Top Catholic Songs

Richard, did you mean ask this question in the Silent Night blog post? 

To use a boxing match analogy the St. Basil's Hymnal was the most widley used Catholic hymnal in the United States and Canada during the early 20th century period and probably until the 1950s. It was the "Champion" of Catholic hymnals with as many as 600,000 copies sold. 

What was wrong with the St. Basil's Hymnal? Nothing unless of course you were the "contender" which was the St. Gregory Hymnal and Choir Book. So, how do you market your new hymnal which was compiled based on the  Moto Proprio of Pius X and other Papal documents on Sacred Music as its foundation? The St. Gregory Hymnal editor was Nicola Montani. He also happened to be the President of The Society of St. Gregory. How did they do this? They created a White and Black List of approved and disaproved music. 

The White List consisted of approved Mass settings for two, three, and four parts. Also, Gregorian chant, antiphons, responsories, offertories, motets, polyphonic music, and a collection of approved hymns and choir books. 

The Black List was generated in the early 1920s at a convention of the Society of St. Gregory of America held in Rochester, New Work. The sentiment of the convention was to rid the Catholic Church of antagonistic Mass settings, other religious compositions, and hymns and choir books which according to this Society ran afoul of the documents issued by Pope Pius X and Pope Pius XI. Many of the banned Mass settings, religious compositions, hymns, and choir books were widely used and very popular across Catholic parishes in the United States.

How is all of this relevant? Because Dioceses within the United States including Cleveland, Chicago, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne, and many others began instituting bans on church music based on the White List and Black List. Essentially, the Society of St. Gregory though various campaigns knocked the "Champ" out. Imagine music like Schubert's and Gounod's Ave Maria's being banned, hymn books like St. Basil's, all hymn books of Sodalities, hymn books published by the Sisters of Notre Dame being condemned. 

I've only touched the surface here, but the Societies influence on Church music profound.