Musicam Sacram, the Holy See's Instruction on liturgical music, was promulgated 50 years ago yesterday. It is very much a fruit of Vatican II, whose most significant musical legacy was the introduction of "vernacular" musical styles and instrumentation. In theory, this was just a possibility, reserved for very special circumstances. In practice, it basically amounted to actively encouraging the vernacular, anytime, anywhere, for any reason.
Prudently enough, MS itself foresaw "a period of experimentation in order attain a sufficient maturity and perfection". Fifty years, though, seems like a good opportunity for taking stock.
