OR A NUMBER OF YEARS, I worked on projects with the founding director of the Benedict XVI Institute for Divine Worship and Sacred Music. He repeated one particular phrase ceaselessly: “It’s the Novus Ordo, so you can do whatever you want.” At that period in life, I remember being extremely scandalized by his words. As the years passed, however, I kept studying. Eventually, I realized the phrase he constantly repeated was absolutely correct. That’s because the Novus Ordo has an enormous amount of options.1
Covert Operation • Personally, I find the amount of options gravely excessive and confusing. Moreover, one could make a case that excessive options constitute (in a very real sense) the Roman Rite’s destruction. After all, if every prayer, reading, and chant has a rubric that says “or anything else appropriate” (i.e. alius cantus congruus) that is de facto the rite’s destruction. For many years, this state of affairs embarrassed me. Consequently, I tried to “hide” or “obscure” or “gloss over” the situation. But let’s be honest: it’s pointless to conceal the truth. Someday, all of this must be fixed; so we might as well start discussing matters.
(1 of 2) Wasting Breath • It’s important to realize that certain priests, musicians, and liturgists refuse to acknowledge truths that make them feel uncomfortable. A case in point would be the 20-NOV-2012 ruling by the USCCB regarding so-called “tacit” permission. That ruling wasn’t really a surprise; it merely placed on paper a policy in existence for 40+ years. (Many consider that policy shameful and absurd—but I digress.) If I wanted to, I could provide the names of twenty musicians who are perfectly aware of the 20-NOV-2012 ruling but who publicly deny its existence because it makes them feel uncomfortable.
(2 of 2) Wasting Breath • One who examines the post-conciliar GRADUALE ROMANUM (governed by the post-conciliar Ordo Cantus Missae), will notice several sentences at the beginning of each section. Many times on this blog, we have provided an English translation for these sentences. They basically say that any chant (!) from any season (!) can be used in place of the assigned chant “for any pastoral reason.” Just like the 20-NOV-2012 ruling, certain priests, musicians, and liturgists refuse to acknowledge this directive. But their quarrel is with church authorities, not us!
Indeed, anyone who doubts what I’m saying should examine page v of the 2011 publication by the Society of Saint Gregory (in England): “The Processional: Texts for Singing the Processional Songs of the Mass From the Church’s Primary Sources.” Their book includes their own English translation for one of these sentences:
The texts from the Graduale Romanum may be used still more flexibly. ‘The faculty is granted to select from the chants pertaining to the Proper of Time: in place of the proper text of the day, it is permitted to substitute another text from the same season.’ This is ‘so that pastoral necessities may be more widely satisfied’ (from the Praenotanda of the Graduale Romanum).
Gospel Acclamations • Believe it or not, any GOSPEL ACCLAMATION text can substitute for the “assigned” text at any Mass. This can be done for any reason or for no reason at all. Unsurprisingly, certain priests, musicians, and liturgists refuse to acknowledge this permission (because it makes them feel uncomfortable). Once we realize that any GOSPEL ACCLAMATION text can substitute for the text given in the LECTIONARY, nothing more really needs to be said. However, as if to “highlight” or “emphasize” or “spotlight” this permission, the post-conciliar books explicitly provide a list of ‘common’ GOSPEL ACCLAMATION texts. Such a list—needless to say—is totally superfluous. But here’s what it looks like, in case you’re curious:
One Final Example • The Pauline rite—for the record—also provides Common Responsorial Psalm Texts. (These ‘common’ texts were invaluable when I was first learning to play for Spanish Masses.) Needless to say, such lists are superfluous because the post-conciliar legislation allows any Responsorial Psalm text to substitute for what’s given in the LECTIONARY. Such a substitution can be made for any reason … or for no reason at all.
The choirmaster who uses fully valid options often gets attacked by priests ignorant of liturgical law. The priest will tell the musician he is “wrong.” Yet, more often than not, these are the same priests who insist that the Adalbert Propers be sung at Mass (even though they were explicitly intended to be spoken, not sung) instead of the propers from the GRADUALE ROMANUM. So we definitely have our work cut out for us!
1 Even priests who consider themselves to be liturgical “experts” are often unaware of many of these options (which are 100% licit). For instance, the rubrics of the Pauline rite say that “on the weekdays in Ordinary Time, any of the 34 Masses ‘in Ordinary Time’ is able to be said according to the pastoral usefulness of the texts.”
