Traditional Latin Mass: learn to sing the proper, starting with Psalm tones.
In our previous post Traditional Latin Mass: finding the Proper antiphons of the Mass we explained how to:
1- identify the correct Sunday in the 1962 Liturgical Calendar (pre-Vatican II)
2- identify the proper, spoken and sung, for that Sunday,
3- download the Communion antiphon and psalm verses for that Sunday (using this website) .
We will use the “Sedebit” antiphons and verses of the Christ the King solemnity to learn the next step: start singing the mass !!!
First, download SEDEBIT here .
As we already mentioned, the simplest way to start is with the psalm tones used for the verses. But not yet. First, we have to get used to the Latin language.
STEP 1: read ALOUD the text you are about to sing in Latin . Read also the translation. You MUST understand what you sing to chant well. Example with the three first verses of SEDEBIT:
STEP 2: Now, you will sing the same verses, using what we call the RECTO TONO.
STEP 3: Now you can sing the verses.
Let us “unpack” the transition from being able to sing Step 2 , and working towards Step 3. This requires a deeper look into PSALM TONES . In the Latin mass, the “Gloria Patri” versions of these tones are typically used for the verses. There are eight (8) Gloria Patri tones. To identify the one you need, look at the number indicated at the beginning of the antiphon. “Sedebit” is written in MODE 6. We will therefore find the details to learn to sing this tone at this link: Mode VI . I hope you will find this link to be helpful!
Second example: Communion verses for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost. Download AMEN DICO VOBIS here .
STEP 1: read ALOUD the text you are about to sing in Latin . Read also the translation. You MUST understand what you sing to chant well. Example with the three first verses of AMEN DICO VOBIS:
STEP 2: Now, you will sing the same verses, using what we call the RECTO TONO.
STEP 3: Now you can sing the verses. You notice the “I” before the antiphon, so you can break down the melody by consulting the page for Mode I
Third example: Communion verses for the 2nd Sunday of Advent. Download JERUSALEM SURGE here .
STEP 1: read ALOUD the text you are about to sing in Latin . Read also the translation. You MUST understand what you sing to chant well. Example with the three first verses of JERUSALEM SURGE:
STEP 2: Now, you will sing the same verses, using what we call the RECTO TONO.
STEP 3: Now you can sing the verses. You notice the “II” before the antiphon, so you can break down the melody by consulting the page for Mode II
November-December
(New to this website? See Questions? ). For information on the CATHOLIC SCHOOL of HYMNS, click here.
Click on the coming Sundays to download sheet music and sound files of the sung Proper of the Mass. (Click here for the 1962 Traditional Calendar) The sound files are unaccompanied (a-cappella) to replicate as closely as possible the conditions of individual practice at home. Three versions:
- Roman Gradual, in Latin (the universal and official music of each Mass)
- Two English translations: a very simple one, and another closer to the original Latin.
Sunday, December 5, SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Wednesday, December 8, THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Sunday, December 12, THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Continue reading →Does it matter what music we use at mass?
Being attentive to how we celebrate the liturgy can have a profound impact on how we live our Catholic faith more broadly, Higgins told The Pillar.
The phrase “source and summit” is often used in many Catholic circles to refer to the Eucharist alone, he noted. “But when you read the texts of the Sacrosanctum concilium (the constitution on the liturgy from the Second Vatican Council), [the phrase] actually refers to the liturgy as the source and summit of our faith, with the celebration of the Eucharist being the pinnacle of that.”
This means that when the liturgy is celebrated well, and in its proper context as the summit of the faith, the rest of the Catholic life and mission — from evangelization and catechesis to the devotional life — can “flow from that,” Higgins said.
“When we do liturgy correctly — as joining Christ in his prayer to the Father rather than something that we bring from our own perspective, then conform ourselves to Christ…we join him and become like him and we go out into the world from that experience, and it improves everything about our mission.”
READ FULL ARTICLE BY CLICKING BELOW:
Traditional Latin Mass: finding the Proper antiphons of the Mass
One difficulty for newcomers to the Traditional Latin Mass is to identify the “proper of the mass”. For aspiring choir members especially, these proper will explain why we sing what we sing. We sing the mass, we just do not sing at mass.
The first step is to locate the date of the calendar we know (ex: Sunday October 31st, 2021) into a date of the Liturgical Calendar.
For this, we recommend to use the http://www.propria.org website. There are others, but this is a good one. You will then see “CATHOLIC ORDO FOR THE 2021 LITURGICAL YEAR”
CLICK on the link to go to the “Ordo 2021” page. Then scroll down until you find the date you are looking for….
… When you see “SUNDAY OCTOBER 31th”, stop. Read across: On that specific Sunday “the Kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ” is celebrated. CLICK on that link…
… and you will see the proper for the Sunday you were looking for… This is only text. If you want the sheet music for the SUNG PROPER, you can consult the LIBER USUALIS (see Books, books, books,… ) or many other internet resources. In the below example, we will assume you are a beginner with singing the Traditional Latin Mass. The simplest antiphon is generally the Communion, and even simpler are the psalm verses, usually sung on a Psalm Tone (see Psalm tones )…. Let us find the sheet music for this Communion Antiphon : “Sedebit Dominus”…
The website http://www.musicasacra.com includes many, many resources, like a wonderful book called COMMUNIO, free of charge. Go to the COMMUNIO page of http://www.musicasacra.com (see below)… Scroll down…
… until you find the “Sedebit” antiphon you identified earlier (antiphons are usually identified by their first word(s) ). CLICK…
… ET VOILÀ. Now you have the sheet music to join the schola in singing the Communion antiphon and verses.
A Catholic Book of Hymns
DOWNLOAD A 40-PAGE SAMPLE OF THE HYMNAL BY CLICKING HERE
Long Beach Chant 