Psallite Sapienter / Sing Wisely
Right Rev. Alban Riley
October 25, 2025
Abbotsford, BC, Canada
A warm thanks for Fred Pecson of Fiat Lux Catholic Photography for recording and photographing this event!
Transcript
Introduction
My qualifications to give this talk are only indirect. I’m not a musician, but I’ve been singing the Psalms in choir for forty-six years. My specialization in the study of Theology wasn’t theology of music or aesthetics but of the sacraments.
I’m a Benedictine monk and priest of Westminster Abbey in Mission. I was born in Germany but grew up in Kingston, Ontario, and I came West to enter the monastery when I was 22. Since then I’ve been seeking God according to the Rule of St Benedict in the monastic community. My principal work has been teaching at various levels.
Most relevant for today’s Symposium are the fields of Church History, History of Liturgy and you could say Latin. Also relevant is the fact that for a couple of years I was chairman of the Archdiocesan Sacred Music Committee. Three years ago I was elected Abbot of my community and since that event my teaching has been considerably reduced. So I’m very much an amateur talking to you today.
The Rule of St Benedict
The title of this talk is taken from the Holy Rule of St Benedict, chapter 19. ‘Let us, then, ever remember what the prophet saith: “Serve the Lord in fear”; and again, “Sing ye wisely” and, “In the sight of the angels I will sing praises unto Thee.” There- fore let us consider how we ought to behave ourselves in the presence of God and of His angels, and so assist at the Divine Office, that our mind and our voice may accord together.’ (RB 19:3-7) And St Benedict takes the expression “sing wisely” from Psalm 46(47). In the Grail Psalter familiar to many from the Liturgy of the Hours, the expression is translated, “Sing praise with all your skill.” The skill aspect is important, but it’s obvious that by the word “wisely” St Benedict wants to emphasize that we should sing with awareness, awareness of God to whom we are singing and of the angels with whom we are singing.
Church documents
So there’s “sing wisely” – skill and awareness, but I want to talk first about just singing. Pope St Pius X said in Tra le sollecitudini that sacred music is an integral part of the solemn liturgy.1 Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy reaffirmed that in number 112: ‘The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy.’2 Both St Pius and the Council talk about singing being and integral or necessary part of the solemn liturgy, because of course it is possible to have a liturgy without music, but obviously the solemn liturgy is the fuller expression and the model of what we do.
Benedict XVI: Worship according to the logos
But what I want to underline is that we’re talking about song, that is, music united to words. Joseph Ratzinger picks up on this in his writings on sacred music. In fact, in one of his articles he uses Psalm 46:8 as the foundation of the right attitude to sacred music. He says, ‘looking at it from the perspective of the early church, we can call what is meant here music in accordance with logos [with “reason”]. There is an art form corresponding to God, who, from the beginning and in each life, is the creative Word which also gives meaning. This art form stands under the primacy of logos; that is, it integrates the diversity of the human being from the perspective of this being’s highest moral and spiritual powers, but in this way it also leads the spirit out of rationalistic and voluntaristic confinement into the symphony of creation.’
To put it in simpler terms, a song is words and music, so it is music according to the Word, according to the Logos. That’s of course mainly true when the words are the Word of God, that is to say, Holy Scripture, like the Psalms.
An important concern of Ratzinger’s was that music can also be irrational and lead away from the logos, the word. But sacred music is according to the logos, and thus corresponds to the liturgy. Ratzinger says that the Christian liturgy is essentially what St Paul in Romans 12:1 calls logikē latreia, ‘divine worship in accordance with logos, as the most appropriate way of expressing the essential form of Christian liturgy. This concept’, he says, ‘is the confluence of several different streams: the spiritual move- ment of the Old Testament, the process of inner purification within the history of reli- gion, human quest, and divine response. The logos of creation, the logos in man, and the true and eternal Logos made flesh, the Son, come together.”
Sing praise with all your skill
So that is why we sing in the liturgy. But now, how do we sing wisely? As I’ve said, one aspect is skill. Sacred music is art, an exercise of human talents to create beauty.
That’s both in composition and performance. Liturgical music doesn’t have to be primitive or simple; on the other hand excessive artistry can distract from the praise, either by decreasing participation or by drawing attention to the artist rather than the praise.
There is a time for Mozart Masses, where the symphony of creation is echoed by an orchestra and a professional choir, because nothing is too good for God. On the other hand there might be a time also for guitar Masses, where simple resources create a mood of intimate praise and love. But I would say a chanted Mass should be the norm, because it is high art which can be done with very simple means. And in chant the word, the logos, predominates. There is no measured beat, you just follow the text. When text is pure praise, like alleluia, the chant also goes off into space with that praise, in a melismatic iubilus, an extended riff, you might say.
And that brings me back to Psalm 46, which does say to sing praise with all your skill. But it begins with the words, ‘All peoples, clap your hands, / cry to God with shouts of joy!’ Shouting and clapping aren’t exactly signs of high art. Besides art there has to be heart. The logos is not a disembodied word, but a word made flesh.
Cosmic praise
But we still haven’t exhausted the meaning of ‘sing wisely’. As St Benedict showed us, it means to sing with awareness. One thing we are aware of when we sing the Psalms is the universe, the cosmos. Psalm 46 tells all peoples to shout with joy; Psalm 65 (and other Psalms) begins, ‘Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.’ So it’s not just we people who praise God in song, but the whole of creation. And that singing isn’t intended to be just a metaphor.
God created everything and maintains everything in existence, all the time. That has always struck me: every single molecule and atom that makes up my body is be- ing held in existence by God. And it’s not just my body but my soul and mind. Every idea I have would just vanish if God wasn’t maintaining it.
It’s also important to remember that God doesn’t have to do that. He’s not just a cosmic force necessary for existence. He does it out of pure love.
And so we can say that everything that exists, by the very fact of existing, is re- sponding to God’s love.
That explains why the psalms say that all creation praises God. A mountain praises and gives thanks to God just by being a mountain.
We human beings have a rational soul, so we have the privilege of praising God and at the same time knowing that we’re praising God. It sort of doubles the energy of our praise.
The angels are pure spirits, so their praise is even more intense and powerful than ours.
Our praise is, as I’ve said, best expressed in song. You could therefore say that by analogy also all creation sings to God. Or maybe it’s better to say that it makes music to God, because song implies words and words imply ideas, and it’s only men and an- gels that have ideas, not mountains and hills.
But the hills are alive with the sound of music, not just human music, but with the music of birds and the wind and the rain. All creation is a big orchestra playing to God.
It goes deeper than birdsong. As both modern and ancient science have found, the universe is based on harmonies. The ancients conceived of the harmony of the spheres, all the circles of the universe revolving according to mathematical proportions which make harmonious chords. Modern science is trying to find a theory of everything, tying all the forces of the cosmos into mathematical equations that mesh 4
together. From the many galaxies to subatomic particles, the universe is throbbing with harmony, is singing.
That’s perhaps why one of my favourite authors, J. R. R. Tolkien, conceived a creation myth that’s based on music
There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, – and they were with him before aught else was made. And he spoke to them, propounding to them themes of music; and they sang be- fore him, and he was glad. But for a long while they sang only each alone, or but few together, while the rest hearkened; for each comprehended only that part of the mind of Ilúvatar from which he came, and in the understanding of their brethren they grew but slowly. Yet ever as they listened they came to deeper understanding, and increased in unison and harmony.
And it came to pass that Ilúvatar called together all the Ainur and declared to them a mighty theme, unfolding to them things greater and more wonderful than he had yet revealed; and the glory of its beginning and the splendour of its end amazed the Ainur, so that they bowed before Ilúvatar and were silent.
Then Ilúvatar said to them: ‘Of the theme that I have declared to you, I will now that ye make in harmony together a Great Music. And since I have kindled you with the Flame Imper- ishable, ye shall show forth your powers in adorning this theme, each with his own thoughts and devices, if he will. But I will sit and hearken, and be glad that through you great beauty has been wakened into song.’
Then the voices of the Ainur, like unto harps and lutes, and pipes and trumpets, and viols and organs, and like unto countless choirs singing with words, began to fashion the theme of Ilúvatar to a great music; and a sound arose of endless interchanging melodies woven in har- mony that passed beyond hearing into the depths and into the heights, and the places of the dwelling of Ilúvatar were filled to overflowing, and the music and the echo of the music went out into the Void, and it was not void. Never since have the Ainur made any music like to this music, though it has been said that a greater still shall be made before Ilúvatar by the choirs of the Ainur and the Children of Ilúvatar after the end of days. Then the themes of Ilúvatar shall be played aright, and take Being in the moment of their utterance, for all shall then understand fully his intent in their part, and each shall know the comprehension of each, and Ilúvatar shall give to their thoughts the secret fire, being well pleased.
… But Ilúvatar arose in splendour, and he went forth from the fair regions that he had made for the Ainur; and the Ainur followed him.
But when they were come into the Void, Ilúvatar said to them: ‘Behold your Music!” And he showed to them a vision, giving to them sight where before was only hearing ; and they saw a new World made visible before them, and it was globed amid the Void, and it was sustained therein, but was not of it. And as they looked and wondered this World began to unfold its history, and it seemed to them that it lived and grew. And when the Ainur had gazed for a while and were silent, Ilúvatar said again: ‘Behold your Music! This is your minstrelsy ; and each of you shall find contained herein, amid the design that I set before you, all those things which it may seem that he himself devised or added. … “
Tolkien’s friend C. S. Lewis also had a creation myth, in his Narnia series. And again it was based on music or rather song, the song of Aslan the lion who brought various worlds into being with his song. And created things sang in response.
In the darkness something was happening at last. A voice had begun to sing. … Its lower notes were deep enough to be the voice of the earth itself. Three were no words. There was hardly even a tune. But it was, beyond comparison, the most beautiful noise he had ever heard.
… Then two wonders happened at the same moment. One was that the voice was suddenly joined by other voices; more voices than you could possibly count. They were in harmony with it, but far higher up the scale: cold, tingling, silvery voices. The second wonder was that the blackness overhead, all at once, was blazing with stars. 6 So there was a Voice, but no words: but the voice was effective nonetheless (that is, creative).
And Aslan goes on to create Narnia in the same way.
So it’s true that all creation sings. But human beings sing in a special way because we have words as well as music. We have the word of God; we have God the Word.
The fourth Eucharistic Prayer adds a further idea: when we sing to God, we’re singing on behalf of creation which doesn’t have words.
And so, in your presence are countless hosts of Angels, who serve you day and night and, gazing upon the glory of your face, glorify you without ceasing. With them we, too, confess your name in exultation, giving voice to every creature under heaven as we acclaim: Holy, holy, holy …
Perhaps the Psalm that best expresses this cosmic praise is Ps 148. ‘Praise the Lord from the heavens.’ And it goes down from the heavens to the sum and moon and planets then the atmosphere, the sea, the beasts, and mankind. But the circle narrows further: the sons of Israel, the people to whom he comes close. At the heart of creation is the people chosen by God.
The central element of the Old Testament is the Exodus, when God saved the people he had chosen and led them into the promised land. That’s why the picture of creation painted by Psalm 148 comes to a climax with the people of Israel.
But we’re in the New Testament. The Church is the New Israel and the Exodus is the Passover Mystery of Christ, his suffering, death and resurrection. He has saved us from sin and is leading us to the Promised Land of heaven. That is what the universe is ultimately centered on.
Praise in community
That thought leads us to another aspect we need to be aware of in order to sing wisely: the community, the people chosen and redeemed by God. Singing the liturgy needs a stable community. That’s true on the purely human level: you need to have a group that will learn the psalm tones and pass them on. And singing is a physical medium: you feel it when others are singing with you. Angels are grouped in choirs (cherubim, seraphim, thrones and dominations and so forth) because that is their main job: to sing together the praises of God.
In the Old Testament the main place where the liturgy was carried out was the temple. And in fact many of the Psalms must have been composed for worship in the temple, for the processions leading up to the holy hill and to accompany the sacrifices. You don’t just sacrifice by yourself; the priests and the Levites have to carry out their duties and the people are present. Liturgy involves community.
The same is true for the New Testament sacrifice. Even when a priest is celebrating Mass by himself or one of the faithful is reading the Liturgy of the Hours to herself, there is a community: in those cases the community is the Church, the Body of Christ who is praying that prayer. It’s the official prayer of the Church, even if only one person is praying it at a particular time and place.
But when there is a group of people praying that liturgy, the community aspect is more fully a reality.
And when that group is singing, their unity becomes more full-bodied. They have to sing the words at the same time and on the same or harmonious notes.
Psalm 149, the second last one in the Book of Psalms, expresses this community aspect. ‘Sing a new song to the Lord, his praise in the assembly of the faithful.’ Israel, the people of God, is often referred to in the Old Testament as the assembly of God, in other words the people gathered together to worship Him. We think of Israel as a nation, people related by blood. But Israel expresses itself most fully not in a blood group but in a holy assembly.
In the Greek version of this Psalm the word translated as ‘assembly’ is ‘synod’. So when we’re being synodal, we’re just being Church, the assembly of the faithful, the new Israel.
The danger of being synodal is of being self-referential, of being an assembly for the sake of assembling. But we’re an assembly of God, directed toward God and mainly existing to praise and thank God.
We’ve already seen that the main reason to praise and thank God is his saving acts toward us, the Exodus in the Old Testament and the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross in the New. This brings us to the final aspect we have to be aware of when we sing wisely.
Christ the New Song
Let me begin by reading something from the Fathers of the Church. It’s the opening of the Exhortation to the Heathen by St Clement of Alexandria. He died ca. 215 and was head of the catechetical school of Alexandria, Egypt, the outstanding theological centre of the time.
Amphion of Thebes and Arion of Methymna were both minstrels, and both were renowned in story. They are celebrated in song to this day in the chorus of the Greeks; the one for having allured the fishes, and the other for having surrounded Thebes with walls by the power of mu- sic. Another, a Thracian, a cunning master of his art (he also is the subject of a Hellenic legend), tamed the wild beasts by the mere might of song; and transplanted trees — oaks — by music. …
Clement knew pagan classical civilization very well. He shows the importance of music from the pagan point of view, but Christianity supersedes that.
But let us bring from above out of heaven, Truth, with Wisdom in all its brightness, and the sacred prophetic choir,
Notice how Clement sees OT revelation in terms of music
down to the holy mount of God; and let Truth, darting her light to the most distant points, cast her rays all around on those that are involved in darkness, and deliver men from delusion, stretching out her very strong right hand, which is wisdom, for their salvation. And raising their eyes, and looking above, let them abandon Helicon and Cithæron, and take up their abode in Sion. For out of Sion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, Isaiah 2:3 — the celestial Word, the true athlete crowned in the theatre of the whole universe. What my Eunomos sings is not the measure of Terpander, nor that of Capito, nor the Phrygian, nor Lydian, nor Dorian, but the immortal measure of the new harmony which bears God’s name — the new, the Levitical song. …
The Word is the new song, the Levitical song. When he calls it Levitical, I think Clement is alluding to Moses and Miriam, of the tribe of Levi, who sang a song when the Lord delivered his people at the Red Sea. Also all the Psalms were used in the liturgy of the temple, carried out by the tribe of Levi.
Behold the might of the new song! It has made men out of stones, men out of beasts.
Those, moreover, that were as dead, not being partakers of the true life, have come to life again, simply by becoming listeners to this song.
The new song gives life to men: it has a moral dimension, it makes them fully human.
It also composed the universe into melodious order, and tuned the discord of the elements to harmonious arrangement, so that the whole world might become harmony. It let loose the fluid ocean, and yet has prevented it from encroaching on the land. The earth, again, which had been in a state of commotion, it has established, and fixed the sea as its boundary. The violence of fire it has softened by the atmosphere, as the Dorian is blended with the Lydian strain; and the harsh cold of the air it has moderated by the embrace of fire, harmoniously arranging these the extreme tones of the universe. And this deathless strain — the support of the whole and the harmony of all — reaching from the centre to the circumference, and from the extremities to the central part, has harmonized this universal frame of things, not according to the Thracian music, which is like that invented by Jubal, but according to the paternal counsel of God, which fired the zeal of David. And He who is of David, and yet before him, the Word of God, despising the lyre and harp, which are but lifeless instruments, and having tuned by the Holy Spirit the universe, and especially man — who, composed of body and soul, is a uni- verse in miniature — makes melody to God on this instrument of many tones; and to this instrument — I mean man — he sings accordant: For you are my harp, and pipe, and temple. — a harp for harmony — a pipe by reason of the Spirit — a temple by reason of the word; so that the first may sound, the second breathe, the third contain the Lord. And David the king, the harper whom we mentioned a little above, who exhorted to the truth and dissuaded from idols, was so far from celebrating demons in song, that in reality they were driven away by his music. Thus, when Saul was plagued with a demon, he cured him by merely playing. A beautiful breathing instrument of music the Lord made man, after His own image. And He Him- self also, surely, who is the supramundane Wisdom, the celestial Word, is the all-harmonious, melodious, holy instrument of God. What, then, does this instrument — the Word of God, the Lord, the New Song — desire? To open the eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf, and to lead the lame or the erring to righteousness, to exhibit God to the foolish, to put a stop to corruption, to conquer death, to reconcile disobedient children to their father. The instrument of God loves mankind. …
This is the New Song, the manifestation of the Word that was in the beginning, and before the beginning.
So the song is new because it is old, it existed from the beginning and is now manifest.
So according to Clement, the new song is the Word of God himself, the second Person of the Holy Trinity. When we sing the new song in the liturgy we are singing Christ.
That’s because he is the Word. Every song has to have words, and all words come from him.
The new song is sung by man, but as we have seen, it is also sung by all creation.
Man is a microcosm and creation a macrocosm and we all sing. Again that’s because Christ is the new song, the Word through whom all things were made.
But he’s also the Word that was made flesh to save us. The song is new because he makes all things new, he frees his people from bondage.
So creation and the plan of the Father and incarnation and redemption in the Son are both expressed in this new song. And the Holy Spirit tunes the instrument, as Clement says.
Several of the Psalms start of by commanding, ‘Sing to the Lord a new song.’ St Clement tells us that the Lord is the new song. If we sing the Psalms with full awareness, with wisdom, we are the whole body of Christ singing.
Conclusion
So to sum up, we’ve seen how Psalm 46 and St Benedict tell us to sing in the liturgy. To sing with art and heart, and also to sing wisely. In our song, if we’re to be wise, we have to be aware that we’re part of creation, of community, and of Christ.
But all that skill and theological awareness shouldn’t be self-conscious: we just have to do it. So I’d like to close with the last Psalm of the Psalter, Psalm 150, which is just pure praise:
1 ALLELUIA!
Praise God in his holy place,
praise him in his mighty heavens.2 Praise him for his powerful deeds,
praise his surpassing greatness.3 O praise him with sound of trumpet,
praise him with lute and harp.4 Praise him with timbrel and dance,
praise him with strings and pipes.5 O praise him with resounding cymbals,
praise him with clashing of cymbals.6 Let everything that lives and that breathes
give praise to the Lord.
ALLELUIA!
