Questions on Sacred Music

Struggling with the questions about sacred music of the church, this article written by the Church Music of Association of America answered a lot of my doubts. I hope it helps you too.

The purpose of sacred liturgy is far deeper and more complex: it is to draw us out of time and place so that weight more clearly perceive eternal mysteries. The liturgy is not primarily a teaching session but rather “an encounter between Christ and the Church… The preparation of hearts is the joint work of the Holy Spirit and the assembly, specially of its ministers. The grace of the Holy Spirit seeks to awaken faith, conversion of heart, and adherence to the Father’s will” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1097–8). The relative remoteness and changelessness of the Latin language, especially when united to the chant with its purity of form, helps to realize this encounter by leading us away from the ordinary and toward the transcendent.

Frequently Asked Questions On Sacred Music, Church Music Association of America, pg 8-9

Here are some questions tackled in the article:

1. What is sacred music?                                                
2. What are the characteristics of sacred music?
3. Why should we care?
4. Isn’t this really just a matter of taste?
5. Why should we regard Gregorian chant as the ideal?
6. What is the origin of Gregorian chant?
7. Didn’t Vatican II do away with chant?
8. Does chant have to be in Latin?
9. What is polyphony and what makes it specially suited to liturgy?
10. Who are some of the most important composers of polyphony?
11. Aren’t chant and polyphony too hard for regular parishes?
12. What about “full, conscious, and active participation?”
13. What is the sung Ordinary?
14. Is a complete polyphonic setting of the Mass Ordinary really viable in our times?
15. What are the sung Propers?
16. What about “Music in Catholic Worship” (1972, rev. 1983) and “Liturgical Music Today” (1982), two documents often cited in discussions of sacred music?
17. What’s so great about the organ?
18. What are the main liturgy books that I need?
19. Do I have to learn to read medieval notation?
20. Which Church documents should I read?
21. Where can I get polyphonic music to sing?
22. My parish has dreadful music. How can I change it?
23. Won’t a drastic change alienate people?
24. Who wrote these FAQs and what else should I read?