Music for Rite of Baptism
  • bkenney27bkenney27
    Posts: 444
    So, my parish has music at Baptisms which is great except I inherited a less than ideal music line-up that, until now, I simply have not changed.

    Gather Your People (Verse 1 while they move to the doors of the church; Verse 4 when they return.)
    1st Reading (? The Rite only calls for one Gospel. When there are two, it specifies two GOSPELS.)
    Psalm: Psalm 27 (Soper...?)
    Celtic Alleluia
    Gospel Proclamation
    General Intercessions
    Litany of the Saints (Becker..... I know.)
    Then, Anointing, Baptism, yadda yadda.

    I want to revamp this, but the Rite is pretty ambiguous about how music should be used. There are very few definite suggestions (such as Psalm 23 during the first anointing), and usually some of the suggestions are obscure scripture references (and the Rite doesn't give any actually notation... just lyrics.)

    Any suggestions?
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Faith of our Fathers , if I had to begin a Baptism with a piece of music. This, at least, address the substance: What do you ask of the Church? Faith.

    Ps 22 (23), Dominus regit me

    Chant the Litany of the Saints

    Use the Celtic Alleluia if there are no other choices. See the LU for the Alleluias for Easter morning.

  • Paul F. Ford
    Posts: 864
    This is my template, and the version of the rite I teach my students.
    Musical Choice Template Infant Baptism.pdf
    60K
    BaptismforChildren bilingual.pdf
    346K
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Remember that the norm for the celebration of Mass is sung, but the norm for the form of the sacraments is spoken.

    Music which draws attention to itself (take, for example, the Celtic Alleluia) has no place in a celebration of Baptism.

    Dr. Ford,

    Why do you use terms such as "song of praise" ?

  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    If I may make a wild guess: it probably has something to do with the instructions on the last page of the rite:
    "After the blessing, all may sing a hymn which suitably expresses thanksgiving and Easter joy, or they may sing the song of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Magnificat"
    And in fact the song Dr. Ford recommends on his sample template is the Magnificat.
    Thanked by 2Adam Wood Paul F. Ford
  • Protasius
    Posts: 468
    @cgz: The EF Rituale has chants for the Baptism of Adults, the Pontifical for Confirmation, the Conferral of Holy Orders and for Marriage. And of course there are chants for the celebration of Mass, as you said. Thus there are provisions for sung celebration of all sacraments except Confession (obviously; although there are chants for public penance in the Pontifical) Extreme Unction and Holy Communion outside of Mass.
    Thanked by 1Adam Wood
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    Music which draws attention to itself (take, for example, the Celtic Alleluia) has no place in a celebration of Baptism.


    In my opinion, the Celtic Alleluia has no place in the liturgy.
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    By the way, I like to use "O Breathe On Me" (St. Columba) as a song to invoke the Holy Spirit for the rite of confirmation. It's a hymn which manages to please both the more traditional and more progressive of a congregation at the same time, and every hymn that unites them is gold to a liturgist.
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Protasius,


    I may have overspoken.

    Anecdotally:

    I haven't attended a baptism for adults in the EF. (We've had so many babies baptised, considering the size of our parish......)

    The one ordination in the EF that I have attended didn't involve singing any of the FORM of the rite, although there certainly were propers sung. (The bishop didn't sing as he ordained the priest)

    My two older sons have been confirmed in the EF. On neither occasion did the bishop chant the FORM of the sacrament, but on both occasions there could have been chanting, proper to the conferral of the Sacrament of Confirmation.

    I have never seen a sung celebration of the Sacrament of Penance. I can't even imagine how such a thing would happen.

    Weddings have their own propers, which can be sung. To the best of my knowledge, the FORM of the sacrament isn't chanted, and I have sung for at least one Solemn High Nuptial Mass.

    I've never seen the sacrament of Extreme Unction in the EF, so I can't speak to this. .

    My question about "song of praise" is this: why use such a pedestrian expresssion?

  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    My question about "song of praise" is this: why use such a pedestrian expresssion?


    Clearly it is part of a plot to desacralize liturgy.
    CLEARLY.
  • Paul F. Ford
    Posts: 864
    Dr. Ford, Why do you use terms such as "song of praise" ?

    My question about "song of praise" is this: why use such a pedestrian expresssion?


    Because the official documents use it:

    IGMR 88: laudis canticum.

    Ordo Baptismi Parvulorum 71: Post benedictionem pro opportunitate cantatur ab omnibus canticum congruum, gaudium paschale et gratiarum actionem exprimens, vel cantus beatae Marae Virginis Magnificat.

    Adam, is your tongue placed firmly in your cheek?
    Thanked by 1Adam Wood
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    Adam, is your tongue placed firmly in your cheek?


    Me? What?
    Thanked by 1matthewj
  • Paul F. Ford
    Posts: 864
    I thought so. Whew! I can put the Howitzer away.
    Thanked by 1matthewj
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