Hyms should help us pray

BY DAVID HOLDCROFT SJ

I  am never sure why anyone would venture into the minefield of liturgical music, as Fr Chris Townsend did in his article “Why I hate Catholic music”, unless they seek instant social exile. At the risk of a similar fate I wish to offer some reply to Fr Townsend’s thesis.

But let me firstly declare my agenda. Before I joined the priesthood I played in various musical bands, for a while making my living from it. The experience of having to try to convert people to the delights of my dubious musicianship, and at the same time make some money, taught me a few handy lessons about the power and the role of music in people’s lives.

Fr Townsend took a broad swipe at post-Vatican II choices of music. I think his point was that we, as a Church, have yet to arrive at a consensus of what should and shouldn’t be included in the music of the liturgy. I agree that we have lost something of the devotional aspect to much of our music. But I think he is wrong in ascribing the cause to the choice of hymns.

Any intelligent discussion about the role of music in liturgy must refer to the French—after all they were hugely influential in the Vatican II liturgical reform and, broadly speaking, they understand what the role of music in liturgy can be, if it is done well.

I had my seminal lesson in this from a brother from the ecumenical community of Taizé situated north of Lyons. His basic premise is that music serves one purpose in liturgy: to bring people to prayer. It does this primarily by creating an emotional and psychological space, which allows us to open our hearts to the transcendent. If we accept this then a number of principles follow.

The first critiques the assumption that somewhere there is a simple formula for choice of music which will solve all our problems. However, congregations differ, musical resources vary and there exists in different parts of our world different musical languages. One of the most basic tasks of a liturgist is to find the musical language appropriate for a given congregation.

As the liturgy moves and changes throughout the year, so should the music that is chosen to support it. This movement is not just a matter of words. The music carrying the words reflects the different character of the seasons. The restrained music of Advent season opens to the larger sense of Christmas but still carries a restraint as we come to terms that Jesus’ welcome in our world was tenuous at best.

Within a given liturgy the music also serves different purposes. An opening hymn gathers people: it commonly contains a “big” musical statement. Offertory music narrows the focus of the congregation to the unfolding eucharistic event: it is more introspective. Communion music is best accompanying the procession to receive Communion. After that is a time of silence for thanksgiving appropriate for the most intimate encounter we have with Jesus.

As for a recessional, do we need another hymn? The tradition of an improvised or formal instrumental form such as a toccata amply suffices in most situations.

The second premise is that good music does not necessarily translate to good liturgy. Liturgical music is written for congregational singing and involves specialised writing. Look at the Gelineau psalms on paper and you think “ho hum”. Teach them to a (Western) congregation and they just work. Again that Taizé brother cited a simple maxim for successful liturgical music: “If music is so good that you end up listening to it, it has failed liturgically. If it is so bad that all you are doing is listening to it, it has also failed.”

The third and most important premise is that music is an active medium. Many of us attend liturgy like we are watching television. Liturgical worship is not the sum total of the individual prayers of members of the congregation. Rather the gathering is a communal event, something that commemorates our salvation as a community. Well done liturgical music helps take us from our individual isolated spaces into this communal space.

To ensure that my social life reduces to a mere shadow of its former glory, I will now attempt to apply these principles to the example that Fr Townsend cited: “Shine, Jesus, Shine”. May I suggest it is less the choice of this hymn that is the problem as the reason it is chosen, the manner in which it is done, and its placement within the liturgy.

The liturgical devil is in the detail and it is up to each parish, and their priests, to keep working at this, learning as they go. Only then will we approach an acceptable musical tradition in our Church.

Fr David Holdcroft is a Jesuit priest with degrees in music and theology. He is currently director of Jesuit Refugee Service in Southern Africa, based in Johannesburg.