Never have so many recordings of the great Masses and motets been in wider circulation.

Then suddenly the Roman liturgy disappeared as we knew it.

Record stores have whole sections devoted to the chant.

Inaudible prayers, particularly of the Canon, which at first don't seem to have anything to do with music, end up being a very important part of the aesthetic of the traditional structure of the Mass.

But nowadays hymns are the norm, because people don't have much else to sing.

All you hear Catholics turning out these days are pop versions of the old Protestant anthems.

It would be difficult to discover the truth about the universe if we refused to consider anything that might be true.

You can count on one hand the number of Novus Ordo churches in this country that feature a fully Catholic music program of any quality, consistent with the Roman rite tradition.

When the truth is that there would be no great Western music, and certainly no decent choral repertoire, without the Catholic faith.

Music had always been the handmaid of the Roman liturgy.

As for sacred polyphony, there is no reason to be afraid of it.

Catholic liturgical music, it would seem, is everywhere but in the Catholic Church itself.

Once the Mass is restored to its rightful place, we will again see choirs being developed.

The tunes, rhythms, and messages are drawn mainly from secular culture.

The democratic and pedestrian character of the new Mass itself seems to invite the ditties that pass for hymns these days.

At St. Francis de Sales in Atlanta, we do not have an organ. We do not have rehearsals during the week. We do not have a professional choir.

And this speaks to the larger problem that no one wants to talk about: the restoration of the Roman rite is a precondition for a long-term fix for the problem.

The pastor of a parish will typically have no education in the chant or in music, and he will hire the first music director who walks through the door.

You can read about it all you want, but there is no substitute for just doing it.

There's nothing stupider than bursting into song for seven seconds and then falling silent again.

For two thousand years, the Church has guided the development of music, carefully legislating to fuse artistic talent and aesthetic beauty with the demands of the Faith.

Participation is easily obtained with Latin chant.

Ironically, we live in times that are awash in authentic sacred music.

It bothers me when I hear it in a car commercial or some such. But for the most part, it's better than seeing sacred music relegated to the scrap heap.

Even Catholic parishes today are not wanting for talent. But no serious singer or organist will get anywhere near the typical music program, at least if he wants to retain his self-respect.

Thus the slogan should be reversed: Catholics taught the world what music is supposed to sound like, and, more importantly, what it is supposed to mean.

Never have so many recordings of the great Masses and motets been in wider circulation.

I think everyone shares a fear of failure - that you're only as good as your most recent collection. That's definitely a fear, but it's a fear that fuels me, that makes me want to work harder, that makes me take on more challenges.

When mortality is the equation, we are but pawns in a game.

I grew up in a very small town and didn't realise till later that I had an adventurous side. When I went to theatre school at 18, I came into my own and let loose.

That has always seemed to me one of the stranger aspects of literary fame: you prove your competence as a writer and an inventor of stories, and then people clamour for you to make speeches and tell them what you think about the world.

A Kiss concert experience is like sex or anything else that's done with more that one person. It's the give and take that makes it so great. When the audience takes it to the next level, we can kick it up another notch.

If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak, return to yourself, to who you are, here and now and when you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom, even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong.

Music is my 90% of my life and my biggest passion. I really don't have an interest in anything else.

These are strange times. Reason, which once combatted faith and seemed to have conquered it, now has to look to faith to save it from dissolution.

It's true that Blake was emotionally disturbed - always has been - but he doesn't have murder in his heart. If he was going to do any damage to anything or anyone, it would be to himself.

To be filled with God is a great thing, to be filled with the fullness of God is still greater; to be filled with all the fullness of God is greatest of all.

I write - and then I write some more.

Man needs colour to live; it's just as necessary an element as fire and water.

When I look into the crowd, I see young and old, black and white - it's amazing that I'm able to connect with so many different kinds of people.

I bet on the game of baseball and I bet on my team, even the mistakes I made, I have to take a different look at someone betting against their own team... that's throwing the game.

That mighty Being, who heaped up these craggy rocks, and reared these stupendous mountains, and poured out these streams in all directions, and scattered immortal beings throughout these deserts - He is present, by the influence of his Holy Spirit, and accompanies the sound of the gospel with converting, sanctifying power.

I've been blessed with the opportunity to express the views of black people who otherwise don't have access to power and the media. I have to take advantage of that while I'm still bankable.

I probably have a higher opinion of my writing than the average person, at least when I'm in a good mood, but I don't really think of my plays as only being relevant to a particular month or year.

Surveillance technologies now available - including the monitoring of virtually all digital information - have advanced to the point where much of the essential apparatus of a police state is already in place.

But let there be no misunderstanding. The war against terror is every bit as important as our fight against fascism in World War II. Or our struggle against the spread of Communism during the Cold War.

Man himself is an enigma in motion his questions never stay asked whereas the mold the footprint and by natural extension the statue itself like the vaults the arches the temples with which man records his own passing remain immobile and fix a moment of mans life upon which one might endlessly meditate.

I don't watch a lot of TV. I just don't have a whole lot of time, and my life is so disorganized, I don't have any kind of consistent schedule. Usually, I pop in a DVD or flip around when I get home at 4 in the morning and try to fall asleep.

If youre not prepared to be wrong youll never come up with anything original.