Liturgijos reforma ir muzika: tradicinio paveldo atnaujintoje liturgijoje problema
LITURGICAL REFORM AND MUSIC: A PROBLEM OF TRADITIONAL HERITAGE IN RENEWED LITURGY

Summary/Abstract: 45 years after liturgical renewal launched by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, it is already obvious that many errors have been made in the process of implementing the reform. For example, one-sided interpretation of the idea of active participation and taking congregations singing in vernacular languages as absolute have debased the old traditions of the Church music and indications of the sacredness of music have been nearly totally lost. Initiated by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, arrangements of the liturgical renewal were realized and implemented in a variety of ways. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI (the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) reaffirmed the continuation of the tradition in the first place. But, for example, according to Father Joseph Gélineau, one of the artisans of the liturgical reform, the liturgical change was revolutionary: the old Roman Rite has been destroyed. Though the then Cardinal Ratzinger claimed that the impression of the revolution in liturgy was only due to the disintegrated celebration of the reformed liturgy, we have to admit that some phenomena of the liturgical renewal, which could be hardly referred to as evolutionary, were caused not by the disintegration of the liturgy, but by controversial arrangements of the Church. For example, how can we preserve the heritage of the past in liturgy (as desired both in the constitution “Sacrosanctum Concilium” and the instruction “Musicam sacram”), when some parts of Ordinarium, following the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) guidelines, are not supposed to be sung by the choir alone? Is it still possible to understand the Gregorian chant as an integral part of the Mass celebrated in the vernacular language? Or is it rather an exotic decoration of the Mass? Supporters of the singing of Ordinarium by the choir in entirety come up with various solutions (e.g., to sing Kyrie as the entrance song, Agnus Dei - as the communion song). Yet, in the efforts of finding serious arguments for retaining choral music, the Latin language and other elements obscure for the congregation, inter-subordination of the Church documents and proper interpretation is vital. As the liturgical renewal was implemented as a serious of partial reforms, the amendments were laid down in several instructions or decrees without being regulated in every respect and detail. When interpreting the Church documents, the following basic principles should be observed: the idea of the publishers should be sought first of all; in case of any controversies, priority should be given to the apostolic letters of the Pope (motu proprio) and the Council's constitutions (decrees), partial law and specific documents (in priority to common law and general documents); where the documents are of equal power, priority should be given to the later edited documents. In addition, in compliance with Canon 21, in a case of doubt, contradicting laws must be harmonised with earlier ones. The latte

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