How Is the Music of Les Misérables Like Liturgy?

That’s the question that Jeffrey Tucker looks at in an article at The Chant Café.

The score is unusually text driven, just like liturgy. The singers in the film were chosen not for their singing ability but for their acting — which makes the singing more authentic in some way. Their voices were not ruined by too much training and affectation. They seemed authentic because of this — again, a point that is replicated in a liturgical context.

I highly recommend that every priest and singer needs to see the film to understand the drama that is possible in the musical context. The application to liturgical worship makes the point that we are denying ourselves deeper spiritual experiences by settling for spoken Masses over sung ones.

It’s an interesting comparison, one that some readers take issue with in the comment box at the end of the article. Read more at The Chant Café.