Question on the Graduale Romanum 1974
  • PLTT
    Posts: 150
    Is there a rubric in the Graduale Romanum 1974 that gives the instructions for the selection of texts on the memorials of saints?

    The rubric in front of the Proper of Saints seems to indicate that all chants for memorials (obligatory or optional) are from the Proper of Saints or Common of Saints with no option for taking a particular chant (e.g. Gradual, or Alleluia or Tract) from the weekday/Proper of Time. On the other hand, if it were a spoken Mass, the Lectionary/Missal would call for the ferial Responsorial Psalm to be used. Is this just another difference between the spoken and chanted Mass, or is there a harmonization that I am missing somewhere?
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,471
    The rubrics are in the GIRM #61, the choices are in the last paragraph. The second paragraph recommends that the chant relate to the reading, which in the case of the Gradual of the Time is rather unlikely. Whether another Gradual better matched could be chosen seems unclear from the English, but I think the argument could be made, there is clearly some flexibility, and GS is more explicit than GR. I would not venture to say whether the Latin of IGMR is more precise.
    I suspect it would be too difficult to give completely clear rules which accomodate both the preservation of the Gregorian treasury and the push for 'relevance'.
    In terms of harmonization: the Gradual of Time on a weekday is not harmonized, in general, with the weekday Lectionary, so no there is no pressure to use it.
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