Liturgy and Music

There are many religions which have survived for several thousand years because their followers have been filled with faith, which they passed on from generation to generation. Perhaps no other religion, however, has produced so much in the realms of sacred art, architecture, and music, as Christianity. The mutually inspiring combination of faith and culture, together with the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit, has produced wonderful buildings, such as the grand cathedrals in England or the glorious Baroque chapels in Bavaria, and great masterpieces like the frescoes in Sistine Chapel or the very contemporary Stations of the Cross at the John Paul IT Center in Denver.

Almost none of these cultural "assets" was created as a piece of art for itself, like a mere museum piece, but they were created out of faith and for worship. That is equally true for most ofthe pieces of sacred music, whether we look at a Byrd motet, a Mozart Mass, a Stanford anthem, some Taize chant, a charismatic song, or a plain, old, traditional hymn. All of these have one purpose: they give glory to God through praise and prayer.

Why do we sing in our worship? Does God need to hear our singing to be happy and gracious? - No, we need to sing our Thanksgiving (Eucharist) for God's redeeming grace, and thereby unite ourselves with the angelic choir as it says in most prefaces before the Sanctus: let our voices become part of the cosmic praise of the Creator.

God has given us creative power and made us "co-creators" in this world. Here I want to pause a moment and address the frequent quarrels over musical styles. Most of those are purely based on personal preference and individual taste. Whereas we must be sensitive to each person's feelings, we also have to acknowledge the pluralism of our society and should try to be inclusive of all. Here a good catechesis and education will reach further than musical dictatorship. It is my experience that most people can only appreciate what they know and understand, and teaching is part of our ministry as well.

Music should not become an ornament or accessory to worship, but should always be treated as an integral or essential part of liturgy. Whether the choir is singing an anthem during Evensong or leading the congregation in a hymn of Thanksgiving, their singing should be an auxiliary to the sanctification ofthe faithful.

A Benedictine monk once told me that Gregorian chant is foremost sung prayer, rather than one-line music without harmony and meter. Sung prayer in its many forms and facets guides us through the liturgical year and helps our spiritual grasp of the liturgy, whether we sing a quiet psalm of prayerful recollection (ecclesia meditans), or a glorious piece for ajoyful celebration (ecclesia triumphans).

The great American conductor Leonard Bernstein often talked about the "love of music" - Saint Augustine tells us, "singing is for lovers." Combine that with the common quote of "to sing is to pray twice," and you will see what music in the liturgy is, an unending love song for the Lord.

-Horst Buchholz