Antiphony Reborn: Singing the Mass Propers

Does Sunday Mass in your parish start with a hymn? Why? Did you know that the Church actually provides scripture to be read or sung during the entrance of the Priest and servers?

This, my friends, is the Entrance Antiphon or, to give it its traditional name, the Introit. In a talk he gave at the recent Sacred Liturgy Conference, Monsignor Andrew Wadsworth, Director of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy, called the antiphons a “musical lectio on the day”.

Would you replace the First Reading at Mass with a chapter from Jonathan Livingston Seagull? How about replacing the Responsorial Psalm with “On Eagle’s Wings”? No?

Then why replace the Entrance Antiphon with “Here I am, Lord”?

The Church is pretty serious about this. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal is found at the beginning of every Missal. It says,

In the Dioceses of the United States of America there are four options for the Entrance Chant¹:

(1) the antiphon from the Missal or the antiphon with its Psalm from the Graduale Romanum as set to music there or in another setting;

(2) the antiphon and Psalm of the Graduale Simplex for the liturgical time;

(3) a chant 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) another liturgical chant that is suited to the sacred action, the day, or the time of year, similarly approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop.

If there is no singing at the Entrance, the antiphon given in the Missal is recited either by the faithful, or by some of them, or by a reader; otherwise, it is recited by the Priest himself…

(General Instruction, no. 48)

Seems pretty clear. No possibility of using a hymn is even mentioned.

So why do so many parishes start their Masses off with a “gathering hymn”? As it turns out, Rome gave specific permission for replacing the various antiphons with vernacular hymns back in 1958.

As the revised Missal was being published in 1969, the Sacred Congregation of Rites² was asked whether or not this instruction still applied.

The response, published in Notitiae, their official journal, reads as follows:

That rule has been superseded. What must be sung is the Mass, its Ordinary and Proper, not ‘something,’ no matter how consistent, that is imposed on the Mass. Because the liturgical service is one, it has only one countenance, one motif, one voice, the voice of the Church. To continue to replace the text of the Mass being celebrated with motets that are reverent and devout, yet out of keeping with the Mass of the day amounts to continuing an unacceptable ambiguity: it is to cheat the people. Liturgical song involves not mere melody, but words, text, thought and the sentiments that the poetry and music contain. Thus texts must be those of the Mass, not others, and singing means singing the Mass not just singing during Mass.

(Notitiae 5 [1969] page 406)

Did you catch that? Rome thinks that replacing the antiphon with a hymn, no matter how good, is cheating you. Pretty strong language.

When the United States Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy was asked the same question in 1993, they published a six page reply that likewise concluded that the rule had been superseded, and they quoted from the Congregation’s response above³.

If you’re not singing the Entrance Antiphon, you have been cheated. Maybe not intentionally, but cheated nonetheless.

And since Pope Francis recently called for end to “mediocrity, banality and superficiality” in liturgical music, restoring the Entrance Antiphon seems like a good place to start!

So where do you find the antiphons?

The General Instruction helpfully provides a list. Let’s start with number 1. This is actually two different options, bundled together: (A) the antiphon from the Missal or (B) the antiphon with its Psalm from the Graduale Romanum.

While the texts of the Entrance Antiphons for any given Sunday are usually the same in the Missal and the Gradual, this is not always the case, so let’s take them one by one.

1-A. The (Spoken) Antiphon from the Missale Romanum

The first option is by far the easiest. The Entrance Antiphon is printed directly in the Missal!

Many pew Missals have them as well.

In previous versions of the General Instruction, it said that the Antiphon from the Missal is to be recited, rather than sung⁴.

According to rather vaguely written instruction in the current General Instruction, the Missal Antiphon may now apparently be said or sung⁵. So where’s the music to sing it? Some of the more modern pew hymnals may have this, but by and large where you find music, it will be for the next option.

One exception that I have found is the Simple Choral Gradual (Richard Rice, 2011), which indeed uses the Missal texts. The PDF is free for download.

1-B. The Sung Antiphon with its Psalm from the Graduale Romanum

This of course, is the most traditional version. The book was revised in 1974, but the musical compositions themselves contained within are unchanged from the previous versions, many dating back more than a thousand years.

In addition to the relatively short antiphon, there is an accompanying psalm just like the Responsorial Psalm. In fact, in terms of form and format, the Entrance Chant (consisting of antiphon and psalm) is exactly like the Responsorial.

The Graduale Romanum may be purchased – it’s even available on Amazon! A supplementary volume of organ accompaniment is likewise available.

Corpus Christi Watershed has graciously made available a PDF of the Graduale as well, though at 906 pages, you’re probably better off purchasing a copy than printing this one out!

When you take a look at it, the first thing you’re going to notice is this: the Antiphons are entirely in Latin. And unless you get the 1990 edition, so are the instructions.

Now, if your parish is up for the Latin, by all means have at it! However, this is not going to be for everyone.

Many talented modern composers have set approved English translations to music and have made them available for free download. Here are just a few:

• Lalemant Propers (Corpus Christi Watershed, 2013) Also available as a printed book.
• Entrance, Offertory, and Communion Antiphons (Peter R. Johnson, 2013)
• Graduale Parvum (Birmingham Oratory, 2012)
• Simple English Propers (Church Music Association of America, 2011) Also available as a printed book. Complete practice videos may be found here.
• American Gradual (Bruce E. Ford, 2008)
• Plainchant Gradual – Volumes I & II; Volumes III & IV (Saint Mary’s Press, 1965) This is the entirety of the Graduale Romanum – every version of every chant – adapted for English.

If you’re looking for a book rather than just a PDF, you may also wish to check out the following:

• The Proper of the Mass for Sundays and Solemnities (Ignatius Press, 2014) Free organ accomaniment PDFs may be downloaded here.
• Jogues Illuminated Missal, Lectionary, & Gradual (Corpus Christi Watershed & the John Paul II Institute for Liturgical Renewal, 2014)
• Saint Meinrad Entrance and Communion Antiphons for the Church Year (OCP, 2014) by Rev. Columba Kelly, O.S.B.
• Lumen Christi Missal (Illuminare Publications, 2012)
• Saint Michael Hymnal (Saint Boniface Catholic Church, Lafayette IN, 2011)
• Simple Choral Gradual (Church Music Association of America, 2011)

Note that some of these are full-service pew missals containing the antiphons, rather than just Graduals. And all of these have been published or revised in the last ten years.

I’d like to draw your attention to the most recent book on the list above, The Proper of the Mass for Sundays and Solemnities. This mammoth tome (1,292 pages!) was composed by Rev. Samuel F. Weber O.S.B. This book provides multiple settings for each chant.

Father Weber has been composing chant for English text for decades, and his website has a wealth of resources, including full Mass, Lauds, and Vespers booklets, available for free download.

Let’s move on to the second numbered option in the General Instruction.

2. The Antiphon and Psalm of the Graduale Simplex for the Liturgical Time

The Graduale Simplex is, as you might guess, a simplified version of the Graduale Romanum. It was first published in 1967, and it streamlines the number of Mass propers and simplifies the music.

Again, it may be purchased, or the PDF downloaded from Musica Sacra.

Although the tunes are indeed much simpler than the Graduale Romanum, they are still in Latin. It might be a good starting point for a smaller parish that is not Latin-averse.

A good English version is The Lumen Christi Simple Gradual (Illuminare Publications, 2012).

Father Weber’s website also provides English Chant for the Simple Gradual for most of the year for free download in handy PDF booklet form. There’s even some Spanish chant!

Moving on to our final options.

The Other Options

As a reminder, the last options from the General Instruction read as follows:

(3) a chant 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) another liturgical chant that is suited to the sacred action, the day, or the time of year, similarly approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop.

Here we run into an wall, at least in the United States, because the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has never approved any other collection of Antiphons or sacred chant for this purpose. So far as I know, neither has any U.S. Bishop explicitly approved any such collection. I’d love to be corrected on that.

All the Antiphons

But wait, there’s more! The Missal and both versions of the Gradual also provide Communion Antiphons to be recited or sung during the Communion Rite. See if what the General Instruction says about these sounds familiar:

In the Dioceses of the United States of America, there are four options for singing at Communion:

(1) the antiphon from the Missal or the antiphon with its Psalm from the Graduale Romanum, as set to music there or in another musical setting; (2) the antiphon with Psalm from the Graduale Simplex of the liturgical time; (3) a chant 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) some other suitable liturgical chant (cf. no. 86) approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop. This is sung either by the choir alone or by the choir or a cantor with the people.

However, if there is no singing, the antiphon given in the Missal may be recited either by the faithful, or by some of them, or by a reader; otherwise, it is recited by the Priest himself after he has received Communion and before he distributes Communion to the faithful.

(General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 87)

Unlike the Entrance Antiphon, however, the possibility of a hymn exists, but it is supplementary and does not replace the Communion Antiphon.

While the Priest is receiving the Sacrament, the Communion Chant is begun…. singing is prolonged for as long as the Sacrament is being administered to the faithful. However, if there is to be a hymn after Communion, the Communion Chant should be ended in a timely manner.

(General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 86)

Finally, in the Gradual, we find the Offertory Chant, consisting of the Offertory Antiphon with its accompanying psalm.

Although the text of the Offertory Chant does not appear in the Missal at all, it is still to be sung:

The procession bringing the gifts is accompanied by the Offertory Chant (cf. no. 37 b)⁶, which continues at least until the gifts have been placed on the altar. The norms on the manner of singing are the same as for the Entrance Chant (cf. no. 48). Singing may always accompany the rite at the Offertory, even when there is no procession with the gifts.

(General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 74)

Unlike the others, the Offertory Chant is entirely optional. As indicated, the text doesn’t appear in the Missal itself, but beyond that we have an aside in General Instruction number 142b that says, “If, however, there is no Offertory Chant…”

So look at that! Three different scriptures that are frequently cut out of every single Mass in many parishes throughout the world.

1. Entrance Antiphon (Introit) (and psalm)
2. Communion Antiphon (and psalm)
3. Offertory Antiphon and psalm [optional]

Together with the Responsorial Psalm and the Alleluia verse⁷, these three antiphons with their psalms are called the “Proper of the Mass“. This is to distinguish them from the “Ordinary of the Mass” – the Kyrie, Gloria, Creed, Sanctus, and Angus Dei. The Propers change from Mass to Mass depending on the day or season, while the Ordinary is the same at every Mass.

The Propers and the Ordinary are part of the structure of the Mass – part of its bones. They are the parts of the Mass that we, the people in the pews, are supposed to sing.

This is your heritage. This is the modern form of the Mass as the instructions themselves say it is to be celebrated.

Now What?

There are choir leaders all over the world leading their parishes in singing the antiphons. We are extremely fortunate in our parish that for many years we have sung them, but not every parish is so fortunate.

If you’re not singing these scriptures, you might ask why. But do it gently!

The fact is that many folks in choirs all over the Catholic world are doing their best, and they simply aren’t aware of the antiphons, or they aren’t aware that they’re not optional. In many parishes, these folks are volunteers. It’s not their fault! They are being cheated as well, and they probably don’t even know it.

The liturgical reform was instituted piecemeal. Although the new Missal went into effect in Advent of 1970, the new Gradual didn’t come out until 1974. The version with the instructions in English wasn’t published until 1990! There were even issues with the translation of earlier editions of the General Instruction.

Confusion reigned and mistakes were made in good faith. After a decade or two, it just becomes “that’s how we’ve always done it”.

We can’t change the past, but we can move into the future as the Church asks us to, uncovering the richness of our liturgical and musical heritage for ourselves and for future generations of Catholics.

Thank you! I had some help assembling the resources for this article. I would particularly like to thank Maestra Victoria Solenberger and Rev. Jacob Maurer.

1. I’ve added line breaks between the numbered options so they’re easier to read on a screen.
2. Now the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
3. BCL Newsletter, August-September 1993.
4. There is a longstanding confusion on this topic, outlined in detail in an article by Jeff Ostrowski titled “Antiphons in the Roman Gradual don’t match the Third Edition of the Roman Missal?“
5. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, nos. 47-48.
6. 37b. Others, on the other hand, accompany some other rite, such as the chants at the Entrance, at the Offertory, at the fraction (Agnus Dei, Lamb of God) and at Communion.
7. or Tract during Lent.