Music and Religion

           The music in a Catholic Mass serves as another means of prayer; it can be as simple as a priest chanting or as grand as a choir, organ, and string trio playing the “Hallelujah Chorus” on Christmas morning. It is an essential component to the course of the Mass because it provides the congregation with guidelines to its various sections. This service is universal, so most Catholics would be familiar with the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei and could determine which part of the Mass is approaching based on the song. The music in a Mass can include congregational hymns, chants, and call-and-response songs between the cantor and parishioners. Small churches generally have a piano or organ; where as larger cathedrals may have an organ, strings and orchestral winds accompanying the choir. The songs used in a Mass must lack profanity and be approved by the Vatican. There are also strict rules as to what songs should be sung during certain parts of the year. In a practical sense, the music helps the congregation stay engaged and reiterates the teachings of the church through the text. The music also provides a sense of community, as all of the churchgoers are partaking in this alternative method of prayer together.

            Catholicism teaches that its followers should pray in a group as well as independently. Given that there are multiple voices in a group setting, there is a mixture of timbres and an opportunity for harmonization. These elements can help create beauty in the music. The church’s teachings are based on love, forgiveness, and peace, and the hymns that are sung contain text from scripture. The music itself reflects these ideas by being consonant and simple. The church also highly respects the Eucharist and scripture. The congregation displays this by being reserved and contemplative throughout the Mass. The music reflects this way of thought through chanting. The more traditional churches, typically cathedrals, include much more chanting than smaller churches. The priest generally decides how much of this method of singing he would like to use. The majority of chanting occurs during one of the most important parts of the Mass, The Liturgy of the Eucharist. The only text that is required to be chanted is “Through him, with, him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours almighty Father, forever and ever.” This is a doxology stating the greatness of Christ’s intercession to God. Given that the majority of chanting is used during one of the most important parts of the Mass, this singing style must be used to express the greatest aspects of the church in a reverent way. The Catholic faith uses many forms of music to pray to God, express religious beliefs in a community, and celebrate the Eucharist in a meditative manner.