Benedict XVI and 'Utility Music'

This evening I was reading a bit in Tracey Rowland's book Ratzinger's Faith and found a quotation from the Holy Father that was simply wonderful. What often passes off as 'modern music' in Catholic liturgy is the Church trying to make use of utility music. This is where Benedict XVI is at his best acknowledging that beauty and holiness go together. This is not simply for the cathedrals to address but at the basic parish level. It is here that we need a lot of work in my opinion and it would do seminaries well to begin training priest so that they can allow for the love of beauty in the liturgy to be experienced. I applaud the quotation Rowland has from von Balthasar that 'Anyone enamoured of beauty will shiver in the barn of the Reformation, and feel the pull of Rome.' Well, that is true in one sense but some of Rome's music that passes off as liturgical beauty is useless and is missing the mark of the Church's liturgical mission. Before I go further, let me quote from Rowland's text from Benedict. A Church which only makes use of 'utility' music has fallen for what is, in fact, useless. She too becomes ineffectual. For her mission is a fair higher one...The Church must not settle down with what is merely comfortable and serviceable at the parish level; she must arouse the voice of the cosmos and, by glorifying the Creator, elicit the glory of the cosmos itself, making it also glorious, beautiful, habitable and beloved. Next to the saints, the art which the Church has produced is the only real 'apologia' for her history...The Church is to transform, improve, 'humanize' the world--but how can she do that if at the same time she turns her back on beauty, which is so closely allied to love? For together, beauty and love form the true consolation in this world, bringing it as near as possible to the world of the resurrection. The Church must maintain high standards; she must be a place where beauty can be at home; she must lead the struggle for that 'spiritualisation' without which the world becomes the 'first circle of hell'. This is not a theological statement but I cannot tell you how much this quotation makes me want to jump up and down while repeating 'yes' over and over again. Let me say that I know of one place in Durham Diocese where Benedict XVI would say, 'now, brethren, here is an example of what I am talking about' and that is Saint James the Great in Darlington. The music tradition there is second to none and it has been built up by Father Ian Grieves SSC to such a top quality that one can only know what I am talking about by experiencing it. How do you describe 'heaven'? You don't, you just say 'it was like heaven'. The choir and the musical tradition that has been and is being built there demonstrates the detrimental effect that a lack of beauty has on the Church that has chosen only to embrace 'utility' music. It is an example of what excellent parish music and beauty in the liturgy can be. In contrast, go to some of the churches that choose their music by the effect it may have on generating emotions and you'll see what I am talking about. Sometimes the words are not that bad but it is the music that is used to sing the hymns that is so lacking in beauty. There are some hymns that I know that I simply cannot and will not be able to ever sing and I cringe every time they are played. Only recapturing beauty in the liturgy will allow us to hold onto the hope of transmitting the true freedom of the faithful to the next generation. Visit MusicaSacra for further reading and helps.