Musical Prelude at the Vigil
  • G
    Posts: 1,397
    On a' whole 'nother thread, (unusually rancorous for here,) someone asked of the song in dispute, "is it permissible for a choir to sing before the start of the Easter Vigil?"

    Even in my all-entertainment, all-the time parish, no one has ever tried to get me too program a song before the Vigil.

    But i want to stop having a knee-jerk reaction to everything.

    So, what about that idea?
    Can a case be made for pre-service music at the Paschal Vigil?

    (Save the Liturgy, Save the World)
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    Wow... Isn't that sorta like setting off a bottle rocket as a prelude to the rising of the sun?
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,160
    According to the Missal, the people are supposed to gather outside the church with the priest for the lighting of the Paschal candle.

    On one hand, it may not be an ideal situation for singing; on the other hand, the rubrics don't say that they gather in silence.
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,605
    G...

    Aside from the fact that there is no light in the church prior to the lighting of the new fire....since the Good Friday service ends in silence, I suggest that there is to be silence until the moment of astronomical dusk (or whenever local practice determines it will start) at which point the vigil service is to start with the words, "Dear Friends" (unless you are at an enlightened parish...when the words will be in Latin) any singing prior to that is totally inappropriate...

    Those words are the reawakening. There is no need for a singing commercial to prepare the people to hear the words. Instead, busy yourself making a really big fire....last year's newsprint missals?
  • Bruce E. Ford
    Posts: 429
    "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not."--St. Paul (1 Corinthians: 10:23)

    Regardless of whether a musical prelude to the Easter Vigil is lawful, it is certainly not "expedient."
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,160
    There could be another service between the Good Friday passion liturgy and the Easter Vigil, namely a celebration of the Office on Holy Saturday.
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,605
    Chonak! How timely your post is. I just slogged to the mail box and there from Amazon was the Fifteenth Edition of:

    THE CEREMONIES OF THE ROMAN RITE DESCRIBED

    I saw your post, opened TCOTRRD to the index: The Sacred Tridiuum, Chapter XXVII, Page 334

    "(3) On Thursday and Friday Vespers are omitted, being replaced by the liturgy of the afternoon or evening, and on Saturday Compline is omitted."


    The inside cover flap reads:

    "This fifteenth edition, revised in the light of Pope Benedict XVI's reforms ad expanded and corrected throughout, includes a new chapter on the music of the solemn and sung Mass as well as clarifications of questions that have arisen in the light of current experience."

    Could not have arrived at a better time....from what I have seen already, everyone should have this at hand.

    Ordering info: ISBN 978-0-86012-462-7

    Alcuin Reid, Editor

    Between the arrival of this AND Worship as a Revelation by Hemming, which arrived yesterday, I have a lot of reading to do....
  • G
    Posts: 1,397
    As I thought.

    (We will have sung morning prayer on Friday and Saturday, however. A capella, of course.)

    Save the Liturgy, Save the World!
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