At odds…
Previously, I’ve waxed poetic on this blog about the many advantages of basing modern psalmody on ancient chant melodies. Such compositions become a natural and organic outgrowth of what has preceded them and are therefore imbued with a certain spirit and contemplativeness that is lacking in many modern liturgical compositions. There is much more to it than just that, but there’s no doubt that such an approach fosters a certain type of result.
Ultimately, this desire of mine is my answer to the much more profound question: where should we seek inspiration for modern liturgical music? Stated differently: Where should we look? And why should we look there?
If one takes a moment to pause and ponder deeply with deference to magisterial documents, one realizes that this is actually a very profound set of questions. Very profound indeed. These are questions that no liturgical composer can avoid.
Recently, OCP featured a new “Mass of St. Kilian” and it has been making the rounds in liturgical circles. This is a modern “praise and worship” setting. What’s the big deal?
To quote the composer in his own words,
“If I were to say in movie terms what this mass sounds like, it’s like Braveheart meets Back to the Future.”
Yes I am serious. No, this is not a joke. (If you don’t believe me: https://youtu.be/SouW6FvPI3c?t=773 )
For this young man, writing liturgical music is about feeling good and imitating secular idioms. It is not about respecting liturgical custom or traditions; it is not about imbibing a particular liturgical spirit or essence… (or rather, it IS about the latter; unfortunately it’s the wrong spirit!)
One of my very first blog posts pointed out how one can observe that the faith of many people today is simply at odds with the faith of our forebears; it is literally written in the stones of the churches each generation has built. As I said at the time:
“There is simply no claiming that the people who built this church believe the same things that the people who built this church believed. They are irreconcilable. To claim otherwise is to make yourself a liar.”
It bears repeating that the same can be said of liturgical music. The saints who wrote our ancient chant melodies—or even the Renaissance greats who brought polyphony to perfection—manifested a certain spirituality and liturgical æsthetic that is simply at odds with music written with drums and guitars and made to sound like a 1980’s movie sound track.
It is time for people to reclaim their churches, and walk with their feet if they must. Such fads are simply unacceptable and are truly at odds with the faith. God will not be mocked.
I leave you today with this question:
