Views from the Choir Loft

English Prayers at EF Mass • How old are they?

Jeff Ostrowski · January 24, 2018

OW OLD are the English translations found in Extraordinary Form missals? Consider books currently being sold, such as the Campion Hymnal, which uses the Fr. Lasance translation. Or consider the famous “red books” popular in the 1990s. Or go back further, to the 1806 Roman Missal for Use by Laity (Fr. Husenbeth), which underwent numerous editions. Most of them use the same basic translation of the ORDO MISSAE—but how old is it?

I have previously mentioned that, in addition to the many contemporary texts composed specifically for the forthcoming Brébeuf hymnal, we also plan to include a few historic translations. Our research recently revealed a fascinating ORDO MISSAE in Latin & English from the year 1687:

* * PDF Download • ORDO MISSAE (Latin & English) … from 1687AD

Here are some excerpts, showing a breathtaking similarity to the English translation most “Latin Mass” Catholics have memorized:

90607 p326 • Latin English Mass (1687) ORDO MISSAE

90607 p310 • Latin English Mass (1687) ORDO MISSAE

90607 p298 • Latin English Mass (1687) ORDO MISSAE

90607 p292 • Latin English Mass (1687) ORDO MISSAE

90607 p286 • Latin English Mass (1687) ORDO MISSAE

90607 Canon • Latin English Mass (1687) ORDO MISSAE

It’s the same one I know—almost verbatim!

I also enjoyed looking at the prayers they included to help the congregation achieve deeper devotion. Some excerpts:

90607 p338 • Latin English Mass (1687) ORDO MISSAE

90607 p336 • Latin English Mass (1687) ORDO MISSAE

90607 p332 • Latin English Mass (1687) ORDO MISSAE

In the full PDF file (above) you’ll find interesting items such as:

A Prayer Before Confession

Prayer Before Receiving the Blessed Sacrament

Short Prayers during the Time of Mass
Necessary for the Better Understanding Thereof

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

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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

Surprising Popularity!

One of our most popular downloads has proven to be the organ accompaniment to “The Monastery Hymnal” (131 pages). This book was compiled, arranged, and edited by Achille P. Bragers, who studied at the Lemmensinstituut (Belgium) about thirty years before that school produced the NOH. Bragers might be considered an example of Belgium “Stile Antico” whereas Flor Peeters and Jules Van Nuffel represented Belgium “Prima Pratica.” You can download the hymnal by Bragers at this link.

—Jeff Ostrowski

15 February 2021 • To Capitalize…?

In the Introit for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, there is a question regarding whether to capitalize the word “christi.” The Vulgata does not, because Psalm 27 is not specifically referring to Our Lord, but rather to God’s “anointed one.” However, Missals tend to capitalize it, such as the official 1962 Missal and also a book from 1777 called Missel de Paris. Something tells me Monsignor Knox would not capitalize it.

—Jeff Ostrowski

15 February 2021 • “Sung vs. Spoken”

We have spoken quite a bit about “sung vs. spoken” antiphons. We have also noted that the texts of the Graduale Romanum sometimes don’t match the Missal texts (in the Extraordinary Form) because the Mass Propers are older than Saint Jerome’s Vulgate, and sometimes came from the ITALA versions of Sacred Scripture. On occasion, the Missal itself doesn’t match the Vulgate—cf. the Introit “Esto Mihi.” The Vulgate has: “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in domum refúgii…” but the Missal and Graduale Romanum use “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in locum refúgii…” The 1970s “spoken propers” use the traditional version, as you can see.

—Jeff Ostrowski