Good Music

Good Music

The common misconception is that all music is good because it is a matter of taste or personal liking or discourse. Hence, if you like it, therefore it is good. Suppose then if there is really such a thing as good music (not according to likeness or personal taste), then there is also such a thing as bad music. Who is to tell you what you ought to like or what is good for you? This is the very question that must be in man's mind from the very beginning of time when our first parents succumbed to the temptations and insinuations of satan - That man can be like God, deciding for himself what is good and bad. Perhaps this is the cause of the fall of humanity. (Not to be confused with the ability to judge right from wrong)

To quote from The Ratzinger Report, chapter six: The Drama of Morality, the former Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith said "And what looks like "liberation" turns into its opposite and shows its diabolic visage in deeds. Actually, all this has already been described with precision in the first pages of the Bible. The core of temptation for man and of his fall is contained in this programmatic statement: "You will be like God" (Gen 3:5). Like God: that means free of the law of the Creator, free of the laws of nature herself, absolute lord of one's own destiny. Man continually desires only one thing: to be his own creator and his own master. But what awaits us at the end of this road is certainly not Paradise"

As organic as music is, we have certain natural laws to abide to, since music is part of nature and part of God's creation.

This is a very complicated subject and I am afraid that I might step on your toes. Nevertheless, I should try my very best to convey to you some truths about goodness of music without being imposing, threading the waters very carefully as to avoid massive waves of ripples that might stir your anger. Perhaps, if we could go beneath the surface of things, so to speak, then we would definitely make less or no ripples at all and at the same time getting an "in-depth" understanding of the subject.

In the old days, learning music meant to learn and be taught on how to play instruments or sing. Nowadays, a new aspect which is of equal importance to music education has been included – Learning to appreciate, recognise and understand GOOD MUSIC.

To like a piece of music does not guarantee that one APPRECIATES it. However, the opposite is true. If one APPRECIATES a piece of good music then, he/she definitely likes it.

What then and how to appreciate music?

Before we can answer that, we need to understand and recognise that works of art are works of IMAGINATION. Imagination here does not imply a fantasy, fairy-tale like or wishful thinking but rather the ability to see things as they really are or potentially can be. Have you met anyone whom you dislike and then later found out how mistaken you were initially, as only after a passage of time, found out his true values and true character?

It is as well, a process of putting into form, one’s thoughts and ideas by invoking the emotions of others. For example, if I said “The sun is rising and it is getting bright”, I was merely stating a matter of fact. But a poet may say “The morrow has come, bringing forth the warmth of the sun lit skies”. He is saying the same thing as I did, with an artistic manner invoking the inner-depths of mankind’s emotions, so that one can experience in feelings and mind, the joy and beauty which morning can bring – a sense of a new beginning filled with hope and joy.

There are two kinds of imagination:

a) Creative/Productive

This is a process of reconstruction of a thought or feeling (something imagined by the mind) into words, colour and music. Sacred music then, is a combination of both, the word or literature and music. The ability to transfer and express the feeling into art form requires a high level of technique. A composer has to use suitable material as melody coupled with an intelligent use of harmony to communicate the ideas and feelings conjured through imagination. Here, there is a hint of sense of appropriateness: If any type of music is suitable for liturgy, then, there is not much technique and creative imagination involved. Does any type of music for liturgy go? ; Certainly not. Therefore, it is the composer’s task, using creative imagination to portray the right kind of thought or “feelings” to encourage the right sense of worship during the liturgy. The composer ought to see the liturgy as it really is and then recreate that in his composition.

Here I quote from Sacrosunctum Concilium of the Second Vatican Council, chapter VI on sacred music no. 112 & 121 to support the above paragraph.

“……Therefore sacred music is to be considered the more holy in proportion as it is more closely connected with the liturgical action, whether is adds delight to prayer, fosters unity of minds, or confers greater solemnity upon the sacred rites. But the Church approves of all forms of true art having the needed qualities, and admits them into Divine Worship”

The keyword is true art.

“Composers, filled with the Christian spirit, should feel that their vocation is to cultivate sacred music and increase its store of treasures. Let them produce compositions which have the qualities proper to genuine sacred music, not confining themselves to works which can be sung only by large choirs, but providing also for the needs of small choirs and for the active participation of the entire assembly of the faithful”

The keyword here is genuine sacred music.

Therefore, it goes to show that there are religious music which does not hold true and genuine to the elements of sacred music.

*Note that sacred music is definitely religious music but religious music is not necessarily sacred music*.


b) Reproductive/Reconstructive


The reproductive process of imagination is to reconstruct what was originally created by the author, painter or musician, in the specific art form. The artist ought to take upon the task of reproducing the intended thoughts, ideas or feelings. Have you ever read a novel and discovered that at the end of the novel you found yourself crying, laughing and going through an emotional roller-coaster, knowing perfectly well that it is all a fiction? It is the process of the author successfully applying the techniques at his disposal, and you reproduce in your imagination what was intended by the author. If however, you were unmoved by the novel, then it is either the inability on the part of the author or on the part of your reconstruction of the written words.

*Please note that the process of creative construction and reconstruction is not an exact science.*


APPRECIATION is the reproductive or reconstructive side of imagination.

Appreciation has three stages:

a) Crude appreciation

Crude appreciation is sensational. In our first encounter of anything, we can surmise the experience as whether we like it or dislike it. For example; imagine a man who has never tasted coffee. If he was very thirsty and you offered him a cup, he may like it. But he may appreciate it as drink and not as good coffee. Let us say you supplied him another cup of a different brew the next day. He may make a rudimentary judgment and say “I like the first cup better”.

b) Intelligent appreciation

At this stage, one has accumulated sufficient experience and an ever growing apperception-mass. Here, we have a sense of justification as well as a sense of critique though not in any formulated system of valuation.

c) Critical appreciation

Once you arrive at this stage, you can confidently criticise with a good sense of judgment. You may judge rightly or wrongly – and that depends on the caliber of your mind. However, the point of difference here, as compared to the former two stages, is that your judgments are independent of your personal likes and dislikes or discourse. This is what I termed as the mature critique.


Now we have come full circle and I hope you understand the link between good music, appreciation and likes and dislikes.

Let us then relate it to our particular ministry.
When we select, say, a hymn for communion, do we take into consideration the composer’s original intention, its thematic motive and suitability of text (lyrics)? That is the first step.

After selection we have the task to interpret it.

Do we play the selected communion hymn as we like it, without considering its purpose and context of performance? If we like it, is it because we like it for its good sound or for its value as a communion hymn?

If your answer is the latter, then you would be able to reproduce and reconstruct the hymn and interpret it the correct way, utilising the appropriate musical techniques, according to the intentions of the composer as well as to reflect the part of the mass in which the hymn is to be sung – communion procession.

*A musician should be able to mingle his own emotions with the composer’s intentions in any performances – making it possible to achieve the highest level of music interpretation and at the same time creating a unique/individualistic performance.*


Here are some guidelines to follow:

For the musicians/performer

1) Reproductive/reconstructive Imagination

Understand the composer’s intention, the lyrics and the “feelings” which the hymn/song gives.

Based on this, we can ascertain if it is suitable for entrance, offertory, communion, recessional, advent, Christmastide, lent, Easter season or ordinary time, days of obligation, feast days and memorials.

Apply the appropriate touch, technique, phrasing and interpretative skills to perform the music to the highest level of interpretation possible.


2) Critical Appreciation

In our execution of the music, we ought to deny ourselves our personal likings and be true to the composer’s intentions and the context of the music in which it was written for.

With these 2 step guideline, we can be assured we are on our way to producing GOOD MUSIC. Otherwise, we may produce bad music from a composition which is potentially so good, possessing far greater depth than one can imagine – thus a lack of imagination on our part. Lacking in imagination = Lacking in appreciation and ultimately = playing the music badly.


For the composer

1) Creative/productive Imagination

The composer has to be able to translate his ideas, thoughts and feelings by means of compositional technique.


2) Critical Appreciation

In his compositions, he must avoid the tendency to want to apply techniques which he is more accustomed to. He must dare to venture outside his comfort zone and adopt new techniques so he can effectively indulge in a higher plane of creative imagination.
The ability to do so in an in-depth manner is the catalyst for GOOD MUSIC. Failing to comply with the above would result in bad music OR not successful in reconstructing imagination, hence, the listener will not be able to recognise the emotions or intentions of the composer.


Ultimately, art in each of its respective form, should reach the feelings (heart) via the understanding (mind). And it is the responsibility of both the composer and performer/listener to play their roles respectively. Neither should allow their personal likings and dislikes to override correct judgment.

When one is able to appreciate then he can interpret it accurately.

As a recapitulation, I would like to bring to mind, my earlier statement of:

“To like a piece of music does not guarantee that one APPRECIATES it. However, the opposite is true. If one APPRECIATES a piece of good music then, he/she definitely likes it”.

And….There is such a thing as GOOD MUSIC and BAD MUSIC. It is imperative that we learn to differentiate between the two. We keep the GOOD MUSIC, discard or improve the quality of BAD MUSIC.

St. Thomas of Aquinas, the doctor of the church has taught in depth on beauty. Beauty is both objective and subjective at the same time. Neither the objective nor subjective can stand alone. When we select hymns, apart from the Gregorian chants or sacred polyphony which the Church authority (Apostolic See, Bishop’s Conferences or local ordinary) has officially approved in the Roman Graduale, Simple Graduale and etc, we must apply the understanding which is guided by what was laid out above.

As such, in the final analysis, when we can APPRECIATE GOOD MUSIC for what it truly is, then we will like it - anyway.


Dear God, we pray that you send us your Holy Spirit to enlighten us with holy wisdom, knowledge and piety so that we may be true to our calling in our service to you. May you bestow upon us your grace and courage so that we may learn to put away our personal likings, dislikes and idiosyncrasies, conforming to the Spirit of the liturgy as proposed, cultivated and promoted by Holy Mother church for your glory and our sanctification. Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us. Amen.