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Views from the Choir Loft

“Text-Informed Performance Practice in Chant”

Patrick Williams · June 18, 2023

CCORDING TO THE RUBRICS for the chant of the Mass, there are two ways of singing the full gradual chant: “Two [cantors] sing the Verse of the Gradual, and, after the final asterisk, the full choir finishes it; or else, if the responsorial method is preferred, the full choir repeats the first part of the Responsory after the Verse is finished by the cantors or cantor.” The first of these two methods is more prevalent by far. In The Chants of the Vatican Gradual, Dom Dominic Johner writes the following regarding the gradual for the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist:

1. The Lord put forth his hand, 2. and touched my mouth, 3. and said to me. At the end of the third phrase we are prompted to ask the question: What did God say? A colon was formerly placed after the words “said to me,” and the Alleluia with its verse was then considered their logical continuation. The fact is, however, that Gradual and Alleluia do not combine to form one whole; they are each assigned to a different mode, at least in the present case. Moreover, the words of Zachary as contained in the Alleluia-verse could hardly be ascribed to our Lord to whom the words of the Gradual refer. The term “Gradual responsory” implies what the answer to the above question will embody. After dixit mihi, the text Priúsquam . . . sanctificávi te of the Gradual should be repeated. Needless to say, this sequence was alien to the mind of the prophet Jeremias. (p. 394)

In Gregorian Chant according to the Manuscripts, Dom Gregory Murray notes the following:

The Gradual, as such, is responsorial in form. That is to say, after the solo verse has been sung, the first section (the respond) should be repeated. Although this is not the current practice, it is permitted, and there are some Graduals in which the words lose all meaning unless the repeat is made. For example, the Gradual Priusquam (for the Birthday of St John the Baptist) has a verse which ends ‘et dixit mihi’ (and he said to me). Without the repeat of the respond this hardly makes sense. (p. 47)

The following note is printed in the third edition of the Saint Edmund Campion Missal:

The choir always has the option to repeat the Gradual’s refrain section—as Abbat Pothier made clear in 1908 when the Editio Vaticana was published under Pope Saint Pius X—although this repeat in seldom taken, even in monasteries. For this particular Gradual, taking the repeat is recommended to complete the phrase “and said to me.” (p. 410)

The Newer Books • In the Graduale Novum, the opening text is Prius quam, not Priúsquam. The stress is on the first syllable, not the second.

This revision is consistent not only with many ancient sources, but also with the neumes, as the isolated note coincides with an unstressed syllable rather than the accented syllable. I was pleased to see a rubric included immediately after this chant in the 1974 Graduale Romanum that says, “Repetitur Priúsquam usque ad versum” (Priúsquam is repeated up to the verse), which echoes the Ordo Cantus Missae: “GR. Priusquam reincipitur post versum” (The gradual Priusquam is begun again after the verse). Although we who sing for the traditional Latin Mass are certainly not bound by these rubrics, they are perfectly sensible. Singing straight through may fulfill the letter of the law, but the older responsorial method is more in accord with a right understanding of this text. Let us sing with the spirit and also with understanding! (1 Corinthians 14:15)

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: June 19, 2023

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President’s Corner

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —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

“The plan to definitively abolish the traditional Tridentine Mass … if it is true, seems to me to be an insult to the history of the Church and to Sacred Tradition, a diabolical project that seeks to break with the Church of Christ, the apostles, and the saints.”

— The Vatican’s chief liturgist (appointed by Pope Francis) from 2014-2021

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