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Views from the Choir Loft

“Proper Of The Mass” (Ignatius Press) • Part 2 of 7

Richard J. Clark · April 17, 2015

R. WEBER’S LANDMARK book The Proper of the Mass for Sundays and Solemnities published by Ignatius Press is a great gift to the Church. He bends over backwards to make the propers as user friendly as possible. The texts are in English. There are multiple settings of each proper, which accommodates choirs of varying levels. Each psalm verse is written out. One could not ask for anything more.

A Publication like this begs an interesting question. What would the state of liturgical music look like today if such a resource were available immediately after Vatican II and many parishes adopted it? While difficult to imagine a typical parish adopting this today, fifty years ago, such a publication would have provided continuity. For many, it may have been a natural outcome of Vatican II.

While much of the confusion and misunderstanding following Vatican II was inevitable, such a collection would have set a model as did the works of Theodore Marier with hymnody, psalms settings, and singing the mass. But with respect to the propers, the hole we are digging ourselves out of would perhaps not be quite as deep. “Option 4” of the GIRM would not be the default setting as readily as it is today.

BUT CONJECTURE IS USELESS. History has played itself out and continues to do so. We have had fifty years to look upon the great successes and failures of the implementation and interpretation of Vatican II. That this resource—and a flood of new ones—are becoming available, points to a new awakening in the Church. Even mainstream publishers are beginning to take notice and provide new resources. We are only at the dawn of this awakening, but the sun is rising.

Death is necessary for rebirth. Despite Vatican II’s call for a renewal in Gregorian Chant, its death was nearly universal save a few beacons of light that kept it alive. What we are experiencing now is the rising after death. Progress may appear very slow to us, but what is true will always live on.

This article is part of a series on Fr. Weber’s Book of Propers:

Part 1 • Andrew Motyka

Part 2 • Richard Clark

Part 3 • Veronica Brandt

Part 4 • Fr. David Friel

Part 5 • Andrew Leung

Part 6 • Dr. Lucas Tappan

Part 7 • Jeff Ostrowski

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Proper of the Mass in English, Propers Ignatius Press by Fr Samuel Weber Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

Alabama Assessment!

We received this evaluation of Symposium 2022 from an Alabama participant:

“Oh, how the Symposium echoed the words of Cardinal Merry Del Val: …choosing only what is most conformed to Thy glory, which is my final aim. In one short and fast paced week, the faculty and attendees showed me the hand of God and our Lady working in our lives. The wide range of education—from Gregorian Chant, jazz modes in organ improvisation, to ‘staying sane’ while leading a choir—were certainly first-class knowledge from the best teachers of the art. However, the most powerful lesson was learning how to pray as a choir. The sacrifice of putting songs together, taking time to learn the sacred text, meditating on the church teaching through the chants, and gaining the virtues required to persevere in these duties were not only qualities of a choir but of a saint. The sanctification of the lives of the attendees was a beautiful outcome of this event … and that in itself is worth more than a beautifully-sung Solesmes style chant!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
PDF Download • Trinity Sunday (22 pages)

Feel free to download this Organ Accompaniment Booklet for Trinity Sunday (Second Vespers). Notice how the modes progress by number. Psalm 1 is mode 1; Psalm 2 is mode 2; Psalm 3 is mode 3; Psalm 4 is mode 4; Psalm 5 is mode 5. I am told by an expert that other feasts (such as Corpus Christi) are likewise organized by mode, and it’s called a “numerical office.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
10 June 2022 • “Official” rhythm of plainsong

I continue to search for the most beautiful way to present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores. (Technically, the “pure” rhythm of the official edition is what everyone is supposed to use.) You can download my latest attempt, which is the Introit for this coming Sunday: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Because this is not an ancient feast, the Introit had to be adapted (perhaps around 750AD). Prior Johner says the adaptation is “not an entirely happy one.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The sun’s disc did not remain immobile. This was not the sparkling of a heavenly body, for it spun round on itself in a mad whirl, when suddenly a clamor was heard from all the people. The sun, whirling, seemed to loosen itself from the firmament and advance threateningly upon the earth as if to crush us with its huge fiery weight. The sensation during those moments was terrible.”

— ‘Dr. Almeida Garrett, professor of natural sciences at the University of Coimbra (1917)’

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