Pentecost Vigil at Resurrection Church
May 30, 6:00PM (warm-up starts at 5:30)
Veni Creator Spritus (Prelude vs 1, 4, 5 ,6)
Veni Sancte Spiritus (Sequence)
Sanctus VIII
Agnus Dei IV
Qui Manducat (communio)
10th Anniversary Mass for Fr. Arnold
June 7, Sunday 11 AM at OLPH
Veni Creator Spiritus (prelude 1, 4, 5, 6)
Qui Manducat (communion)
Mass at Expo
June 12, Friday at 5 PM (4:30 warm-up) at Res. Church
Christus Vincit (Prelude)
Kyrie XVI
Veni Creator Spiritus (offertory: children's schola, vs 1, 4, 6, 7)
Sanctus XVIII
Mysterium Fidei and Amen
Agnus Dei XVIII
Qui Manducat (adult schola)
Ave Maria (children's schola)
At OLPH (practice on Mondays at 7:30)
Saturday Mass (8:15AM) (Warm - up starts at 7:40)
June 6, 20
Kyrie XI
Alelluia
Sanctus XVIII
Mysterium Fidei and Amen
Agnus Dei XVIII
Qui Manducat
Salve Regina
At St. Martin's (Little Sisters of the Poor)
June 21, Sunday, 10:30 (warm-up at 10AM)
Ave Maria(Prelude)
All Praise and Glad Thanksgiving (723)
Gloria VIII
Salve Regina (offertory-schola)
Sanctus XVIII
Mysterium Fidei and Amen
Agnus Dei XVIII
Jesu Dulcis Memoria (368 Latin -English 3vs. each)
There's Wideness in God's Mercy (420)
At Resurrection Church (practice on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM)
Satruday Mass (9AM) (Warm-up starts at 8:30)
June 13
Kyrie XVI
Sanctus VIII
Alleuia
Mysterium Fidei and Amen
Agnus Dei IV
Qui manducat
Salve Regina
Children's schola (practice on Mondays at 1:30 at OLPH)
First Friday Mass, June 5
OLPH 8:15 AM (warm up starts at 7:45 AM)
Ave Maria (prelude)
Kyrie XVI
Veni Creator Spiritus (offertory, vs 1, 4, 6, 7)
Sanctus XVIII
Mysterium Fidei and Amen
Agnus Dei XVIII
Adoro te dovote (communion, vs. 1, 2,5, 7 )
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Solemn High Mass of Ascension of Our Lord at St. Bernadette in Silver Spring with schola Chanty
We got there just in time to hear beautiful organ prelude (there was a traffic jam and we took backroads, and got lost.) Then I see a whole army (sorry if I'm not using a correct expression, but that's how I felt, the Church militant on earth, so strong and holy.) of holy priests, altar servers, young men and younger boys, deacons... entering with hands hold together, and leading us to enter the "Mystery of Faith," our pilgrimage to Jerusalem, our journey to the Holy of Holies. How beautiful, how holy, how comforting to know we have those people to guard our faith. I couldn't stop my tears coming down.
All the singing of the chants and polyphony were so beautiful in that church with a fantastic accoustics. Everything was sung a cappella (just voices), didn't need any instrumental accompaniment, the natual sound of the singing was accompanied only by the beautiful accousticis of the church itself. The readings were chanted beautifully in Latin first and then later read in English.
Then the beautiful Sanctus and the consecration. To me this is the time when the door of the Heaven opens and Jesus comes down to the Altar. After the elevation, the last part of the Sanctus, where it starts Benedictus (blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord) started quietely and humbly, the music was just so perfect., And the song of Hosanna, the last part of the Benedictus, is heard. I still hear the singing of the Sung Mass from yesterday, but it might be hard for you to really imagine it no matter how I say (especially with my poor English.)
I wonder it is too much to wish that we can have Mass like this every Sunday? Probably not in my life time. But I felt if we have Mass like this more often, average Catolics, like me, can strengthen our Catholic faith and our beliefs on the True Presence of our Lord on the altar and will have more priests. Please pray for more holy priests, we really need them.
My faith is very weak, especailly last week was very tough, and my faith was very feeble(?) But it was such a special gift to me from God that I was able to go to that Mass. I really felt the power and the beauty of God in that Mass and was able to renew my faith. The Mass is so beautiful and powerful and holy that there's no denying that it is from God, not made by people. I try to go to Traditional Latin Mass once a month at least with my family. We are all still learning, little by little, and it's pretty hard for my kids (although they try to behave.) But every time we go, we learn something new and deepen our apprecaiton of the Mass, which has deeper meaning in everyparts. I think we should teach our children the Tradtion of our faith, and this will also help them to appreciate and understand the deeper meaning the Mass of Ordinary form too.
One side story: We left home at 6:45 to get there by 7:30. Traffic was bad, got lost, my husband was making a couple of sharp turns with the family van. I was anxious and frstrated. I really didn''t want our family walk in after the priests walk in. But after a prayer, I felt we are going to be okay. We got there just in time. The lesson for me was (again) Do your best whatever you do, pray and have peace because God always helps you and takes care of you as long as you do your part.
All the singing of the chants and polyphony were so beautiful in that church with a fantastic accoustics. Everything was sung a cappella (just voices), didn't need any instrumental accompaniment, the natual sound of the singing was accompanied only by the beautiful accousticis of the church itself. The readings were chanted beautifully in Latin first and then later read in English.
Then the beautiful Sanctus and the consecration. To me this is the time when the door of the Heaven opens and Jesus comes down to the Altar. After the elevation, the last part of the Sanctus, where it starts Benedictus (blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord) started quietely and humbly, the music was just so perfect., And the song of Hosanna, the last part of the Benedictus, is heard. I still hear the singing of the Sung Mass from yesterday, but it might be hard for you to really imagine it no matter how I say (especially with my poor English.)
I wonder it is too much to wish that we can have Mass like this every Sunday? Probably not in my life time. But I felt if we have Mass like this more often, average Catolics, like me, can strengthen our Catholic faith and our beliefs on the True Presence of our Lord on the altar and will have more priests. Please pray for more holy priests, we really need them.
My faith is very weak, especailly last week was very tough, and my faith was very feeble(?) But it was such a special gift to me from God that I was able to go to that Mass. I really felt the power and the beauty of God in that Mass and was able to renew my faith. The Mass is so beautiful and powerful and holy that there's no denying that it is from God, not made by people. I try to go to Traditional Latin Mass once a month at least with my family. We are all still learning, little by little, and it's pretty hard for my kids (although they try to behave.) But every time we go, we learn something new and deepen our apprecaiton of the Mass, which has deeper meaning in everyparts. I think we should teach our children the Tradtion of our faith, and this will also help them to appreciate and understand the deeper meaning the Mass of Ordinary form too.
One side story: We left home at 6:45 to get there by 7:30. Traffic was bad, got lost, my husband was making a couple of sharp turns with the family van. I was anxious and frstrated. I really didn''t want our family walk in after the priests walk in. But after a prayer, I felt we are going to be okay. We got there just in time. The lesson for me was (again) Do your best whatever you do, pray and have peace because God always helps you and takes care of you as long as you do your part.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Can Hymns replace Propers in Mass?
Abandoning the traditional music and texts of the Mass was clearly not the intention of the Council, whose Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium (1963), decreed that "the treasury of sacred music is to be preserved and fostered with great care" (SC 114). This principle was further clarified in 1969 by the Consilium (the group of bishops and experts set up by Pope Paul VI to implement the Constitution on the Liturgy), who responded to an inquiry on whether the permission for singing vernacular hymns at a low Mass — given in the instruction De musica sacra et sacra liturgia of September 3, 1958 — was still in effect. (Before the Council the hymns sung at low Mass did not replace the prescribed Mass texts, but were an addition to them, and were considered only an "indirect" form of participation.)
The Consilium's response was very clear:
That rule [permitting vernacular hymns] has been superseded. What must be sung is the Mass, its Ordinary and Proper, not "something", no matter how consistent, that is imposed on the Mass. Because the liturgical service is one, it has only one countenance, one motif, one voice, the voice of the Church. To continue to replace the texts of the Mass being celebrated with motets that are reverent and devout, yet out of keeping with the Mass of the day amounts to continuing an unacceptable ambiguity: it is to cheat the people. Liturgical song involves not mere melody, but words, text, thought and the sentiments that the poetry and music contain. Thus texts must be those of the Mass, not others, and singing means singing the Mass not just singing during Mass.
(Original emphasis. The response was published in Italian in the Consilium's official journal Notitiae 5 [1969] p. 406. An English translation appeared in the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy's BCL Newsletter, August-September 1993.)
Intriguing! Quoted as recently as the BCL newsletter in 1993? wow. This seems to suggest that the postconcilar legislation on propers is actually STRONGER than preconciliar rules.
Jefferey Tucker
The Consilium's response was very clear:
That rule [permitting vernacular hymns] has been superseded. What must be sung is the Mass, its Ordinary and Proper, not "something", no matter how consistent, that is imposed on the Mass. Because the liturgical service is one, it has only one countenance, one motif, one voice, the voice of the Church. To continue to replace the texts of the Mass being celebrated with motets that are reverent and devout, yet out of keeping with the Mass of the day amounts to continuing an unacceptable ambiguity: it is to cheat the people. Liturgical song involves not mere melody, but words, text, thought and the sentiments that the poetry and music contain. Thus texts must be those of the Mass, not others, and singing means singing the Mass not just singing during Mass.
(Original emphasis. The response was published in Italian in the Consilium's official journal Notitiae 5 [1969] p. 406. An English translation appeared in the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy's BCL Newsletter, August-September 1993.)
Intriguing! Quoted as recently as the BCL newsletter in 1993? wow. This seems to suggest that the postconcilar legislation on propers is actually STRONGER than preconciliar rules.
Jefferey Tucker
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
What are the Propers?
What are the propers? Before there was a “gathering song,” there was the Introit.
Before ever a cantor intoned a responsorial psalm, there was the Gradual.
Before hymns were sung at Offertory and Communion, there were the Offertory and Communion chants.
In short, centuries before the Mass was put into what’s been called the “four-hymn straitjacket,” the church sang the propers. Before music directors and pastors asked us to sing at Mass, Catholic musicians sang the Mass—by singing settings of the specific liturgical texts known as the propers. These texts are taken directly from sacred Scripture, from both testaments.
You’ve never heard of them? It’s no surprise. The vast majority of church musicians have never been taught about the propers.
Note well: The concept of singing the propers was not banished by the Second Vatican Council. The post–Vatican II church’s official songbooks for choirs are the Graduale Romanum (Roman Gradual) and Gregorian Missal, both of which contain Gregorian chant settings of the propers for all Sundays and feast days that take precedence over Sundays.
If the propers had no longer been part of the Mass, the church wouldn’t have bothered commissioning these authoritative books.
So how did vernacular hymns gain such a stranglehold? One problem was the time it took the church to prepare a new edition of the Roman Gradual after the Second Vatican Council. The new edition was essential because the church went from a one-year cycle of Scripture readings to a three-year cycle. Thus, some of the proper chants had to be assigned to different Sundays, and in a few cases new chants had to be composed.
Vatican II ended in 1965, but the new Gradual wasn’t published until 1974. In the interim, those who wished to radically alter the music of the Mass had ample opportunity to do so. Admittedly, it’s much easier for a music director and choir to learn a handful of hymns that can be recycled over and over, with an occasional nod to the liturgical season, than to learn propers that may be sung only once a year. And even in the pre–Vatican II church, most congregations sang hymns at low Masses, reserving the propers for the high Mass.
Why sing the propers? You may be wondering why anyone bothers singing the propers. Why not stick with the same old four hymns and an occasional special piece for the choir? Here’s how the General Instruction of the Roman Missal expresses the church’s intentions for the entrance chant (Introit) and Communion, for example, in order of preference:
48. In the dioceses of the United States of America there are four options for the Entrance Chant: (1) the antiphon from the Roman Missal* or the Psalm from the Roman Gradual as set to music there or in another musical setting; (2) the seasonal antiphon and Psalm of the Simple Gradual; (3) a song from another collection of psalms and antiphons, approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop, including psalms arranged in responsorial or metrical forms; (4) a suitable liturgical song similarly approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop.
87. In the dioceses of the United States of America there are four options for the Communion chant: (1) the antiphon from the Roman Missal* or the Psalm from the Roman Gradual as set to music there or in another musical setting; (2) the seasonal antiphon and Psalm of the Simple Gradual; (3) a song from another collection of psalms and antiphons, approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop, including psalms arranged in responsorial or metrical forms; (4) a suitable liturgical song chosen in accordance with No. 86 above. This is sung either by the choir alone or by the choir or cantor with the people. If there is no singing, however, the Communion antiphon found in the Missal may be recited either by the faithful, or by some of them, or by a lector. Otherwise the priest himself says it after he has received Communion and before he distributes Communion to the faithful.
*Note that the antiphons from the Roman Missal (you’ll also find them in pulp missalettes) are intended for use during spoken Masses. If the Introit or Communion chant is to be sung, the text is taken from the Roman Gradual or the Simple Gradual. The two sets of antiphons—Missal and Gradual—do not always correspond. (Here’s an excellent explanation of this somewhat confusing point, from the winter 2006 issue of the journal Sacred Music.)
The church’s ideal for sung Masses is expressed in the first option: the Introit or Communion proper, for example, from the Gradual. If this is too challenging, turn to the Graduale Simplex (Simple Gradual) or any of the less-complex settings of the proper texts (examples are given below).
If this is not possible, another psalm may be substituted.
In last place is the ubiquitous “suitable liturgical song” (that is, hymn) that’s sung in 99 percent of U.S. parishes.
A church musician’s responsibilityThe question for us, then, is not “why should we sing the propers?” but “what steps can we take to conform our music program more closely to the ideal specifically requested by the Catholic Church?”
All of us involved in church music should begin laying the groundwork so that we can begin learning to sing at least one of the propers, however simple, at each Mass and to strengthen our musical skills so we can aspire to sing from the Roman Gradual.
If we believe the Catholic Church teaches with authority—as Christ taught that she would—and we desire to be both good musicians and faithful Catholics, how can we ignore her directives?
If we have been given musical talents and the opportunities to use them in service to the church, shouldn’t her magisterial documents on liturgy (e.g., Sacrosanctum Concilium, Musicam Sacram, Tra le Sollecitudini) be our guide?
Clearly it is our duty to attempt restoration of the propers. I’ve said nothing about the spiritual, intellectual, and musical benefits of this music—but if you open your heart and mind to the church’s musical treasury, you will experience them.
But why bother singing chant? Didn’t Vatican II throw all that out, as an uninformed chorister once asked me? Absolutely not. The very first Vatican II constitution to be published, Sacrosanctum Concilium (“Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy,” 1963), stated the church’s intentions in the strongest possible language:
112. The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy.
116. The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.
But other kinds of sacred music, especially polyphony*, are by no means excluded from liturgical celebrations, so long as they accord with the spirit of the liturgical action, as laid down in Art. 30. [excerpted below]
[30. To promote active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons, and songs, as well as by actions, gestures, and bodily attitudes. And at the proper times all should observe a reverent silence.]
117. The typical edition of the books of Gregorian chant [that is, the Graduale Romanum, published in 1974] is to be completed; and a more critical edition is to be prepared of those books already published since the restoration by St. Pius X.
*Many polyphonic settings of the propers also exist. A number can be found as free downloads on Choral Public Domain Library.
And what is “active participation,” a term some scholars have argued should have been translated “actual participation”?
Musicam Sacram (“Instruction on Music in the Liturgy,” 1967), promulgated by the Sacred Congregation of Rites, defines it thus:
15. The faithful fulfill their liturgical role by making that full, conscious, and active participation which is demanded by the nature of the Liturgy itself and which is, by reason of baptism, the right and duty of the Christian people. This participation
(a) Should be above all internal, in the sense that by it the faithful join their mind to what they pronounce or hear, and cooperate with heavenly grace,
(b) Must be, on the other hand, external also, that is, such as to show the internal participation by gestures and bodily attitudes, by the acclamations, responses and singing.
The faithful should also be taught to unite themselves interiorly to what the ministers or choir sing, so that by listening to them they may raise their minds to God.
In other words, the post–Vatican II church imposes no obligation for the faithful to sing four hymns during Mass—or for the choir to sing nothing but congregational hymns accessible to everyone. The church asks the clergy, choir or schola, and members of the congregation each to sing the parts of the Mass appropriate to them.
The ordinary and the propersLet me explain a few terms. The ordinary of the Mass consists of the “Mass parts” said or sung at Mass: the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy), and the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). The texts never change unless the church issues new translations. These belong to all the people—the clergy, the choir, and the congregation. This does not mean settings for choir alone are forbidden, but in the normal course of things, the congregation sings the ordinary or at least part of the ordinary.
From Musicam Sacram:
34. The songs which are called the “Ordinary of the Mass,” if they are sung by musical settings written for several voices may be performed by the choir according to the customary norms, either a capella, or with instrumental accompaniment, as long as the people are not completely excluded from taking part in the singing.
The propers (Introit, Offertory, Communion, and so on) are to be sung by the choir or schola, and the Gregorian chant settings found in the Graduale Romanum or the Gregorian Missal require greater musical skills than do most settings of the ordinary.
These propers are now available online at no cost:
The Gregorian Missal in its entirety may now be downloaded. Christusrex.org offers gif images of the proper chants and in many cases mp3 audio files of them being sung at Mass. The new site isaacjogues.org, a project of Corpus Christi Watershed, also makes scores and mp3s available, but the chant scores are easier-to-read pdfs. If your choir wishes to begin with the Communion proper—the simplest of the Gregorian propers—begin with Communio. It may be purchased in book form, but each Communion proper (with verses) may be downloaded at no cost from the Church Music Association of America’s website. How do you know which proper to sing for a given Sunday or feast day? CMAA publishes this handy guide.
More propers your choir can singWhat if your choir isn’t capable—yet—of singing the propers from the GR or the GM?
The church in her wisdom provides alternatives, beginning with the easier chants of the Simple Gradual. In addition, many other simpler settings of the propers are now available in English, in both conventional modern notation (round notes) and in “square notes,” used for many centuries to notate chant. The Simple Gradual may be purchased online.
Here are settings of the propers in English, available as free downloads. Note that in some cases the entire church year is not yet available.
propers by Father Samuel Weber, director of the Institute of Sacred Music, Archdiocese of St. Louis; modern notation; with accompaniment The Anglican Use Gradual by C. David Burt; developed for the use of formerly Anglican parishes that converted to Catholicism but licit for all Catholics; simple antiphons set to Gregorian psalm tones; square notation; no accompaniment The Sacred Music Project of Father Columba Kelly; appealing, relatively simple melodies; square notation; no accompaniment The American Gradual by Bruce Ford; the most difficult of the English propers because Ford set English words to the often complex chant melodies of the Graduale Romanum; modern notation; no accompaniment Simple Choral Gradual by Richard Rice; four-part harmonization of simple chants, with verses; modern notation; no accompaniment The Complete English Propers by Father Paul Arbogast; whole church year is available; modern notation; no accompaniment An excellent example of a simplified gradual in English is Paul Ford’s By Flowing Waters (Liturgical Press, 1999), with antiphons and verses in modern notation. Ford’s chant melodies are taken from the eight Gregorian chant modes and are singable by any choir and indeed any congregation.
So—the difficulty of the original proper chants and an inability to read square notes (used in the Graduale Romanum, the Gregorian Missal, and the Simple Gradual) are now no excuse not to sing some form of the propers.
ResourcesThe Church Music Association of AmericaThis site offers the most extensive collection of resources available for Catholic musicians. Members receive its excellent quarterly journal, Sacred Music. Anyone may join its lively discussion forum. I highly recommend joining the organization and participating in the forum—as well as attending CMAA-sponsored and affiliated events.
Adoremus: Society for the Renewal of the Sacred LiturgyPapal and Vatican documents on liturgy and sacred music may be found here. Members receive Adoremus Bulletin, published 10 times a year. Highly recommended.
—Mary C. Weaver, April 14, 2009
Before ever a cantor intoned a responsorial psalm, there was the Gradual.
Before hymns were sung at Offertory and Communion, there were the Offertory and Communion chants.
In short, centuries before the Mass was put into what’s been called the “four-hymn straitjacket,” the church sang the propers. Before music directors and pastors asked us to sing at Mass, Catholic musicians sang the Mass—by singing settings of the specific liturgical texts known as the propers. These texts are taken directly from sacred Scripture, from both testaments.
You’ve never heard of them? It’s no surprise. The vast majority of church musicians have never been taught about the propers.
Note well: The concept of singing the propers was not banished by the Second Vatican Council. The post–Vatican II church’s official songbooks for choirs are the Graduale Romanum (Roman Gradual) and Gregorian Missal, both of which contain Gregorian chant settings of the propers for all Sundays and feast days that take precedence over Sundays.
If the propers had no longer been part of the Mass, the church wouldn’t have bothered commissioning these authoritative books.
So how did vernacular hymns gain such a stranglehold? One problem was the time it took the church to prepare a new edition of the Roman Gradual after the Second Vatican Council. The new edition was essential because the church went from a one-year cycle of Scripture readings to a three-year cycle. Thus, some of the proper chants had to be assigned to different Sundays, and in a few cases new chants had to be composed.
Vatican II ended in 1965, but the new Gradual wasn’t published until 1974. In the interim, those who wished to radically alter the music of the Mass had ample opportunity to do so. Admittedly, it’s much easier for a music director and choir to learn a handful of hymns that can be recycled over and over, with an occasional nod to the liturgical season, than to learn propers that may be sung only once a year. And even in the pre–Vatican II church, most congregations sang hymns at low Masses, reserving the propers for the high Mass.
Why sing the propers? You may be wondering why anyone bothers singing the propers. Why not stick with the same old four hymns and an occasional special piece for the choir? Here’s how the General Instruction of the Roman Missal expresses the church’s intentions for the entrance chant (Introit) and Communion, for example, in order of preference:
48. In the dioceses of the United States of America there are four options for the Entrance Chant: (1) the antiphon from the Roman Missal* or the Psalm from the Roman Gradual as set to music there or in another musical setting; (2) the seasonal antiphon and Psalm of the Simple Gradual; (3) a song from another collection of psalms and antiphons, approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop, including psalms arranged in responsorial or metrical forms; (4) a suitable liturgical song similarly approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop.
87. In the dioceses of the United States of America there are four options for the Communion chant: (1) the antiphon from the Roman Missal* or the Psalm from the Roman Gradual as set to music there or in another musical setting; (2) the seasonal antiphon and Psalm of the Simple Gradual; (3) a song from another collection of psalms and antiphons, approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop, including psalms arranged in responsorial or metrical forms; (4) a suitable liturgical song chosen in accordance with No. 86 above. This is sung either by the choir alone or by the choir or cantor with the people. If there is no singing, however, the Communion antiphon found in the Missal may be recited either by the faithful, or by some of them, or by a lector. Otherwise the priest himself says it after he has received Communion and before he distributes Communion to the faithful.
*Note that the antiphons from the Roman Missal (you’ll also find them in pulp missalettes) are intended for use during spoken Masses. If the Introit or Communion chant is to be sung, the text is taken from the Roman Gradual or the Simple Gradual. The two sets of antiphons—Missal and Gradual—do not always correspond. (Here’s an excellent explanation of this somewhat confusing point, from the winter 2006 issue of the journal Sacred Music.)
The church’s ideal for sung Masses is expressed in the first option: the Introit or Communion proper, for example, from the Gradual. If this is too challenging, turn to the Graduale Simplex (Simple Gradual) or any of the less-complex settings of the proper texts (examples are given below).
If this is not possible, another psalm may be substituted.
In last place is the ubiquitous “suitable liturgical song” (that is, hymn) that’s sung in 99 percent of U.S. parishes.
A church musician’s responsibilityThe question for us, then, is not “why should we sing the propers?” but “what steps can we take to conform our music program more closely to the ideal specifically requested by the Catholic Church?”
All of us involved in church music should begin laying the groundwork so that we can begin learning to sing at least one of the propers, however simple, at each Mass and to strengthen our musical skills so we can aspire to sing from the Roman Gradual.
If we believe the Catholic Church teaches with authority—as Christ taught that she would—and we desire to be both good musicians and faithful Catholics, how can we ignore her directives?
If we have been given musical talents and the opportunities to use them in service to the church, shouldn’t her magisterial documents on liturgy (e.g., Sacrosanctum Concilium, Musicam Sacram, Tra le Sollecitudini) be our guide?
Clearly it is our duty to attempt restoration of the propers. I’ve said nothing about the spiritual, intellectual, and musical benefits of this music—but if you open your heart and mind to the church’s musical treasury, you will experience them.
But why bother singing chant? Didn’t Vatican II throw all that out, as an uninformed chorister once asked me? Absolutely not. The very first Vatican II constitution to be published, Sacrosanctum Concilium (“Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy,” 1963), stated the church’s intentions in the strongest possible language:
112. The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy.
116. The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.
But other kinds of sacred music, especially polyphony*, are by no means excluded from liturgical celebrations, so long as they accord with the spirit of the liturgical action, as laid down in Art. 30. [excerpted below]
[30. To promote active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons, and songs, as well as by actions, gestures, and bodily attitudes. And at the proper times all should observe a reverent silence.]
117. The typical edition of the books of Gregorian chant [that is, the Graduale Romanum, published in 1974] is to be completed; and a more critical edition is to be prepared of those books already published since the restoration by St. Pius X.
*Many polyphonic settings of the propers also exist. A number can be found as free downloads on Choral Public Domain Library.
And what is “active participation,” a term some scholars have argued should have been translated “actual participation”?
Musicam Sacram (“Instruction on Music in the Liturgy,” 1967), promulgated by the Sacred Congregation of Rites, defines it thus:
15. The faithful fulfill their liturgical role by making that full, conscious, and active participation which is demanded by the nature of the Liturgy itself and which is, by reason of baptism, the right and duty of the Christian people. This participation
(a) Should be above all internal, in the sense that by it the faithful join their mind to what they pronounce or hear, and cooperate with heavenly grace,
(b) Must be, on the other hand, external also, that is, such as to show the internal participation by gestures and bodily attitudes, by the acclamations, responses and singing.
The faithful should also be taught to unite themselves interiorly to what the ministers or choir sing, so that by listening to them they may raise their minds to God.
In other words, the post–Vatican II church imposes no obligation for the faithful to sing four hymns during Mass—or for the choir to sing nothing but congregational hymns accessible to everyone. The church asks the clergy, choir or schola, and members of the congregation each to sing the parts of the Mass appropriate to them.
The ordinary and the propersLet me explain a few terms. The ordinary of the Mass consists of the “Mass parts” said or sung at Mass: the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy), and the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). The texts never change unless the church issues new translations. These belong to all the people—the clergy, the choir, and the congregation. This does not mean settings for choir alone are forbidden, but in the normal course of things, the congregation sings the ordinary or at least part of the ordinary.
From Musicam Sacram:
34. The songs which are called the “Ordinary of the Mass,” if they are sung by musical settings written for several voices may be performed by the choir according to the customary norms, either a capella, or with instrumental accompaniment, as long as the people are not completely excluded from taking part in the singing.
The propers (Introit, Offertory, Communion, and so on) are to be sung by the choir or schola, and the Gregorian chant settings found in the Graduale Romanum or the Gregorian Missal require greater musical skills than do most settings of the ordinary.
These propers are now available online at no cost:
The Gregorian Missal in its entirety may now be downloaded. Christusrex.org offers gif images of the proper chants and in many cases mp3 audio files of them being sung at Mass. The new site isaacjogues.org, a project of Corpus Christi Watershed, also makes scores and mp3s available, but the chant scores are easier-to-read pdfs. If your choir wishes to begin with the Communion proper—the simplest of the Gregorian propers—begin with Communio. It may be purchased in book form, but each Communion proper (with verses) may be downloaded at no cost from the Church Music Association of America’s website. How do you know which proper to sing for a given Sunday or feast day? CMAA publishes this handy guide.
More propers your choir can singWhat if your choir isn’t capable—yet—of singing the propers from the GR or the GM?
The church in her wisdom provides alternatives, beginning with the easier chants of the Simple Gradual. In addition, many other simpler settings of the propers are now available in English, in both conventional modern notation (round notes) and in “square notes,” used for many centuries to notate chant. The Simple Gradual may be purchased online.
Here are settings of the propers in English, available as free downloads. Note that in some cases the entire church year is not yet available.
propers by Father Samuel Weber, director of the Institute of Sacred Music, Archdiocese of St. Louis; modern notation; with accompaniment The Anglican Use Gradual by C. David Burt; developed for the use of formerly Anglican parishes that converted to Catholicism but licit for all Catholics; simple antiphons set to Gregorian psalm tones; square notation; no accompaniment The Sacred Music Project of Father Columba Kelly; appealing, relatively simple melodies; square notation; no accompaniment The American Gradual by Bruce Ford; the most difficult of the English propers because Ford set English words to the often complex chant melodies of the Graduale Romanum; modern notation; no accompaniment Simple Choral Gradual by Richard Rice; four-part harmonization of simple chants, with verses; modern notation; no accompaniment The Complete English Propers by Father Paul Arbogast; whole church year is available; modern notation; no accompaniment An excellent example of a simplified gradual in English is Paul Ford’s By Flowing Waters (Liturgical Press, 1999), with antiphons and verses in modern notation. Ford’s chant melodies are taken from the eight Gregorian chant modes and are singable by any choir and indeed any congregation.
So—the difficulty of the original proper chants and an inability to read square notes (used in the Graduale Romanum, the Gregorian Missal, and the Simple Gradual) are now no excuse not to sing some form of the propers.
ResourcesThe Church Music Association of AmericaThis site offers the most extensive collection of resources available for Catholic musicians. Members receive its excellent quarterly journal, Sacred Music. Anyone may join its lively discussion forum. I highly recommend joining the organization and participating in the forum—as well as attending CMAA-sponsored and affiliated events.
Adoremus: Society for the Renewal of the Sacred LiturgyPapal and Vatican documents on liturgy and sacred music may be found here. Members receive Adoremus Bulletin, published 10 times a year. Highly recommended.
—Mary C. Weaver, April 14, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Schola Calendar for Holy Week and Easter Season
Good Friday at Resurrection Church
April 10, 7: 30 PM (warm-up starts at 7)
Vexilla Regis
Ecce Lignum
At OLPH (practice on Mondays at 7:30)
Saturday Mass (8:15AM) (Warm - up starts at 7:40)
April 18, May 2, 16, 30
Kyrie XI
Sanctus XVIII
Mysterium Fidei and Amen
Agnus Dei XVIII
Adoro te Devote (April 18)
Pascha Nostrum (May 2, 16, 30)
Regina Caeli
At St. Martin's (Little Sisters of the Poor)
May 17,
Sunday, 10:30 (warm-up at 10AM)
Ave maria(Prelude)
The Day of Resurrection (189)
Gloria VIII
Regina Caeli (offertory-schola)
Sanctus XVIII
Mysterium Fidei and Amen
Agnus Dei XVIII
Beautiful Savior (206)
I Know that My Redeemer Lives (614, vs 1,2 and 4)
At Resurrection Church
(practice on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM)
Satruday Mass (9AM) (Warm-up starts at 8:30)
April 25, May 9, 23
Kyrie XVI
Sanctus VIII
Mysterium Fidei and Amen
Agnus Dei IV
Pascha Nostrum
Regina Caeli
Children's schola
(practice on Mondays at 1:30 at OLPH)
First Friday Mass, May1
OLPH 8:15 AM (warm up starts at 7:45 AM)
Kyrie XVI
Regina Caeli
Sanctus XVIII
Mysterium Fidei and Amen
Agnus Dei XVIII
Adoro te dovote vs. 1, 5, 6, 7 (Communion)
April 10, 7: 30 PM (warm-up starts at 7)
Vexilla Regis
Ecce Lignum
At OLPH (practice on Mondays at 7:30)
Saturday Mass (8:15AM) (Warm - up starts at 7:40)
April 18, May 2, 16, 30
Kyrie XI
Sanctus XVIII
Mysterium Fidei and Amen
Agnus Dei XVIII
Adoro te Devote (April 18)
Pascha Nostrum (May 2, 16, 30)
Regina Caeli
At St. Martin's (Little Sisters of the Poor)
May 17,
Sunday, 10:30 (warm-up at 10AM)
Ave maria(Prelude)
The Day of Resurrection (189)
Gloria VIII
Regina Caeli (offertory-schola)
Sanctus XVIII
Mysterium Fidei and Amen
Agnus Dei XVIII
Beautiful Savior (206)
I Know that My Redeemer Lives (614, vs 1,2 and 4)
At Resurrection Church
(practice on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM)
Satruday Mass (9AM) (Warm-up starts at 8:30)
April 25, May 9, 23
Kyrie XVI
Sanctus VIII
Mysterium Fidei and Amen
Agnus Dei IV
Pascha Nostrum
Regina Caeli
Children's schola
(practice on Mondays at 1:30 at OLPH)
First Friday Mass, May1
OLPH 8:15 AM (warm up starts at 7:45 AM)
Kyrie XVI
Regina Caeli
Sanctus XVIII
Mysterium Fidei and Amen
Agnus Dei XVIII
Adoro te dovote vs. 1, 5, 6, 7 (Communion)
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Talk on Gregorian Chant at Mt. St. Joseph High
I just came back from a talk on Greogorain chant in the all boys' high school. The religion teacher invited me to talk about Gregorian chant to 13 high school seniors. I talked briefly about how the Gregorian chants are developed, how they are used as integral part of the liturgy, and showed different chant notations, had them listen and sing. I ended the talk with the Colloquium video clip. They had a big screen in front of the class and the projector was connected to the computer. They were able to see it from the big screen and hear. It was very effective. I don't think any of them knew about Gregorian chants very well, but they were very receptive. They try to understand what I'm saying without any preconceived ideas or negative feelings. I hope we can help and introduce Gregorian chants to these young minds by making more chances like this. (I might conctact some more religion teachers in the nearby high schools and offer the talk.)
St. Benedict and our schola
The following is from an email of our schola member, who reminded me that St. Benedict was singing with us at our first 'concert' last week (3/22/09). Very beautiful. (also there was a church bell ringing when we sang the communion proper 'Qui manducat carnem meam', he who eats my flesh...I am in him)
"... Who would have guessed in advance these things come to pass? I am humbled in awe today by the convergence of facts: almost 9-months to the day that our wedded schola began its paces under your true leadership (june 24th 08) until this appearance yesterday bringing forth the fruits of a fervent 'pregnancy'. Where? at St Benedict's church run by Benedictine monks. When? the day after this great saint's feast day! Hosted by whom? a venerable monk who sang with us from the pew many of the chants presented. Who is scripting all this stuff?? ; )
Most blessed of all was the gift of the children. Gregorian chant is the hoped for slice of heaven on earth; but when children sing as they did, it is heaven on earth.
When sound is made, it never dies, the echoes go on indefinitely. Making this intention of musical prayer starts the ringing of holiness onto the earth. Seeds of cleanness scattering into the din of rampant impurity in our time..."
"... Who would have guessed in advance these things come to pass? I am humbled in awe today by the convergence of facts: almost 9-months to the day that our wedded schola began its paces under your true leadership (june 24th 08) until this appearance yesterday bringing forth the fruits of a fervent 'pregnancy'. Where? at St Benedict's church run by Benedictine monks. When? the day after this great saint's feast day! Hosted by whom? a venerable monk who sang with us from the pew many of the chants presented. Who is scripting all this stuff?? ; )
Most blessed of all was the gift of the children. Gregorian chant is the hoped for slice of heaven on earth; but when children sing as they did, it is heaven on earth.
When sound is made, it never dies, the echoes go on indefinitely. Making this intention of musical prayer starts the ringing of holiness onto the earth. Seeds of cleanness scattering into the din of rampant impurity in our time..."
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