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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

The Phrasing of the Sanctus

Fr. David Friel · February 7, 2016

E DISCUSS the Propers of the Mass often on these pages. Today’s first reading in the Ordinary Form, though, draws our special attention to part of the ordinary of the Mass: the Sanctus.

The reading is from Isaiah, chapter 6, wherein we read about Isaiah’s call to become a prophet. The story is recounted in terms of a vision that Isaiah experiences, which places God upon “a high and lofty throne.” In the midst of this sight, the Seraphim begin crying out to one another: “Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts!” This vision from the 8th century before Christ has been part of Jewish and Catholic worship ever since.

The grammar of this sentence is important, and it is one of the 2011 Roman Missal’s numerous improvements over the former Sacramentary. The Roman Missal gives this for the text of the Sanctus:

Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts.

Formerly, the Sacramentary had given the text as follows:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.

Leaving aside the imprecision of the translation, “God of power and might,” the more important correction in this text concerns the comma. Take note that there is no comma between “Lord” and “God of hosts.” This is not by accident. The Hebrew original is: Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh Adonai Tz’vaot. While the Hebrew language does not include punctuation such as commas, it is clear from context that the words Adonai Tz’vaot constitute a single title for God.

The comma between “Lord” and “God” in the Sacramentary, therefore, changes the sense of what is being prayed in the Hebrew original. On the rendering of the Sacramentary, “holy” is reduced to a mere adjective, describing “Lord.”

In the new missal, however, “Lord God of hosts” is understood as a unit, a single appellation for the Mighty One. The word “holy,” then, can also be understood not just as an adjective, but also as a sort of proclamation of God’s intrinsic otherness. It is a statement that the Lord God of hosts is sacred, sacred, sacred.

This understanding is also reflected in the NABRE Scripture translation: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts.” The inclusion of the verb to be brings out more fully the proclamational nature of the triple “holy” and the sense of “LORD God of hosts” as a single unit.

Attention should be given to the grammar of this statement by any composer who sets out to write music for the Sanctus. The musical phrasing should treat “Holy, holy, holy” as a unit distinct from “Lord God of hosts.” The same attention should be paid by singers, who should take the grammar of this sentence into consideration for proper phrasing and breathing.

This was not done in many of the published Mass settings that were quickly (and often clumsily) reworked to fit the 2011 re-translation of the Missal. Music directors, therefore, should be careful to consider this point when evaluating which setting of the Sanctus to sing.

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: ICEL New Translation of the Roman Missal, Propers, Roman Missal Third Edition Last Updated: December 6, 2020

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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

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 27th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 5 October 2025, which is the 27th 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. Readers will want to check out the ENTRANCE CHANT posted there, which has a haunting melody (in the DEUTERUS MODE) and extremely powerful text.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Participation” in the Mass does not mean hearing our own voices. It means God hearing our voices. Only He knows who is “participating” at Mass. I believe, to compare small things with great, that I “participate” in a work of art when I study it and love it silently.

— Evelyn Waugh

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  • “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)

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