(*) go to your nearby office supply store and purchase a 2-inch binder a set of dividers (5 tabs to start, probably will need 15 or more) a ream of paper (500 sheets) a set of hilighters
(*) pick the language citation best suited to your needs, print the document, three-hole-punch, put into binder
Here is the challenge:
(*) read the documents in historical order (old to new)
(*) a document must be skim-read in one sitting use a hilighter to place a mark [punctum?] at each music word (chant, sing, instrument, ...) maybe use different colors for different words or purposes (e.g., orange for ordinary-related [kyrie,gloria,...], purple for proper-related [introit/entrance,psalm,...]) the marks will help whenever you re-visit the document in the future
(*) visit this discussion and post your status and thoughts on the doc you just read
Notes: I will edit the LIST so there is only one place to need to look for the complete list I will locate and include SPANISH references to facilitate common knowledge in our bi-lingual communities I will favor Vatican pages (their traffic logs will indicate that people care about these documents) I will add a post to this discussion when there are updates
A wonderful exercise, and yes, we should all take the time to do this!
In reading these documents in consecutive order, and reading quickly as suggested, it is clear that the participation of the people is important and desired, that Latin is still in force as the preferred language, that it provides unity as does the use of chant. While using the vernacular is acceptable, it is clear that it is desired the people learn their parts and where possible learn in Latin.
There is so much here, I am merely at the tip of the iceburg so to speak. There are clearly themes that are concerns throughout the years, the encouragement to use Latin and to use chant does not change.
Yikes. Serious. Makes the Joncas survey a Cliffs Notes. I've got an apprentice coming in with a comp degree from Schoenberg/USC under Lauridsen; I'll put him on it, saying "You're 25, I'm 60, guess what?" Great job, eft. East Bay Rules.
I did this last summer. Nice big binder, and very eye-opening. The tone of docs before and after the council is notable. Now, I aim to do it again next summer and hopefully absorb a little more. And I want to digest more liturgical history.
Summer it is for me. Right now Lent has my brain. Did I mention there are something like 39 proper chants between Palm Sunday and Easter Vigil? Good times. :)
And which of the music directors here who are full time musicians/music editors/lyric tenors/countertenors has time for all of that? Sure, I have to research but I research on subject matter, not massive amounts of motu proprio's that I've already read and have a good idea of their subject matter.
I would say the definitive book that you need to buy is Heyburns Papal Legislation on Sacred Music. which covers everything from the beginning of the church until 1960. Anything after that is questionable in terms of the magisterium on sacred music.
Chapter 6 of the LTP book Documents on the Liturgy takes the story on to 1979. However the only legislative text, if such it be, is Musicam Sacram, which was published in 1967. The problem with this is that it applies directly neither to the EF (by explicit statements of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei), nor to the OF which had not been defined at that time (though it had been drafted and trialled).
To participate in the discussions on Catholic church music, sign in or register as a forum member, The forum is a project of the Church Music Association of America.