Music for an EF Requiem Low Mass
  • Joseph Michael
    Posts: 256
    A family has requested to have music (vocal and organ) for an EF Requiem Low Mass. Suggestions?

    Music that comes to mind is this:
    Entrance and through the Prayers at the foot of the altar: Theodore Marier setting of Psalm 27 or the Marier "Saints of God."
    Offertory: Ave Maria
    Communion: Pie Jesu- Faure
    Recessional: one of the soft Bach organ chorale preludes on "O Lamb of God, Most Holy."

  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,032
    Translations of the proper are not allowed, and that would include, for me anyway, the Subvenite.

    I am assuming that this is the funeral Mass; the church really, really asks (demands, even) that this Mass be sung and indeed that Matins and Lauds, or one nocturn, or just Lauds, be sung before Mass, and the hymn sandwich is most frustrating on this occasion.

    So I would use ps. 27 if music was still considered necessary for the entrance of the body.
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
  • FSSPmusic
    Posts: 244
    Wuest (Matters Liturgical, 1959 [date corrected]) says the following:
    A funeral Mass may be celebrated as a low Mass in the case of the poor only. Otherwise, it shall be celebrated as a sung (high or solemn) Mass, if this is at all possible; every contrary practice is reprobated and must be eliminated as an abuse. The lack of an organist or of a choir cannot in itself be considered a valid excuse for a funeral Mass without chant, since an organist is not required and since the singing of the choir-parts by one person only would in a case of necessity be sufficient.

    An organ recessional for a Requiem Mass is an abuse, regardless of whether the Mass is High or Low.

    We had one funeral a few years ago where the family specifically requested a Low Mass. I programmed the following chants with just another cantor and myself:
    Processional: Subvenite
    Offertory: Media vita
    Communion: Ave verum corpus; Jesu dulcis memoria; Adoro te devote
    Absolution: Libera me & responses
    Recessional: In paradisum; Salve Regina
    Thanked by 2hilluminar tomjaw
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,032
    Oh right: the absolution can be sung even after a low Mass, and it really must be sung for the rite to make sense in the presence of the body at a funeral. As the citation above points out, it can be done recto tono as necessary…
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
  • FSSPmusic
    Posts: 244
    If I'm not mistaken, the absolution may be read without chant only immediately after the actual Mass of burial—presumably if you have a Low Mass with nobody at all to sing—and the Libera me and responses must be sung on any other occasion. I believe it's also permissible for the priest himself to sing the Libera me if no capable cantor is present.
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,032
    Stercky doesn't say, which tells me that reciting this rite really ought not to be done, but you can do it with minimal ceremonies and the pall or something to represent it and the catafalque (he says to cover the pall with a stool used for something like Vespers, but the pall isn't universally used, and I've seen this done with an extra chalice veil, as Fortescue doesn't even require the stool, if I'm remembering right), so it's a little odd that it must be sung.

    We had a Requiem for the third day after burial, which was a low Mass, but the deceased's family wanted to do the absolution, as one of her daughters is a Dominican, so her local community sang the Libera me (confusingly, the Roman one), and then we did the rest of the simplified rite.
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
  • FSSPmusic
    Posts: 244
    the Libera me and responses must be sung on any other occasion
    I might be mistaken about this. See a previous thread:
    https://forum.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/17514/questions-absolution-following-the-requiem-mass-ef/
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,032
    Yeah, although the initial premise of that thread was actually correct; you can sing the absolution even after low Mass. I'd add that the citation of the 1960 rubrics does not mean that you can always do the absolution after Mass e.g. funerals on days where the Requiem is prohibited and the absolution over the tomb per chantry obligations cannot be done so as to suggest that the absolution is in conjunction with the Mass
    Thanked by 2FSSPmusic CHGiffen
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,032
    ^I’m noticing a slight increase in comments that are junky or otherwise not good contributions from new users. This basically repeats the OP’s thoughts but then adds totally incoherent things like the introit — which you cannot do at a low Mass, so I’m at a loss here.
    Thanked by 4FSSPmusic Lars tomjaw trentonjconn
  • LarsLars
    Posts: 119
    it's AI robot spam
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,032
    Well, yes, but it’s most unfortunate because the accounts are approved and pass our benevolent dictator’s tests. :(
    Thanked by 2Lars tomjaw
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,173
    Admin note:
    I've deleted the spam comment (which contained an irrelevant SEO link) and banned the user. Please let me know directly if you spot such comments or posts. I wouldn't have known about this case, except for the fact that another user tipped me off.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,724
    @chonak
    Should we pm you? or is their another way such as emailing Admin@.....com
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,173
    A PM to my forum account is fine, and when you send one, please include a link to the suspect item.

    Thanks.
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
Add a Comment