21 OT
21 OT--2007
Processional: Incline Your Ear (RHOSYMEDRE) (Introit Hymns for the Church Year--Tietze)
Kyrie: Community Mass
Gloria: Comm. Mass
Psalm: Gelineau
Gospel Acclamation: Chant
Offertory: Exspectans Exspectavi (chant--cantor)
Sanctus: Comm. Mass
Memorial Acclamation: Comm. Mass
Amen: Comm. Mass
Our Father: chant (Snow)
Agnus Dei: Comm. Mass
Communion: De fructu
Ave Verum
Recessional: To Jesus Christ, Our Sovereign King
I was very excited to start another with my choir. All the students are back, classes are in full swing, and I have a fine group to start the year with. It's always tricky, though, at the beginning of the year before any new recruits come in: you've lost people to graduation so you're trying to recruit with smaller ranks. My group did a fine job though. I'm very fortunate.
We're going to give the Tietze hymns another go; we're not to the point where we can do a non-congregational Introit (at least outside of Advent/Lent), and I like to remain pseudo-faithful to the Proper texts if at all possible. We sing the doxology acappella with the choir alone; it's important to let the congregation know that we're up there!
De fructu is not the ideal communio with which to begin the year. It's long, and has a few tricky spots near the end. We did it mixed (which I don't like) for security, but we'll drop that practice in the next few weeks when we grow a little (fingers crossed) and the choir re-familiarizes itself with the chant notation. They actually did a great job with it, but we really spent quite a bit of time with it in rehearsal . . . I'm going to try to give a little more time to the chants this year, as we sometimes prepared them in haste before mass last year.
The Elgar went fine; I have a nice core of sopranos to carry those lines and they did a solid job. We'll break out some polyphony in a couple weeks, but I wanted to start out with something easier and familiar to build some confidence.
posted by Praying Twice @ 11:45 AM
11 comments
11 Comments:
If the drive to sing the given propers as the first of many choices in the Roman Missal is so strong, I don't see why the first preference for the people singing the Communion song is neglected.
GIRM 56:
"During the priest's and the faithful's reception of the sacrament the communion song is sung. Its function is to express outwardly the communicants' union in spirit by means of the unity of their voices, to give evidence of joy of heart, and to make the procession to receive Christ's body more fully an act of community."
Todd
If the drive to appeal to the authority of the GIRM is so strong, I don't see why the actual words of the GIRM are neglected, (unless the intention is, by leaving them out, to deceive others as to the ACTUAL directives of the GIRM)
"This is sung
either by the CHOIR ALONE [emphasis supplied] or by the choir or cantor with the people."
If there is a "preference" for the people alone to sing the communio, it is merely that of the poster, personally, not of the Church, or of anyone with authority in Her.
Pro cantu ad communionem adhiberi potest aut antiphona ex Graduali
Romano sive cum psalmo sive sola, aut antiphona cum psalmo e Graduali
simplici, aut alius cantus congruus a Conferentia Episcoporum approbatus.
Cantatur sive a schola sola, sive a schola vel cantore cum populo.
Yes, your quote is the following paragraph 87, not the universal legislation on the Communion song in GIRM 86 (US edition) which gives preference to the communicants in general and also lists the reasons.
If the people singing the Communion song weren't the first choice, why does the GIRM refer to the "union in spirit by means of the unity of their voices, to show joy of heart, and to highlight more clearly the 'communitarian' nature of the procession to receive Communion?"
You have to read the whole document, not just the bits that match one's own preferences.
Todd
Hi Todd,
Thanks for commenting.
In PT’s defense, the Mass at which he directs his choir has not, in recent history, normally had the congregation sing at communion. Several of his choir members have been there for many years and expect music planning similar to how he does things.
I agree that there is an apparent contradiction between the GIRM’s explicit permission for the choir to sing alone and its apparent expectation that the congregation sing as well.
In my own parish, it would be possible to have our cake and to eat it, too, since our communion processions always require 2 or even 3 songs; it would be possible to do the antiphon by itself or set polyphonically as well as a responsorial congregational song. Alas, I have to use conditional tense here because I don’t think the powers-that-be over me would condone having the choir sing alone at communion, even for just one of those three pieces.
Also, putting Gregorian Missals in the pews would be a way of having one’s cake and eating it, too.
cantor, well put. I don't know that the apparent contradiction is so much a Roman preference given, then an American concession. Makes me wonder how carefully the bishops did their homework.
Like your parish, mine also requires two or three Communion songs at school and weekend Masses. Even if it were one, I wouldn't mind an occasional choir piece at Communion, assuming perhaps some balance was maintained by having the people sing after Communion, followed by an instrumental exit, likely.
However, with the "delays" in lay EM procedures, I can get the people singing fairly strongly on two or three verses of a Communion song before the lines begin to form. Not a bad time for everybody to sing.
Todd
Todd,
I’m not sure I understand what you mean. The universal (i.e. Latin) GIRM expresses the same ideas that the U.S. English GIRM does.
This site has the combined Rome-US GIRM: http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/current/revmissalisromanien.shtml
Paragraph 87, which PT quoted, comes from the USCCB. Paragraph 86 is universal and prescribes congregational singing as the first option at Communion.
You did say the document has a contradiction. I'd say it's more than apparent. But it gives people wiggle room, clearly: pick GIRM 86 or GIRM 87, whichever is more convenient.
Todd
Todd,
The first paragraph of the Latin GIRM §87 reads thus:
“Pro cantu ad Communionem adhiberi potest aut antiphona ex Graduali
romano sive cum psalmo sive sola, aut antiphona cum psalmo e Graduali simplici,
aut alius cantus congruus a Conferentia Episcoporum approbatus. Cantatur
sive a schola sola, sive a schola vel cantore cum populo.”
The last sentence, I believe, translates as “It may be sung by the choir alone, or by the choir or cantor with the people.”
Cantor, nobody's disputing what section 87 says. 86 says something different.
Todd
Ok - the way I read your previous comment, it sounded as though you meant to say that the provision for the choir to sing alone at communion was specific to the U.S. GIRM. Sorry if I misread you.
I think we agree that “the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing”. Hopefully getting it right, however that happens, will make the world a better place.
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