The Mystery We Celebrate, the Song We Sing

Book excerpt: Music and liturgy seem inseparable, yet we seldom pause to ponder their relationship in depth. In this volume, Kathleen Harmon offers her own insights by creatively exploring the complex interplay between congregational singing and the liturgical celebration of the paschal mystery: ' Harmon asserts that liturgical music, in the form of communal singing, is a vehicle through which the ritual reenactment of the paschal mystery is effected. ' She addresses concrete and practical pastoral applications of the relationship between music and liturgy. She focuses on how the liturgical singing of the assembly creates the collective consciousness of church as the Body of Christ. ' Music, then, is much more than just a component of liturgy; it is, in Harmon's view, absolutely constitutive both of liturgy's deepest essence and its fullest realization. Professional music scholars, graduate students, music directors, and anyone else seeking a sophisticated analysis of liturgical music will find this volume a rich sourcebook of new ideas. Kathleen Harmon, SNDdeN, is the music director for programs of the Institute for Liturgical Ministry in Dayton, Ohio and contributor to Living Liturgy: Spirituality, Celebration, and Catechesis for Sundays and Solemnities, an annual resource published by Liturgical Press. She is also a columnist for Liturgical Ministry and serves as director of music for St. Paul Parish in Englewood, Ohio.