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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

Ad Orientem and Sacred Music

Dr. Lucas Tappan · July 19, 2016

299 Archbishop Sample CONTINUALLY struggle to understand the relationship between the treasury of sacred music (specifically the ordinary of the Mass) and Mass celebrated in the Ordinary Form, but a recent conversation with my pastor might shed a small ray of light on the subject from the perspective of the priest.

In our parish, the congregation regularly sings the Mass XVI Kyrie along with a metrical setting of the rest of the Ordinary. However, after the Schola Cantorum returned from Rome last January, the choristers asked me before Mass if they could continue singing all of Mass IX (Cum jubilo), which they had sung at St. Peter’s. I decided it wouldn’t cause too much of a tizzy if the choir sang the Kyrie from Mass IX by themselves, so they sang it for the next few Sundays.

After several weeks the pastor asked me about it and in the nicest way possible told me he really didn’t care for it. I was a little taken aback simply because it was a very minor change to only one Mass of our Sunday Masses. I asked him if he could pinpoint for me what it was specifically about the Kyrie that bothered him in order for me to understand better. Was it the sound of Gregorian chant, or that the congregation couldn’t sing it, or that each invocation was repeated three times? His answer was something I had never thought of before. He told me that he felt extremely awkward standing in the sanctuary for two minutes while the congregation did nothing but look at him. I would be curious to know how this affects other priests.

It is true that in the Ordinary Form of the Mass the priest doesn’t face east during the Kyrie and Gloria, but if the priest were to change the direction of his chair so that he wouldn’t be directly facing the congregation (for example, facing liturgical north), it would help. A choral Sanctus or Agnus Dei might not be so awkward if the priest were facing east during the Eucharistic Prayer. He could even close his eyes and pray.

I realize that the obstacles to celebrating Mass ad orientem and restoring a tradition of good sacred music (both choral and congregational) are varied and numerous and I don’t want to simply a complex problem, but perhaps this is another facet to that problem.


Note from CCW President: The Cathedral in Corpus Christi, Texas, did exactly what Dr. Tappan suggests. The rector rotated the chairs precisely as he describes, and (for the record) it looked a lot better. Moreover, Pope Francis’ chief liturgical officer recently wrote the following:

Contrary to what has sometimes been maintained, it is in full conformity with the conciliar Constitution—indeed, it is entirely fitting—for everyone, priest and congregation, to turn together to the East during the penitential rite, the singing of the Gloria, the orations, and the Eucharistic prayer, in order to express the desire to participate in the work of worship and redemption accomplished by Christ. This practice could well be established in cathedrals, where liturgical life must be exemplary (cf. §41).

Many were surprised by this, because a “rigid” reading of the current Missal would not have the priest facing East for the GLORIA, as far as I know.

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    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

Random Quote

“We wish to express the hope that students of Gregorian Chant come back to the pure Vatican Edition, in the ancient block-note form, without the addition of any signs whatever, in order to achieve Gregorian unity.”

— Josef Gogniat (12 March 1938)

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