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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

Permission Needed to Replace the Propers?—(3 of 7)

Andrew Leung · February 21, 2015

CTL Propers N HONG KONG, there is only one publisher that prints the hymnal for the whole diocese and that publisher is the Sacred Music Commission. The members in Sacred Music Commission are appointed by the diocese and they work under the guidance of the local bishop.

The hymns are edited, translated, arranged and reviewed carefully by the commission. That’s why we don’t really experience the problem of non-approved hymns at home. Owing to this reality, it is not easy to comprehend the 2012 statement that approval of substitute songs is “impossible.”

In the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), four options are given for the Propers in the dioceses of the United States of America:

(1) The antiphon from the Missal or the Roman Gradual (Graduale Romanum);|
(2) The antiphon from the Simple Gradual (Graduale Simplex);|
(3) A chant from another collection of Psalms and antiphons approved by the Conference of bishops;|
(4) Another liturgical chant that is suited to the sacred action, the day, or the time of years approved by the Conference of bishops.

According to the GIRM no. 48, these are the four options. But are they really just some options? Or are they preferences? If they are just four options, that will mean they are all equal and we are free to pick any one of the four. However, in the light of our Sacred Tradition, I would like to suggest that they are really preferences instead of options.

OVER THE PAST CENTURY, Popes and Council Fathers have written over and over again in documents that the main place or “pride of place” should be given to Gregorian Chant. According to that logic, the “four options” in the GIRM turn into the “four preferences” of the Church. The antiphons from the Roman Gradual are the first preference and most of these antiphons are from the Liber Usualis. They are the “real” Gregorian Chant. The second preference is the antiphons from the Simple Gradual and these are seasonal simplified chant. The third preference would be other collections of Psalms and antiphons which will include the English Propers composed by American musicians. And the final preference is other liturgical songs approved by the Conference of bishops, which may include some of the hymns in the hymnals.

I don’t know if you would agree with me on this, but working as a parish music director, I also view the “four preferences” as four levels of difficulties of application. The fourth preference is always the easiest because the hymns are usually in English and they encourage the external participation of the congregation. The third preference is a little bit harder to apply because the external participation of the congregation might not happen … but at least they can understand the English antiphons. The second preference is more difficult than the third because the language is now in Latin. And of course, the first preference is hardest because the melodies are much more complicated than the simple Latin chant.

In my parish, I always chant the Propers with my two scholae. The Propers are just as important as the Collect, the Prayer over the Offerings, and the Post-Communion Prayer. In fact, these prayers and the Propers of the day are on the same page in the Missal. At the beginning of the Mass, we usually sing a congregational hymn and the Introit is chanted as the priest process in. The offertory antiphon and communion antiphon are chanted before we sing other hymns or motets. And I always provide the translation of the antiphons for the congregation so that they can participate internally.

Are you considering having all the Propers sung at your parish? If yes, my suggestion would be not to replace hymns with the Propers, but do both! And always make sure the congregation can understand the text.

This article is part of a series:

Part 1 • Richard Clark

Part 2 • Veronica Brandt

Part 3 • Andrew Leung

Part 4 • Dr. Lucas Tappan

Part 5 • Andrew Motyka

Part 6 • Cynthia Ostrowski

Part 7 • Aurelio Porfiri

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Hilgartner 20 November 2012, Hymns Replacing Propers Last Updated: October 15, 2022

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About Andrew Leung

Andrew Leung currently serves the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers, and music director at Our Lady of China Church.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “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

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

“We must say it plainly: the Roman rite as we knew it exists no more. It has gone. Some walls of the structure have fallen, others have been altered—we can look at it as a ruin or as the partial foundation of a new building. Think back, if you remember it, to the Latin sung High Mass with Gregorian chant. Compare it with the modern post-Vatican II Mass. It is not only the words, but also the tunes and even certain actions that are different. In fact it is a different liturgy of the Mass.”

— Fr. Joseph Gelineau (1978)

Recent Posts

  • “Musicam Sacram” (5 March 1967) • Does It Apply?
  • “What Martin Luther Said…”
  • “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • Worship the Lord in Holy Attire
  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”

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