The Recovering Choir Director

Here’s the first sentence of Sacrosanctum Concilium §116 in the official Latin:

Ecclesia cantum gregorianum agnoscit ut liturgiae romanae proprium: qui ideo in actionibus liturgicis, ceteris paribus, principem locum obtineat.

Here’s the same sentence of Sacrosanctum Concilium §116 in the English translation used by the Vatican and quoted extensively on English-language blogs:

The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.

Here’s a link to how William Whitaker’s Words database translates “pride”. “Principum” does not appear anywhere.

And finally, here’s an attempt at a literal translation of Sacrosanctum Concilium § 116, with links to the Words database:

The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as particular to the Roman liturgy: which therefore in liturgical actions, other things being equal, should occupy the principal place.

The nagging question is this: if the phrase principem locum is easily understandable when translated literally, why ought a translator (or group of translators) substitute a poetic gloss of it?

Fr. Zuhlsdorf addressed the translation of principem locum and ceteris paribus in a comment box almost exactly two years ago. The proper understanding of ceteris paribus was the subject of a piece by Jeffrey Tucker on NLM late last year.

But wait, there’s more.

You may have caught the difference between “as specially suited to the Roman liturgy” and “as particular to Roman liturgy.” “Specially suited” is a curious way to translate proprium. The apparent mushiness of the translation invites doubt. (How is it specially suited? etc.)

“Particular”, however, is synonymous with belonging - indeed, the first translation that the Words application gives for proprium is “own, very own.” What is the implication of this translation? Perhaps it is this: the Roman liturgy’s claim to Gregorian chant is intense to the point of being out of place in any other context.

You just don’t get those overtones with “specially suited”.

Maybe, when Vox Clara et al. complete their work on the English translation of the Mass texts, correctly translating the Vatican II Council documents could be next on the agenda.

Update: Fr. Zuhlsdorf, a much more qualified person to handle it than I, tackles the translation of SC §116.