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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

Permission Needed to Replace the Propers?—(2 of 7)

Veronica Brandt · February 21, 2015

WHO Unicef Infant Feeding HE CHASM between the documents of the liturgical renewal and their implementation has always been fascinating to watch, though rather saddening when viewed from the pew. There is a disconnect between the theory and the practice and this has been the case to varying degrees for a long time.

It makes sense that there may be an ideal of which we are permitted to fall short, but it is the ideal which should guide our efforts and help keep us united, working together for the common good.

So here is the quote from the General Instruction on the Roman Missal section 48:

The singing at this time is done either alternately by the choir and the people or in a similar way by the cantor and the people, or entirely by the people, or by the choir alone. In the dioceses of the United States of America there are four options for the Entrance Chant: (1) the antiphon from The Roman Missal or the Psalm from the Roman Gradual as set to music there or in another musical setting; (2) the seasonal antiphon and Psalm of the Simple Gradual; (3) a song from another collection of psalms and antiphons, approved by the Conference of Bishops or the diocesan Bishop, including psalms arranged in responsorial or metrical forms; (4) a suitable liturgical song similarly approved by the Conference of Bishops or the diocesan Bishop

Which clearly gives four options:

• The antiphon from the Roman Missal or the Psalm from the Roman Gradual;|
• The seasonal antiphon and Psalm of the Simple Gradual;|
• A song from another collection of psalms and antiphons approved the the Conference of Bishops;|
• A suitable liturgical song similarly approved by the Conference of Bishops

And it is this last dot point which has become the default. Except now we find that the approval has been assumed rather than specifically given. So instead of reaching the ideal at the top of the list, we’re not even hitting the point at the bottom of the list.

This reminds me of a similar situation in the world of breastfeeding advocacy. The World Health Organisation and UNICEF have provided a document with clear guidelines for addressing the chief sources of malnutrition and infant mortality. This is a global recommendation—all countries want healthy children—but the most crying need is seen in the developing world.

The Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, point 18 states:

The vast majority of mothers can and should breastfeed, just as the vast majority of infants can and should be breastfed. Only under exceptional circumstances can a mother’s milk be considered unsuitable for her infant. For those few health situations where infants cannot, or should not, be breastfed, the choice of the best alternative—expressed breast milk from an infant’s own mother, breast milk from a healthy wet-nurse or a human-milk bank, or a breast-milk substitute fed with a cup, which is a safer method than a feeding bottle and teat—depends on individual circumstances.

So that boils down to five options:

• Milk from own mother by breastfeeding;|
• Milk from own mother, expressed;|
• Milk from a wet-nurse; or|
• Milk from a milk bank; or|
• Breastmilk substitute fed by cup.

But the default has widely become a breastmilk substitute (aka infant formula) fed by bottle. So again, we’re failing the ideal and not even hitting the bottom bullet point.

There are similarities in the path to this situation too. In both cases there was a assumed air of superiority of the “new way” of doing things. The old way was considered irrelevant to the modern generation.

In both cases a whole culture was lost. Both require ongoing research and education to recover the skills needed to aim for the ideal. We are so far gone that just telling people what they should be doing is inadequate. They lack the skills to reach the ideal or even understand what is required to attain those skills.

In both cases there are economic interests hampering the attainment of the ideal.

In both cases we risk alienating the very people we are trying to help by insisting on the ideal without giving the groundwork necessary for grasping the situation.

Folk Hymns for the Now Generation WE HAVE A LONG ROAD AHEAD. We can dream about those in authority suddenly exercising government and setting the institutions on the right track. We hear about isolated cases of this going into practice to good effect. But for the majority of people on the ground, the first step is to educate ourselves, our families and the circles we do have influence with.

If people can experience the beauty of the Mass celebrated with the full complement of texts, then the extra hymns will recede into the background. The congregation can still enjoy a rousing recessional hymn. There may be time for a Eucharistic hymn after the Communion antiphon and psalm.

Maybe the “Folk Hymns of the Now Generation” can become the new form of the old “sing-a-long around the piano” – a nostalgia trip enjoyed in the home or parish hall.

This article is part of a series:

Part 1 • Richard Clark

Part 2 • Veronica Brandt

Part 3 • Andrew Leung

Part 4 • Dr. Lucas Tappan

Part 5 • Andrew Motyka

Part 6 • Cynthia Ostrowski

Part 7 • Aurelio Porfiri

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Hilgartner 20 November 2012, Hymns Replacing Propers Last Updated: October 15, 2022

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About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
    This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
    Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.
    —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

“As liturgical art, church music is obliged to conform to ecclesiastical law. But to construct artificial polarities here, between legalistic order and a dynamic church music, demanded by the alleged needs of the day, would be to forsake the foundation of a music rooted in liturgical experience. What is in fact the pastoral value of the shoddy, the profane, the third-rate?”

— Dr. Robert Skeris (1996)

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  • This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
  • Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
  • Installment #3 • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”

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