It's good to hear the old sayings, treasure of inestimable value, integral part of the solemn liturgy, cantare amantis est.

But...

The usual ambiguities are here as usual: high quality, noble, simple, dignity of the temple, contribute to the edification of the people... Here “tradition” is always “folk tradition”. Sung texts are to be “inspired by” Scripture and the liturgical books -- not “taken from” -- and so they are new compositions. The schola is to foster participation by the faithful. All in all, the ideal “sacred music” is community singing of simple unison tunes to vernacular texts inspired by the Bible.

Which evokes in me a sigh.

The usual ambiguities are here as usual: high quality, noble, simple, dignity of the temple, contribute to the edification of the people... Here “tradition” is always “folk tradition”.

This seems a little harsh considering he has been bringing back the singing of the Regina Caeli, etc... I also don't think it's a coincidence that we started having "Sing with the Pope" videos with traditional chant that started coming out at the beginning of his pontificate. He does have to be pastoral with speed but I feel like the tide has definitely been turning since he was elected. He has repeatedly emphasized reverent liturgy, sticking to the liturgical norms, and leading by example with intoning Latin chants.

Also, he quoted Pope Benedict XVI on what we should understand first and foremost by the phrase active participation in this excerpt from his address.

This “must be understood […] on the basis of a greater awareness of the mystery being celebrated and its relationship to daily life” (Benedict XVI, Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum caritatis, 52), in a “spirit of constant conversion which must mark the lives of all the faithful” (ibid., 55).

I think we should take this as a very positive sign of him trying to turn the ship while also recognizing that we need to do so with prudence and pastoral sensitivity.

I was about to post this in case anyone missed it, and the only comment that I have to add is that my beloved friend, columba Kelly, OSB, RIP, was very fond of recounting that bunigni himself showed up at a class he was taking.at santa cecilia, if i have that right. He was either teaching it or he was a guest lecturer and in his usual ebullient way , I mean bunigni , went on about how “we” were not able to reconcile the two thoughts.,—honor, chant, and use other musical culturally appropriate forms,—-,” so we left it up to you to work out.”

in father columba’s case he rose to the occasion, and wrote modern chants that more than one musical director has described to me as “ very musical and very Singable. “he wrote some excellent entrance chants , and he was adamant in a very honestly old-fashioned way, that the focus of the liturgical action was the priest, and so the entrance should be chanted

one of those musical directors sighed and said he didn’t see how since the American habit now seems to be to sing a victory march, which is a memorable way of describing the “ rousig” music that so often greets us

but i read the holy father’s comments, as very positive— I think all those who emphasize how positive they are
are correct,

and even francissFrancis said repeatedly that he did not want any fiddling with the liturgy and wanted appropriate music but what strikes me is that despite his best effort efforts and extra words to explain it, we haven’t gotten any closer to a clear resolution

kenneth

If nothing else, he has put the spotlight on a few of the documents that people like us are fond of quoting, which gives us a little ammo to say, "see, the pope quoted this just recently, it's not just me!". I will certainly leverage a few of the remarks in a music minute to the parish. It would be a wasted opportunity to do otherwise.

Sadly, there are plenty of ambiguities in his remarks, particularly surrounding composing and native musics... As I remarked to a facebook friend, genuine composers don't need to be told to compose. We never stopped. The people who will respond to his call are likely those souls who precisely shouldn't. He has seemingly encouraged a sacralization of secular native idioms, which is a bad thing, IMHO. Or to put it another way, some people who really aren't familiar with the corpus of genuine sacred music will take their favorite song and arrange it for their church choir under the guise of responding to the pope's call, with the dreaded effect of yet more banal & profane music entering the temple under perfectly innocent pretenses. We will see more mariachi masses and more liturgical dancing and all of that ilk because the pope encourages native cultural expression, whilst providing no clarity on what, exactly, that should really look like. It's a classic "the road to [liturgical abuse] is paved with good intentions" following hot on the heels of "the pope said it was a good idea".

i’m reminded by this how this discussion forum can lead down rabbit holes, and arguments

I will add that in addition to father Columba’s several other composers have written very good English chant , particularly Psalm settings

and I’m going to go out on a limb here, I have finally come to understand that quite a few modern compositions— the kinds of things that we tend to refer to sarcastically as like “gather. —“In fact are quite meditative and suitable for the Mass.

The thing is, there can be all the documents in the world, but the person who mentioned the bishops hit the nail on the head forever and always, the bishops have been the ones who have regulated the mass in each diocese and it’s going to continue that way until the end , The End.

I have heard tell of a successful TLM parish that has so far not had any troubles, and their MO is to make sure that their parish is the first to fulfill their quota for the bishops appeal. all peace in that cornerI am afraid in my own archdiocese, as the curtain was coming down, traditionalists made themselves as obstreperous as possible. Go the other way— be obedient children to your bishops, and then I suspect you can make progress kenneth

I was recently diagnosed with an illness that effects many systems of the body and I feel like my doctors words could apply here. You might not see 100 percent improvement but you could get 10 percent here 10 percent there etc... And added up it makes a big change.

That is to say we have to be happy for the little wins and know these things take time.