Schola of 1 and enrance hymn followed by introit?
  • glorificamus
    Posts: 9
    Grateful if anyone out there can provide a legislative or customary basis for the following practices in the Novus Ordo:

    1. one person singing the proper of the Mass (and the ordinary for that matter) where there are insufficent skilled people to join in this

    2. singing the vernacular Entrance Hymn BEFORE the introit.

    Thanks in advance
    G
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,605
    We do this. Sing a hymn/hymns. Always permissible in church, no? In our case it is a way of making a change without totally alienating people by abandoning something that they are used to....instead we have added an introit and the other propers without eliminating anything they are used to.

    Then begin Mass with the Introit as the priest enters.

    Just keep the celebrant from entering until the introit...

    It's like the hymn after Mass, not mentioned because it's not part of the Mass. So any music before the priest enters can be whatever...the GIRM, for example, fails to mention this or the hymn after Mass because they do not fall under the GIRM.
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,605
    And, having earned enough money to buy a studio piano as a kid singing Mass Mon-Sat by myself...I was a schola of one....so there is precedent, you are joining a cadre of little old ladies that sang Mass every day...
  • glorificamus
    Posts: 9
    Frogman Noel Jones

    Thanks for your rapid view on this.

    This is indeed the way I've been approaching things for exactly the reasons you outline. Even had the Pastor on board as much as possible.

    But - wouldn't you know it - I've now hit the barrier of the new "Spirit of V2 Relic Assistant Priest" and ill-informed laity doing the whole "we've never seen this before", "there's not precedent", "there's no legislation" forcing us to do this.

    It would said you to despair, if this all weren't so important. I really feel for those who've gone before, 40 years ago, who encountered all of this obstructionism but at a time when the currents in the Church were completely opposed.

    G
  • Mark M.Mark M.
    Posts: 632
    G,

    I'm happy to hear that there are other "scholas of one" out there. (I mean, I'd rather that they'd be scholas of a dozen or more, but it beats having a schola of zero.)

    I sing the Gregorian Introit as a prelude, solo, usually accompanied with the NOH. (And I precede it with an English translation on a psalm tone, acappella.) Then, we'll do a good ol' hymn for the entrance to accompany the procession.

    It's rather backwards, I know, but folks are rather attached to their opening song. Of course, I'd rather do the Introit as the Introit. But doing it as a prelude does at least establish a rather prayerful atmosphere.
  • glorificamus
    Posts: 9
    Mark M.

    Thanks. Nice to know it's not just me battling away out there!

    I've just introduced this to the parish, and the Mass is in a language other than English, so I set the Anglican Use Gradual Introit to that language and - based on certain views - have now been required to change the order and sing it as a prelude before Mass. It is sung solo without accompaniment.

    The Entrance Hymn then follows (although for the life of me, I just don't get why the correct order should encounter so much resistance - my mantra has been we are adding something, not taking anything away from people).

    I was really reticient to change the order because it's both the wrong way around traditionally and is - paradoxically - it seems very hard to justify under the wording of the GIRM!

    I also sing the Communio from the GR, although re-set into the vernacular.

    In any event, we all need to be doing it, and, as Fr Z would say, we can't allow the Perfect to be the enemy of the Good.

    G
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