Your browser does not support the audio element.     Podcast (30m26s): Play in new window | DownloadNOTE: In another post, we have given the 12th Sunday After Pentecost as a case study in the unity of the Propers. The Unity of the PropersMasses sometimes are called by the first word of the introit.  So, for instance, the third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete and the fourth of Lent Laetare, and the Sunday after Easter is often called Quasimodo Sunday.  Each one of these are named after the first words of their introit.Usually a proper Mass has its own Introit, Epistle, Gradual, Alleluia (or Tract), Gospel, Offertory, and Communion.  Oftentimes there is a theme that runs through and connects all of these together.  In some seasons, such as Advent, the theme can be very strong and obvious.  At other times, it can require some reflection to discover.In this podcast, we examine two examples of Masses, the Mass for the Second Sunday of Advent, with it's clear theme of Christ, the savior of the Gentiles, coming as the anointed of the Lord to bring peace; and the Mass for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, which, at first glance, doesn't seem to have much binding the Mass texts together.  Just for the sake of reference, we've included the propers we refer to in the podcast below:The Second Sunday of AdventIntroitPopulus Sion, ecce Dóminus véniet ad salvándas gentes: et audítam fáciet Dóminus Glóriam vocis suæ in lætítia cordis vestri. (Ps. 79: 2) Qui regis Israël inténde: qui dedúcis velut ovem, Joseph. v. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. Repeat Populus Sion... People of Sion, behold the Lord shall come to save the nations: and the Lord shall make the glory of His voice to be heard, in the joy of your heart. (Ps. 79: 2) Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel: Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. v. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Repeat People of Sion...Collect Let us pray. O Lord, our God, multiply Thy graces upon us, and grant that joy may follow in the holy praise of those whose glorious festival we anticipate Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God. Forever and ever. R.Amen. EpistleLéctio Epistolæ beáti Pauli Apóstoli ad Romanos. Fratres, quæcúmque scripta sunt, ad nostram doctrínam scripta sunt: ut per patiéntiam et consolatiónem Scripturárum, spem habeámus. Deus autem patiéntiæ et solátii det vobis idípsum sápere in altérutrum secúndum Jesum Christum: ut unánimes uno ore honorificétis Deum, et patrem Dómini nostri Jesu Christi. Propter quod suscípite invicem, sicut et Christus suscépit vos in honórem Dei. Dico enim Christum Jesum ministrum fuisse circumcisiónis propter veritátem Dei, ad con-firmándas promissiónes patrum. Gentes autem super misericórdia honoráre Deum, sicut

The Unity and Theme of the Mass Propers - LMP007

Your browser does not support the audio element.     Podcast (22m03s): Play in new window | DownloadSung and Spoken Masses     There are two basic forms of the Latin Mass: the Sung Mass and the Spoken Mass. The Sung Mass is also known as the High Mass, because the priest sings in a "high" (loud) voice, and the Spoken Mass is also known as the Low Mass, because the priest speaks in a low (soft) voice. This distinction is the most fundamental, but it is not the only distinction we can make regarding different "types" of Masses. Private vs. Public Masses, the Conventual Mass, the Mass of the Pre-Sanctified, and others reveal the ways in which the Mass can take on different "characters" depending on certain circumstances or needs.   The Sung Mass is most ideal, as singing is the most ancient and most fitting way of offering the Divine Sacrifice. Singing the Mass "decorates" it in such a way as to make it reflect the Heavenly liturgy, giving it more depth and beauty. And it is indeed the case that the Sung Mass predates the Spoken Mass, such that we can actually see the liturgy beginning as a complex event happening once a week and, over time, becoming celebrated more frequently with less ceremony and singing. As Masses multiplied per week (beginning perhaps in the third century), it became impractical to have a choir always present, and the priest resorted to speaking the parts of the Mass, including those the choir would have sung. The Multiplication of Masses    The multiplication of Masses per week occurred principally in the West, and it was driven by the practice of offering Mass for the dead. The more Masses offered, the more grace was made available to the souls for which they were offered. Thus, though with Pope St. Gregory the Great in the late 6th century we find the practice of offering Mass once every Sunday predominating in Rome, by the beginning of the 9th century, we have the example of Pope Leo III offering perhaps 8 or 9 Masses per day. This practice also encouraged the multiplication of altars in single church, which further discouraged frequent Sung Masses, as priests might often say Mass simultaneously at different altars, for which the Low Mass was especially suited. East and West    Churches in the East continue to have only one altar, though eastern practice allows for concelebration (the offering of the Victim by more than one priest together). Churches in the West originally also had only one altar, located at the crux of a cross-shaped church. Over time, altars were added along the walls of the church, though there remained a main altar - the high altar. However, not until after the Second Vatican Council was concelebration generally allowed in the West.    Though the Church limited the number of Masses a priest could say in one day by the 14th century, this practice had a great impact on western spirituality.  We can see an example of this in the Irish influence on American Catholicism, which is heavily ma

Different Types of Masses - LMP006

Your browser does not support the audio element.     Podcast (15m57s): Play in new window | Download The Two "Dismissals"In looking at the broader structure of the Latin Mass, we can see that there are two basic parts that, historically, correspond to a rather practical reality. As we noted in episode 1, the word "Mass" comes from "missa," which essentially means "the dismissal," Originally, one would go "ad missam," or "to the dismissal," that is, "up to" one of two moments in the Mass as a whole at which a part of the people were dimissed: the dismissal of the catechumens (Missa catechumenorum) or the dismissal of the faithful (Missa fidelium). In the early days of the Church, catechumens (those seeking baptism) were not allowed to witness the offering of the Holy Sacrifice, and were sent out of the church right around the time of the Gospel (and probably before). The reason for this was that the Church took very seriously Christ's admonition to "give not what is holy to the dogs," reserving the holiest mystery (sacrament) for those who were already baptized. Only the initiate, or the faithful, stayed to the second dismissal, the end of the Mass as a whole. "Disciplina Arcani"Indeed, in the first five centuries or so of the Church's existence, it was customary to guard the most holy mysteries of the Faith from the uninitiate. Besides dismissing all but the baptized at Mass, the Church also did not typically write down the texts of the liturgy, or teach the highest truths and prayers of the Faith (the Creed, the Our Father, the Holy Trinity, etc.) to catechumens until they had almost reached baptism. Many of these things were passed on orally long before being put to writing. This "silence" with which the early days of the Church is marked has been termed the "disciplina arcani" ("the discipline of the secrets") by historians. It was especially strengthened in times of persecution, when the Church was already forced to be guarded and constantly on the watch. Yet even as the persecutions ended and Constantine converted and issued the Edict of Milan in the early fourth century, this "discipline" continued and was even further enforced as the Church wanted to guard that which was most sacred from a society that was still substantially pagan. It would only die out in the midst of a Christianized society around the 6th century.The Parts of the MassThus we have the following basic structure of the Mass, laid out in its most familiar texts:Mass of the CatechumensIntroitKyrieGloriaCollect (Opening Prayer)Reading GradualAlleluia/Tract(First Dismissal)Mass of the FaithfulGospelCreedOffertory (chant and prayers)Preface dialogue/prayerSanctusCanon (Anaphora or Eucharistic Prayer)Agnus DeiCommunion (chant)Postcommunion Prayer(Second Dismissal)Of course, there is no longer a "first dismissal," and though we still have "The Mass of the Catechumens" and "The Mass of the Faithful," the latter is usually marked as beginning at the Offertory, rather than the Go

The Structure of the Traditional Latin Mass - LMP005

Your browser does not support the audio element.     Podcast (20m52s): Play in new window | DownloadProper and Ordinary Sung Texts There are, in fact, 10 texts in a Sunday Mass that are sung by the people and the choir.  Five of these texts change from week to week, and these are called the sung propers or the proper chants, five remain the same, and these are called the ordinary chants.The proper chants are: The IntroitThe GradualThe Alleluia (or tract in Lent)The OffertoryThe CommunionThe ordinary chants are:The Kyrie (Lord, have mercy)The Gloria (Glory to God in the highest)The Credo (I believe in One God)The Sanctus-Benedictus (Holy, holy, holy)The Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)These are texts of the Mass usually all or in part drawn from the Psalms, the Church's "prayer book." The proper chants are generally comprised of an antiphon and/or verse, and can take on different musical characters. For example, the Gradual tends to be "melismatic" (having many notes for certain syllables in the text; more "ornamented"), whereas the Introit tends to be somewhere in between melismatic and "neumatic" (having approximately one note per syllable). This also holds for the ordinary chants. The larger texts, the Gloria and the Credo, are generally fairly neumatic, while the Kyrie can be quite melismatic. A melismatic chant can give the text an added emotional power. We see this particularly in the Jubilus, which is the "cry of joy" expressed in lingering on the last syllable of "alleluia" in the Alleluia proper chant.The Structure of Chant and Role of the ChoirChant is not a dry recitation of a text, but a music that both serves and embellishes the text so as to bring out its spiritual power. In fact, the very antiphonal structure of chant points to the heavenly liturgy envisioned in Isaiah chapter 6, which depicts the angelic hosts crying out "holy, holy, holy" to each other. This back-and-forth singing is seen at numerous points in the sung Mass, between the priest and people, between the choir and people, or between two choirs. For example, the Gloria and Credo are written to be sung antiphonally, alternating line to line between choirs or between choir and people. Two choirs might also sing the Introit, with one singing the antiphon, each alternating on the verse, and all singing the repeated antiphon.The choir, then, as the angels in the heavenly liturgy, have an integral role to play in the sung liturgy. Pope St. Pius X called it the "Levitical choir" in order to point to its priestly character. Indeed, the choir used to be composed of clerics (priests, deacons, subdeacons, etc.) when they were more numerous. Traditionally, two choirs of clerics faced each other in pews located between the altar and the nave (where the people stood). Thus the image of the Body of Christ was revealed in the placement of the different roles at Mass: Christ the Head at the altar, with the "neck" composed of the facing choirs and the "body" comprised of the people.That Chris

Sacred Music Part II-- Antiphonality and the Chants of the Mass LMP004

Your browser does not support the audio element.     Podcast (21m07s): Play in new window | Download   Sacred MusicPart I: Chant and Instruments Singing the Mass vs. Singing at MassSacred music by its very nature is music that is set apart for the sacred liturgy.  It is different from secular (worldly) music.  We speak of sacred and profane music.  The word profane does not mean wicked, sinful, or evil; rather, it means, literally "outside the temple" (from the Latin fanum, temple).  Music that is admitted into the Mass is considered sacred music, in one way or another.  When most Latin Catholics go to Mass, they hear lots of hymns: an opening hymn, an offertory hymn, a communion hymn, a recessional hymn.  Hymns are poetic texts sung to simple melodies by the whole congregation.  Although 20th century magisterial texts encouraged hymns (for instance, Pius XII in Musicae Sacrae) for their ability to inspire devotion among the faithful, hymns are not actually part of the Mass.  But there is music that is part of the Mass.  In fact, the Mass itself is a song.  The most basic sung portion of the Mass are the calls and responses between the priest and the people: "Dominus vobiscum", the Lord be with you; "Et cum spiritu tuo", and with your spirit, and so forth.  But other music belongs to the Mass as well.  Chants such as the Gloria or the Gradual are examples of music sung by the choir and sometimes the people that are part of the Mass.  In its 1958 Instruction on Sacred Music, the Congregation for Rites made a list of Sacred music, that is music admissible to the Mass: Gregorian ChantSacred Polyphony"Modern" Sacred Music (such as Mozart)Sacred instrumental music (mostly organ solos)HymnsIt also speaks of Religious Music, which is music that by its nature isn't appropriate for Mass, but is useful in other circumstances to raise the mind and heart to God.  Among these categories, the first three include music for the texts of the Mass, and among those three, Gregory Chant holds a special place.  Sacrosanctum Concilium (116), the constitution of Vatican II on the Sacred Liturgy, summarizes this nicely: The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as proper to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it is to be given the first place in liturgical services.The word proper means its own.  Gregorian Chant is not separate from the Roman Mass: the two grew up together.  It is the Mass's own music.  It's not a mere decoration of the Mass: it's part of the Mass.  And so, all things being equal, it must be given the first place.  But in the Middle Ages, the chant was decorated and sometimes replaced by music with multiple voices and music accompanied by instruments.  In the High Middle Ages, vocal music reached such perfection in polyphony, that the Church made polyphony her own for the Roman Mass, particularly in the music of Palestrina. Later on, the music was enriched with orchestral music and other types of music.  The Church permitted some of

Sacred Music Part I - LMP003

Your browser does not support the audio element.   Podcast (17m21s): Play in new window | DownloadThe Drama of the Mass: Written into Church Buildings Episode one  concluded with a brief mention of the role of drama in the Mass.  The Mass is that sacramental (or mysterious) sacrifice Jesus that breaks down the divisions between God and man by pleasing the Father so much, through the obedience of His Son on the altar, that it more than makes up for the debt of sin. Since this is not a bloody, but a sacramental, sacrifice, the death of the Lord is made present not through the blood and glore of the cross, but through the double consecration of the bread and the wine, and through all of the details of the Mass which act as a dramatic representation of that sacrifice. The symbols and drama of the Mass speak not only of the sacrifice of Christ, but also of the unity that God wants to establish between heaven and earth, between God and all of creation, “in the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, to restore things in heaven and on earth” ( Eph. 1:10).  This Drama is Built Right Into the Church BuildingThe archetypal church building is positioned as if at the center of all of creation.  It faces the East, the rising sun, which points to Christ, and it is often shaped like a cross, for through the cross is the "reconciliation of all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through His blood" (Col. 1:20).  On the far eastern wall, which represents Heaven, is placed a cross, for we have access to the Father only through Jesus.  Often the reredos or altar piece is built in the fashion of a gate.  On it is placed the likenesses of angels and saints.  The ceiling is sometimes filled with stars.  The walls and pillars often have the likenesses of vegetation, as if this were a garden. It is like the church building is a mini-cosmos, a microcosm.We, at the crux between heaven and earth, occupy a unique position in the plan of God.  We are spiritual beings, persons with free will and understanding.  We are bodily beings.  Unlike rocks and stars, we must fulfill our nature voluntarily and so give glory to God.  Unlike angels, our nature is biological and material.  "You made man a little lower than the angels. You crowned him with glory and honor" (Ps. 8:5).Taking up our place in the cosmos, we worship God both "in spirit and in truth" (Jn 4.:24) and also with our bodies.  Our bodies enter into the divine worship.  They serve to "make visible the invisible, the spiritual and the divine" (St. John Paul II) and to help effect mystically the worship of God, the propitiatory sacrifice, and plan of God for union of all things in Christ.  This Is Called “Sacramentality”When we hear the word "sacrament", we're used to thinking about the seven sacraments.  But there is a broader sense of the word too, and we get the word "sacramental" from this.  Something is sacramental when it represents and helps to bring about a reality beyond it

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