The Falicy of "De Gustibus Non Disputandum Est"
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    It is very interesting that the phrase “De gustibus non disputandum est”, literally meaning, ‘there is no disputing about tastes’, has numerous times been quoted to me as the reason that Gregorian chant and Latin based music, (polyphony) should not necessarily be the style of music that is utilized in the liturgy. It is even more startling to me that it was always quoted to me by someone in clerical attire of the Latin Rite!

    This is kind of akin to the scene in Toy Story where the famed cowboy, Woody, is shaking the (dismembered) arm of his estranged friend, Buzz Lightyear in an attempt to convince his cohort of other toy friends that indeed he, Woody and Buzz are still truly the best of friends. The reality is that Woody tried to deceive them all as a result of the chasm between them, (the space between two houses in which each of them stood) and the limited vision of a window that he uses as a puppetry stage. Woody tries to fake the action and voice of Buzz who truly isn’t even there in an attempt to fool them all. The pig, however, quickly blows the cover and exclaims, “something’s screwy here.”

    So, using this saying when it does not refer to the Roman Catholic liturgy does not bother me at all. However, it seems that the ONLY time I have heard this phrase in my entire life is when I am ‘corrected’ by a cleric of the Catholic Church as an employee of sacred music in the Catholic Church, NOT to use Latin in the liturgy, especially when it concerns music in the Catholic Church.

    This is devious, if not downright diabolical. First point being that Latin is the very language we are debating about, and IT is wielded in such a way by a cleric to discredit the very thing he should be upholding and promoting making it sound like an official declaration of Mother Church. Secondly, the preference of style in music for the Mass has absolutely nothing to do with taste. It is the preference (taste?) of the Church that Gregorian chant, polyphony and the organ are given pride of place in the liturgy.

    So, we are sorry that we have offended your taste in using Gregorian Chant and/or Latin. If you want a smorgasbord, might I suggest you become a season ticket holder at the local Symphony or head down to the nearest bar?
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,368
    I, too, have experienced this inane response. You are right; and one observes that it is only used in defense of the indefensible by those who care only for the otherwise indefensibly bad. In fact, de gustivus non disputandum est, offered as an unchallengeable dictum and excuse, is not at all an objectively infallible statement. Taste may very well be disputed when it really isn't taste at all - bad taste is not taste at all, but is 'non gustibus'. The care-less clerics and others who bandy this locution about with an air of authority to defend the indefensible should be met with the confident and sober disputation that they deserve.
  • dad29
    Posts: 2,217
    Generally, people who are less-educated in music use that phrase liberally.
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,368
    This is not a discussion-stopping, jaw-dropping, conversation-ending, infallible dictum -
    It is not a truth.
    The proper response is 'AHEM! De Gustibus Disputandum EST, et est vere!!! Now, where shall we start??????????'
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