St. Gregory the Great, who was elected pope on this day in the year 590 and served until his death in 604, loved music and wanted to make sure that the praise given to God at Mass and in other liturgical services would be simple yet beautiful. He gathered and organized chants from various traditions. What has come to be known as “Gregorian Chant” has been an important part of Catholic music ever since.
At the beginning of the 20th Century Pope St. Pius X in a letter entitled “On Sacred Music” wrote that Gregorian Chant is “the supreme model of all sacred music.” Anticipating the Second Vatican Council’s desire for more active participation of the laity in the celebration of Mass, he wrote: “Special efforts are to be made to restore the use of the Gregorian Chant by the people, so that the faithful may again take a more active part in the ecclesiastical offices, as was the case in ancient times.”
The Council repeated the importance of Gregorian chant in celebrations of the Eucharistic. In the document on the Liturgy #116 we read: “The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.”
And just last month, in one of his Wednesday General Audiences in which he has been reflecting on the documents of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Leo also spoke of the preeminence of Gregorian Chant for Catholic worship. He said that the Council attributed “great value to Gregorian chant, without excluding other genres of sacred music from the celebration.”
Why is sacred music important for our worship? Pope Leo’s answer is: “Music, indeed, is part of the liturgical action and is not merely a decorative part of the celebration. In the liturgy, to sing and to play music means to pray, attuning one’s heart to that of our sisters and brothers and to God, through active participation in the mystery that is being celebrated. In particular, music expresses the affective dimension of prayer, as Saint Augustine says: “Cantare amantis est,” that is, “singing belongs to those who love.”
In other words, sacred music lifts both our minds and hearts to God. It also fosters unity within the congregation where all the members join their voices to praise God with one voice.
With this in mind, our personal and group prayer will be helped if we can become more familiar with the Church’s tradition of sacred music and Gregorian Chant in particular. The Sacred Music Channel on Relevant Radio’s app can help you.
Pope St. Gregory the Great, pray with us and for us!