I'd start with Tra le Sollecitudini and the accompanying letter to the Cardinal Vicar of Rome.

Pope John Paul II's "Chirograph of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II for the Centenary of the Motu Proprio Tra le Sollecitudini on Sacred Music" is quite good.

@Gavin, Performance style music in what I believe the person is asking me is more of a performance of a certain style of music.
I have been for many years now trying to assist the congregation in getting back to a more sacred style of music. Our very small church uses OCP guides and missals to pick the music for the Liturgy. We do not have a choir director, just a bunch of volunteers who do not even read the readings, psalms, gospel, or antiphons to help them choose the music for a particular Sunday. They simply look up what the OCP guide suggests for the day and pick their favorite tune among the selection.

The pastor tells me if it were up to him he would like more traditional music, even some chant so that is what I try to use at the one mass I "perform" at.

When trying to educate the other groups (I hesitate to call them choirs) I get nothing but remarks like "I just feel so up lifted when we do these songs. The Holy Spirit fills me when we do these hip hop style songs" or "Your kids won't go to mass when they are in their teens if you don't change your attitude".

The funny thing is I've never told them to change their songs. I've only suggested articles from various sources such as "Adoramus Bulletin" or quotes from the documents of the church.

The whole reason this thread has come up is because, a couple of the adult members of the teen mass choir have decided that they would rather travel 45 min to another church to get fulfilled in the choir. They have a band with drums, bass, guitar, piano and a group of singers that are lively bouncy, raise their hands and put the choir right in the front so they can "PERFORM" for the audience.

Because I am the only one in the church who even reads the documents of the church and sends snippets out to the other groups, someone asked me in what document does it say we shouldn't put on a performance. I am simply trying to iron that out for them.
There is one other member who's favorite document is "Sing to the Lord". He uses it quite frequently to tell me how praise and worship music belongs in the Liturgy.

The "Teen Mass" already uses "Spirit and Song 2" from OCP and that was not even enough to keep one lady from leaving the ministry for the other church. One reason I believe is due to the fact that the pastor will not allow drums to be played in our church. She doesn't feel uplifted when she sings for our Masses.

I hope this helps you understand what I mean by performance type music.

Everyone performs at liturgy. Clergy, acolytes, people, cantors, choir, choirmaster and organist. The question is what quality of performance are they going to offer God. Those who say, perforce, 'I do not perform', or 'I am only playing for the glory of God' are not likely offering worthily, for their reasoning is that 'God doesn't care' so there is no need for really doing something good well. They aren't really glorifying God by giving him a pittance of talent and effort when they could offer him their finest performance of the best gifts that he gives to them. If you are not performing, you are neither worshipping nor glorifying God. It may or may not be objectively true that 'God doesn't care' (how do these people know that???), but it is incumbent upon us that we very well had better care. Our 'performance' lays bare what we really think of God... and of his people. Performance in the courts of the Lord is a command performance before the Lord of Heaven and the King of the Universe. And some say it doesn't matter!?

Gavin, when the music becomes about the person singing it then it becomes performance.

While we should ALWAYS offer our very best efforts to God, the emphasis should be about calling attention to or complementing the liturgical action taking place.

Does anyone know the answer to the OP's question? I would like to know too.

What is performance music? That's pretty subjective. I consider the Mozart Coronation Mass as something belonging in a concert hall, not in church. It is a bit too showy, and that's just my opinion. But my definition of performance is not based on artistry and ability. I view performance music as something that draws too much attention to itself, and away from the liturgy. This type of music is often not God centered, but self-centered. That doesn't mean not doing anything but chant, since plenty of other good sacred music exists. I usually ask, when choosing music, does this music sing the praises of God or of us? I agree the distinction between the two is sometimes fuzzy.

Gavin is correct in saying that performance is the means by which music is produced. There's a difference, though, between submission to the liturgy and holding back musical excellence. One is humility; the other is not.

MT56 has the point, though. It's more about a performancementality that's the problem. What you do outside of musical execution makes a difference. Tommy A is correct: intention matters.

Also, I'm with CharlesW on Mozart, but that's just me.

Putting aside the internal disposition of the musicians, while the OF liturgy offers important moments for pause and silence, music that stalls the liturgy (that is, where the liturgy becomes something of platform for the music) is likely to be rightly considered performance music.

I agree with Mark in re the use of the term "performance music". There are usually two groups that I have run into in practise that use it :

1 : The Now-Aged Hippies, who view chant, sacred polyphony and organ music as 'performance music'. "All that 'Opera' stuff". These are the people who want "On Eagles Wings".

2 : The 'Traditional Low Mass Types', who view chant, sacred polyphony and organ music as 'performance music'. "All that 'Opera' stuff"*. These are the people who want "On this day, O Beautiful Mother".

* Yes, this phrase has been used at me by both groups of people.

The only way that this can be combatted is by replacing the Epistle at Sunday Mass with readings from "Tra le sollicitudini", "Musicam Sacram", and "Sacrosanctum Concillium"! (Just kidding, of course!) Either that, or send the entire parish to the Colloquium next June!

Maybe buying some of the choir members copies of Dr. Marht's The Musical Shape of the Liturgy would be a step in the right direction?

So you all bring up very good points but so far only Jahaza has provided some Church docs.
I will purchase a copy of Dr. Marht's book.

I was discussing with a young woman sacred music and how if she really wanted active participation at her mass that she would sing hymns that the congregation could actually sing like Soul of My Savior, etc. and not heavily syncopated music that every contemporary church does a little differently. I told her it was due to the fact that most people in these groups (again not willing to call them choirs) can't read what is on the page. They have never taken a music lesson so they have no idea what a dotted eighth note into a sixteenth note (very frequent in this style of music) should sound like or how it is counted. I can go to 3 different masses out our church on any given Sunday, hear the same contemporary song but hear it 3 different ways and none of them what is actually written on the page.

I do understand that we are all performing and that we are hopefully trying to perform to the best of our abilities. I don't like the term Theatrical because most teens or like minded individuals wouldn't get the meaning.
I think maybe a better term would be "Vegas Show" or "Rock Concert" style of music.

Comments are welcome but docs would help me show them that it is not just my opinion. Others for years have held these opinions. I believe they honestly believe I am making all this stuff up.

Let me put something up for debate then.
Is music simply entertainment style by the way it is performed?
What I mean is if we take the lyrics of these songs (some are actually ok) and alter the feel (the way they are performed) that they may be acceptable to the Liturgy?

I guess one example in the reverse would be that one group that I was in, when I lived in Vegas, changed the meter and syncopated the Immaculate Mary. Similar to something you would have heard from the movie "Sister Act".

I'm disinclined to opine to any great extent in these debates, other than a couple of observations. But most of you know me, so I can't resist not being brief:
1. Where's the clergy in all this kerfuffle? If, as the docs say, The Mass is the "center of my life," (hardy har har) how come most pastors seem to treat its care and nurturing as if they were absentee landlords? When they leave the properties to the untethered care of the tenants occupying the houses, they have no reason to hope that all those folk are going to behave and maintain the integrity of the house. So, whenever they show up and they find a rave instead of a proper dinner party, they have a choice: raise a ruckus, upset people, clean the joint up, or to shrug their shoulders and say to themselves "Well, everyone seems okay with this, I'll just do my walk thru and hope it gets better."
2. Part of the problem also that is even more complex to solve is the issue typified with Teachermom's statement: "I recently scratched "O God Beyond All Praising" from the list of acceptable music for Mass because it seems to me "theatrical." To me, theatrical music draws attention to itself rather toward the Eucharist." It caught my attention because I find the use of Holst's excerpted "Thaxted" to set that text or the M.D. Ridge and many others an incredibly powerful musical expression fit for worship, perhaps it's my favorite hymntune, despite its orchestral origin. But I'm not criticizing TMom's decision, I'm pointing out that fairly serious and critlical decision-making responsibilities are entrusted to DMs, choir directors, song leaders from church to church for the most part without guidance or review (see #1) and each and all of us have our prejudices, our varied educations and experiences, and that dread word, tastes, that affect huge numbers of the faithful and help/hurt their worship practice.

How do we go with "ego?" I have no pat answer, to say otherwise would prove me an egoist. 12 steppers actually do rely upon their cliches, "Let go, let God...One day at a time...etc." Maybe we could have a liturgical musician's cliche, "Leggo my ego" before we make repertoire choices.
Some recent videos posted by Kathleen Pluth at Cafe and Fr. Allan McDonald at Southern Orders demonstrate the pitfalls inherent in the "showcase Mass" whether it's a closing Mass at LAREC or the appropriation of the Coronation Mass for an actual liturgy.
I've long championed that in humility we will likely find more answers and "success" with these issues. The ultimate humility, of course, can be found by going "home" via the official hymnals of our Church, the Graduales. Short of that, remember "leggo my ego."

CA Charles does bring up a good point. Where IS your pastor in all this? If he backs you up and that's that, many of your difficulties would disappear.

CharlesW. My pastor says he is on my side and encourages me to start to change hearts and minds. I do not get the feeling that he wants to direct the congregation on how they are to worship (musically). He is very good at evangelizing the congregation and has made the community more faithful. His homilies are helping the congregation get back to the real meaning of the Mass and the Gospel. Maybe he feels that he needs to change one thing at a time. I wish there was money in the budget for a good DM that would help me out.

donr -
I'm curious as to what type of music is being done at the Pontifical Masses (ie Masses with the Bishop celebrating) in your diocese? That may be a double-edged sword, but there's a 50% chance it could work to your advantage if you could say "rather that P&W music at the Cathedral, they are chanting the propers", etc.

No matter what documents we are quoting, approved by the Holy See or not (in the case of Sing to the Lord), we are grasping at straws until the bishops start leading by example and enforcing the rules.

Well, we are in the diocese of Tucson who are more contemporary, but we are closer to Phoenix who has a very good shepherd of souls in Bishop Olmsted. He encourages chant and other sacred music. But we are incorporated in the diocese of Tucson who get musician of OCP to give seminars in our parishes.

WiesOrganista offers: "Or I should say until MORE bishops start enforcing the rules.
"
I'm more than sympathetic to your notion, but after 40+ years of DMing, I can't think of one bishop, including Olmstead, who's tried to enforce anything liturgical without reaping the whirlwind afterwards (eg. the Phoenix flap over HC in both forms.) Oakland CA diocese has had two outstanding RotR oriented bishops, the currrent See of whom still has to deal with perhaps the most liturgically diverse (some may call that a kind description) diocese in the US without, to my knowledge, a lot of impact as of yet. Liam can personally attest to that if he so desires.
What has to simply happen (follow the yellow brick road!) is a happy convergence of the bishops finally addressing these concerns in plenum, agreeing upon some basic standards, such as the OF as discussed by Paul Ford and Jeffrey Tucker recently at PTB/Chant Cafe, and then mandating themselves to then instruct their own surrogates, ie. parish pastors, in how to teach the faithful in real time (ie. a paradigmatic OF Mass, chanted orations at least) AND the sharing of the vision and the "sound" of a "properly" conducted Mass by CMAA or other knowledgeable, competent musical folk who subscribe to this Roman/American re-inculturation.
But enforcement, as in "Thar's a NEW SHER'F in town!," may not be the wisest strategy, IMO, YMMV.

Has any one heard Ave Maria by Beyonce. I would imagine this will be sung in our churches soon for Weddings. Absolutely sacrilegious.

Part of the problem also that is even more complex to solve is the issue typified with Teachermom's statement: "I recently scratched "O God Beyond All Praising" from the list of acceptable music for Mass because it seems to me "theatrical." To me, theatrical music draws attention to itself rather toward the Eucharist." It caught my attention because I find the use of Holst's excerpted "Thaxted" to set that text or the M.D. Ridge and many others an incredibly powerful musical expression fit for worship, perhaps it's my favorite hymntune, despite its orchestral origin. But I'm not criticizing TMom's decision, I'm pointing out that fairly serious and critlical decision-making responsibilities are entrusted to DMs, choir directors, song leaders from church to church for the most part without guidance or review (see #1) and each and all of us have our prejudices, our varied educations and experiences, and that dread word, tastes, that affect huge numbers of the faithful and help/hurt their worship practice.

Yes, the reason I took it off my list was purely subjective on my part. I like the tune too much (kind of like Stonewall Jackson who wouldn't use tobacco because he was too fond of it) and that distracts me from the Mass, so I think that may be true for others. I also love to sing it too much and worry about that ego issue.

donr, I think you and I are looking for the same thing which is basic criteria for what constitutes sacred music suitable for Mass. I listened to a very helpful lecture recently that helped me with my argument that good music is not a matter of taste. Here it is: http://www.instituteofcatholicculture.org/music-the-soul-restoring-or-destroying-the-inner-man/ He has some very helpful quotes on the handout sheet.

I've been the choir director for one year and have chosen the music for the Mass with no input from anyone (our pastor wants that). I made a short list from the OCP books we use and draw up the weekly schedule from that. The criteria I use are: 1) theologically sound 2) familiar to the congregation 3) honors God by drawing our attention to Him (both in music and words). So far, I haven't had anyone ask for anything off my list (except at funerals).

I am reading as much as I can and trying to experience Masses with good music as much as I can which has been easier to do this summer with several trips to St. Louis. I am slowly learning what sacred music for Mass is and, perhaps, will be able to take a step beyond the basics this next year.

oh, and I have no idea what THAXTED means!

Kathy

donr

the music that doesn't belong is theatrical music. it is music that has catchy tunes, oftentimes sports a beat or rhythm, and loves to be sung by vocalists who come from the opera or the theatre and think the more vibrato the better. that eliminates about 99.99% of what gets performed at a liturgy these days.

purchase this book!

http://www.booksforcatholics.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=B&Product_Code=0814610129&Category_Code=

read it thoroughly... everything is in there that you will ever need.

...and jahaza is right... Tra le Sollecitudini is very clear. (and, of course, controversial)

I was not trying to throw stones at AUSTRIA but just reporting what I have observed on occasion. I agree that there are many, many Catholics (and protestants) who treasure Haydn's tune. And, for sure, it is far ahead of ODE TO JOY.

At least Amadeus didn't try to actually kill his tenors and sopranos by the mere act of trying to actually sing for days above the staff, like ol' irrrepressible deaf Ludwig with his "ode."
BTW, does anybody love Wolfies' SALZBURG besides me?
Vis a vis "AUSTRIA"
. far superior to our amateurish national anthem., Jackson, for once, would you just tell us what you really think? ;-p

Well, Charles, you asked for this:
what do I really think???
why, I think that our national anthem is a gem, a genuine masterpiece...
but of what I shant say.

(And, I'll join you in liking SALZBURG.)

Liam, did you ever read "Flowers for Algnernon"? I swear, you're too book-learnt for your own good.
What is it with guys from Boston, first Sam and John Adams, Joe Kennedy, Whitey Bulger, Bill Buckner and Danny Ainge?
I suppose there's no Santa Claus either, huh?

SALZBURG is one of my all-time favorites! Here is "At the Lamb's high feast" with each of the four stanzas having a different harmonization (the first being the usual Bach). They also appear in the Accompaniment materials for the Vatican II Hymnal. Jakob Hintze originiated the tune and Bach harmonized it, although in a slightly different meter before it became our present SALZBURG.

Chuck

Chant, being based upon groups of two and three notes, does not set up a repeating rhythm, but instead follows the word patterns.

The words come first.

Polyphonic music developed out of chant and preserved the importance of the words.

(Are you beginning to see a pattern here?)

Even great works with soaring solos, such as the Miserere by Allegri is still ruled by the words and not the music.

Any music with a steady rhythm, including metric hymns which force the paraphrasing of scripture texts to fit the rhythm, are to be avoided, since in the Church the words are always more important than the music.

It is possible to have a great performance of chant...and this is acceptable because it is a great performance of the words.

A great performance where the music rules the words, is a performance of music and is less suitable for the liturgy.

"Oh, let Sylvia sing the Pie Jesu by _______________, it has that lovely high A in it that she sings so well."

FAIL

Words that are forced into a structure by the demands of the music really do not belong in the liturgy, so you have my permission to stand up this week in your OCP parish and say, "The responsorial psalm will be spoken today to the text approved by the Church as being theologically sound and this practice will continue until I am fired."

We will take up a collection for you, you'll need it.