And others, not curmudgeons, will agree against your argument from a perfectly just position- the Latin Roman Rite is, for all practical intent and purposes, codified and no longer ossified. Why dilly-dally the point and the truth of that? Well, as you point out, the catholic proletariat has never, to my knowledge, been provided the means to understand the physiology as well as the philosophy of their Rites. As a teen convert back in the early 70's, the music that was the tissue, sinews, organs and physical systems that were attendant to the skeleton (the structure, architecture, foundation, whatever) that I intuited to be "liturgy." And liturgy and ritual had been lacking from any other experience I'd ever known in my young child's life prior.This pastoral understanding of the intersection between people's liturgical desires and their need for the grace and formation provided by the traditions of the Church is one of the strongest arguments against an abrupt and unprepared shift from current common practice to a program of Traditional Sacred Music."
We have a more colloquial, populist style: standard congregational hymns and simple Mass settings from the Kyriale (a new one every two months!). We're also committed to singing the full propers and learning new polyphonic motets so we can introduce these essential elements of the Church's musical heritage to a new generation. We're also working on encouraging the people to sing the Introit and Communion antiphons with the schola, and we're fortunate that our congregation likes to sing (even the toddlers!)
We are disconnected from history, ecclesiology and the "big picture." Only in that context of re-connecting us to those things will a reform of music be hopeful. Its not enough to say one is Catholic, but to connect one's life and practice to the treasury of faith that Catholicism is. Then it becomes big and sacred music might once again find a home.
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