St. Bede

Alleluia!
Praise the Lord, my soul!
I will praise the Lord all my life,
I will make music to my God as long as I live.

(Psalm 146, verse 1)

Objective of music at Mass
The core objective of the musical liturgy during Mass should be to inspire and enhance the spiritual lives of all those in attendance, by complimenting the worship of God with artistic beautification.

What music should we sing at Mass?
According to the 1997 Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales, the Gospel Acclamation, the Holy Holy, the Memorial Acclamation and the Doxology (Great Amen), are the only musical items needed to constitute a sung Mass. Therefore when planning the music for a Sunday Mass, these items should be considered first, and all remaining music such as hymns and organ music should only be considered latterly.

A decision about music chosen for a Sunday Mass should not be taken lightly. In fact the proper process used to select music for a Mass is a lengthy one, and should be strictly followed to achieve the best possible results. All music should be subject to the following essential criteria:

• Relevancy: It must be strongly related to the Liturgy of the Word and the theme of the Mass.

• Beauty: It must excite the artistic senses of all those in attendance, in order to transfigure the worship of God.

• Simplicity: The limitations of the musicians and the congregation must be considered. Better to perform simple music well, than complex music badly.

Overall, there should be a sense of even tempo and meter throughout the entire Mass.

Music should not be chosen according to the chronological order of the Mass, but instead should be chosen according to guidelines from the 1997 Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales.  Items 1 and 2 of the following bullets are really all that is required to constitute a sung Mass, while all remaining items are merely “icing on the cake”:

1. The Gospel Acclamation and The Assent (Holy Holy, Memorial Acclamation, Doxology).

2. Opening hymn or chant, Gloria, responsorial psalm, Communion hymn or chant.

3. Penitential rite, offertory hymn or chant, Lamb of God, recessional hymn or chant, voluntaries.

Consequently, when a Mass is considered too lengthy and music needs to be removed, item 3 should be given initial consideration for removal.

The choice of music for the Sunday Masses ultimately lies with the music coordinators for those Masses. For the First Holy Communion (FHC) Masses however, the choice of music is normally passed to the FHC children and their parents. This is done with a view to personalising the FHC celebrations, while at the same time giving consideration to the style of musical liturgy normally celebrated by the communities of those regular Sunday Masses.