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Views from the Choir Loft

Which Mass Goes With Which Season?

Jeff Ostrowski · December 30, 2015

897 Verdelot Polyphony “Deo Gratias” ANY BELIEVE the Ordinarium Missae to be more ancient than the Proprium Missae. Nothing could be further from the truth! Most of the Mass Ordinary is quite recent compared to the Proprium, especially the Creed (which to this day is placed in a different section). We have become accustomed to seeing “Mass in honor of Such-And-Such” and the entire setting will match; but this wasn’t how things were done 1,000 years ago. The KYRIE settings were in one place, the AGNUS DEI settings in another, and so forth.

Abbot Pothier and Dr. Peter Wagner made sure to remind those who used the Editio Vaticana that the Mass Settings—Mass I, Mass II, Mass III, and so forth—can be mixed with one another freely, but most people don’t realize this. For example, many believe that only the first Mass Setting can be used for Eastertide. (I once worked for a priest who thought that.) This view is indefensible yet popular. Perusing the ancient manuscripts, we see how freely the Mass settings were mixed, and this was true when the Renaissance composers were creating their masterpieces.

For instance, if you look at Missa de Beata Virgine—for the Blessed Virgin Mary—by Cristóbal de Morales, 1 you’ll see he uses Mass IX for the KYRIE. Mass IX in our current books has the suggestion “In festis B. Mariae Virginis,” and the Gloria was troped with Marian prayers before the Council of Trent. However, Morales uses Mass XVII for the SANCTUS, BENEDICTUS and AGNUS DEI. [The SANCTUS for Mass IX and XVII begin similarly, but there is no doubt Morales was using Sanctus XVII, not Sanctus IX, when you look at the rest of the piece.] Mass XVII is labeled as “Adventus et Quadragesimae.” 2 Francisco Guerrero (d. 1599) uses Mass IV for his “De Beata Virgine” KYRIE. Yet, in another Mass for the Blessed Virgin, Guerrero uses Mass IX for his KYRIE, just like Morales did!

Some Renaissance composers even set the “Deo Gratias” using polyphony. Verdelot’s Mass is an example, as you can see in the upper right corner.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Fr. Morales was a Spanish priest who died in 1553.

2   For the record, the plainsong melodies from Mass XVII are used by Morales in a very clear way that is quite striking. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen another Mass quite like it. It is almost a harmonization of the plainsong!

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Francisco Guerrero Composer Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“I prefer to preach,” said one priest “even without immediate preparation, for I can always draw—from the various studies stored away during the seminary years—enough material to interest our good Catholic people. But when I have to go to the altar and sing High Mass or a Requiem, and I know that I cannot read a note of the Preface and the ‘Pater Noster’, I feel like going to martyrdom. Yet the notes are right there before my eyes, but they seem to mock my ignorance.”

— From a 1920 article by Very Rev. Leo P. Manzetti

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