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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

How Does One Use The Ordo Cantus Missæ?

Jeff Ostrowski · July 29, 2013

597 Gregorian Missal Gregorian Missal by Solesmes INALLY, HOW DOES ONE USE the pages of the Ordo Cantus Missæ? To repeat what has been said in the documents, the Ordo Cantus Missæ normally simply points to the official 1908 Graduale and says “take the chants from this Sunday.” For instance, in the sample page we’re about to examine, you can see that the “15th Sunday in Ordinary time” says, “Take the chants from the 10th Sunday after Pentecost”:

      * *  Example page from the Ordo Cantus Missae

But what about the “B” circled in pink and the “I” and “II” circled in green? What in the world do those mean? Steven Van Roode explains:

This is explained in the Praenotanda, n. 20 (p. 11) of the Ordo Cantus Missae. In the section ‘Proprium tempore’ the chants for each week are listed. Your scan is from this section. These chants are to be sung on Sunday and all weekdays, except for the days indicted by the indented characters at the end of the week’s list: letters A, B and C indicate that there are other chants for the Sunday of Year A, B or C (which are specified on pp. 62-64), and roman numerals indicate that there are other chants for weekdays in Year I or II, with the Arabic numerals indicating the weekday (2 = feria secunda = Monday, etc.); these are specified on pp. 65-74.

So, for the fifteenth week in Ordinary Time (n. 112) we have the chants of the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost from the 1961 Graduale Romanum:
      IN Dum clamarem
      GR Custodi me
      OF Ad te levavi
      AL Te decet hymnus

. . . except for the Communion:
      CO Passer invenit

. . . and ad libitum options:
      IN Ego autem cum iustitia
      CO Qui mandicat

So far, so good. Now we come to the “B” circled in pink. Apparently, there are other chants for Sunday of Year B (specified on p. 63):
      GR Ostende nobis

And there are other chants for Year I (Monday and Thursday) and Year II (Thursday) (specified on p. 70; note the arrangement of the data: left for Year I, right for Year II and centre for Year I ánd II):
      Year I (Monday): GR Anima nostra
      Year I and II (Thursday): AL Venite ad me

All these different chants match the readings of the Sunday or weekday and are duly given in the 1974 Graduale Romanum. I hope this explanation made clear how the OCM indicates alternative chants for Sundays and weekdays.

OK . . . SO WHAT?  What’s the lesson here?  What is my point, precisely?

My point should be obvious. The Ordo Cantus Missæ is incredibly difficult to use. It almost couldn’t be more confusing than it is. It is totally unhelpful.

The good news is that the hard work has been done for us already with the Solesmes 1974 Graduale, the Solesmes Gregorian Missal (2012), the Lalemant Propers, the Simple English Propers (CMAA), and many other collections. Therefore, you don’t have to fool around with the Ordo Cantus Missæ . . . which is probably why very few people own this book!

This article is part of a series:

Part 1   •   Part 2

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Ordo Cantus Missae Last Updated: October 12, 2022

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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

    Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!
    It’s always amusing to see old diocesan newspapers—in huge capital letters—advertising the Cheapest Catholic Paper in the United States. The correspondent who sent this to me added: “I can think of certain composers, published by large companies in our own day, who could truthfully brag about the most tawdry compositions in the world!” I wonder what she could have meant by such a cryptic comment…
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • Dom Murray Harmonies
    Along with so many others, I have deep respect for Dom Gregory Gregory Murray, who produced this clever harmonization (PDF) of “O SANCTISSIMA.” It’s always amazed me that Dom Gregory—a truly inspired composer—was so confused when it came to GREGORIAN CHANT. Throughout his life, he published contradictory statements, veering back-and-forth like a weather vane. Toward the end of his life, he declared: “I see clearly that the need for reform in liturgical music arose, not in the 18th and 19th centuries, but a thousand years earlier—in the 8th and 9th centuries, or even before that. The abuses began, not with Mozart and Haydn, but with those over-enthusiastic medieval musicians who developed the elaborate and flamboyant Gregorian Chant.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 14 September (Holy Cross)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for 14 September 2025, which is the Feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross. 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 spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Karl Keating • “Canonization Questions”
    We were sent an internet statement (screenshot) that’s garnered significant attention, in which KARL KEATING (founder of Catholic Answers) speaks about whether canonizations are infallible. Mr. Keating seems unaware that canonizations are—in the final analysis—a theological opinion. They are not infallible, as explained in this 2014 article by a priest (with a doctorate in theology) who worked for multiple popes. Mr. Keating says: “I’m unaware of such claims arising from any quarter until several recent popes disliked by these Traditionalists were canonized, including John XXIII, Paul VI, and John Paul II. Usually Paul VI receives the most opprobrium.” Mr. Keating is incorrect; e.g. Father John Vianney, several centuries ago, taught clearly that canonizations are not infallible. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen would be another example, although clearly much more recent than Saint John Vianney.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Vatican II Changed Wedding Propers?
    It’s often claimed that the wedding propers were changed after Vatican II. As a matter of fact, that is a false claim. The EDITIO VATICANA propers (Introit: Deus Israel) remained the same after Vatican II. However, a new set of propers (Introit: Ecce Deus) was provided for optional use. The same holds true for the feast of Pope Saint Gregory the Great on 3 September: the 1943 propers (Introit: Si díligis me) were provided for optional use, but the traditional PROPRIA MISSAE (Introit: Sacerdótes Dei) were retained; they weren’t gotten rid of. The Ordo Cantus Missae (1970) makes this crystal clear, as does the Missal itself. There was an effort made in the post-conciliar years to eliminate so-called “Neo-Gregorian” chants, but (contrary to popular belief) most were retained: cf. the feast of Christ the King, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and so forth.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

It is known that the “mora vocis” is part of the compulsory rules of recital of the “Vaticana” and is indicated in the Editio typica and its reprints by a somewhat larger spacing of the neume (one space-line) within one group of neuma.

— 1953 Schwann Edition (PREFACE)

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