OW MANY OF US can recite PSALM 33 from memory? The 3rd edition of the CAMPION MISSAL discusses ancient psalms added to each Communion antiphon at Mass. In several places, it cites Dr. Peter Wagner—a member of the Vatican Commission on Gregorian Chant under Pope Saint Pius X—talking about PSALM 33, which he calls “the unvarying Communion-chant which in all Masses accompanied the administration of the Holy Eucharist” in the early Church. Both the 1974 GRADUALE ROMANUM and the 1969 GRADUALE SIMPLEX explicitly say PSALM 33 may replace the proper Communion antiphon at any Mass.
Obstacles To Overcome • I like the idea of singing PSALM 33 during Communion—a psalm every Catholic should know by heart—but there’s a problem. If one follows the advice of the GRADUALE, the proper Communion antiphons get annihilated in the process. With the help of a few musical friends, I believe we may have solved the problem! The following arrangement includes those antiphons as optional psalm verses.1 My daughter and I recorded the treble voices for the rehearsal videos. I sang ALTO and my daughter sang SOPRANO:
* PDF Download • “PSALM 33” (6 pages)
—By Father Edgard de Laet (d. 1973) • This Communion Antiphon can be used at any time.
EQUAL VOICES : YouTube
SOPRANO : YouTube
ALTO : YouTube
TENOR : YouTube
BASS : YouTube
Alphabet • In Hebrew, PSALM 33 is an alphabetical acrostic. Monsignor Ronald Knox calls it “an Alphabet of Right-doing” as you can see:
(1 of 2) His Erudition • Monsignor Knox was asked by the bishops of England and Wales to translate the entire Bible into English. Only someone of his erudition could have completed such a task! Notice how Knox preserves the alphabetical acrostic in English.
(2 of 2) His Erudition • Knox does the same thing for PSALM 24, which he calls “An Alphabet of Trust.” He does the same thing for PSALM 36, which he calls “An Alphabet of Patience.” He does the same thing for PSALM 110 and PSALM 111, which he simply calls “Two Alphabets.” Incredibly, Monsignor Knox also preserves the acrostic in the enormously lengthy PSALM 118, which he calls “An Alphabet of Loyalty.” He does the same thing for PSALM 144, which he calls “An Alphabet of Gratitude.” (Needless to say, it’s possible those titles were added by the editor, not Knox himself.)
1 Over the next few weeks, many of the Communion antiphons come from PSALM 118. Experts on the sacred liturgy hold conflicting theories as to why this is the case.
