Is this correct for an OF Requiem Mass? Please help!

Hilary Cesare

I am trying to suggest chant rather than Ave Maria, Eagle's Wings, and Battle Hymn of the Republic for a funeral in Louisville, KY next week. The celebrant is a kind Dominican priest and I think he will be very open to more chant. I have my PBCII out and am wondering exactly what to sing when. Is this correct?

Procession into the Church
Subvenite Sancti Dei
OR
Requiem Aeternam
Or both?? What is the difference between a "Responsory on entering the Church" and the "introit"?

Kyrie - PBCII #157
Should I sing some of the Dies Irae if the Priest is open to it??

Offertory
Domine Jesu Christe
with Hostias as the verse?

Sanctus - PBCII #112
Agnus Dei - PBCII #162 - should I sing this slightly different Agnus Dei or do the regular #113 one?

Communion
Lux Aeterna

What do I do with the In Paradisum and Chorus Angelorum? Could they be recessional chants? Or would a hymn be a better choice for a recessional?

My only experience with the requiem Mass texts was singing the Mozart requiem once - but I would love to see these used more where they are supposed to be used. : )

I would be happy to receive any and all advice/help!

Sincerely,

~Hilary Cesare

Adam Wood

Kyrie - PBCII #157
Should I sing some of the Dies Irae if the Priest is open to it??

That isn't where it would go. Dies Irae was/is the sequence. In the OF it would be an optional song- perhaps sung after communion or something.

should I sing this slightly different Agnus Dei or do the regular #113 one?

If it were me, I would bow to the fact that everyone already knows the "regular" one and do that. But that's just my opinion.

recessional chants? Or would a hymn be a better choice for a recessional?

Well that depends on your congregation. Some groups of people like to sing hymns, and would be upset by not being able to sing them. Other people would prefer not to be so put upon. This is why you can't plan liturgy - ESPECIALLY FUNERAL LITURGY - in a vacuum.

re: hymns
Have you seen my funeral hymn, based on the propers? I've posted it to the forum a couple times.

Hilary Cesare

Hello Adam,

Thanks for the direction on the sequence. I didn't know if it went near the Alleluia part or not - oh - it seems like there shouldn't be an alleluia at a funeral - but is there??

I agree about the Agnus Dei.

And about giving the people some hymns. Some of the latter verses of The King of Love might be welcome... Your hymn - I just did a quick search but did not see it. Could you maybe post a link here?

SkirpR

Subvenite Sancti Dei
OR
Requiem Aeternam
Or both?? What is the difference between a "Responsory on entering the Church" and the "introit"?

Mass, I assume, would begin with the Introit.

Kyrie - PBCII #157
Should I sing some of the Dies Irae if the Priest is open to it??

I believe the current US Order of Funerals omits the Pentitential Act. Whether this also means the Kyrie is omitted is legitimately unclear in the documents. (There was a previous thread on this in reference to other rites that omit the Penitential Act.) In this case, consult with the celebrant. Do not do the Dies Irae here.

Offertory
Domine Jesu Christe
with Hostias as the verse?

Do the verse if you can. You don't have to.

Agnus Dei - PBCII #162 - should I sing this slightly different Agnus Dei or do the regular #113 one?

The "slightly different" Agnus Dei (in chant form) should only be used for the EF. It does not exist in the OF books. I, personally, would be open to it in the OF if using a polyphonic setting of the Requiem written before the OF existed, but the official OF chant books make no allowance for the different "Requiem" Agnus Dei.

What do I do with the In Paradisum and Chorus Angelorum? Could they be recessional chants? Or would a hymn be a better choice for a recessional?

I believe that in the OF, the Subvenite is assigned for the final commendation near the end of Mass, but I tend to think a hymn would be better for the recessional. In which case I think it would not be inappropriate to sing the In Paradisum and Chorus Angelorum during the final commendation.

Adam Wood

Eternal Rest grant her, we pray
and shine the light of endless day.
Appoint for her a place with those
who in you died, and in you rose.

Lord Jesus Christ, our Glorious King
protect her soul from suffering.
Deliver her from darkness deep,
and give the angels guard to keep.

Receive our prayer and offering,
the tears we shed, the songs we sing.
Accept our sacrifice today
to aide the soul for whom we pray.

With her, and with us, Lord be near.
To you we cry, bend down your ear-
For in your mercy there is light,
You make the darkness ever bright.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye Heavenly Host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

(or another metrical doxology, as you like... the last time I posted this, I rewrote it, but I can't find that now).

I have used Conditor Alme. But there a re tons of LM tunes.

Chris Hebard

There was a similar recent thread about funerals:

http://forum.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/9110/funeral-mass-advice/p1

It discussed the Introit, Kyrie, and Final Commendation.

CHGiffen

When Adam posted his metrical Requiem hymn in the thread SATB funeral music needed, I went about revising my harmonization of the L.M. tune EISENACH (first used in the Hymn Tune Introits), because I thought that this tune is almost perfect for Adam's text (the progenitor of this tune appears in the St. John Passion of Bach).

Anyway, time has been short, and I've finally finished the setting, which I'm posting here, even though I haven't asked Adam's permission to use the text (but I rather think he'll not mind too much).

Note, however than=t, instead of "her" (or "him/his") in Adam's text, I used "them/their" (and corresponding possessive), corresponding to the Latin "eis" in the Requiem Introit. This accords with the explanation somewhere else on the forum that the prayer is address to all souls, not just the recently deceased.

Sadly, I anticipate having to use this setting in the near future.

Edit: Adam's name corrected (sorry about that) and a couple of typos fixed. And I have added an MP3 sound file.

Adam Wood

Thank you so much.

even though I haven't asked Adam's permission to use the text (but I rather think he'll not mind too much).

You had it already.

"her" (or "him/his") in Adam's text, I used "them/their"

Everyone should do whatever they think makes sense, and feel free to re-set or re-engrave to fix that (or anything else). I wrote it just before a funeral for a "her," so that's what I had in the original.

Sadly, I anticipate having to use this setting in the near future.

Unfortunately for me, I had to read this three times before I understood what was sad about using my hymn text. I mention this only because I think it is a good example of how easy "the job" of doing liturgy sometimes overrides the fact of being a human. Caution is required.

Adam Wood

OH- and there is no S on my name. Adam Wood. Not Woods.

Also, if you'd like- feel free to post this to CPDL.
CC: BY 2.0

And thanks for finding the other doxology I wrote- I like it better.

CHGiffen

Fixed, along with a couple of typos. Many thanks, Adam. The other doxology was easy to find, because I had copied the hymn with that doxology and saved it. I will post the hymn to CPDL with the CC: BY 2.0 license.

Note: I also added an MP3 sound file.

Salieri

In the OF:

The Introit is sung when the coffin and ministers enter from the West door
The Kyrie may be sung or it may be ommitted since there is no penitential rite; I begin the Kyrie immediately after the cross (or 'other Christian symbol' - we use a crucifix) is placed on the bier

The Gradual is sung between the first and second reading as usual.
The Alleluia is sung before the Gospel (Tract in Lent).

The Offertory is sung as usual -- the verse may be ommitted.

The Sanctus is from Mass XVIII
The Agnus is from Mass XVIII

The Communion is sung as usual.

After the prayer after communion the final commendation takes place: The Subvenite is sung here.

The In paradisum (typically including 'Chorus angelorum' as one piece) is sung as the recessional.

Notice that the Libera me is not sung. If you can get the timing right this might be good to sing as a 'prelude' so that it also covers the time when the ministers leave the sacristy to meet the body at the West door.

The Dies irae may also be sung during communion after the antiphon is sung.

SkirpR

In the OF...

If one were doing all the chant, this would be the ideal, yes. If one is required for some reason to replace some of these chants with other music, it would not be inappropriate to move certain of the most familiar Requiem chants to other places, so they can at least be heard.

Hilary Cesare

Thank you everyone! I used all of this advice, and just spoke to the Priest. I think I have it all worked out.

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