“The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.” – Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 116
“While the organ is to be accorded pride of place, other wind, stringed, or percussion instruments may be admitted into divine worship in the Dioceses of the United States of America, according to longstanding local usage, in so far as these are truly suitable for sacred use, or can be made suitable.” – General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 393
My mother has a collection of twelve hand-painted China plates from a local artist from where I grew up in South Bend. Each depicts one day of “gifts” from the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” They are beautiful works of art, unique, and sentimentally significant. They enjoy “pride of place” in her home… protected in a glass display case. Never has a morsel of food touched them.
In our home, we have a collection of ceramic plates featuring sketches of Mickey Mouse and other classic Disney characters. (If you know my wife and I at all, this probably comes as no surprise.) They are dishwasher safe, mass-produced and commercially available, and what we use 99% of the time when we’re eating at home. We like them – they’re fun a quirky, but also practical – but we would shed no tears if one were to break, either. But, other things being equal, they are given “pride of place” in our daily routine.
What exactly is “pride of place?” The Church documents quoted above place emphasis on the role of Gregorian chant and the use of organ to support liturgical music, but neither is an absolute mandate for their use, and certainly not for exclusivity. My own thoughts and opinions have changed over the years, and – who knows? – may continue to do so in the future as well. I used to view chant as my mother’s China. Something of beauty and significance to be appreciated from afar and protected, but not necessarily used… at least not regularly. (Musically, I would rather liken this to major sacred “concert” works, such as the Brahms Requiem or the Vivaldi Gloria.) Something akin to a trophy displayed on a mantlepiece. But this isn’t so. Neither is the tableware we use regularly out of convenience truly afforded “pride of place. (Marty Haugen’s Mass of Creation is the closest liturgical music analogue I can think of for this… practical, but to some extent, mundane.)
We also own a collection of Disney mugs. Probably fifty or so of them. And these are not coffee cups with Disney scenes or pictures on them. These are all mugs shaped and painted like the faces of the characters themselves. Of all of these, about half are on display above our kitchen sink, and half of them in a separate cabinet (because we ran out of room above the sink years ago.) But there is one that I would argue has been given true “pride of place.” The Genie mug from the movie “Aladdin.” Why, you ask? Because I am picky about my coffee mugs, and this checks off all of the boxes, but practical and aesthetically. It’s large enough to hold 20 oz. of coffee plus milk. The top of the rim is flat – not shaped to fit the look of a character, but less convenient for actual use. It’s dishwasher safe. It’s also of nostalgic value. It was one of the first in our collection, and a beloved character from one of the biggest Disney films I grew up with. And its “place of pride?” It lives under the spout of the Keurig. It gets used almost daily, because it is practically, historically, artistically, and emotionally significant to me.
Chant and organ are like this to the Church. Practical, historic, artistic, and spiritually significant. Do we use other music on occasion? Of course, absolutely! There’s a lot to unpack in the caveat, “other things being equal.” (And when the Genie is in the dishwasher, you better believe I’m still drinking my morning cup of coffee.) But these standards of liturgical music occupy that overlap of what is to be revered and what is to be frequently employed in our parish musical repertoire.
Please accept this invitation to participate more fully, more actively, in our parish’s music ministry. If you are interested in singing in the choir, leading the congregation as a cantor,
or enriching our liturgy as an instrumentalist, email Shawn Gelzleichter at sgelzleichter@gmail.com or call the rectory at 781-662-8844.