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Views from the Choir Loft

Jungmann’s Remarkable Statement About The Mass Propers In 1964

Jeff Ostrowski · February 9, 2014

814 pius ii mantua Pope Pius II at the Congress of Mantua ROM A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, László Dobszay has demonstrated that it’s incorrect to assume each Mass has its own “theme.”  Even more erroneous is the notion that the Readings historically played the largest role in determining this “theme.”  From a theological perspective, Fr. Deryck Hanshell has said:

In the name of the reform there has been a tendency to equate the “theme” of the Mass with the theme to be derived from the readings. This is a misunderstanding of the nature of the Mass, in which the liturgy of the word leads up to and is subordinate to the liturgy of the sacrifice. In every Mass there is properly speaking one theme and one theme alone: the theme of the paschal mystery, of the death and resurrection of Christ.

I had previously assumed that Fr. Josef Jungmann was aware of these two basic realities, so I was shocked to discover something he wrote in 1964:

Very often the Propers are not particularly apposite, bearing a particular reference neither to the rest of the Mass formula nor to the relevant part of the action of the Mass. In short, they need reforming.

The entire article is available at the following link:

      * *  “Liturgy and Congregational Singing” (1964) — Fr. Josef A. Jungmann, SJ

Did you notice the horrible error made by Editor, by the way? He accidentally typed “OPPOSITE” instead of “APPOSITE”. Needless to say, there’s a huge difference! (For the record, Msgr. Schmitt often joked about how sloppy an editor he was.)

Anyway, getting back to that quote … it’s appalling! In essence, Jungmann is saying:

“I’ve decided that each Mass has a theme. If the ancient Propers don’t match the theme I’ve invented, let’s change them. Let’s ignore the incredible history of these prayers, which have been used for approximately 1,600 years.”

The spoken Propers were, in fact, radically reformed in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, but the Sung Propers were left largely untouched. The reformers also annihilated most of the Collects, perhaps because they didn’t sufficiently match the “theme.” Dr. Lauren Pristas wrote a book about this, which I mention in my article, “Bugnini wanted to get rid of Ash Wednesday.”

I challenge you to carefully read that quote by Jungmann several times. What he’s putting forth shows a total misunderstanding of the Church’s liturgical life. I realize this is a serious allegation, but I cannot see any other possible conclusion.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Hymns Replacing Propers, Mass Propers Proprium Missae 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

    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —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

“Some of our younger parish clergy read their sermons. This should not be done except for some very special reason. The priest who is not capable of preparing and delivering a brief, clear instruction on Catholic teaching to his people is not fit to be in parish work. The people as a rule do not want to listen to a sermon reader.”

— Archbishop of Baltimore (9 July 1929)

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