Transcript:
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: The music became so infected by the virus of worldly, secular music, which people are already accustomed to these rhythms we hear continuously, these melodies that appeal to our emotions. This music, style, and these melodies, which excite our senses, even entered the minds of good people, especially from the charismatic movement. These are pious people praying who are infected with this virus of sentimental, emotional music of secular style and have partly lost the sensibility of something deeper, something higher. This deeper sensibility is given by the constant tradition of sacred music of the church, beginning with the apostles in the synagogue, music which came from the synagogue, singing the Psalms that were sung in the temple.
These gradually, very slowly, entered the so-called church sacred music from the church fathers and Pope Gregory. This remained in the church as what we today call Gregorian chant, which is closest to the apostolic biblical tradition of glorifying and singing to God. This is different from simply worldly music, even if that music can be beautiful. But that is another place, for entertainment. Yes, we can have entertainment, but not during Mass or during prayer. We can have recreation and entertainment music, which is also dignified. But now it is a mixture. In the overwhelming majority of Catholic parishes, we have entertainment music simply declared as church music. Often, the content of these so-called songs is very superficial, very emotional, lacking doctrinal clarity and spiritual depth.
Host: Your Excellency, if you can briefly give me your feedback. In our book, we speak a lot about the relationship between sacred music and commercial music, and the relationship between sacred music and young people. For many decades, we have heard that the church allowed music that is very rhythmic or close to commercial music because it is the music of the people. But what we see is that people are, in any case, running away from the church. So what was the purpose?
BishopAthanasius Schneider: I think this is a great error, a deception, an illusion. Even I would say the contrary. Young people always desire something deeper. Even young people are inclined to heroism. And young people in our world are completely filled, almost day and night, by these noises and rhythms of commercial and entertainment music. If we give the same style for the liturgy to the youth in the church, there will be no difference. We will deprive these young people in the church of something precious, which they long for: calm, depth, something elevated from the noisy daily world.
This is the true sacred music, Gregorian chant, I repeat, polyphonic music, even the true sacred music as the church has always declared and accepted, both unpromoted and promoted. I will give an example that occurred. I knew a catechist lady in Germany, and in this parish, they had the custom on Saturday evenings to hold a so-called Youth Mass or Teen Mass, with guitars, clapping, and all this style of commercial music, but with religious content. It was very noisy. The Mass was very noisy, but this was for the young people.
After Mass, the catechist lady invited the young people from the church to the parish house, the parish hall. There was a room with carpets, a quiet room. She put a candle in the middle, and everyone sat on the floor. She said, “Now we will do meditation, meditation to be quiet.” Then she started to play a CD of Gregorian chant. So after a noisy Mass, they went to the house to calm the young people with Gregorian chant so they would come down. What an absurdity! They could have done the contrary, have Gregorian chant in the church, and after the church have a happy hour or recreation with noise or secular music in the parish hall.
This is our case. But true young people all over the world who are seeking the Lord deeply, many of them don’t know Gregorian chant or real church music. They are deprived. This is, in my opinion, a great omission by the clergy. As soon as they have contact with Gregorian chant or really elevated sacred music, they fall in love with it. They long for it, like any human soul longs for truth and beauty. This is an objective attraction.