Embedded Files
"...psalms and hymns and spiritual songs"
~ Ephesians 5:19
What do Catholics sing?
What do Catholics sing?
Catholics don't just sing AT Mass.
We sing THE Mass!
The tradition of singing Catholic Sacred Liturgy grew from our Jewish roots. The Jews chanted the Psalms and other songs from sacred Scripture in their worship of God. Christianity was the fulfillment of God's plan for salvation through the Jewish people, so it was natural that the early Church continue the practice of singing the Psalms and prayers of the sacred Liturgy to God. The book of Psalms is the original liturgical song book!
How Roman Catholics chant the Psalms and prayers of the Liturgy
The body of chant melodies that developed in the early Church was codified by Pope St. Gregory the Great (590-604). During the 8th and 9th century, these Roman chant melodies were merged with the Gallican chant melodies which had developed in France under Charlemagne. The resulting body of melodies was called Gregorian Chant, and is still considered the primary liturgical music of the Roman Catholic Church. From Gregorian Chant, our Church has developed a rich treasury of Sacred Music, which has been known and sung by so many of the Saints!
At Mass, we step outside of time and space and enter into the eternal Sacred Liturgy--the re-presentation of the Last Supper, the Cross, the Resurrection. We join in singing from the Catholic treasury of sacred music. We unite ourselves and our voices to the whole Body of Christ: the visible body here on earth and the great body of Angels and Saints--countless souls in Heaven who sang this great treasury of music in countless Liturgies before us!
St. Augustine said, "Cantare amantis est," ~ singing belongs to one who loves.
The sacred Liturgy is the eternal song of love and praise of God.
To sing it belongs to us.
Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus sabbaoth!
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts!
Ordinary ~ Propers ~ Hymns
Ordinary
Ordinary
The Ordinary of the Mass consists of the prayers of the Mass, which are the same at almost every Mass throughout the year. These are: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Preface Dialogue, Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation, Our Father, and Agnus Dei. The Ordinary parts of the Mass are the most important part for the congregation to sing. There are 18 Gregorian chant settings of the Ordinary, and now many, many more modern settings!
At 8:00 and 10:30 Masses at OLG when we sing these Ordinary parts, we use a mix of the Latin Jubilate Deo setting and the English ICEL setting of the Mass.
At 12:30 Latin Mass we generally use the Missa de Angelis (Mass VIII), when there is a Missa Cantata (also called a Sung Mass or high Mass).
You can listen to these settings of the Ordinary on the Resources page!
Propers
Propers
The Propers of the Mass consist of the specific prayers, readings, and Psalms which are designated to be sung or read for each day in the Liturgical year. These include the Entrance Antiphon, collect prayers, the Old and New Testament Readings, the Responsorial Psalm, Offertory Antiphon, and Communion Antiphons. The Proper Antiphons are from the book of Psalms.
At 8:00 and 10:30 Masses at OLG we sing the Responsorial Psalms mainly from the Owen Alstott setting of the Responsorial Psalms.
To sing the Proper Communion Antiphon we use Father Samuel Weber's Proper of the Mass for Sundays and Solemnities.
At 12:30 Latin Masses, we sing the original Gregorian Chant Propers when there is a Missa Cantata (also called a Sung Mass or high Mass).
The Resource page has a link to discover more about the Propers we sing at the Latin Mass.
Hymns
Hymns
While Hymns are technically intended to be part of the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours, they are often sung at Mass at the Entrance, Offertory, Communion and at the end of Mass for final procession of the servers and priest. Sometimes Hymns are sung in addition to the Propers, and sometimes in place of them.
St. Augustine (354-430 AD) explained hymns in his sermon on Psalm 72 this way:
“Hymns are praises offered to God with singing; hymns are songs, with God’s praise as their theme … For there to be a hymn, three elements are required: there must be praise, it must be for God, and it must be sung … The singer of praise is not only performing musically but showing love for the one who is sung about. To confess God by praise is a way of preaching him; to pour out passion in song is the way of a lover.” Expositions of the Psalms, volume 3, 470
Cantare amantis est - singing is for one who loves
~ St Augustine
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse