Fasting from Musical Instruments During Lent

Beginning on Ash Wednesday, not only have we begun fasting from meat on certain days of Lent, but we have also begun fasting from certain musical instruments at Mass: organ, guitar, drums … We are using more a capella and piano accompaniment-only music at his time, even singing in Latin. I received the following email signed by a parish-ioner (unnamed here, however, to keep confidentiality) that I thought would be great to share with you: Les, I will miss the musicians from which we will be “fasting.”  My response: Hi, …. Thank you for your note. I understand your good sentiment. We're not fasting from musicians, from persons. We're fasting from certain instruments. There is a big difference. There is no malice in this "fasting," I assure you. These musicians will be at Masses, I hope, so you, too, will see them and not miss them. I hope you will, like me, how-ever, miss the Glory to God and the Alleluia, the praises and thanksgiving to God that we sing outside of Lent--not that we'll praise and give thanks to God any less in these forty days, .... On the contrary. There is truth to absence makesthe heart grow fonder. When we celebrate Holy Thursday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday, we return to the prayers, readings, and even musical instruments we have missed with greater enthusiasm. … Either way, no one is fasting from persons. I'll miss certain instrumentation for only forty days or six Sundays of sacrifice but then, Alleluia, the instruments absent during Lent will once again join in God's praises  at Easter. Happy Lent, Les

 

from the Office for Divine Worship, Archdiocese of Los Angeles: During Lent, the use of musical instruments is allowed only to support the singing. Liturgical music should also be rendered in a more subdued and reflective way so as to not evoke the eventual full joy of Easter. Nevertheless, Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent), Solemnities, and Feasts are exceptions to this rule. The Alleluia is not said or sung, in any form, during Lent (not even on the Solemnity of St. Joseph or the Annunciation, in case these fall during Lent) and it is replaced with an appropriate Lenten GospelAcclamation. The use of the Gloria is also suspended during Lent, with the exception of wedding Masses and Solemnities occurring during the season, for example: St. Joseph on March 19 and Annunciation on March 25 this 2025.