments to use for the liturgy.

Ministers of liturgical music include the choir, psalmist, cantor, organist and other instrumentalists. Music directors should take an assessment of their musical resources, Labus said. For example, is there a choir, does the choir read music or learn by hearing? Is there an organist or a guitarist?

“A song can’t be chosen because it’s pretty, but rather because it’s liturgically correct,” Father Labus said.

Along with working in conjunction with their bishop, pastor or deacon, a music director should choose liturgical music based on the liturgical calendar. “Not every day is of equal importance. You must take into consideration whether its a Sunday, a memorial, a feast day, or a solemnity,” Father Labus said.

According to “Sing to the Lord,” the God-given human voice should be the primary instrument used in liturgical music. All the assembly of the faithful should participate actively in singing parts of the liturgy.

Father Labus encouraged music directors to work with their pastors. “Sometimes priests or deacons don’t feel they have qualifications to sing,” Father Labus said. “It has been my experience as a musician that 99.9 percent of people can sing.”

“Vatican II came out saying, sing the Mass not the songs at the Mass. That was 40 years ago. We are operating at a pre-conciliar level. That means pre-Vatican II,” Father Labus said, quoting the Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy) from the Second Vatican Council “The musical formation of the assembly must be a continuing concern in order to foster full, conscious and active participation in the Mass.”

“People should be encouraged to sing the acclamations, responses, psalms, antiphons and hymns,” Father Labus said.

Of the different kinds of music to sing, the dialogues and acclamations are the most important parts of the Mass to be sung. Dialogues are the conversations between the priest and the congregation. Acclamations of the liturgy are the alleluia and the great amen after the Eucharistic prayer.

The church stresses the importance of using Gregorian chants with the assembly. “Most parishes do not use any Gregorian chants at all. The syllabic chants are within the availability and the do-ability of the assembly,” Father Labus said.

He suggested taking small steps by introducing the assembly to “Agnus Dei” (Lamb of God) every day during Lent. At another time, the congregation can sing the “Sanctus” (Holy, Holy, Holy) on a daily basis.

“We need to look at preserving the music of our past, but we also need to look to new forms that composers create. The assembly should be able to sing the music and it needs to be within their reach,” Father Labus said.

“Style is fine, but the music needs to have the right text of the liturgy,” Father Labus said.