Palm Sunday pre-1955 question
  • rvisser
    Posts: 54
    I am preparing music for a TLM Palm Sunday Mass (pre-1955) using the Liber Brevior. I am confused by an instruction on pg. 200 of the Liber, which reads "The Versicles and Responses before the Preface are sung in the ferial tone, p. 99. The Sanctus is here sung by the Choir as on Ferias in Lent, pg. 65." This is at the beginning of the liturgy, after the responsory, and before the distribution of palms. Is the preface and Sanctus actually sung at this point in the liturgy, or is the note referring to what is sung during the Eucharistic prayer?
    [background - I have never done music for or even attended any TLM Holy Week liturgies...I am about six months into working at a parish that offers TLM in addition to NO]
    Liber pg. 200.PNG
    492 x 792 - 121K
  • StimsonInRehabStimsonInRehab
    Posts: 1,933
    It's a Dry Mass. Preface and Sanctus are both sung at this point, as well as later. There's theological reasons for it being done this way, on which others more liturgically and rubrically minded than myself will be able to educate you.

    P.S. Pre-55 means you're in for a fun Holy Week. (And I say this as one who doesn't necessarily mind the '62.)
    Thanked by 2Chris Garton-Zavesky rvisser
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    @rvisser
    This may help a complete booklet for Palm Sunday, https://www.dropbox.com/sh/igz2uomeizrk1ts/AAD9Og4Fy7nCMT8z1RtLJY9ea?dl=0
    Thanked by 5StimsonInRehab Chris Garton-Zavesky rvisser Jacques Perrière CHGiffen
  • rvisser
    Posts: 54
    @StimsonInRehab - what exactly is a Dry Mass? Is that referring to a Mass where the congregation does not receive Holy Communion? (This is also true of Good Friday, correct?)
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,467
    @rvisser have a look at https://alcuininstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Missa-Sicca-booklet.pdf
    No offertory, no consecration, no communion; you don't need a priest for a Dry Mass.
  • rvisser
    Posts: 54
    So if Palm Sunday is a Dry Mass, why is there an Offertory and Communion chant?
  • GerardH
    Posts: 461
    See this series of articles by Gregory DiPippo at NLM. Most relevant is the following paragraph from the first article:
    The first ceremony of Holy Week, the blessing of the Palms, is unique within the Roman Rite as the only example of a blessing that imitates the rite of Mass. It has an Introit, Collect, Epistle, Gradual, and Gospel, followed by a Secret (which, however, is sung aloud), a Preface dialog and Preface, the Sanctus, several prayers for the blessing, analogous to the Canon of the Mass, and then the distribution of the palms accompanied by antiphons. This imitation is close, but not perfect; there is no equivalent to the Offertory antiphon, and the Sanctus is the only part of the Kyriale included, in reference to the closing words of the Gospel which is read at this blessing, “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.” This was clearly done to underline the tremendous solemnity and importance of the rite, as the greatest of the major blessings incorporated into the liturgical year and mandatorily celebrated therein.

    As far as I understand it (and I have no actual experience in Palm Sunday outside of the Ordinary Form), the blessing of palms resembled a Mass, was followed by the procession, which was then followed by the Mass of Palm Sunday itself.
    Thanked by 1rvisser
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,092
    The blessing of palms takes the form of an anaphora, just as the blessing of the Paschal Candle does.
    Thanked by 1rvisser
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    @rvisser
    So if Palm Sunday is a Dry Mass, why is there an Offertory and Communion chant?

    So the 'Blessing of Palms' is a dry Mass, notice how it has many of the elements of the Mass, we then have a procession and then we have the normal Mass of The Sunday.

    More commentary can be found here, https://archive.org/details/V06TheLiturgicalYear/page/191/mode/2up

    Here is the St Andrew daily Missal commentary,
    https://societyofstbede.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/palmsunday52.pdf

    Here is a Hymn for palm Sunday,
    https://societyofstbede.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/magnumsalutisgaudium.pdf
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
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