|
| |
|
Gregorian Chant & Latin References
|
|
References from
the Constitution for the Sacred Liturgy
36. Particular Law remaining in force, the use
of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin Rites.
112. The musical tradition of the universal church is
a treasure of inestimable value, greater then that of any other art.
114. The treasure of sacred music is to be preserved
and fostered with great care.
116. The Church acknowledges Gregorian Chant as
distinctive of the Roman Liturgy, therefore, all things being equal, it
should be given pride of place in Liturgical services... steps should be
taken enabling the faithful to say or sing together in Latin those parts
of the ordinary of the mass that belong to them.
|
|
Pope Paul VI
We repeat that it is evident that Latin must be kept
in honor in the Church… May you pass this on intact to future
generations, this spiritual and cultural heritage... The Church has used
and uses Latin as a precious vehicle and instrument for the fusion of
souls and for the communication between peoples. (April 26, 1968)
Our Congregation has prepared a booklet entitled
"Jubilate Deo" which contains a selection of sacred chants. This was
done in a response to a desire which the holy Father has frequently
expressed, that all the faithful should know at least some Latin
Gregorian chants such as, for example, the Gloria, the Credo, the
Sanctus, and the Agnus Dei… The liturgical reform does not and indeed
cannot deny the past... {music directors} ought to be particularly
careful to observe a balance between popular chant and Gregorian chant.
(Introduction to "Jubilate Deo")
|
|
Pope John Paul II
7. Among the musical expressions that correspond best
with the qualities demanded by the notion of sacred music, especially
liturgical music, Gregorian chant has a special place... Thus Gregorian
Chant continues also today to be an element of unity in the Roman
liturgy. (January 27th 2001)
You students and teachers are asked to make the most
of your artistic gifts, maintaining and furthering the study and
practice of music... privileged by the Second Vatican Council: Gregorian
Chant, sacred polyphony and organ. Only in this way will liturgical
music worthily fulfill its function during the celebration ... of Holy
Mass. (*address to students of the pontifical institute of sacred music
January 19, 2001)
|
|
General
Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) 2003
41. All things being equal, Gregorian Chant holds
pride of place because it is proper to the Roman Liturgy… Since the
faithful from different countries come together ever more frequently, it
is fitting that they know how to sing together at least some part of the
ordinary of the Mass hi Latin ...
The Faithful need to know the standard Gregorian
Chants... To enter into sacred or religious usage, instrumental or vocal
music is to have a sense of prayer, dignity, and beauty… Gregorian chant
fulfills these needs and can therefore serve as a model. ( Instrumentum
Laboris for the Synod on the year of the Eucharist, October 2005)
|
|
Pope Benedict
I would be in favor of a new openness towards the use
of Latin. Latin in the Mass has come meanwhile to look to us like a fall
from grace. … So we ought to keep such things alive and present. If even
in the great liturgical celebrations in Rome no one can sing the Kyrie
or the Sanctus any more, no one knows what Gloria means then a cultural
loss has become a loss of what we share in common. To that extent I
should say that the Liturgy of the Word should always be in the mother
tongue but there ought nonetheless to be a basic stock of Latin elements
that would bind us together. (God in the World 2002)
An authentic updating of sacred music can take place
only in the lineage of the great tradition of the past, of Gregorian
Chant and sacred polyphony. (Sistine Chapel June 24, 2006)
What earlier generations held as sacred remains sacred
and great for us too, and it cannot all of a sudden be entirely
forbidden or even considered harmful… It behooves us all to preserve the
riches which have developed in the church’s faith and prayer and to give
them their proper place. (Letter accompanying the Moto proprio, July 1,
2007)
|
|
Cardinal Arinze
"Some People think or have a perception that the
Second Vatican Council discouraged the use of Latin in the Liturgy. This
is not the case. (Keynote address Gateway Liturgical Conference, Nov 11,
2006)
|
|