On Sacred Music

Here is an excellent article on the purpose of sacred music, what constitutes it, and what quality means when we speak of sacred music. (H/t Fr. Z, of course.)

Here's a snippet from the article:
In many parishes, the modern piano has supplanted the pipe organ. As a secular keyboard instrument, the piano delivers such an idiosyncratic tone that it is excluded from the symphony orchestra because it overpowers the sounds of other instruments. The modern piano succeeded the harpsichord and clavichord to support the heavy touch created by nineteenth-century compositions. With its percussive and sensual tone, sustained by the pedal, the piano functions best in a secular ambiance and has no place in the liturgy. Is all this sung prayer?