Universa Laus,the Consociatio and the Holy See
  • David AndrewDavid Andrew
    Posts: 1,204
    I just finished reading Msgr. Schuller's "A Chronicle of the Reform", and I'm confused about the history of the relationship between the organization "Universa Laus", the "Consociatio Internationalis Musicae Sacrae" and the Holy See.

    On page 19, Msgr. Schuller cites an article in Notitiae that reports the content of a letter sent by Msgr. dell' Acqua to Fr. Gelineau and Dr. Quack. It would appear that Universa Laus received some kind of formal recongnition and approbation from the Holy Father. Schuller then goes on to quote a further letter from the Secretariat of State dated July 29, 1966 addressed to a Msgr. Overath stating that the Holy Father considered the group a superfluous duplication and that the group should be dissolved. Schuller doesn't quote any further documents regarding the existence of Universa Laus, and after a quick splash through the internet I found that Universa Laus is still in business and in 2004 released an amazingly awful document called, "Music in Christian Liturgies II."

    I consulted the monumental "Documents on the Liturgy 1963-1979" and found that in October of 1966 a clarification on Universa Laus was issued that would seem to say that the Holy See never condemned the group, and that "they may continue in holy joy the valuable work they have begun under the direction of the competent authority and in conformity with the Constitution on the Liturgy." (See pg. 1292)

    It would seem, then, that the circumstances described by Msgr. Schuller somehow don't tell the whole story. I have a great deal of respect for Msgr. Schuller's work, and found his "Chronicle" to be a fascinating read. What I'd like to find out is if there's a more complete picture of the relationship between the Holy See and Universa Laus available that fills in the apparent gap between Msgr. Schuller's brief account cited above and the two brief entries in "Documents on the Liturgy."
  • David AndrewDavid Andrew
    Posts: 1,204
    At the risk of attracting scorn or upsetting someone, I'm bringing this topic back to the top.

    As our parish liturgy committee is reviewing SttL, the question of who might be considered the "go to" group for advice and comment on documents like this was raised. It was suggested by the staff person in charge of sacraments that NPM was the favored advisory group for the USCCB.

    I expressed certain reservations about how much control NPM should have. I explained that it grew out of Universa Laus, and that the CMAA grew out of the first organization of lay people involved in sacred music (the Consociatio) to receive apostolic approbation. I wonder if the CMAA (or some of its members) have any connection with, or are given a respectful hearing by, the USCCB.

    I'm really not looking for a spitting contest over which group is "valid". I'm trying to determine the history of these two organizations (Consociatio and Universa Laus), so that I can comment intelligently on the kind of influence NPM seems to wield with the USCCB, or dispell the idea that they do.
  • G
    Posts: 1,397
    Others will know more about this, but I know Dr Mahrt was invited to give advice on the "revision" of MCW that turned inot SttL. (And it was brilliant, a well-reasoned point-by-point concrit.)

    (Save the Liturgy, Save the World)
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    I wish I could enlighten you further on this. The role of the CIMS in this is very interesting, and I'm still waiting for the definitive dissertation. Last night I was reading some documents from 1966 and it was very clear that the writing was on the wall. The CIMS was not going to have the role that it was supposed to have and had been created to have, and that goes for the CMAA as well. In some sense, it is a miracle that the CMAA has had a continued existence at all, and the revival even more so. More and more I find myself looking at this whole period after the council until recently as a period of grave missteps and confusion. Some institutions will have to adapt to new times or see themselves sink into irrelevance.
  • Felipe Gasper
    Posts: 804
    Jeffrey,

    Maybe this book on the musical reforms post-V2 would be a worthy candidate for reprinting? I picked up a copy on Amazon Marketplace, and it is worth a read, IMO.

    Also worthwhile for reprinting is McManus’s “Thirty Years of Liturgical Renewal”, a compilation of BCL documents that includes “The Place of Music in Eucharistic Celebrations”, the BCL’s forerunner to “Music in Catholic Worship”.
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    Yes, I'm seeking permissions now. It is a GREAT book.
  • eft94530eft94530
    Posts: 1,577
    Sacred Music and Liturgy Reform After Vatican II
    Proceedings of the Fifth International Church Music Congress Chicago-Milwaukee, August 21-28, 1966

    As JT noted in
    http://musicasacra.com/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=594
    it is available
    http://www.musicasacra.com/pdf/smlr.pdf

    ---

    The Place of Music in Eucharistic Celebrations
    can be found in
    Thirty-Five Years of the BCL Newsletter 1965-2000 (pages 115-121)
    (BCL Newsletter Jan-Feb 1968)
  • eft94530eft94530
    Posts: 1,577
    Universa Laus datapoints ...

    Thirty-Five Years of the BCL Newsletter 1965-2000

    (BCL Newsletter, August 1966, Vol 2 No 8)

    Singing and Music in the Liturgy

    An international study group for singing and music in the liturgy was established in Lugano, Switzerland,
    after the April meeting there of specialists in the liturgy and music. The new society is called Universa Laus
    and the governing committee includes Don Luigi Agustoni, Father Joseph Gelineau, S.J., and Dr. Erhard
    Quack.

    The Lugano meeting had been preceded by smaller meetings at Cresuz, Essen, and Taize during the past
    several years and by the International Study Week held in Fribourg in 1965.

    The topic for the 1966 study meeting was the background and future evolution of the processional chants
    of Mass. It is expected that the papers will be published.

    The secretary of the new organization, which received a congratulatory message from the Holy See on
    May 11 (Notitiae 18-198), is Michel Veuthey. The North American correspondent is Father Stephen
    Somerville, St. Michael's Choir School, 66 Bond Street, Toronto 2, Ontario.

    Members of the newly organized international society will be kept informed of the progress of liturgical
    music achieved in different countries, of work meetings, and of proposed congresses. Those interested
    should write to:
    Universa Laus
    P. O . Box 78
    1950 Sion 2, Switzerland


    (BCL Newsletter, October 1966, Vol 2 No 10)

    Universa Laus

    On September 24, the Postconciliar Commission (Consilium) for the Implementation of the Constitution
    on the Sacred Liturgy made public an authorized statement concerning Universa Laus, a society formed last
    spring for the promotion of studies in liturgical music. The following is the text of the statement, which was
    issued in various languages:

    [DOL document 507 appears at this point but the BCL translation is not identical
    [differences include punctuation, word order, honorifics, distinguishing details, e.g.,
    [DOL "His Excellency Angelo Jelmini, Apostolic Administrator of Lugano, ..."
    [BCL "Mons. Angelo Jelmini, Apostolic Administrator of Lugano and President of the Swiss Episcopal Conference,"


    (BCL Newsletter, March 1967, Vol 3 No 3)

    Universa Laus

    The first issue of Universa Laus, published by the international association of that name, has appeared.
    It contains articles in French, German, and English, a bibliography on sacred music and the Constitution
    on the Liturgy, and other background materials. The annual subscription is $3.50, the address: Universa
    Laus, c.p. 78, 1950 Sion, Switzerland.

    Universa Laus has also announced the first International Study Week since the formal establishment of
    the body. The meeting will be held in Pamplona, Spain, from August 28 to September 3, 1967. For
    information, write to: Semana international de estudios, Institucion Principe de Viana, Apartado de Correos
    no. 19, Pamplona, Spain.


    (BCL Newsletter, August 1967, Vol 3 No 8)

    Universa Laus

    Mr. Robert Snow of the University of Pittsburgh has been appointed United States correspondent for
    Universa Laus, the publication of the international society of that name. Mr. Snow is a member of the Music
    Advisory Board of the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy and executive secretary of the Pittsburgh
    diocesan music commission.

    Subscriptions to Universa Laus ($3.50) and other communications for the society may now be addressed
    to Robert J. Snow, 726 Hammill Road, Verona, Pennsylvainia 15147.
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