TLS reaffirmed the primacy of Gregorian chant, which had largely fallen out of favor, and the superiority of Renaissance polyphony, especially that of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, over other, later polyphonic music. It recognized that some modern compositions are "of such excellence, sobriety and gravity, that they are in no way unworthy of the liturgical functions", but warned that they needed to be "free from reminiscences of motifs adopted in the theaters, and be not fashioned even in their external forms after the manner of profane pieces".
TLS reaffirmed the dominance of Gregorian chant, which had largely fallen out of favor, and the superiority of Renaissance polyphony, especially that of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, over other, later polyphonic music. It acknowledged that some modern compositions are "of such excellence, sobriety and gravity, that they are in no way unworthy of liturgical functions", but cautioned that they needed to be "free from reminiscences of motifs borrowed from theaters, and not fashioned even in their external forms after the style of secular pieces".