The term ‘active participation’ in the Liturgy was introduced to the Catholic Church by Pope Saint Pius X. Soon afterwards, this term became the rallying cry of the new Liturgical Movement, which brought about a break with the liturgical traditions of the Latin Rite. In the struggle to maintain hermeneutic continuity, this break often goes unacknowledged by Roman Catholics.
If there are saints of music, Anton Bruckner is surely one of them. Like Beethoven, whom he greatly admired, Bruckner was a strong-willed, undaunted composer. Dreadful abysses lurk in Bruckner’s music, but he does not get stuck in them. That Promethean defiance, that raised fist, which is Beethoven’s, is nowhere to be heard. Perhaps for this reason, Bruckner’s seemingly meandering arguments lead to a deeply satisfying destination, while Beethoven’s powerful statements, those clearings in the woods he beats a way to, amount to so much less than the effort made.