What kind of music should we have at Mass? Does it matter?
The fascinating video below tackles these questions in an unusual way: by making an analogy to music for film.
Now, the Mass is certainly not a film and is not for entertainment. But filmmaker Brian Holdsworth argues that in both cases the music helps to communicate the gravity (or lack thereof) of a situation. The Mass is one of the most awesome things in the whole world, and so, he argues, the music should appropriately communicate that awesomeness.
“The Last Supper is this moment in history,” Holdsworth explains, “in which Jesus fuses the profound meaning of the sacrifice of the Passover lamb with the sacrifice of his own life, which would release not just a people from slavery, but the entire world from sin and death. […] This is the drama that unfolds for us every Sunday.
“With that in mind, can we ask ourselves what kind of music should accompany this drama?”
With that question, Holdsworth argues that certain types of music just don’t make sense for Mass. He concludes we should, instead, make church music “more reverent, more profound, more epic, and less trivial.”
Here’s the full video (watch all the way to the end!):
What do you think of the video’s argument? Let us know in the comments!
[See also: Musical Composer for “The Passion” Reveals He Suffered Satanic Attacks]
[See also: The Greatest Latin Mass Musical Setting Was Composed by… a Protestant?]