Joseph Ratzinger, who led the Catholic Church as Pope Benedict XVI from 2005 to 2013, is a well-respected and published theologian. Much of his writing centers on the liturgy, and he has addressed the topic of music several times. His theological understanding of liturgical music and its application to the pipe organ together with its repertoire is the focus of this dissertation. The first two chapters deal with Ratzinger’s theological writings on the liturgy and sacred music as well as their significance for the pipe organ. Several themes emerge in his writings. These reveal Ratzinger’s understanding of the liturgy and are identified as characteristics of true liturgical music. Though he rarely speaks directly about the organ, these characteristics, namely, cosmos, logos, mystery, and history can be connected with both the instrument and its repertoire. In chapters three through five, select pieces from the masterworks of the Catholic organ tradition, Frescobaldi’s Fiori Musicali, Tournemire’s L’Orgue Mystique, and Langlais’ Livre Oecumenique, are analyzed and interpreted in light of Ratzinger’s theology. The organ has also been used as an accompanimental instrument and for improvisation in the liturgy. This is considered in chapters six and seven. In chapter eight, attention is given to the pipe organ itself, and the instrument is found to be a symbol of the same theological concepts Ratzinger associates with the liturgy. The last chapter provides a summary and indicates the implications of Ratzinger’s theology for the liturgical role of the pipe organ today. This comprehensive examination of Ratzinger’s theology of liturgical music and the pipe organ with its liturgical repertoire, which includes written compositions, accompaniment, and improvisation, reveals the relationship between them. The organ itself embodies Ratzinger’s themes of cosmos, logos, mystery, and history and is therefore the ideal liturgical instrument, indeed, the king of musical instruments. Through analysis, certain musical characteristics are discovered that can be said to exemplify elements of liturgical theology. Ultimately, Ratzinger’s liturgical theology assigns value to the historic role of the organ in the liturgy and illuminates the worth and relevance of the Church’s treasury of sacred organ music.

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Le Catholicisme et l’Islam, les deux plus grandes religions du monde numériquement, connaissent des rapports oscillants entre dialogue et rivalités. Ces deux derniers se manifestent à travers une variété d’actions, nationales et internationales, ainsi que par des écrits et des déclarations. Du côté catholique, ce dynamisme est promu en particulier par la pensée du Pape Benoit XVI à l’égard du dialogue avec la religion musulmane, qui est centrée sur le respect des libertés religieuses loin de la violence, ainsi que la préservation de l’identité. Du côté musulman, il existe plusieurs acteurs soucieux de présenter une image paisible de leur religion. Leurs efforts prennent différentes formes de dialogue, dont certaines s’opèrent dans un contexte étatique où le politique prime sur le religieux, à l’image des démarches des royaumes saoudien et jordanien. À ces activités de nature plus étatique, s’ajoutent des activités académiques et théologiques d’intellectuels et de religieux musulmans, tels que le professeur sunnite tunisien Mohammed Talbi et l’Imam chiite libanais Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah. Ils soulèvent les mêmes craintes identitaires et prônent les mêmes revendications de liberté et de dialogue que le Pape Benoit XVI, à partir de leurs perspectives musulmanes. L’entente cordiale entre l’Islam et le Catholicisme est donc mêlée à des controverses et des points conflictuels qui soumettent le dialogue à des enjeux religieux, historiques et politiques propres au contexte de ses tenants. À travers toute cette subtilité et ces complications, le dialogue reste toujours un objectifde chacun des protagonistes. / Catholicism and Islam, the two largest religions numerically on earth, are known to entertain relations that oscillate between dialogue and rivalry. These are reflected in a variety of activities, statements and writings, at both national and international levels. On the Catholic side, this dynamic relationship is promoted in particular by Pope Benedict XVI who believes that religious freedom is one of the main issues in the dialogue with Muslims, alongside with safeguarding a Christian identity that is rooted in peaceful behavior. On the Muslim side, there are several actors striving to present a peaceful image of their religion. Their efforts take different forms of dialogue, some of which include specific state actors where politics dominates over religion, such as the case of the two kingdoms of Saudi Arabia and Jordan. In addition to these more state related activities, there are others of a more academic and theological nature, as those of the Tunisian Sunni professor Mohammed Talbi and the Lebanese Shiite Imam Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah. Both raise the same fears of identity and advocate the same claims for freedom and dialogue than does Pope Benedict XVI, from their own Muslim perspectives. The friendly relations between Islam and Catholicism are mixed with conflicts and controversies that influence the dialogue in terms of religious, historical, and politica l challenges unique to the context of each practitioner. Throughout these subtleties and complications, the dialogue remains a major objective for each one of the protagonists.

Le Catholicisme et l’Islam, les deux plus grandes religions du monde numériquement, connaissent des rapports oscillants entre dialogue et rivalités. Ces deux derniers se manifestent à travers une variété d’actions, nationales et internationales, ainsi que par des écrits et des déclarations. Du côté catholique, ce dynamisme est promu en particulier par la pensée du Pape Benoit XVI à l’égard du dialogue avec la religion musulmane, qui est centrée sur le respect des libertés religieuses loin de la violence, ainsi que la préservation de l’identité. Du côté musulman, il existe plusieurs acteurs soucieux de présenter une image paisible de leur religion. Leurs efforts prennent différentes formes de dialogue, dont certaines s’opèrent dans un contexte étatique où le politique prime sur le religieux, à l’image des démarches des royaumes saoudien et jordanien. À ces activités de nature plus étatique, s’ajoutent des activités académiques et théologiques d’intellectuels et de religieux musulmans, tels que le professeur sunnite tunisien Mohammed Talbi et l’Imam chiite libanais Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah. Ils soulèvent les mêmes craintes identitaires et prônent les mêmes revendications de liberté et de dialogue que le Pape Benoit XVI, à partir de leurs perspectives musulmanes. L’entente cordiale entre l’Islam et le Catholicisme est donc mêlée à des controverses et des points conflictuels qui soumettent le dialogue à des enjeux religieux, historiques et politiques propres au contexte de ses tenants. À travers toute cette subtilité et ces complications, le dialogue reste toujours un objectifde chacun des protagonistes. / Catholicism and Islam, the two largest religions numerically on earth, are known to entertain relations that oscillate between dialogue and rivalry. These are reflected in a variety of activities, statements and writings, at both national and international levels. On the Catholic side, this dynamic relationship is promoted in particular by Pope Benedict XVI who believes that religious freedom is one of the main issues in the dialogue with Muslims, alongside with safeguarding a Christian identity that is rooted in peaceful behavior. On the Muslim side, there are several actors striving to present a peaceful image of their religion. Their efforts take different forms of dialogue, some of which include specific state actors where politics dominates over religion, such as the case of the two kingdoms of Saudi Arabia and Jordan. In addition to these more state related activities, there are others of a more academic and theological nature, as those of the Tunisian Sunni professor Mohammed Talbi and the Lebanese Shiite Imam Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah. Both raise the same fears of identity and advocate the same claims for freedom and dialogue than does Pope Benedict XVI, from their own Muslim perspectives. The friendly relations between Islam and Catholicism are mixed with conflicts and controversies that influence the dialogue in terms of religious, historical, and politica l challenges unique to the context of each practitioner. Throughout these subtleties and complications, the dialogue remains a major objective for each one of the protagonists.