Musicians

Musicians and choirs add an important celebratory element to our liturgies. 

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The Gathering Song
- To open the celebration
- To foster unity among people
- To direct their minds to the sacred mystery being celebrated ...”with a sung item suitable to the day or season” GIRM 25-26

Give time and space for this song – maybe start it ahead of time
Not a good time to do a completely new piece – this song has a great bearing on the whole liturgy

The Responsorial Psalm
“The Responsorial Psalm is an integral part of the Liturgy of the Word” – GIRM 36

The Psalm may be sung responsorially (cantor/congregational response), or directly (cantor /congregation sing whole psalm – no response. GIL 20
- Through settings
- Psalm tone with seasonal/daily response
- Psalm tone sung by all or in alternation
- When there is only one reading, after singing a psalm filled with Alleluias or Alleluia response, there is little sense in saying ‘Let us stand to sing the Alleluia’

The Preparation of the Gifts
“It is often preferable to accompany these rites in silence or while the organ is playing.” OM 21
- Song, if sung, should be by choir
- Instrumental music is best option – priest prays in low voice

The Communion
“When the priest and people are receiving the Sacrament, the Communion Antiphon (song) is sung. Its purpose it to express the spiritual union of the communicants by the union of their voices, to show forth their joy, and to make it clear that the Communion Procession is a fraternal occasion.”` GIRM 55

- The three characteristics of the communion processional should be reflected in the hymn chosen at this time
- This is not a time for ‘miscellaneous’ or ‘eucharistic devotional hymn’
- A hymn after communion may also be sung but preference is to be given to communion processional

The Dismissal
“The formal dismissal is announced to the people who can now return to their lives of good works, praising and blessing God.” GIRM 57

- In the case of a Solemn Blessing, the Amen cries out to be sung
- “Go in peace to love and serve.....” – does it make sense to wait for the final hymn... need to be processing with the hymn...

Parts of the Mass
The Penitential Rite
“The Kyrie eleison is an acclamation which praises the Lord and implores his mercy; and so should normally be song by everybody, the people, the cantor and choir all having a part in it.” GIRM 30

- Priests/Cantor may lead the Kyrie to which all respond

The Gloria
“The Gloria in Excelsis is a very ancient and venerable hymn by which the Church, gathered together in the Holy Spirit, offers praise and entreaty to God the Father and the Lamb...It should be sung by the whole congregation or else by them in alteration with the choir, or by the choir itself....” GIRM 31

- A hymn can rarely do itself justice as a recitation
- Refrain/Verses is a bit of a stop-gap stage with a hymn, as the refrain is no more important than the rest of the text

Gospel Acclamation
“The Alleluia or the verse before the Gospel must be sung not only by the cantor who intones it or by the choir, but by the whole congregation together” GIL 23

“If the Alleluia or verse before the Gospel are not sung, they may be omitted. GIRM 39

- If you don’t sing the Happy Birthday song, you don’t recite it instead.

Profession of Faith
“The Creed is to be said by priest and people together ....if sung, it is done so by all together or in alternation.” GIRM 14

Prayer of the Faithful
“In the general intercessions or prayers, the people exercise their priestly function by interceding for all.” GIRM 45

“The community as a whole expresses its prayer either by a common response after each petition, or else by a prayerful silence.” GIRM 47

- Intercessions said/sung
- Response said/sung

Holy, Holy, Holy
“In this the entire congregation, in union with the heavenly powers, sings or says the Sanctus. This acclamation is an integral part of the Eucharistic prayer itself, and the voices of all should join in with that of the priest.” GIRM 55

- All need to know this music – different settings not necessary
- Keep same settings on a seasonal basis
- Text not to be tampered with.

Acclamations during the Eucharistic Prayer
“In this prayer of remembrance, the Church, fulfilling the command she has received from her Lord through the apostles, celebrates the memorial of Christ, calling to mind his blessed passion, his glorious resurrection and his ascent to heaven.
The importance of the Eucharistic Prayer demands that all should listen to ti in reverent silence, making it their own by joining in those acclamation which the course of the rite provides for them.
The end of the Eucharistic Prayers is an expression of the praise of God, and is emphasised and concluded by the people’s acclamation.” GIRM 55

- The Memorial Acclamation belongs to the people
- The doxology is the summit of the Eucharistic Prayer – it should never be weak or inaudible. If doxology is not sung, maybe hold chord on organ and respond directly with Amen!

Our Father
“The priest invites the people to prayer, so all should say this prayer with him.” GIRM 56

- This is the prayer of all; if it is sung, it needs to be known by all.
- If continuously well sung, it would be good to develop singing of embolism and doxology for unity.

Lamb of God
“The Breaking of Bread”: this action re-presents the action of Christ who at the Last Supper, ‘broke the bread’. The actions signifies that;
“though there are many of us, we form a single body because we all have a share in this one loaf” – 1 Cor 10:17
It is during this time that we sing ‘Lamb of God’ and we sing it as often as it needed to cover the whole action of bread-breaking but on the last occasion it always has the conclusion ‘grant us peace’. GIRM 56

- Lamb of God, not the Sign of Peace, accompanies ‘breaking of bread’
- There may be more than three invocations - length of rite dictates how many such texts are needed