Allelúia Tempus Paschale Graduale Simplex
  • Good evening everyone, I bring up the discussion about the number of verses necessary to sing from the Alleluia of Mass I of Graduale Simplex to comply with the norm that says Alleluia with some verses and in other places says its verses. It is a normative question, would it be correct to sing the 6 verses proposed in Graduale Simplex?
  • smvanroodesmvanroode
    Posts: 1,089
    Hello, and welcome to the forum. The Graduale simplex is an editio typica, so there’s nothing wrong with singing all six verses of the Alleluia as printed.

    The one thing to keep in mind is not to prolong the chant too much. When the deacon or the priest arrives at the ambo with the book of gospels, he shouldn’t have to wait too long until the chant is finished.

    However, the Praenotanda of the Graduale simplex states that ‘at least five verses from the psalm, or optionally, if more are proposed, are always sung’ (n. 20). The reason is, I think, that the selected psalm verses usually express a coherent thought.
    Thanked by 1Paul F. Ford
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,627
    Caution - There are several suites labelled 'Missa I', in advent, Eastertide, and in ordinary time. Of these only TP, on p168, has six verses, the others each have two verses. I think all the Alleluias in GS except Eastertide have two verses, both of which should be sung (if you choose to sing the Alleluia rather than the Alleluia_Psalm). In Eastertide it would be correct (indeed required) to sing all six verses, or at least five verses of the Alleluia_Psalm which would be fractionally shorter (and also Ps106).
    Thanked by 1Paul F. Ford
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,627
    When the deacon or the priest arrives at the ambo with the book of gospels, he shouldn’t have to wait too long until the chant is finished.
    Although in the OF the Alleluia is widey regarded as a processional chant to accompany the Book of the Gospels from altar to ambo, as expressed in GR and GS it is a meditation before the Gospel, see GIRM :
    37. Finally, among other formulas:
    a) Some constitute an independent rite or act, such as the Gloria in excelsis (Glory to God in the highest), the Responsorial Psalm, the Alleluia and Verse before the Gospel, the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy), the Memorial Acclamation, and the chant after Communion;
    Although the Deacon moves during it, he should time it to fit the chant.
  • fcbfcb
    Posts: 389
    as expressed in GR and GS it is a meditation before the Gospel,
    While I think it is correct that it is not intended as a processional chant, I think it is less of a mediation and more of an acclamation (like the Sanctus).

    As an aside: at our cathedral the walk from the chair to the altar to the ambo is so far that the alleluia is often over before I arrive and the organist has to noodle for a bit to fill up the time.
  • Good afternoon, it was precisely Mass I of Easter that I was referring to.

    Next year we will try to sing all the verses, we will arrange with the priest or deacon to wait so that we can respect the rubric of the simple gradual then. Normally we do all 2 verses of the Alleluia.

    Thank you very much for the clarification. Regarding this question of whether it is a processional song or not, here in Brazil, the formators usually say that the Alleluia is a processional song, it seems that they have not read the General Instruction of the Roman Missal lol.

    Ps.: Excuse my English, it is from Google Translate lol