The formal recognition of [Keur Moussa chant repertoire], with hundreds of individual compositions, comes as strong affirmation of Pope John Paul II’s Chirograph On Sacred Music (OSM). Written for the Centenary [FG: why capitalize this word??] of the Motu Proprio Tra le sollecitudini (TLS), the chirograph re-proposes several of the fundamental principles of sacred music. In the context of the priority for full conscious active [sic] participation of the faithful, it provides significant insights for inculturation of liturgical music. It particularly enlightens two troublesome areas in Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC) [FG: again, faulty capitalization]: 1) “The treasure of sacred music is to be preserved and fostered with great care” (SC, 114), and 2) “The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as distinctive of the Roman Liturgy; therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services” (SC, 116). Since the council this acknowledgement of chant has become something of a rallying point for those who wish to turn their backs on the liturgical reform in particular and on contemporary music for worship in general. But with new insights into sacred music and popular song, and new weight given to previous letters, addresses and [sic] audiences on these subjects, John Paul II’s Chirograph On Sacred Music can be seen as a corrective to this movement for the “reform of the reform”.

Nobile Subsidium established CIMS with the objective “to promote cooperation and concerted action of as many people as possible throughout the world and within every country for the cultivaton of sacred music and its progress in accord with the Church’s directives.” With such an awesome objective and wide-ranging potential membership, CIMS got off to a particularly unfortunate start. There were a number of notorious disputes with the Consilium, Universa Laus and [sic] the leaders of the Church Music Association of America at the Fifth International Church Music Congress in Chicago and Milwaukee (August 1966). Ultimately these disputes showed up a fundamental divergence of views. By the end of the 1966 congress the disputes had virtually split the participants into two feuding camps. The primary concern of one camp was to preserve the traditional treasury of sacred music with the consequence of limiting the people’s role in “actual” singing. The other camp wished to foster the development of new music in the vernacular languages to maximize the people’s participation in singing. CIMS and the Church Music Association of America were destined to become partisan groups alongside other groups such as Universa Laus and the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. Since 1985 CIMS collocated with the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, sharing premises, facilities and [sic] staff, While it has done much to promote the study of native music around the world, it is [sic] yet to fulfill its intended overarching role, promoting cooperations among all concerned with sacred music.