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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

Which Mass Goes With Which Season?

Jeff Ostrowski · December 30, 2015

897 Verdelot Polyphony “Deo Gratias” ANY BELIEVE the Ordinarium Missae to be more ancient than the Proprium Missae. Nothing could be further from the truth! Most of the Mass Ordinary is quite recent compared to the Proprium, especially the Creed (which to this day is placed in a different section). We have become accustomed to seeing “Mass in honor of Such-And-Such” and the entire setting will match; but this wasn’t how things were done 1,000 years ago. The KYRIE settings were in one place, the AGNUS DEI settings in another, and so forth.

Abbot Pothier and Dr. Peter Wagner made sure to remind those who used the Editio Vaticana that the Mass Settings—Mass I, Mass II, Mass III, and so forth—can be mixed with one another freely, but most people don’t realize this. For example, many believe that only the first Mass Setting can be used for Eastertide. (I once worked for a priest who thought that.) This view is indefensible yet popular. Perusing the ancient manuscripts, we see how freely the Mass settings were mixed, and this was true when the Renaissance composers were creating their masterpieces.

For instance, if you look at Missa de Beata Virgine—for the Blessed Virgin Mary—by Cristóbal de Morales, 1 you’ll see he uses Mass IX for the KYRIE. Mass IX in our current books has the suggestion “In festis B. Mariae Virginis,” and the Gloria was troped with Marian prayers before the Council of Trent. However, Morales uses Mass XVII for the SANCTUS, BENEDICTUS and AGNUS DEI. [The SANCTUS for Mass IX and XVII begin similarly, but there is no doubt Morales was using Sanctus XVII, not Sanctus IX, when you look at the rest of the piece.] Mass XVII is labeled as “Adventus et Quadragesimae.” 2 Francisco Guerrero (d. 1599) uses Mass IV for his “De Beata Virgine” KYRIE. Yet, in another Mass for the Blessed Virgin, Guerrero uses Mass IX for his KYRIE, just like Morales did!

Some Renaissance composers even set the “Deo Gratias” using polyphony. Verdelot’s Mass is an example, as you can see in the upper right corner.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Fr. Morales was a Spanish priest who died in 1553.

2   For the record, the plainsong melodies from Mass XVII are used by Morales in a very clear way that is quite striking. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen another Mass quite like it. It is almost a harmonization of the plainsong!

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Francisco Guerrero Composer Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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

    “The Worm That Dieth Not”
    My pastor asked me to write a column for our parish bulletin with reflections on the sacred liturgy and church music. In my most recent article, I discuss “The Worm That Dieth Not.” At this website, you can access it conveniently; simply scroll down to the one dated 31 August 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 21st in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir returns on Sunday, 24 August 2025. Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for it, which is the 21st 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. When it comes to the feast of the Assumption (15 August 2025), I have uploaded the music list for that Mass—but not the “bi-lingual” Mass in the evening (Spanish, Latin, and English) which has completely different music.
    —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

“We must remember that the important elements of a rite are not the things that will first be noticed by a casual and ignorant onlooker—the number of candles, colour of the vestments and places where the bell is rung—but just those things he would not notice: the Canon, fraction and so on, the prayers said in a low voice and the characteristic but less obvious rites done by the celebrant at the altar.”

— Fr. Fortescue explaining that Anglicanism does not preserve Sarum

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