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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Roman Missal 3.0 — Installment No. 5

Fr. David Friel · February 20, 2012

The fifth and final “highlight” I would like to share concerning the Roman Missal, Third Edition seems almost superfluous. It concerns something absurdly obvious to anyone who even glances at the pages of the new missal. There’s nothing subtle or insightful at all about this observation, since it is so plain to see. I am sharing this highlight nonetheless, since I realize that not everyone casts their eyes inside this missal everyday, as I do as a priest.

Here it is: the third typical edition of the Roman Missal is the most musical missal in history.

Hands down, no questions. It contains far more chants than any of its predecessors. This is a prodigious, breakthrough moment for lovers of chant and of the sacred liturgy. There is not a single prayer intended for audible proclamation for which music is not provided in this missal. Only the private prayers of the priest (including the offertory prayers) are left without melody.

Throughout the entire ordinary of the Mass, nearly every prayer is rendered first with musical accompaniment, and only after that does the plain text follow. This ordering, in itself, is undeniably meant to tell us something. It’s meant to tell us to sing and to chant.

There is a growing distinction being made among folks who labor in sacred music, which is probably familiar to those who browse the Corpus Christi Watershed. It is the question of whether to sing at Mass or to sing the Mass. What matters really isn’t the singing of hymns or preludes or motets. What matters is singing the proper & ordinary prayers of the liturgy, themselves.

Why? The Roman liturgy is a sung liturgy. To be sure, this has not been our experience in the typical American parish since the 1960’s. Nor, to be fair, was it the typical experience in the 40’s or 50’s, either. This is most certainly, however, the vision of Sacrosanctum Concilium. and the Second Vatican Council. It is not merely a matter of the priest’s personal preference.

The music has been provided for us. The preference for chant versus spoken prayers has been made clear. It remains for us—especially as priest celebrants—to embrace the vision set before us. This is not, of course, a paradigm shift on the part of the Church, but, for liturgical praxis on the average parish level, it certainly will be.

As Saint Augustine observes, “Only the lover sings” (Sermon 336). If we believe that the liturgy is fundamentally a movement of love and an expression of our love for God, Who, Himself, is Love, then our liturgy should be sung!

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —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

In the United States, Archbishop Kenrick had said in his “Moral Theology” that it was acceptable to sing the “Véni Sáncte Spíritus” before the sermon.

— Monsignor Schmitt (1977)

Recent Posts

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  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • The Tallis Scholars
  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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