What is the musical setting of the Catholic liturgy?

Answer 1

Depends on the season- the theological season. Years ago the Stabat Mater , an oratorio about the Passion- was widely used in Lenten devotions such as the Stations of the Cross. the entire liturgical drama is built up around essentially one song of four lines or so. The Stabat Mater begins- with his bleeding arms suspended... and gets more and more purple as the song wears on. For some unfathomable reason- Women seemed to go for this material more than anybody else.- as parishoners sang parts of the liturgy- it was a form of dialogue or audience-participation- though of the gloomy variety.

Catholic AnswerOfficially, the musical setting for the Catholic liturgy is plainchant, otherwise know as chant, or Gregorian chant. You can recognize it instantly as it only as four bars, I believe, in contrast to the modern music, which has five, and it has square notes. After that, the Vatican has allowed sacred polyphony in the liturgy. See Musicam Sacram for the instruction on music in the liturgy. That said, one seldom actually hears either in the local parish. Many parishes have succumbed to the protestant model of singing four hymns, this is not really allowed by Rome and there is a set order of things that must be sung, and things they may be sung. The later may not happen unless the former is sung, and Gregorian chant should always have pride of place - see the Vatican Council II's documents.