TOWARDS PRESERVING THE MUSICAL TRADITION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH By: Noel Ogadimma Onyeulo

TOWARDS PRESERVING THE MUSICAL TRADITION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

By: Noel Ogadimma Onyeulo

 

The Constitution of the Second Vatican Council on Sacred Liturgy states that “The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 112). The Church has encouraged singing at liturgical celebrations throughout her history, providing wonderful examples of melodic comment to the sacred texts in accordance with the creativity of every culture, (each according to its own rites of both West and East) as a continuation of the ancient biblical tradition to which the Lord himself and the Apostles abided (cf. Mt 26: 30; Eph 5: 19; Col 3: 16). Music is a treasure that enlivens the body and edifies the soul. It is an expression of joy.  In Music we express the inexpressible; that which we cannot express merely by speaking, we express it in songs. In Music, it is the soul speaking. Little wonder why the Novelist Williams Shakespeare calls music “the food of the soul”. Explaining this fact, St. Pope John Paul II maintained that as a treasure of inestimable value, Sacred Music consolidates its role both as a means of lifting up the spirit to God and as a precious aid for the faithful in their "active participation in the most holy mysteries and in the public and solemn prayer of the Church (St. Pope John Paul II, The Fitting Role of Sacred Music in the Holy Liturgy, Homily at St Peter's on 22 November, the Memorial of St Cecilia, in the year 2003). Like St. Augustine the Pontiff, John Paul II continued that “he who sings well prays twice”. He observed that Sacred Music constitutes the prayer life of the Church and should be cherished and preserved as such.

Liturgical services are not private functions, but are celebrations of the Church, which is the "sacrament of unity," namely, the holy people united and ordered under their priests and bishops. Thus, Sacred Music does not dominate, it serves. Servers, lectors, commentators, and members of the choir also exercise a genuine liturgical function. They ought, therefore, to discharge their offices with the sincere piety and decorum demanded by so exalted a ministry and rightly expected of them by God's people. In Colossians 3:16, St. Paul exhorts the faithful assembled in expectation of their Lord's return to sing together.  He says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.., singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."

At this juncture, for the sake of clarity, we will be pleased to introduce the question to which this paper is trying to address and that is: Whose duty is it to preserve the musical tradition of the Church? The Second Vatican Council Constitution on Sacred Liturgy answers by saying that it is a collaborative effort of both the Clergy and Laity to preserve the musical tradition of the Church. Hence the Council states: “The treasure of sacred music is to be preserved and fostered with great care. Choirs must be diligently promoted, especially in cathedral churches; but bishops and other pastors of souls must be at pains to ensure that, whenever the sacred action is to be celebrated with song, the whole body of the faithful may be able to contribute that active participation which is rightly theirs”. In this way, we can say that the task of preserving musical tradition in the Church can be achieved through the unanimous agreement of pastors of souls, musicians and faithful. When the Liturgical Musicians work together with their Pastor of Souls and their Pastor of Souls gives them the utmost attention needed it will be possible to achieve what the Constitution on Sacred Music describes as the true "purpose of sacred music", that is, "the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful" (Second Vatican Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 120). In summary, we are trying to say that the task of preserving musical tradition has a lot to do with the worshiping community comprising of the priest and all the Faithful. Hence, they must be deeply imbued with the spirit of the liturgy, each in his own measure, and they must perform their functions in a correct and orderly manner. The faithful must know that bad music distracts the serenity of liturgical worship and this must concern the priest who is the leader of the praying community. Most importantly, priests should be interested in Sacred Music because the nature of the Music sung during a liturgical celebration arouses a kind of feeling that makes him (the Priest) communicates most effectively with the divine. Thus, when the priest communicates most effectively with the Divine, we can be proud to say that "We have a Worthy celebration".