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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

Permission Needed to Replace the Propers?—(4 of 7)

Dr. Lucas Tappan · February 24, 2015

239 Bishop Sample ECENTLY Dan Craig wrote an article regarding the use—or lack thereof—of the Propers within the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, as well the practice of replacing the Propers with less than ideal texts.

In his closing statement, he opined: “I feel many of our present difficulties [he refers here to liturgical difficulties] would vanish if we simply followed the GIRM.” I agree with him wholeheartedly and confess that I find it rather odd that we tend to replace most of the Propers of the Mass (usually taken from Sacred Scripture) with songs that at best leave the believer in a confused theological state (I think of the text Sing a New Church Into Being). That being said, I don’t foresee those in authority publicly setting things aright any time soon. 1

To be honest, I think some of our clergy suffer from the same problem that many dads do, namely, they have lost all sense of what it means to lead as a father. A good father doesn’t raise his children by following the latest trends, but unfortunately that seems to be the rule of the day. What about the father who has a spiritual awakening and realizes that his family is far from where it needs to be? Should he merely resign himself to the fact that his family will never come closer to the good Lord? Sometimes good priests do the same thing. I have heard members of the clergy pass the buck and say they are waiting for their bishop to speak about the matter, or for the Church to take a stronger stance. The priest is waiting for the bishop, the bishop is waiting for the bishop’s conference, the bishop’s conference is waiting for Rome, and Rome is, well… You get the point.

Perhaps the only advise I can offer are a few points:

(1) Think of how far we have come regarding music in the Church, even in the last 20 years. I realize some readers feel the situations in their own parishes are hopeless, but take heart. There has been an explosion of interest in chant and other great liturgical music in the Church and the younger clergy are on board. Several years ago a good friend of mine was ordained for a rural diocese and asked me to provide music for his first Mass, which included the Simple English Propers and the English chants from the Roman Missal. Last May another friend was ordained who asked me to lead a Schola singing English Propers by Fr. Samuel Weber and Mass XIII. This year one of the seminarians from our parish is being ordained and he has asked that our parish’s Schola Cantorum sing the Propers from the Graduale Romanum and Juan Padilla’s Missa Ego flos campi for his first Mass. Take heart and be of good cheer. It won’t be long before one of these men comes to your parish.

(2) Priests, sing the Mass! You are the father of your congregation and you must lead by example. I don’t care if you can sing or not (I mean that sincerely). It will change the way your parish worships and will provide a welcoming environment for the propers.

(3) Start a choir school, especially if your parish already has a school. My parish graduates 50 students every year. In ten years that will be 500 students who love good liturgical music (Propers included) and know how to make it—and who will have been taught why the Propers are so important. Imagine how the liturgical landscape would change if even 100 parishes across the nation made the change. That would be 50,000 people in only 10 years! It is hard to beat an army that large.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Without question, some have taken steps in this area. For example, read the letter by Archbishop Alexander K. Sample.

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 Dr. Lucas Tappan

Dr. Lucas Tappan is a conductor and organist whose specialty is working with children. He lives in Kansas with his wife and four children.—(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 23rd in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 7 September 2025, which is the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). 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. My singers really enjoy singing the resplendent COMMUNION ANTIPHON with its Fauxbourdon verses.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • Draft Copy (Pamphlet)
    A few days ago, I posted a draft copy of this 12-page pamphlet with citations about the laity’s “full, conscious, and active participation.” Its basic point or message is that choir directors should never feel embarrassed to teach real choral music because Vatican II explicitly ordered them to do that! We’ve received tons of mail regarding that pamphlet, with many excellent suggestions for improvement. Please feel free to chime in!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Entrance Chant” • 23rd (Ordinary Time)
    This coming Sunday, 7 September 2025, is the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). You can download the “Entrance Chant,” conveniently located at the feasts website. I also recorded a rehearsal video for it (freely available at the same website). The Communion Chant includes gorgeous verses in FAUXBOURDON. I attempted to create a rehearsal video for it, and it’s been posted at the feasts website, called by some: “church music’s best kept secret.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    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

Random Quote

“Place the missal in the hand of the faithful so that they may take part more easily and more fruitfully in the Mass; and that they faithful, united with the priest, may pray together in the very words and sentiments of the Church.”

— Ven. Pope Pius XII

Recent Posts

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  • PDF Download • Draft Copy (Pamphlet)
  • “Entrance Chant” • 23rd (Ordinary Time)
  • Weird Liturgical Kalendar …
  • Is ‘Chant’ a Generic Word for ‘Sing’ ? • No!

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