Chanting the Orations in the New Missal
  • bjerabek
    Posts: 63
    I just received my new Missal and have been thumbing through it, trying to absorb all the changes.

    A question I have concerns the rubrics for the main orations (collect, post-communion, etc.), which indicate that "the priest _says_ the following prayer". It does not say "says _or sings_". Also, while there is this whole appendix now with the Eucharistic prayers notated for singing, the Missal, like the previous Sacramentary, apparently gives absolutely no guidance on how to chant these orations according to a traditional tone.

    I have always sort of winged it based on what little I learned about the traditional tones from the intro to the Graduale or wherever those tones are spelled out.

    It's funny that there is notation for practically everything in the new Missal except the main orations, and further that the rubrics apparently do not even set forth the option of singing. I wondered if anyone is aware of any resources to teach priests how to chant the orations? (Preferably in English, i.e. not what is in the Graduale.)
  • David AndrewDavid Andrew
    Posts: 1,206
    If you go here and scroll down to the bottom, you'll find a listing for "Appendix I: Various Chants for the Order of the Mass", and a listing of links to the explanations of the different tones.

    I haven't really dug into a hard copy of the new missal yet, but I assumed that this material would also appear in it, and not just at the website.

    I hope this helps.
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    I had the good fortune of going over the Missal chants with our senior vicar this morning, also taking the time to record them for our five other priests, already in their email inboxes!
    Like David says, they are pointed properly in the appendix. But my vicar-friend also asked me if I thought it would be out of the question were he to "point his own versions?" I figured as how Dr. Mahrt et al have consistently said that even recto tono trumps recititation, that a reasonably varied text pointing idiomatic to a chanting, not recitatving! celebrant, wouldn't be illicit. I could be wrong.
  • Adam Bartlett
    Posts: 533
    A question I have concerns the rubrics for the main orations (collect, post-communion, etc.), which indicate that "the priest _says_ the following prayer". It does not say "says _or sings_".


    GIRM 38 says:

    Therefore, in the rubrics and in the norms that follow, words such as “say” and “proclaim” are to be understood either of singing or of reciting, with due regard for the principles stated here above.


    Everything that is "said" can be sung!

    There is a nice explanation of how to sing the orations in an appendix in the Missal. The most striking difference now is that this Missal takes as the norm the solemn tone, unlike the previous Sacramentary which took as its basis the simple tone. The solemn tone is much easier to sing, though! You just have to mark for yourself the flex and full-stop and you should have no problem. In my opinion the marking of the acute and grave accents is somewhat unnecessary. You will memorize the tone, but just need to know when to sing the flex and full-stop.
  • Adam Bartlett
    Posts: 533
    I have given a series of three workshops for the clergy in my diocese in recent weeks and advised them to point their orations as follows:

    Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God,
    the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ
    with righteous deeds at his coming, †
    so that, gathered at his right hand,
    they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom. *
    Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
    who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
    one God, for ever and ever.

    This indicates the three divisions of the text for use with the solemn tone. The use of the tone is further explained here.
  • SkirpRSkirpR
    Posts: 854
    With regard to the simple tone, the example in the appendix of the missal has no flex for the First Sunday of Advent. In the simple tone, the full stop always occurs before the Doxology (in this case, the word "Kingdom").

    Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God,
    the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ
    with righteous deeds at his coming, *
    so that, gathered at his right hand,
    they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom.
    Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, †
    who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, *
    one God, for ever and ever.

    I have a document with the Collects pointed (flex = †; and mediant = *) in an analogous way to Solesmes' pointing of the Latin phrases - if anyone is interested.
  • BetsieP
    Posts: 1
    I have been writing out and recording the orations for my pastor according to the appendix directives, but also have issues with the longer ones and the simple tone. I would love to see your document - can you email me at music@olphsalem.org?
  • benedictgal
    Posts: 798
    I would love to see a complete appendix of chants in the Spanish-language Roman Missal. If you were to look at the Mexican version (the one approved for the United States), you will find that it only contains two prefaces (Advent I and II) and the Eucharistic Prayers, nothing else.
  • Paul_D
    Posts: 133
    CanticaNova is posting pointed orations on its liturgical planning pages; however, it seems to me that the pointing is frequently incorrect, if I am reading their system correctly.
    The full stop seems to be incorrect on all prayers for this coming Sunday:
    http://www.canticanova.com/planning/year-b/pln2lb_l.htm
    And anytime there is a dactyl at the flex, these are also always pointed incorrectly:
    e.g. prayer over the offerings, http://www.canticanova.com/planning/year-b/pln3lb_l.htm
    Perhaps I am misunderstanding the pointing system. ICEL's pointing of the Eucharistic prayer provides many examples of the correct use of the solemn tone, by way of comparison.
    Or am I just out to lunch?
    Thanked by 1canadash
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