...why?

As in, why would a cantor wear a cope? I'm as curious as you are.

Bp. Elliott's "Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year" specifies that a cantor or reader wears an alb or cassock and surplice for this ceremony; a deacon wears a white cope, unless he is already vested in a dalmatic.
(p. 43).

In the Sarum Use alleluya was on great feasts chanted by choirboys (the number depending of the importance of the feast) vested in copes and singing from the rood loft. Obviously, we have lost all sense and sensibility in our advanced era.
(And, Sarum was not alone in such liturgical niceties.) It is the custom at Walsingham for the thuribler to wear a rochet, a practice borrowed from Sarum. Crucifers also wear tunicles in many Anglican churches, no doubt an old practice which was never thought disposable. High Anglican churches also put their acolytes in apparelled albs and amices, not the later day and not-very-traditional cassocks and surplices (or even worse, those funny so-called cottas [chopped-off surplices]) that scads of Catholics seem to think are very very traditional and ancient. They're Not. Albs Are. I think strongly that in this and other liturgical praxes, we should restore, and even innovate, some of the diocesan uses and customs that were for most of the Church's history a fact of life. How burdensome and boring it is when every jot and title has to be codified and concretised into law.

Excuse me while I go look up what a tunicle is!

That's the melody of a versicle.

-----

A Cope is just a Cape, which has been consecrated to liturgical use.
(And, of course, its usually a pretty particular style of cape.)

If it has been so consecrated, it should only be used for a legit liturgical reason. So the question isn't quite who can wear it, but when it is worn. The "when" limits the "who," but the "who" isn't primary: a Bishop doesn't wear a cope to go grocery shopping.
(You know- unless he's Episcopalian or something.)

Can a lay person wear a chasuble and stole? Sure: Any lay person who is qualified to consecrate bread and wine... oh, wait. There aren't any lay people like that.

Can a lay person wear a chasuble-shaped bath robe with a stole-shaped scarf? Sure. But it would be really weird if that lay person showed up to Mass dressed that way.


I saw a really neat video a while ago of some kind of Traddie fest or something (French, IIRC). The choir was mixed and "vested." But, since they were conservative traditionalists, the women did not wear cassock and surplice. Instead, the women wore an alb (I think), and a heavy cape in the same color/material as the men's cassocks (a sort of light Marian blue). It was a nice effect. One could refer to these as copes, if one was being weird.

If the curiosity stems from a personal desire to wear a cape (I'm not joking- I can totally understand this!) - there is precedent for wearing capes in choirs. They aren't copes- but they are pretty awesome.

Adam, I know who you're talking about. Is it this pic?

That's the choir I was thinking of, yes.

In response to MJO's post, I believe the monks of St. Louis Abbey have apparelled albs for their sets of vestments for the EF. They are gorgeous, and the connection makes sense as that foundation is from Ampleforth.

I am the cantor fire Good Friday since we don't use the organ and thought the visual of the C&S with a red cope would really open the congregation's eyes.

At first I thought "fire" was a typo. Then I got to "red cope."
Hrmm...

Please do not do this.

Vest the choir in black cassocks, or don't. Don't you, on your own, vest separately from the choir.

And do not, under any circumstances, put on a red cope. You are neither a cardinal, nor Superman.

Hahaha fire definitely was a typo.
Aside from the laity issue, are copes not supposed to change color with the liturgical season? Is red reserved to Cardinals? Our priests wear a red cope for the first Gospel of Palm Sunday and also for Palm Sunday Vespers.

No worries! I won't be donning a cope any time soon.

There are a couple of threads on here about the organist vesting so I don't want to beat a dead horse or go too far off topic, but what is the reasoning behind the organist not vesting if the choir doesn't? Is it because it is all essentially the same Ministry and it would be akin to having some servers vest and others not on the altar? Because that does make sense.
On the other hand, perhaps the organist and cantor are two distinct liturgical roles (or are the only two present). Could those two then vest even if the choir doesn't?

I ask mainly because considering the direction like liturgy and music are taking, it feels a bit odd to me not to be vested. I very well concede to anyone else's knowledge on the matter, though, since it is still new to me. (Although, I was hoping to avoid starting a new discussion on this subject, hahaha.)

bk-XXVII.

Red copes are not reserved for cardinals - don't get these confused with the red capes worn by cardinals as part of their habito piano ('street dress' i.e. cassock, fascia, etc.) when the cappa magna is not worn.

However, for the Goode Friday solemn afternoon Liturgy of the Passion, the colour for the liturgy until holy Communion was black, and from holy communion the color was violet; red for Goode Friday (in the Roman Rite) is a Novus Ordo thing (I think borrowed from a Mediaeval source? Sarum? York?). I'd have to consult Fortescue, but I'd surmise that since the ceremonial for Holy Friday (like the Requiem Mass) is pared down, I'd suspect that cantors would not have worn copes at all at the afternoon liturgy - certainly at the Office only choir dress was worn and No-one, neither clerk nor boy, wore copes.

Liturgy is not theatre, and vestments are not costumes.

Though there are certain vestments that look more like costumes and churches that look more like theaters.

That's the melody of a versicle.

THIS.

Re:Use of Copes on Good Friday. Both the Caeremoniale Parisiense and the Missale Sarum ask for copes to be used on Good Friday (in black [Popule meus] and red [Agios] for the Parisian Use [which uses black for the Celebrant] and in black for the "Agios" Cantors at the Impropreria for the Sarum Use [which uses red for the Celebrant and Ministers of the Altar]).

Every time I hear some new detail about the Sarum use, I think... now THAT was a Mass and a half, for real, yo.

Do you have an idea for what sort of attire you want to propose? Would it apply to all music ministers, or only those in the sanctuary? Would the same attire apply to men and women?

Black really? I know it is not supposed to be about theatre, and I don't want it to be about theatre. My choir is in the loft, so except for communion, no one sees us. But black is so dull and depressing. That blue was stunning. We wear gowns to look uniform and to draw attention away from those who insist on not dressing modestly (a problem).

One of my choirs wears black academic robes, but that is because it is the college choir. At a few masses I have been to, we've had the men in cassock and surplice with the women wearing black academic robes. There are those who object to women wearing cassocks as it is traditionally considered clerical attire.

I believe that Acolytes may wear a tunicle, but it is a tradition which seems to have fallen out of use. There was a permanent deacon that I knew who only wore an alb - never even put on his stole let alone a dalmatic.

Academic robes is not a good solution to "women can't wear choir cassocks."

Academic robes are an evangelical Protestant thing. I can hardly believe any Catholic would think them appropriate for liturgy in any context.

I endorse black baccalaureate robes for a choir. There's no conflict with liturgical colors. There's no confusion with the clerical cassock. It covers a multitude of sins with its looseness. It shows the dignity of an educated laity. Like the puppeteers in Bunraku, the black robes hide the singers; unlike children, they are to be heard, not seen.

Thanks for the feedback.
I asked our pastor about women (and, specifically, girls) in cassocks and he didn't have a problem with it. As some of our female altar servers vest in cassock and surplice, I don't really see that as my issue to correct. I'm not the Director of Liturgy; however, I don't necessarily see it as ideal. I DO think that it would be a good stepping stone since the congregation is already accustomed to seeing the C&S.

This is where it gets a bit tricky. It would not be possible right now (financially or with regard to willingness) to have the choirs and cantors vest. So, (although I know there are many here who will disagree with me) I decided to start with myself so they can become used to the idea that ministers OTHER than Altar Servers can indeed vest in C&S. This, I'm hoping, will dampen the sensitivity to the vestments so that, eventually, we will be able to have the choir vest. (We'll probably start with the Children's Choir.)

I feel it important that choirs vest to reaffirm their identity as a group of people exercising a ministry... not simply performing. Whether they are in the loft or not I think is irrelevant.

So, going back to the fact that I am starting with me: this is why I want to educate the staff and congregation that it is an act of humility and, though it may not appear so, it is simple dress intended to remind the minister to be humble in their place as such.

This is also not going to be a weekly custom for now. Many of the Directors of Music in my area will vest for more solemn occasions which is what I plan to do. Sacramental/Ritual celebrations, Christmas, Triduum, etc.

Any other thoughts?

I would also say that while women in cassocks isn't your issue to correct, I also wouldn't spread the practice either by doing it in the chjoir as well. That could only make things worse if a future pastor ever tries to correct the practice.

We aren't Anglicans. They "ordain" women too.

@Ben, the vesture used in Anglican liturgy has nothing to do with errors that have arisen since the 1960s. It's the same vesture prescribed for Catholic men's choirs in the sanctuary by Pope St. Pius X. They've kept their choirs in the sanctuary more than we have done.

@MJO: Occasionally Steve Cavanaugh of the Anglican-use community in Brookline, MA (St. Athanasius, Archdiocese of Boston) invites my old cathedral chant-group buddies for Evensong; he has mentioned that academic robes are welcome there.

Thanks, everyone!
The all black suggestion is an excellent, practical one. And I agree about the "every Mass" comment. We've got to ease them in. :)

I "debuted" the vestments at our monthly baptismal liturgy today and received very positive feedback. Not only that, I made a last minute decision to step away from the piano (I inherited this structure and music from past DMs...) and chant the alleluia and Litany. Suddenly, the silent congregation became a partially singing congregation! All around, a much better atmosphere.

I'll post what I plan to publish to the staff and congregation when I finish it. I'd appreciate input.