The Three Judgments in Choosing Songs for the Mass

To determine the value of a given musical element in a liturgical celebration, a threefold judgment must be made: musical, liturgical and pastoral. The songs should pass all the judgments.

The Musical Judgment

1. Is the music technically, aesthetically, and expressively good? This judgment is basic and should be made by competent musicians. Only artistically sound music will be effective in the long run.

2. Musicians must search and create quality music for worship, especially the new musical settings for the new liturgical texts. Research is thus needed. On the other hand, they must also find new uses for old music and Latin chants. Often the use of old music in some liturgical settings becomes more appropriate than new songs.

3. Judge musical value (Is the music good?) within each musical style (pop, jazz, gospel, church, techno, rock, etc.). We do a disservice to musical values when we confuse the judgment of music with the judgment of musical style. Since we have added the choral hymn, restored responsorial singing, we have also employed many styles of contemporary composition. Now, music in folk idioms is finding acceptance in Eucharistic celebrations. We must judge value within each style.

4. In modern times the Church has consistently recognized and freely admitted the use of various styles of music as an aid to liturgical worship. Since the promulgation of the Constitution on the Liturgy, and more especially since the introduction of vernacular language into the liturgy, there arisen a more pressing need for musical compositions in idioms that can be sung by the congregation and thus further communal participation. This is culturally bound.

5. The musician has every right to insist that the music must be good. But although all liturgical music should be good music, not all good music is suitable to the liturgy.

The Liturgical Judgment

1. The nature of the liturgy itself will help determine what kind of music is called for, what parts are to be preferred for singing and who is to sing them.

2. Structural Requirements. The choice of sung parts, the balance between them and the style of musical setting used should reflect the relative importance of the parts of the Mass (or other service) and the nature of each part. Example: elaborate settings for the Kyrie and the Gloria, might make the proclamation of the Word seem unimportant. Or an overly elaborate offertory song, and a spoken Sanctus might make the Eucharistic prayer less important.

3. Textual Requirements. Does the music express and interpret the text correctly and make it more meaningful? Is the form of the text respected?

The Principal Classes of Texts should be kept in mind:
a) Proclamations
b) Acclamations
c) Psalms
d) Hymns and Prayers

4. Each has a specific function that must be served by the music chosen for a text. And the texts and music should always be in conformity with Catholic doctrine.

5. Role Differentiation: "In liturgical celebrations each person, minister or layman, who has an office to perform, should do all of, but only, those parts which pertain to his office by the nature of the rite and the principles of liturgy." Special musical concern must be given to the roles of the cantor, the choir, the instrumentalists and the congre­gation.

The Pastoral Judgment

1. Does music in this celebration enable people to express their faith, in this age, in this culture?

2. The pastoral judgment governs the use and function of every element of celebration. Ideally the planning team or committee makes this judgement. It is the judgment that must be made in this parti­cular situation, in these concrete circumstances. It must also be adapted to the needs of the people who will sing them. The people must use all means to promote singing. (Instruction of the Congregation for Divine Worship, Sept. 5, 1971)

3. New forms should be used, which are adapted to the different mentalities and to modern tastes. The music and the instruments should correspond to the sacred character of the celebration and the place of worship.

4. The signs of the celebration must be accepted and received as meaningful for a genuinely human faith experience for these specific worshippers. This pastoral judgment can be aided by sociological studies of the people who make up the congregation: their age, culture, and education. These factors influence the effectiveness of the liturgical signs, including music. No set of rubrics or regulations of itself will ever achieve a truly pastoral celebration of the sacramental rites. Such regulations must always be applied with a pastoral concern for the given worshipping community.