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"[S]acred music is to be considered the more holy
in proportion as it is more closely connected with the liturgical action,
whether it adds delight to prayer, fosters unity of minds,
or confers greater solemnity upon the sacred rites"
- Sacrosanctum Concilium, 112
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Music and Mass
The Second Vatican Council tells us, "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." (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 112). This means that singing and music are not merely optional add-ons to the liturgy, but actually a constitutive part of its ideal celebration!
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What Should Be Sung?
"In the choosing of the parts actually to be sung, preference is to be given to those that are of greater importance and especially to those which are to be sung by the Priest or the Deacon or a reader, with the people replying, or by the Priest and people together." (GIRM, 40)
The document Musicam sacram lays out an order of importance*
1st Degree:- The greeting of the priest and reply of the people (The Lord be with you); the opening prayer
- The acclamations at the Gospel (The Lord be with you...The Gospel of the Lord)
- Prayer over the offerings, the preface with its dialogue, the Sanctus, the final doxology of the Eucharistic Prayer, the Lord's Prayer, the Peace, the Postcommunion prayer, the dismissal
2nd Degree:
- The Kyrie, Gloria, and Agnus Dei
- The Creed
- The Prayer of the Faithful
3rd Degree:
- The songs at the Entrance and Communion processions
- The Alleluia
- The song at the Offertory
- The readings of Sacred Scripture
* Musicam sacram was written before some of the changes which appear in the 1970 Missal came about; therefore, it requires a bit of interpretation in concert with the current General Instruction and Order of Mass. For example, the Psalm was originally included in the 3rd Degree, but today we would consider it a more important part for the congregation to sing, same with the Alleluia. The principles behind these three degrees remain valid, however. -
What are the Propers?
The General Instruction gives four options for the source of the Entrance, Offertory, and Communion chants:
- The antiphon from the Missal or the antiphon with its Psalm from the Graduale Romanum, as set to music there or in another setting.
- The antiphon and Psalm of the Graduale Simplex for the liturgical time
- A chant from another collection of Psalms and antiphons
- Another liturgical chant that is suited to the sacred action, the day, or the time of year
In many parishes, people only have experience of option number 4. Even many music directors are unaware of these other choices. In fact, even if the antiphons in 1 or 2 aren't used, they should be a major source for reflecting on what music to choose under option 4!
These antiphons are often called the 'propers', because they are part of the 'Proper' of the Mass, the texts that change from day to day and week to week (unlike the Ordinary, where the text stays the same- Kyrie, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, etc). Use and knowledge of these antiphons can be an important part of 'singing the Mass' that is offered to us by the Church!
Long neglected, in the past several years there has been a resurgence of interest in the propers, and especially of offering them in the vernacular as well as traditional Gregorian chant. Several resources for singing the propers can be found below. They can easily be used alongside hymns currently being used and widen your repertoire considerably! -
Resources for Chanting the Propers
By Flowing Waters - Paul F. Ford (English adaptation of the Graduale Simplex, modern notation)
English Proper Chants - John Ainslie
Lalemant Propers - Simple psalm tone settings
Lumen Christi Simple Gradual - Adam Bartlett
Propers of the Mass for Sundays and Solemnities - Fr. Samuel Weber (English adaptations of the Gregorian chant melody for the antiphons, along with simplified versions and even simpler versions based on chant tones; in chant notation)
St. Meinrad Entrance and Communion Antiphons - Fr. Columba Kelly
Simple Choral Gradual - Richard Rice
Simple English Propers - Adam Bartlett
Spanish Propers Project - Settings of the proper antiphons in Spanish, with varying levels of complexity
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