questions about Benediction
  • JennyJenny
    Posts: 147
    During Lent, our parish has started doing Vespers with Benediction on Fridays. The pastor is apparently going to allow us to continue this after Easter. I am hoping to get the group to start chanting the psalms but I have some questions about Benediction.

    1. We have 'always' done certain tunes for the 'O Salutaris' and 'Tantum Ergo' but the tunes aren't obligatory, right? (The congregation doesn't know the chant 'O Salutaris' and I'd like to teach it to them.) Could they ever be done as choral pieces? (not that it is likely to happen in this setting)

    2. All the missalettes have 'Holy God We Praise Thy Name' as the closing hymn. Can we use something else?

    3. I was planning to use the Mundelein Psalter as the basis for the tones for Vespers. Other suggestions?

    Thanks!

  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    1, 2, your answer is yes, the tunes and the hymn afterwards are flexible. But I would strongly caution against changing them. People are very attached to this liturgy as it is; changing everything around on them for the mere sake of novelty provides needless scandal, particularly for a practice that so needs to be supported.
    Thanked by 2Jenny ClergetKubisz
  • Mark P.
    Posts: 248
    An "Adoration Motet" can be inserted between the "O salutaris" and "Tantum ergo." This could be eucharistic or seasonal (e.g., "Adoramus te" during Passiontide). This practice has the advantage of extending the period of exhibition of the Blessed Sacrament, which is deemed desirable according to the current rubrics.
    Thanked by 1Jenny
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,978
    Don't change the hymns. You will immediately become the enemy who is destroying Benediction. Gavin is correct about the attachment to that liturgy.
    Thanked by 1Jenny
  • mahrt
    Posts: 517
    We use the chant Tantum ergo and then a polyphonic motet, usualy La Rue, O salutaris Hostia, or Byrd, Ave verum corpus. The congregation knows Tantum ergo, since they have always sung Pange Lingua (it is verses 5 & 6 of that hymn). There is a chant for the end of Benediction, Adoremus in aeternum with Psalm 116. We sing this during the replacement of the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle, and then Holy God We Praise Thy Name.
    Thanked by 1Jenny
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,700
    There is some needless worry here. Not everyone who attends Benediction is an angry person who will see you as an enemy if you change the tune of O Salutaris. I once worked at a place that had a HIDEOUS tune they sang O Salutaris to... I've never seen it since and hope to never see it again. The first thing I did when I got there was change the tune - and nobody questioned me.

    Things done competently for the right reasons by a music director who is reasonable usually create no drama.
    Thanked by 1Jenny
  • ghmus7
    Posts: 1,483
    There are many tunes to sing the tantum and o salutaris, some of which I havginned up myself.some variety is good
    Thanked by 1Jenny
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