“Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship.”
41. The primary role of the organist, other instrumentalists or instrumental ensemble is to lead and
sustain the singing [voice] of the assembly and of the choir, cantor, and psalmist, without
dominating or overpowering them.
87. Among all other instruments which are suitable for divine worship, the organ is “accorded
pride of place” because of its capacity to sustain the singing of a large, gathered assembly, due to
both its size and its ability to give “resonance to the fullness of human sentiments, from joy to
sadness, from praise to lamentation.” Likewise, “the manifold possibilities of the organ in some
way remind us of the immensity and the magnificence of God.”
89. However, from the days when the Ark of the Covenant was accompanied in procession by
cymbals, harps, lyres and trumpets, God’s people have, in various periods, used a variety of
musical instruments to sing his praise. Each of these instruments, born of the culture and the
traditions of a particular people, has given voice to a wide variety of forms and styles through
which Christ’s faithful continue to join their voices to his perfect song of praise upon the Cross.
90. Many other instruments also enrich the celebration of the Liturgy, such as wind, stringed, or
percussion instruments “according to longstanding local usage and permission by the local
Ordinary (diocesan bishop), provided they are truly apt for sacred use or can be rendered apt.”