Theories of Why Liturgical Music Died by Jeffrey Tucker (Chant Cafe)
How widespread was the use chant in normal parish life in other countries? The comments at both locations do provide some answers to that question.
The ordinary in Latin might be intelligible to the faithful, but what about the propers? Latin not intelligible to must people, and Bouyer stipulates that true liturgical spirituality was inaccessible to people once they no longer understood Latin. How many were invested in maintaining a cultural identity with Rome or Latin culture? (As opposed to this is simply having the attitude that this is the way things are? How many really wanted to learn Latin but were unable to do so?)
Conflict between two inclinations which are good in themselves, but which lead to polarization? The conservative instinct of holding on to one's patrimony or what was familiar. And the desire to seek greater spiritual enrichment and fulfillment through the liturgy?
Some might claim that it was enough for the laity to read from missals in order to understand what is going on in the liturgy - this was certainly the preliminary step advocated by members of the 20th century liturgical movement. Would they have stopped there? Would Fr. Beauduin and his contemporaries have been opposed to the introduction of a hieratic version of the vernacular?
Liturgical worship mediated by a missal is less than ideal, and not all have the intellectual gifts for it. And the music? For specialists only?
Can we get them away from music that dominates the emotions to some simpler, more "austere" form of singing (or chanting) in English? Can some sort of English plainsong be created from Gregorian chant? (Or should we go farther east?)
So That's Why Gregorian Chant Sounds Different - Gregorian Chant: The Minor Modes
Gregorian Chant: The Major Modes
Second Album from The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles
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