Who intones the Libera Me?
  • expeditus1
    Posts: 483
    Who is supposed to intone the "Libera Me" in the "Missa Pro Defunctis": cantor or the priest?
  • ScottKChicago
    Posts: 349
    The cantor (leader of the schola). I had the honor and pleasure of chanting with the schola at St. John Cantius here in Chicago in a Saturday noon Requiem for the first anniversary of the burial of a friend's mother. I still have the chant booklet for that. It says, after the Requiescant in pace that replaces the Ite missa est: "In silence the priest kisses the altar. He omits the Last Gospel. He comes to the sedilia and puts on the cope. When he comes to the foot of the catafalque (empty coffin covered with the black funeral pall), the choir then chants the Libera Me, the prayer "Non Intres" being omitted."
  • expeditus1
    Posts: 483
    Thanks, Scott! Does anything need to be repeated between the verses, other than the repetition at the end?
  • ScottKChicago
    Posts: 349
    (This was a Tridentine Requiem: Daily Mass for the Dead with Absolution over the Catafalque, by the way.)

    I'm looking at our schola booklet, laid out for minimal confusion, and we just sang the Libera me straight through (as given in the Liber Usualis p. 1767-8) and then back to the top to repeat the Libera me antiphon, ending with "...per ignem" on the fourth line. (They copied the antiphon to the end as well so we didn't have to flip back to the top.)

    So no other repeats. Just sort of a D.C. al fine sort of thing.
  • expeditus1
    Posts: 483
    Good enough. Thanks for your assistance, ScottK. I'll be doing a Requiem tomorrow.
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