My copy arrived today, and I'm having to force myself to put it down. By the way, the book is very expensive, and this is too bad because one way or another it seems very clear to me that this book is going to have a huge influence in the future. I can't think of another book that so completely, comprehensively, rigorously, and clearly treats all the issues that confront Catholic musicians today. He makes no claims that he does not document at great length, and he goes to such lengths not for purely polemical reasons but to help the reader. It sure helps me. For example, when he argues that vernacular hymnody has a long history in Catholic Mass, I'm skeptical but he makes his point through a long and fascinating tour of counter-reformation hymn books and contemporary reports, even as he points out the extent to which the conventional practice differs from the norms in place.
What are the themes that I'm picking up? He doubts the merit of the PX reform and believes that it is longing for an ideal that never existed and probably shouldn't exist. At the same time, he argues for a high and liturgical and exclusive role for the choir -- which is very important. He suggests ways that the Gregorian propers can be used at the ordinary form -- and here his comments are 100% connected with everything I've experienced. He sees the Introit, Offertorio, and Communio as viable in every parish. He points out that a full polyhponic Mass is permitted by Musicam Sacram. At the same time, he has the broadest possible view of what it means to preserve our heritage, one that includes vernacular hymnody and strophic hymns of all sorts.
Ok, so the author (if he reads this) will guess that I cheated and read the end, which I did, but I promise to read every word of this massive book, which will not be a difficult task because, as I say, he speaks to all the issues that we all care about.
We might have regrets that the book was written before the Motu Proprio. I would like to see how the BXVI reforms might have changed his perspective -- given the famed gravitational pull. And yet it seems clear that Fr. Ruff, when writing this, was working toward making this gravitational pull happen even without the MP.
Let me add that even if you don't agree with his conclusions, his writing is fresh and bracingly forthright. He knows this field very well, and (from my own perspective) he is way ahead of my own amateur thoughts on nearly every topic he touches. I'm just so excited to read his reconstruction of the history here. And by the way, he deals very seriously and respectfully with the point of view of Msgr. Schuler and others. This is one of those books that you can know in advance is going to shape your thinking -- resistance is futile!
I have great respect for Fr. Ruff after taking his Gregorian Chant course at St. John's Abbey a few years past. He remains high on my short list of people to know in the world of chant research. Thanks for your 'heads up' on his book!
Any chance we could get Fr. Ruff for a future colloquium? I've never met him, and I keep using all of my continuing ed. budget to come to CMAA rather than one of Fr. Ruff's summer offerings.
This book is amazing and Jeffrey's above review is dead on. My copy arrived yesterday evening, and I stayed up 3 hours past my bedtime thoroughly engrossed in it. It's big, heavy, and expensive, but worth every penny. Fr. Ruff's writing is intelligent and exceptionally well laid out (unlike my own writing, where I usually mess things up by using prepositions to end sentences with.) Go to Amazon, order this book and read it.
Jan, I must warn you not to open it yet. It is very very dangerous. If you open it, you might miss your plane, or otherwise fail to show up to registration and class and liturgy. It is that engaging. I deliberately left mine at home precisely because I have a job to do!
Do I need to point out that there are many issues on which to disagree with the author? Surely not. The point is that he helps us to think very hard and with new information. Agree or disagree, he is a benefactor to every Catholic musician.
ok, so on request, here is my draft review of Fr. Ruff's book. There is no way I could do the book justice. I feel bad even writing about it at all since I have nowhere near the competence to evaluate it. Any one chapter could be the source for a full article. I want to write more on what he discovered about Sacrosanctum, e.g., among many topics.
'What Were the Musical Intentions of Vatican II?" This is another terrific article on thenewliturgicalmovement.blogspot.com written by
Jeffrey Tucker that speaks about the importance of Fr. Ruff's new book. I'm still reading the book. In fact, I'm bringing it with me on vacation. Fr. Ruff certainly covers a lot of historical information about the recent history of Catholic Church music (the last 500 years) I never knew. Really a great read!
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