Views from the Choir Loft

How To Chant The Readings At Mass

Corpus Christi Watershed · May 27, 2013

THE FOLLOWING VIDEO takes you step-by-step through the process of chanting the Gospel in English. Deacons might find this video useful, since many are called upon to sing the Gospel.

The video requires you to download:

1. A Score Illustrating Different Tones [pdf]

2. Instructions on this tone in Latin & English [pdf]

HE FIRST READING at Mass is often sung to the “Prophecy Tone,” which was reserved for the Old Testament Lessons in the Extraordinary Form. Here is a PDF document that explains how to do it:

How to chant the 1st Reading in English & Latin

The Second Reading is often sung to the tone that was used for the Epistle in the Extraordinary Form. This PDF document explains how to do it:

How to chant the 2nd Reading in English & Latin

My favorite Gospel tone is called “more ancient” by the Solesmes books:

Singing the Gospel in English & Latin (ANCIENT TONE)

Here is what some people the “more recent” tone for the Gospel:

How to chant the Gospel in English & Latin (SIMPLE TONE)

By the way, all the parts of the Mass are sung according to the “Toni Communes” in the 1974 Graduale by Solesmes. Generally speaking, these are identical to what Abbot Pothier published as the Editio Vaticana around 1908.

N.B. For these, I have borrowed from the work of Professor W. A. Jurgens (Saint Mary Seminary, Cleveland).

How does a priest know how to correctly chant the readings (1st Reading, 2nd Reading, & Gospel) using the Prophecy tone, the Epistle tone, and different versions of the Gospel tones (according to the rules in the Liber Usualis) in ENGLISH ?

Examples (written out) of the different tones for chanting (PDF)

Mp3 Audio Recordings of the different tones:

01 Galatians Chapter 5
02 Gospel (John 15)
03 Wisdom Chapter 3
04 Thessalonains Chapter 4
05 Gospel (John 11)
06 Romans Chapter 8
07 Gospel (John 19)
08 Exodus Chapter 34
09 II Corinthians Chapter 13
10 Gospel (John 3)

Written out examples of chanting the readings at Mass, with free MP3 recordings

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

‘Bogey’ of the Half-Educated: Paraphrase

Father Adrian Porter, using the cracher dans la soupe example, did a praiseworthy job explaining the difference between ‘dynamic’ and ‘formal’ translation. This is something Monsignor Ronald Knox explained time and again—yet even now certain parties feign ignorance. I suppose there will always be people who pretend the only ‘valid’ translation of Mitigásti omnem iram tuam; avertísti ab ira indignatiónis tuæ… would be “You mitigated all ire of you; you have averted from your indignation’s ire.” Those who would defend such a translation suffer from an unfortunate malady. One of my professors called it “cognate on the brain.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Father Cuthbert Lattey • “The Hebrew MSS”

Father Cuthbert Lattey (d. 1954) wrote: “In a large number of cases the ancient Christian versions and some other ancient sources seem to have been based upon a better Hebrew text than that adopted by the rabbis for official use and alone suffered to survive. Sometimes, too, the cognate languages suggest a suitable meaning for which there is little or no support in the comparatively small amount of ancient Hebrew that has survived. The evidence of the metre is also at times so clear as of itself to furnish a strong argument; often it is confirmed by some other considerations. […] The Jewish copyists and their directors, however, seem to have lost the tradition of the metre at an early date, and the meticulous care of the rabbis in preserving their own official and traditional text (the ‘massoretic’ text) came too late, when the mischief had already been done.” • Msgr. Knox adds: “It seems the safest principle to follow the Latin—after all, St. Jerome will sometimes have had a better text than the Massoretes—except on the rare occasions when there is no sense to be extracted from the Vulgate at all.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Music List” • 9 Nov. (Dedic. Lateran)

Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 9 November 2025, which is the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the sensational feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Reminder” — Month of November (2025)

On a daily basis, I speak to people who don’t realize we publish a free newsletter (although they’ve followed our blog for years). We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and refuse to run annoying ads. As a result, our mailing list is crucial to our survival. Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Gospel Options for 2 November (“All Souls”)

We’ve been told some bishops are suppressing the TLM because of “unity.” But is unity truly found in the MISSALE RECENS? For instance, on All Souls (2 November), any of these Gospel readings may be chosen, for any reason (or for no reason at all). The same is true of the Propria Missæ and other readings—there are countless options in the ORDINARY FORM. In other words, no matter which OF parish you attend on 2 November, you’ll almost certainly hear different propers and readings, to say nothing of different ‘styles’ of music. Where is the “unity” in all this? Indeed, the Second Vatican Council solemnly declared: “Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the whole community.”

—Corpus Christi Watershed

“Our Father” • Musical Setting?

Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?

—Jeff Ostrowski

Giovanni Doni is known for having changed the name of note “Ut,” renaming it “Do.” He convinced his contemporaries to make the change by arguing that 1) “Do” is easier to pronounce than “Ut,” and 2) “Do” is an abbreviation for “Dominus,” the Latin word for the Lord, Who is the tonic and root of the world. There is much academic speculation that Giovanni Doni also wanted to imprint himself into musical canon in perpetuity because “Do” is also ulteriorly an abbreviation for his family name.

— Giovanni Battista Doni died in 1647AD