Pre-Urbanite Hymns
  • madorganist
    Posts: 906
    I recall reading somewhere that the pre-Urbanite hymns may be used ad libitum for the Divine Office in the traditional Latin rite, i.e., no special permission is necessary to substitute them for those of the Roman breviary. If memory serves, this was a fairly late concession, perhaps sometime in the 1950s, but I can't find a reference. Anybody have one?
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,471
    Don't have a reference, but it was much talked about. VII called for it, but you want a source which is earlier, I suppose. (- Sacrosanctum concilium, art. 93. “To whatever extent may seem desirable, the hymns are to be restored to their original form…. ” )
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 390
    I don't think such a general permission ever existed.
    Thanked by 2tomjaw madorganist
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,784
    I agree with Igneus, while many claim there was a permission, I think this is referring to the instruction to return to the older texts, given to the Commission led by Dom Lentini, this led to the Liber Hymnarius...

    Sadly he used his red pen on the ancient texts, and wrote some new hymns as he did not like to use older hymns.

    While it would be great to have the use of the ancient texts in the EF, the Divine Office and Mass have undergone far too many changes over the last 100 years. Stability is required!
    Thanked by 1madorganist
  • Nothing would prevent its use in private recitation of the Divine Office by someone not bound to pray it, or in any instance the office is sung by lay people only (we sing vespers at my wife's grandparents house, and often sing the hymni antiqui).

    The Antiphonale Romanum (1912) supplement is printed for those who can pray those hymns by law, custom or indult.
  • madorganist
    Posts: 906
    The Antiphonale Romanum (1912) supplement is printed for those who can pray those hymns by law, custom or indult.
    Which includes the chapters of St. Peter's and St. John Lateran, who never adopted the reformed texts. Funny that the ordinary form of the extraordinary form (as it were) wasn't used in the Pope's own basilicas!
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,098
    Well, it was almost another generation before a reigning Pope would visit the Lateran....