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Views from the Choir Loft

A Mini History of the Sequences

Fr. David Friel · May 24, 2015

HE SEQUENCES are an interesting facet of the liturgy. Their historical origin is difficult to trace, but they are generally thought to be an outgrowth of the melismatic jubili at the end of Gregorian Alleluias. Sequences originally served as an artful accompaniment to the sometimes lengthy Gospel procession.

First appearing in the ninth century, the sequence rose to a level of fair prominence in the medieval period. Their heyday lasted until the liturgical reforms enacted during the Counter-Reformation. At the height of their usage, there were proper sequences for nearly every Sunday and feast day (outside penitential seasons). Their usage varied widely, however, since the sequences were never obligatory.

In 1570, the liturgical use of sequences was restricted to just four of these texts, including: Victimae paschali for the octave of Easter, Veni Sancte Spiritus for the octave of Whitsun (now called Pentecost), Lauda Sion for the octave of Corpus Christi, and Dies irae for All Souls’ Day and Requiem Masses that immediately follow a death. Then, in 1727, the Stabat mater was added for the new feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. Notably, these were not the only sequences allowed; they were, however, the only sequences prescribed for the liturgy.

The sequence for today’s feast of Pentecost is the Veni Sancte Spiritus, and it was probably retained because of the many customs and traditions associated with the annual feast in medieval times. This text was likely composed by Pope Innocent III at the turn of the thirteenth century, but it may have been the earlier work of King Robert the Pious of France at the turn of the eleventh century. It is sometimes called the “Golden Sequence” because of the esteem it has long enjoyed among the faithful. One should not confuse this composition, though, with the Veni Creator Spiritus, which is another very worthy but separate composition, attributed to Charlemagne.

Veni Sancte Spiritus is a true masterpiece of Latin poetry. In rhyme scheme, it is complex and gorgeous; lines one & two rhyme with each other, and line three always ends in the syllable –ium. In meter, the sequence is a very faithful example of trochaic dimeter. In content, it is a magnificent meditation on the Spirit’s guidance through consolation & desolation. So much is lost when this sequence is not sung in its original Latin.

Even today, in the Extraordinary Form, this sequence is sung daily throughout the octave of Pentecost. This serves as an excellent bridge to the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, and it provides ample time for the faithful to digest the depth of faith contained in the Golden Sequence.

The liturgical reforms of Vatican II further reduced the number of sequences in the missal. Presently, in the Ordinary Form, sequences are only appointed for two feasts (Easter and Pentecost) and recommended for one (Corpus Christi). The Dies irae and Stabat mater, meanwhile, have been relegated to the breviary, where they have become optional hymns for the Office of the Dead and in the days anticipating penitential seasons.

Another change brought on at Vatican II concerns the placement of the sequence. Historically, the sequence had always followed the Alleluia. This is suggested even by the name “sequence,” which derives from the Latin sequere, meaning “to follow.” In this position, the sequence served as a sort of introduction to the Gospel. The present placement, however, is before the Alleluia, rather than after it. This modern rubric seems anomalous, since it separates the sequence from the Alleluia—the very part of Mass from which the sequence first drew its life.

Editor’s Note : Fr. Friel is quite correct in pointing out that Sequences were created to help singers memorize the long jubilus of the Alleluia. Indeed, many of the early Sequences ended each line with the letter “A” to bring this point home. However, not everyone is aware that there was an serious effort made in 2000 to restore the Sequence to its proper place in the Ordinary Form.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Annibale Bugnini Reform, Extraordinary Form 1962 Missal, Gregorian Chant, Gregorian Sequences, Liturgical Sequences, Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council, Omitting The Sequence On Pentecost Last Updated: October 10, 2021

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Yahweh” in church songs?
    My pastor asked me to write a weekly column for our parish bulletin. The one scheduled to run on 22 June 2025 is called “Three Words in a Psalm” and speaks of translating the TETRAGRAMMATON. You can read the article at this column repository. All of them are quite brief because I was asked to keep within a certain word limit.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • Pentecost Sunday
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for Pentecost Sunday (8 June 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. Because our choir is on break this week, the music is relatively simple.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Truly Great Processional” • (Pipe Organ)
    I stumbled upon this live recording of a PROCESSIONAL I played on the pipe organ in 2002. It’s an excerpt from a much longer composition by Sebastian Bach. In those days, there weren’t sophisticated recording devices allowing one “fix” wrong notes. (Perhaps they existed, but we didn’t have machines like that.) So it was necessary to play the entire piece from beginning to end. If you’re a church organist, feel free to download the PDF score. I suppose it’s only a matter of time until some joker uses “artificial intelligence” to play music at church … but there’s something so satisfying about playing an organ in real life.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    When to Sit, Stand and Kneel like it’s 1962
    There are lots of different guides to postures for Mass, but I couldn’t find one which matched our local Latin Mass, so I made this one: sit-stand-kneel-crop
    —Veronica Brandt
    The Funeral Rites of the Graduale Romanum
    Lately I have been paging through the 1974 Graduale Romanum (see p. 678 ff.) and have been fascinated by the funeral rites found therein, especially the simply-beautiful Psalmody that is appointed for all the different occasions before and after the funeral Mass: at the vigil/wake, at the house of the deceased, processing to the church, at the church, processing to the cemetery, and at the cemetery. Would that this “stational Psalmody” of the Novus Ordo funeral rites saw wider usage! If you or anyone you know have ever used it, please do let me know.
    —Daniel Tucker

Random Quote

“A flawless harmonization of Gregorian chant cannot be created by improvisation, no matter the competence and ability of the organist or harmonist.”

— Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel (circa 1940)

Recent Posts

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  • “Yahweh” in church songs?
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