^this changed in 1960, and I find it sort of interesting and odd at the same time.
The nuptial Mass is now a II class votive Mass, and those universally get the solemn tone. So there’s the answer.
(IMHO, the tonus solemnior seems out of place at a votive Mass — which is what the nuptial Mass is — even if it happens to be a solemn Mass.)
But!
In practice, the solemn tone of the preface and the ordinary tone of the Pater will be used regardless except hopefully at Requiems and on Ash Wednesday.
Before 1960, there was no Gloria, and the Mass was a privileged Mass that could be said on double feasts but was otherwise a private votive Mass, so the ferial tone of the prayers, preface, and Pater (or the solemn tone ad lib. for the prayer) were required. (The way to remember this is that weddings and votive Masses on a green ferial day do not use the solemn tones; everything else does, and this holds for 1962 as well: IV class *votives and requiems are the only ones now to use the simple tone.)
If you are doing 1962, get yourself a copy of O’Connell’s The Celebration of Mass; the 1963/64 edition conforms to the 1962 changes.
Get pre-55 books for pre-55 if you ever might do that or are curious; your comment about the confusion reminds me that really, they must have just looked things up like 1st Friday falling in Lent, various possible hiccups for marriages (like on major feasts or vigils).
N.B. The EF Nuptial Mass Propers are not used on Doubles of the First and Second class, my brother got married on St Georges day (d1 in England) , so they had the Mass of St George with the various Nuptial prayers.
The nuptial mass is planned for Sept 14, The Exulation of the Holy Cross, and will be solemn (or possibly sung). According to the old classifications, Sept 14 is a Greater Double, and by the newer classifications, it is a Second Class.
Am I right in thinking then that the solemn tone ad lib. should be used whether the '60 or pre-'55 rules are followed in this case?
The only difference, then, would be that the Gloria and Ite Missa are used for '60, while no Gloria and Benedicamus are used for pre-'55?.
Also, the Mass of the day typically has a Credo (and Gloria). Am I right in thinking neither '60 nor pre-'55 rules would require a Credo?
Right about the oration tones, jazz_man. Pretty much the only occasions where those are replaced by singing recto tono are at the Requiem and for certain blessings (Fortescue, O’Connell, Reid and O’Connell explain when to do that).
And yep, Ite for 62, Benedicamus for pre-55 (again, another thing to reflect on!!).
Having checked again, the feast doesn’t impede the nuptial Mass pre-55, per Stercky (not even a double major feast of the Lord impedes it, only doubles of the I or II class no matter how lowly relatively speaking).
Pre-55, if it is impeded, the nuptial Mass would not have a proper Last Gospel; only the first group of votive Masses in the missal have one considered proper; the formularies beginning with the Mass for the election of the Supreme Pontiff do not have a proper Last Gospel according to the rubrics and the Roman decrees.
Also, if the Mass is impeded, the nuptial oration is added sub unica conclusione, as is equally the case for ordinations, but is pretty much never done otherwise.
On lesser feasts, the feast is commemorated at the nuptial Mass, and a third oration of the season is added if there is only one semidouble or simplex feast commemorated (and an oratio imperata would be added if our bishops ordered it).
The odd thing is that you still commemorate the double feast, but I think that’s sort of intelligent, because people want both the feast date (now more than ever, perhaps more than back then) but also like the votive Mass.
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