Dear Editor: Roseanne Cleary (“Funeral vs Funereal,” April 7) writes: “…heavy, plodding dirges from antiquated church organs that threatened to suck the very air from our souls.” She seems to overlook the fact that the organ is still the official musical instrument of the Church.

“Antiquated” is not an adjective which can be applied to the use of the organ in church. While it is possible that the instruments she heard were constructed more than a century ago (a handful of organs built before 1900 are still in use in the metropolitan area), it seems more likely that she thinks the only instruments which ought to be used in church are anything but the organ.

Many perceive liturgy in general, and the funeral liturgy in particular, as a kind of entertainment: a night-club revue or a pops concert of the deceased’s favorite songs, both sacred and secular (but mostly the latter).

The late Omer Westendorf, founder of the World Library of Sacred Music and a pioneer in the development of music for liturgy in the vernacular, was fond of saying, “All church music should be good music, but not all good music should be church music.”

“Top Forty” songs, Broadway and Hollywood show and movie music, sentimental Irish ballads, ragtime, Sousa marches, Strauss waltzes and similar fare may be well-written from a compositional standpoint and aesthetically appealing to boot, but that does not mean that they are suitable for church use.

Perhaps Ms. Cleary had the rare privilege of attending celebration(s) of the Requiem Mass in the Tridentine (“Usus Antiquior” or “Extra-ordinary Form”) rite.

More likely, it is possible, if not probable, that the “heavy, plodding dirges” she heard were actually requested by the families of the deceased. If that is the case, she should be thankful that there are some of the faithful who view the funeral liturgy not as a canonization, but rather as what it is: a plea for the mercy of God to grant the departed remission of sins and a place in the heavenly kingdom. Would that I might be accorded such a celebration when my turn comes.

JOSEPH A. LINDQUIST

Flushing

Editor’s Note: Mr. Lindquist is a retired liturgical musician.