Author Archives: SacredMusic

Readers of Laszlo Dobszay’s remarkable work The Bugnini-Liturgy and the Reform of the Reform (2003) will discover a book of comprehensive understanding of both the details and the big picture of the main debates over the Roman Rite in our time. Dobszay, both a liturgical scholar and a brilliant musician, points out that many of the problems in the liturgy today come down to matters of music, or rather, it is not likely that a full understanding of the problem of today’s liturgy can be acquired without an understanding of the issue of music.

He discusses how the reform was undertaken without due regard for the treasures of inestimable value, and the missteps ended up unleashing every manner of profane art into the heart of the Catholic experience. His treatise is not merely a screed against this fact: it deals in details with role of the propers, the place of the Psalms, the effects of music on the liturgical structure, the relationship between the old and new Missals, the practical problems of co-existence, and the prospects for the future. Nor does he avoid hot button issues: holy week, the Divine Office, the impact of the high/low cultural split on liturgy, and the endless confusion created by permission for the “Alius cantus aptus.” The honesty of his whole treatment leaves you both pleased and realistically optimistic about the prospects for reform.

Fr. Robert Skeris has the last remaining 80 copies in his office. He is pleased to send them to people at $20 per book, and that includes postage. So if you want this book, send him cash or a check for $20 for each copy. Ask for the Dobszay book:

Rev. Dr. Robert Skeris
Catholic University of America
620 Michigan Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20064

The Fall issue of Sacred Music (Volume 134) is at the printer. It features William Mahrt on the Motu Proprio, Michael Lawrence on the role of the Cantor, an article by Alise Brown on the Ward Method as compared with other techniques for teaching children, a piece by Peter Philips that is a defense of singing as music, articles on repertory, and many opinion essays and interviews on the current state of Catholic music.

Two additional features are outstanding articles from the archive that have been all but lost: “The Gregorian Religious Dance” by Dom Andre Mocquereau, and “Concerning Hymns” by Adrian Fortescue.

We sincerely hope that you enjoy it. At 72 pages, it is the largest issue in many years.

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Thanks to Greg Smismek for alerting us to errors in the following Communio files: Dilexisti for the Chrism Mass; Tollite hostias for the 24th Sunday, Year A; and Per signum Crucis for the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross (all transposed mode IV antiphons). Please update your collections with the revised PDF files online.