Singing the Gradual--What location?
  • Heath
    Posts: 947
    Friends,

    Though the etymological answer would seem to be, "from the steps", where is the Gradual in the OF sung from? I'll be singing Uxor Tua tomorrow for a wedding (woo-hoo!), and I'm not sure where to stand . . .

    Heath
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,606
    Steps. Unless you bow to common practice and use the all-in-one-multi-purpose ambo.

    Go for the steps.

    Be prepared to explain why, especially when people ask why you were not using the microphone like you are supposed to. It's in the rubrics. But no one can find where.

    Singer, wearing golf shirt, wearing plaid shorts and golf shoes goes clattering up to the ambo, grabs microphone, adjusts it {creaking noise}. blows in it and says, "Is It On? and nods to keyboard player to begin the introduction.

    It's in there, you just have to look for it. And look and look and look.

    It may be in the part that, once titled "Gradual", is now retitled, "Immediate".
  • BachLover2BachLover2
    Posts: 330
    will you be vested?
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,606
    Better vested than flogged.
  • Heath
    Posts: 947
    I *was* vested (wedding was yesterday) . . . for tradition's sake (and with Noel's backing), I stood on the steps just in down and to the left of the ambo. Great wedding; all the Propers were sung, couple processed up together as the rite calls for, readings sung . . . I wish they could all be like that!
  • PaixGioiaAmorPaixGioiaAmor
    Posts: 1,473
    Frogman,

    Not sure why the animosity towards singing the gradual or psalm from the ambo. No, the ambo is not "all purpose"; cantors and others should sing from somewhere else. But Scripture IS proclaimed from there. The psalm or gradual is one of the readings assigned to the day, and therefore is properly proclaimed from there.
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,606
    It, under recent documents, may be proclaimed from there, however, tradition has it that readings other than the Gospel do not belong there, which is why it is called the Gradual.

    That's the animosity towards it, the Gospel had its own place and now that place has been made all-purpose.

    There was scripture proclaimed at other chosen places, that's all.

    If today all scripture is equal, I suppose that it no longer matters.
  • newmanbenewmanbe
    Posts: 76
    Noel:

    Would you also say that the responsorial psalm should be proclaimed from the steps?
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,606
    Yes.

    Though it would be even better if the reading prior to it were said on an even lower place...

    Unfortunately, there is a sort of sense in the church that has developed that says all is equal.

    Of course, the number of people kneeling for Communion at the Colloquium sort of shows that there are people willing to kneel down for what they believe.
  • BachLover2BachLover2
    Posts: 330
    without a doubt, placement is everything. dr. mahrt spoke very eloquently about "sacred space" a few colloquiua ago
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