It's things like this that make me miss being in the Wichita diocese. Lots of great stuff happening over there.

I shared the letter among music directors in my diocese, which is not Wichita. There was some mild pushback against it, claiming that Bishop Kemme is presenting his personal slant on liturgical music rather than the Church's norms. "It's not that cut and dry," was one criticism. "The bishop doesn't acknowledge permissible variability in music selection and styles of music," was another.

I responded that the options and permissible variability in music selections and styles for Mass need to be understood within the context of the clear preferences and ideals for music at Mass that the Church has explicitly stated time and time again for at least 120 years: Gregorian chant is to be given pride of place wherever that is possible; other musical styles and new compositions are not excluded, but to the degree that new music departs from the qualities of sacred music identified in "Tra le Sollecitudini," it is not suitable for liturgical use.

Most parishes exploit the permission for variable styles of music without situating that flexibility in the context of the Church's stated preference for chant. Thus, many parishes will sing the latest OCP or GIA or CCLI music going back no more than 10-20 years in composition dates, but chant is never sung. That's not a Catholic approach because it's disconnected from the centuries-long history of Catholic liturgy and sacred music.

I think Bishop Kemme acknowledges the reality that few parishes have the resources or the talent pool to realize the Church's vision for liturgical music anytime soon. He has to play the long game, but it has to start sometime and somewhere. I see him encouraging his diocese's music directors and pastors to think outside the modern four-hymn/song model that prevails in way too many parishes, and look again or look for the first time at options for music and at the style of music that the Church has taught is preferable for music sung at Mass: give greater consideration to the antiphons and to chant when choosing music for Mass, get out of the rut of only singing songs or hymns. What's objectionable about that?

I think Bishop Kemme acknowledges the reality that few parishes have the resources or the talent pool to realize the Church's vision for liturgical music anytime soon.

I'm facing this ironic issue -- parishioners at my parish tell me all the time how much I've improved the music and the choir, but now I have people afraid to join music ministry and the choir because they think (incorrectly, IMO) the music's too hard for them.

Add in how insanely busy society is (and how hard it is to escape that when you have a spouse/children), and it just makes it really, really tough to have a great music ministry.

I think Tim summed up what I'm going through with my choir. I've had many of those exact same comments, but new people seem intimidated by the prospect of singing in the choir.

Add in how insanely busy society is (and how hard it is to escape that when you have a spouse/children), and it just makes it really, really tough to have a great music ministry.

I second that. Attendance at my midweek evening choir rehearsals is unreliable among those who work (especially teachers, who get exhausted), parents with young children at home, and students. The retirees are the most reliable about attending because, well, they have the time.

I've started recording audio of my choir practices and posting it for choir members to listen to at home if they miss practice or want to review anything on their own. It's not ideal, but I don't think I'm going to get weekly attendance from about half my choir members, and having a recording they can listen to on their own to prepare for Sunday is better than not having it.

The busy lives that people have definitely makes it difficult to have a quality volunteer parish music program. That's not talked about a lot. It's compounded by the fact that people in choir often volunteer for other things in the parish and elsewhere whose events sometimes conflict with choir practices.

Too soon to say, as I've only recorded two practices. It's not much work: turn on the recorder for practice, after practice divide the sound file into four segments (due to the website host's restrictions on the size of audio file uploads), upload the segments to the choir website, and voila.

A least three people each week who were not present at practice have told me that they listened to the recording so far. That's a promising start.

I think it will be worth continuing to do.

Yes, the inertia of expectations based on past decades of poor liturgical and musical choices is often difficult to overcome.

The two major Catholic hymnal publishers aren't any help. They perpetuate the problem. I buy as little as necessary from either of them, which now is practically nothing.

"No other parish is doing that," is a complaint I have heard about my music program. What those people intend as a complaint, though, is actually a compliment. I'm glad that I'm not lumped in with those other parishes.

I don't think the people who tout "permissible variety" really care about permission or what the Church actually teaches about sacred music. I'm finding more and more parishes and their musical ensembles identify more with their local community club (i.e. "parish") rather than as a member of the Holy Catholic Church.

I also find that those who criticize chant as being too difficult are just making excuses because they don't personally like it and don't care what the Church teaches. Singing classical polyphony or even modern harmonies requires more technique and rehearsal than simple chants. I formed a schola who simply met 30-45 minutes before Mass and was quite successful . We didn't have time to learn any harmonies or branch out beyond the basics. But it was beautiful and liturgically appropriate.

I find it's best to convert people based on the text alone. The melodies will follow.
Sacred Scripture, primarily the psalms. Offering back to God his own Word that he gifted us rather than something some hack at OCP or GIA wrote to express their personal feelings about God (at least in many cases). If someone prefers to express their own feelings and doesn't acknowledge that the Mass is all about God, then there is no point in arguing about the music.

You are in paradise in USA and don't know. This is a example of what is music in many parishes in Brazil:
https://youtu.be/au0ix_dtaKQ?si=hERni9oN_AtUwSq1
(some of the lyrics: "Jesus Christ will not pass because he is inside my heart. And these people: what people are these? These are the people who will live in heaven").

In most parishes what is sung is a style of music copied from Pentecostal sects or something called "pastoral music" recommended by documents from the episcopal conference and which is full of lyrics linked to "liberation theology" condemned by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the time when Benedict XVI was still a cardinal and was prefect. In most cases the style of this "pastoral music" is "inculturated", that is, copying profane folk dances.

And here we have the phenomenon of the “pop priest”: priests who sing songs at mass and have a show business routine.

If you try to do Gregorian chant or even plainchant in Portuguese, the parish priests complain that the people won't participate properly and that you have to sing songs known to the people.

I also find that those who criticize chant as being too difficult are just making excuses because they don't personally like it and don't care what the Church teaches.

there’s definitely a grain of truth to this. Also, it is hard if you’ve never done it before.

I was interviewed for a parish podcast recently, and the interviewer quipped to me that he was very skeptical when we started chanting the Kyrie from the Missa de Angelis, because it was hard for him, and very florid, etc. “But now, a few months later, I can totally do it!”

Yep. That’s the goal.

Chant isn’t any harder than any of the schlock that is found in Gather 4.

I have long quipped to my choir that “if you could sing any of the St. Louis Jesuit schlock where the rhythm changes on every verse of the ‘hymn’, then you can sing this.” Some of the most beloved hits have awkward melodies and rhythms… yet people happily sing them without complaint. This clearly proves that there’s no reason they cannot sing other, better things. Chant, the hymn tunes of RVW, etc. etc.

I recall the then precentor of Westminster Cathedral saying,to a group with a substantial number of the choir school pupils, that the SLJ music was rooted in chant. Having no musical training I am unable to make an informed comment, it did cause me some surprise (it would be 40 or more years ago).

MarkB,

I taught music at that school, when those boys were in 1-5 grades.

Shoutout to The Parish Book of Chant.