1. The Propers are actually part of the Mass, as opposed to the popular hymns currently sung.

2. The Propers are almost 100% Scriptural, and always relate to the liturgy for the day.

3. The Propers are chosen by the Church, so they do not represent the desired weekly choices of the pastor, music director, nor anyone else in the parish.

If I think of more, I'll add them.

Hymns were part of the prayer at the LIturgy of the Hours, and not part of the music at Mass.

They lengthen the time spent at Mass for no reason, even expecting people to stay standing after the Mass is over.

The propers are songs that are composed to fill the exact time of the processions and that's all. Their words are part of the words of the Mass that Mass that day, abandoned for non-liturgical texts of hymns, some of which are not Catholic.

Because it's OPTION #1 and that means being closer to the ideal.
Because it gives the choir some faithful to edify.
Because the Propers are official parts of the Mass. Their texts may change, but their function does not. They are part of the fabric of the theme for that day's Mass. Sometimes a particular section of a psalm is repeated two or three times throughout a Mass, emphasizing a particular point that day.

We did a series of pre-mass videos based on the sage teaching of our Bishop, and published his articles in the bulletin.

https://adoremus.org/2012/05/15/Singing-the-Mass/

The clergy were unfortunately loathe to speak on the topic from the ambo, but had no qualms with speaking to the PIPs after mass if there were questions or objections.

Although no longer at that parish, I can have a little humble-brag about the fact that we were able to introduce all the propers over the course of 2 years (which they continue to this day).

A little education goes a long way, and I had many parishioners who were very vocal about their gratefulness for sacred music and the mass being celebrated as it ought to be.

---

The way it happens is obviously different for each parish dynamic. The process we went through was:

-Chanted responsorial psalm ... no more R&A
(Sit with that for a few months)

-Simple communion antiphon
(Sit with that for a few months)

-Hymn tune introits by Kathy Pluth
(Sit with that for a few months)

-Chanted entrance antiphon
(Sit with that for a few months)

-Offertory antiphon

The end result was a parish that understood that the mass has particular texts throughout, not just from the lectionary, but also the priest's prayers from the missal and the choir's prayers from the graduale.

Each Mass has a formulary.
Medicines have a formulary.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formulary_(pharmacy)

Change the chemicals and get a different drug.

No one has suggested that singing the propers was the purview of any but cantors or choir.
They aren't.

As is pointed out, in most places the lectionary is not sung. That is not to say that it shouldn't be. It should. I shouldn't want my parameters to be defined by whatever is meant by 'mainstream'.

The Propers are pieces of poetry, for sure, but with a different rhythm and melody each week. A nightmare for anyone but people trained to sight-sing, or choir members.

I'm not sure I see your point - the propers aren't meant to be sung by anyone except trained singers.

Pax Melodius,

Of course the Epistle and Gospel should be chanted: clerics should lead by example. If we want the congregation to sing, clerics should sing the part(s) proper to them.

PaxMelodious: Why sing the propers? Because they are pieces of music. The texts of the propers appear in the Missal for the benefit of the priest to recite them at Low Mass. To say that the propers shouldn't be sung because they appear without note in the Missal is like saying that Don Giovanni shouldn't be sung because the text appears without note in the libretto. The propers are of their essence music, not simply text. In older Missals (including the previous Sacramentary) the ordinary appears without note, too -- should that not be sung?

Also, the non-musical liturgical recitation of scripture, in both Christian and Jewish contexts, is a recent phenomenon : The tradition had always been to chant the texts during liturgy.

In practice, the mass has become more and more Protestantized over the years since the council. Now, preaching dominates. We have to listen to Father's extended cleverness then rush through the canon because, as you know, Father has something very important to say. The masses are scheduled so close together in many places, that the parking lot has to be emptied at a certain time to provide spaces for the next mass. God forbid mass should extend past an hour or the congregation either gets restless or starts slipping out. I have heard the logic behind not singing even the Ordinary because it takes more time. Such is the state of many parishes.

Yeah, I know. We are a downtown parish that lacked parking for years. Luckily, we were able to pick up some adjacent properties that came on the market. We now have enough parking and don't have that problem.

So most people on this thread are in agreement that the Propers should be sung only by the trained musicians? Would that mean most would also agree that they should be chanted, rather than in settings with a meter?

Trying to figure out what is ideal and then what is actually possible in my small parish. I am the only person who can accompany and we have about 5 musicians who are moderately "trained." How are these things to be implemented in a small church with very few musicians? Weekly practice with these few people is not feasible. Our choir sings monthly, and our musicians have varied degrees of talent. I can only teach so much in our 1 1/2 hour practices every other month. It all seems a bit overwhelming and I'm just struggling with how to move forward.

Yes. Perfect advice.

I happened across the Introit from the EWTN conventual Mass yesterday. I think the cantor was likely chanting the LCM Proper, responsorial style. It was obvious that the "congregation's participation" was decidedly muted by comparison to occasions when a known traditional hymn was opted for. What made that even more obvious was that the "amen" to the "In Nomine..." was full-voiced. Conclusion?
Maybe-don't reach a conclusion is best. All things are cultural, even in counter-cultures. But the wisdom of Musicam Sacram shines through magnificently: the responses will be (automatically) taken up fully if the celebrant (and his assistants) initiates them confidently.
One could say, "The cantor was eminently confident and capable, but did not elicit an FCAP response, your premise fails." Well, re-singing the antiphon is responsorial, but NOT a response. A Proper melody, whether from the GR or SEP, requires deliberation rather than simple, elegant repetition. Should the laity, save the quire, be conscripted to recall a melody and text upon first hearing? We don't even require that of choir auditioners in tonal memory exercizes.
As I, your ever humble correspondent, have maintained, options need to be considered for their relative success in each ritual moment. Even afh's maxim that "another suitable song is least desirable" fails in that suitable/aptus remains undefined within the option itself. Of course, we're in the domain of the theoretical now. Closer to home, isn't it possible that a Tietze or Pluth metrical setting may be more apt towards a conventional measure of success than one of a Ford, Bartlett, PnB, Weber/Kelly vehicle on any given day with given circumstances? On the contrary, is it not possible that the Propers for Sept. 9, in 2017 may not enjoy any efficacy of purpose in a ravaged Brouward County in Florida post-Irma save for the premise "Well, this is how the Church always has done this day!"
The tension between either/or and both/and is a false dichotomy and not to be bridged by uninformed arbiters. Think people, think.

I started out the choir singing square notes by doing simple chants (psalm tones) with organ accompaniment. After some time time, they were comfortable singing those without organ accompaniment. Now when we sing the Offertory, we still do the simple chants quite often, but I pick out the easier of the "difficult" ones well ahead of time so that we have four or five weeks to prepare it. It is not ideal, but it is a start. The choir is so much better at singing Gregorian chant now than they were a couple years ago.

I know some are of the opinion that we should be chanting the readings also. But I've not seen it recommended in any mainstream Catholic sources.

The Roman Missal Third Edition, pp. 1427ff. has the melodic formulas, and it's mainstream enough.