Music, as an immaterial and particularly lively art, begins communicating where-due to lack of appropriate concepts-speech ends. Which other art would be more suited to sing God's praise and to raise people's thoughts and sentiments to the Lord through dignified presentations of great works?
Hence sacred music has an elevated position in sacred art. By means of sound and melody, God's word and the truths of faith can more easily penetrate the hearts of men and multiply the fruit which the faithful receive from the liturgy. Likewise music enables Christians to join in faithfully, to enter into the infinitely great "music" of the Gospel, and to express joyfully their faith and pious sentiments.
From the above it follows that the dignity and efficacy of sacred music are the greater the more sacred music approximates in its nature the holy and perfect Word of God, the most holy Eucharist.
The distinctive feature of music-the fact that, even with the last stroke of his pen on the score its composer cannot really bring his work to perfection, since it only starts to live when it sounds, and it must ever be brought to life anew-requires us now to turn our special attention to the interpreters.
Given a proper understanding of sacred art, interpreters are not mere bearers of a "theatrical," allegorical role; they are not actors in the "as if" of the stage, but people who proclaim reality and truth; they are, as it were, preachers of the faith. In this mission, artistic competence alone is not enough. Only the perfect identification of the artist with the text and his devotion to the unique greatness of God are able to raise music from the level of mere aesthetic experience to become praise of our Lord and God. The exalted dignity of sacred music rests therefore in its direct participation in the liturgical act, in the shaping of liturgical prayers, so that "all can praise and petition the one and triune God more fervently and more effectively."
(56) According to the saintly Pope Pius X, sacred music must fulfill three criteria if it is to meet the demands of the Church: "Sacred music must be holy; thus everything profane must be kept away from it, and not only from itself, but also from its presentation. Further, sacred music has to possess the character of authentic art; otherwise it will not be able to exert that influence on the hearer which the Church hopes for when she admits music into the liturgy. It must also be universal. The individual nations may well take up certain forms in ecclesial tunes which are, as it were, the distinct features of their music. But these forms must be subordinate to the universal character of sacred music in such a way that no member of a different people will have a sense of repugnance when hearing it."(57)
Authentic sacred art-music included-will thus always attempt to seize the best opportunity for promoting in its inner content the celebration of each moment of the sacred liturgy.