When I, trying to be most helpful with my newly ordained parochial vicar, reminded him that when chanting the "Behold" and "Lumen" he should start low for the first and progressively go higher for the next two, as I have done ever since I was ordained.
And he tells, me, but it doesn't say that in the rubrics. And sure enough he is right! So I told him it is a "custom" to do it the way I have always done it.
Then I looked at the EF Missal and the 1965 version of it, and sure enough, the rubrics say to chant these higher each time.
What is your custom in the OF celebrations of these two things, Good Friday, Easter Vigil???????? And how do I convince a doctor of the law studying canon law that I am right???????????????????????
11 comments:
Sounds like the newly ordained parochial vicar needs to be spanked. Unless he was born yesterday,that has been the practice since time immemorial
I thought Kavanaugh would enjoy seeing what his philosophical soulmates are saying about the Notre Dame donation bonanza:
https://hotair.com/archives/2019/04/19/wapo-worries-success-notre-dame-fundraising-white-privilege/
While I've not heard the "Behold" sung with a progressive tone, I have heard the "Lumen Christi" sung progressively as the candle makes its way through the church and the lights are gradually turned on. If I'm not mistaken, for the Easter Vigil and, at the Gloria, the missalette used to have a notation to the effect of "According to local custom, the church bells may be rung". Another example of "local custom" or, something that is more on the paraliturgical side is the statue of the reposed Christ. It's not mandated that Roman parishes have a Good Friday grave but, over the years many (mostly Slavic and Italian) have adopted this practice. Last, my Roman parish and several others here in the Northeast have a procession to the tomb after the Good Friday Liturgy with the statues of the Dead Christ and Sorrowful Mother. Our parish carries these statues on the shoulders of 8 men, 4 per statue, around the interior of the church to the grave. Again, it's not mandated that such a procession occur, it is just a local/ethnic custom, principally an Italian custom, that continues to be maintained.
Thank you for bringing this up—I’m actually going to be singing the chant in a few hours, and so now I have something to consult the Rector, MC, and Choir Director about.
The Ceremoniale and present Roman Missal are ambiguous on the question. The previous Sacramentary is not ambiguous—it specified the step-up in pitch each time (and gives music for all three intonations). Regardless of the EF and transition-era practices, we know it made its way into the 1970 Missal (at least in these United States).
It was more than a "custom." Check out the notation for the chant in the old Sacramentary. The first "Christ our Light" begins at A flat, the second starts with B flat, and the third with C.
The current rubrics don't seem to include the steps.
There are three occasions on which a chant is sung three times, each time on a higher tone: the Ecce lignum Crucis on Good Friday, the Lumen Christi at the Easter Vigil, and the Alleluia before the Gospel at the Vigil Mass.
Since the 1974 Graduale Romanum specifies the chant for the Novus Ordo, you find that it states that the Ecce lignum Crucis be sung three times, the celebrant intoning at least the incipit and with everyone responding Venite, adoremus. The second time is 'altius quam primo', and the third again 'altius'.
However, the Lumen Christi is for some reason not in the Graduale, and the Alleluia is directed to be sung once by the cantor, repeated by all, followed by the verse Confitemini, with the Alleluia then repeated.
However, I have often attended the Easter Vigil at the London and Birmingham Oratories since the 1970s (Novus Ordo Latin) and both the Lumen Christi and the Alleluia are sung three times, each time on a higher tone.
Bee here:
"And how do I convince a doctor of the law studying canon law that I am right???????????????????????"
Show him the old missal, or see if you can find something authoritative online.
Fr. Kavanaugh's citing of the old Sacramentary sounds like it would contribute authenticity.
I hope he does it regardless.
Good luck.
God bless.
Bee
Thank you, John Nolan. I knew it was “right” to chant it increasing the pitch each time, but couldn’t remember the source of the rubric.
This is a good opportunity for our budding canonist (and the rest of us) to recall that the Code dictates very little about the the rites of the Sacred Liturgy and that nearly all of the liturgical law remains in other praenotandae, rubrics, decrees, and instructions (cf. can. 2), as well as particular law and legitimate local custom. Unfortunately, two liturgical books that shed much light, the Ceremoniale and the Graduale, are not in most parish libraries (and I believe the latter only exists in Latin).
I’m not sure if the story is truth or legend, but it is said Cdl. Gasparri wanted to codify liturgical law when he was working on compiling the 1917 Code; upon seeing what a liturgical code would entail, he decided it was too aggressive a project and set it aside “for another time” (I would suggest perhaps “ad kalendas Graecas”). Now, as then, finding and correctly executing the more obscure pieces of liturgy involves some diligence in searching the rubrics along with a dose of humility.
Fr Matthew
Peter J Elliott, until last year auxiliary bishop in the archdiocese of Melbourne, has attempted to do for the Novus Ordo what Fortescue & O'Connell did for the Vetus Ordo by bringing out two books: 'Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite' and 'Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year'.
Since the rubrics for the NO tend to be lacking in detail, and descriptive rather than prescriptive, it is often necessary to fall back on traditional practice.
There are also contradictions. On Easter Sunday we have the Sequence 'Victimae Paschali'. According to the GIRM it is sung before the Alleluia, although historically it was a continuation of it. On the other hand the Graduale sticks to the traditional order: 'Sequentia, si casus fert, cantatur post ultimum Alleluia ...omisso Amen in fine.'
It is also clear from this that the Alleluia is repeated after the verse and that the Sequence has no Amen, Alleluia at the end. There are also changes in the way the Gradual and Alleluia are sung.
I have never heard the Sequence sung without the closing Amen, Alleluia in a Novus Ordo Mass. Music directors have either not read the praenotanda (which after all, are in Latin) or they choose to ignore this particular instruction!
At the Good Friday liturgy in 30327, the clergy wore chasubles or dalmatics (depending on whether they were priests or deacons). Thought they were a bit overdressed for a Good Friday service---for one, I did not know chasubles were worn outside of Mass (and of course, Mass is never celebrated on Good Friday).
Anonymous
To understand what should or should not be worn in Holy Week you need to look at three sets of rubrics. One, those which applied before 1955. Two, those which were in force from 1955 to 1970, taking into account the various changes made after Vatican II. Three, the present rite which dates from 1970.
Good luck.
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