For a great Triduum, the place to start is the Easter Vigil - the central celebration of the entire liturgical year. Much of the music success of the vigil comes from choosing the best settings of the songs between the readings, whether your parish chooses three readings or seven. Since the organ will have been switched off after the Gloria on Holy Thursday (we hope, or at least work toward doing that in future years), choose settings which work well unaccompanied. Some resources include the chants of the Roman Gradual, the simple responsories from the Graduale Simplex (or the English versions in By Flowing Waters), chant based psalms by Marier, Kelly, Ostrowski, and others; or psalms which may be sung in four parts, such as those of Gelineau (though you might have to look around for better antiphons than found in the GIA edition) or, dare I mention, Alstott (for which you might want to chant the verses to psalm tones, rather than the tones provided).

Follow all of this with a rousing Gloria (you may use the organ and other instruments if you wish, or just bells) and your vigil is off to a great start.

The Vidi aquam is the antiphon for the sprinkling rite during the Easter season, and there is no such thing as a closing hymn. You may certainly add a hymn after communion or after the dismissal especially on this festive occasion, but it is completely optional.

David,

It isn't the organ that has to be silent during the Triduum (it's allowed, but only to support singing, not as a prelude/postlude), but the church bells (Paschale Solemnitiatis paragraph 50). I think having a silent organ adds a nice touch though; my little group is doing everything a cappella throughout Lent, other than Laetare Sunday, Palm Sunday, and the Holy Thursday Gloria.

Chris Allen,

I've heard, time and again from various sources, that the organ is to be "turned off" after the Gloria on Holy Thursday and not turned back on until the Gloria at the Vigil. (See Incantu's post above, "Since the organ will have been switched off after the Gloria on Holy Thursday (we hope, or at least work toward doing that in future years), choose settings which work well unaccompanied.") So my question is, is the silencing of the organ a custom or a rubric?

Jscola30,

[If anybody read what I'd written here before re-editing, disregard what I said. Jscola30 is correct, there is a penitential rite on Holy Thursday. We don't sing it, and I'm so busy getting ready for the Gloria that I miss it.]

BTW, well-spotted on the Pange lingua at the end of Holy Thursday. I guess I've never considered that to be a "closing hymn" (general rubrics regarding a closing hymn aside), and for someone who's been out of the liturgical loop for several years, as our friend here, that is exactly the kind of detail that could be easily overlooked.

To my knowledge the most recent document is the Ceremonial of Bishops which states the organ is to be used only to support singing during Lent and from Gloria on Holy Thursday to the Gloria at the Easter Vigil. And if we are following the ideal of singing chant, the organ should not be necessary to support it. So it's not a rule per se, but I feel we musicians should make it part of our code. If unaccompanied chant of any kind is ever going to work, Lent and the Triduum are the time to do it. The very presence of such a directive suggests that something different should be happening at that time.

And of course many places still sing a hymn or song after the dismissal, which is by no means prohibited. I just object to the term "closing hymn" on a crimespeak basis. When you refer to it as such, it creates the impression that such a thing exists. And it does not. You are simply singing a hymn after the dismissal. I prefer, if there's a *really* appropriate hymn I just don't have room for anywhere else, to sing after communion. That way people aren't out the door by the time you get to the second verse. I feel we will have made progress when instead of "Why didn't we sing a closing hymn?" people ask "Why wasn't the Offertory chanted today? I know it's not printed in the English missal, but couldn't you have at least chanted it from the Roman Gradual?"

Old post, to be sure, but still timely. It amazes me that despite Vatican admonitions that there is to be no mixing of the old and new rites, many try to do exactly that. Individual preferences are not liturgical law. So comments follow on the whole topic.

"So my question is, is the silencing of the organ a custom or a rubric?"

This is a hold-over from the old rite, no longer a requirement in the current missal. Some prefer it, but it is nothing more than a preference. Current legislation states the organ is to be used only to accompany singing, but that is true for all of Lent.

Yes, there is a "Gloria" on Holy Thursday. Also an offertory and an opening hymn if you are not using the Proper. We sing, old chestnut or not, "At That First Eucharist" for the entrance. Check with your priest as to what he prefers, keeping both of you happy. Pange Lingua is sung at the end while the Sacrament is processed to the temporary tabernacle. It isn't really a recessional hymn although it occurs last. We are supposed to leave in holy silence which works to varying degrees from place to place and year to year. LOL.

Good Friday is not a mass, so no opening hymn or Kyrie. We are singing a choral version of "O Sacred Head" at offertory. If you do the full liturgy for Good Friday, there is Adoration of the Holy Cross. We sing the "Reproaches" at that time, no longer required and many don't do it, but we do. Since the Reproaches are not long enough, the choir will be singing the hymn, "Ah Holy Jesus" afterwards.

There is no opening hymn at the Easter Vigil, but the service begins with the Lucernarium containing the blessing of the fire and preparation of the paschal candle. Then the "Exsultet" is sung while all stand holding lighted candles. Depending on your circumstances and resources, your priest may tell you to shorten parts of this. Readings and psalms follow, either 7 or 4 according to your priest's instructions. The service is so long, we are doing readings and psalms for 1, 3, 5, and 7 only. The Gloria is sung while the church bells ring and the altar candles are lit from the Easter candle. After the Epistle the "Responsorial Psalm" is sung which is a Gospel Acclamation with multiple verses. The homily - you can never get away from them can you, LOL - is followed by the Baptismal Liturgy which contains the Litany of the Saints. After the renewal of baptismal promises, then the "I Saw Water Flowing," or vidi aquam is sung while the congregation is sprinkled with baptismal water. The recessional hymn comes at the end of the mass and we are singing, "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today," Lyra Davidica tune.

"I have a question right now on this subject. Do any of you use the same mass settings that you do for Triduum for the whole Easter Season?? "

Block quote is not working for some reason. We use a Latin chant mass for Lent which we keep through the Holy Thursday liturgy. We change back to the ICEL English chant mass at the Vigil and keep it the rest of the year. YMMV and there is nothing legislated as to which mass setting you use.

This is a very brief rundown and is not an exhaustive list of events for Holy Week and the Easter Vigil.

Pray that we all survive Holy Week and the Vigil this year. What an exhausting time of year. LOL.

I would disagree. We have, for example, GIRM which is law pertaining to the NO. It is not a collection of suggestions, but has legal authority. The rubrics for the EF apply to it, only, and have no bearing on the NO unless specific rules are carried over into GIRM and promulgated by the conference of bishops - wishful thinking to the contrary.

GIRM 42, for starters.

Second, when it doesn’t prescribe how to do it, the rubrics of the traditional Mass help to be consistent and liturgically sensible... The incensing of the altar, for instance, is done any number of ways if one doesn't just follow the old missal.

Third, no one says you can’t go beyond the prescriptions of the missal, e.g. why is it such a bad thing that people follow the traditional practice to completely silence the organ from the Gloria to Gloria of the Triduum? (It also seems that restoring traditional practice is made difficult by such permissions... A common sense of what constitutes supporting singing does not and cannot exist...)

mantillas in knots

And, if you in any way cause this to happen, AMSEC the Aquatic Mammal Safety and Enforcement Commission, will put you up against the wall and execute you with their birettas.

block quotes are boycotting me as well.

Fear not MBW. AGO will protect us.

are you on a mac or a pc? could be something weird with that.

try typing the code. [blockquote][/blockquote] ... of course you use the less than and greater than symbols, not the brackets.

Bells: to ring or not to ring. In the Old Missal, the ONLY time bells OF ANY TYPE are mentioned is during the Candlemass Procession - that the church's bells should be rung during it. There is no mention of tolling, pealing, Sanctus bells in the tower, little bells rung at the Elevations, etc. Those are all traditions, and with a "t".

Organ: to play or not to play. Again there doesn't seem to be anything ABSOLUTE about this. We don't use the organ between the two Triduum "Glorias" ar our OF Masses, and that is our Pastor's choice. Neither do we play Pre- or Post-ludes, nor inter-ludes (i.e. needling to fill in) during Lent. That is our choice, and there is no rubric that says that we MUST do either. I realize there is a lot of "sacred music" repertoire based on Holy Week hymns and chants, but many of those are borrowed for Protestant sources to begin with. If I really wanted to hear them, every year, I would re-join the AGO, and organization that has not been on my interest radar for almost 30 years now. No, I don't attend organ recitals.

Organ: to accompany or not. As much I love accompanied Gregorian chant, there is no rule ANYWHERE that says it MUST be accompanied. But, please do N.B., there is neither ANY absolute prohibition of accompanied chant. (US academia - please note!) We use more chant-like music in the middle of the Triduum, and any polyphony is also unaccompanied. On regular Sundays, while the choir at their Mass might perform repertoire unaccompanied, we sometimes use the same repertoire with the Cantor, accompanied, at the other Masses.

Comparing EF and OF (multiple editions!) of the GIRM might show some "T"raditions, only a few of which are continuations or mandated. Most of what we're discussing are "t"raditions.

at the end of the fourth verse

(Button does nothing for me on Google Chrome, but it works on my blackberry's browser)

I like the idea.
When I looked at it, though, I thought more of
"Glory, praise(/laud), and honour be_ to_ Thee; Be to Thee, O Lord, most_ high."

May I make a distinction?

Using the principle (in Canon Law) that a canon which is not explicitly abrogated remains in force -- is it possible to INFORM the GIRM without placing in it things which are left unsaid?

For example -- in the new Franciscan rules for Maundy Thursday, "men" is removed" and "who are chosen" is used instead. Since it does not, in its words, required people other than men to be used, could one read the new rule as removing an "offensive" word, without changing the practice?

the Vatican has turned over authority for liturgy and rubrics to the national conferences of bishops

This is an overly broad generalization. Some matters are delegated specifically to the conferences for decision; some are to be done by the conferences, with approval of the Holy See required; some are retained by the Holy See.

Related question:
I've never actually done Holy Thursday correctly. My last Parish had a few ...ahem... inventions before Mass that muddled the order of things.

Is the Gloria sung IMMEDIATELY after the Processional Hymn, or is the Sign of the Cross and Greeting retained in the Introductory Rites? The Missal is a bit difficult to piece together on this.

The place of the Gloria is exactly the same as usual. The only question is which Penitential Act is done, i.e. whether or not there is a "Kyrie", or if you start after the prayer for mercy. Unlike Good Friday, Holy Thursday is just a Mass.