The Recovering Choir Director

Here’s an e-mail exchange concerning daily-Mass propers in the Ordinary Form between me and a volunteer at my new position. Permission was granted for me to post this. Volunteer’s remarks are in bold.

(For entertainment purposes only; trust, but verify. Corrections and clarifications welcome!)

Here’s a question for you: for daily Masses, where do you find the propers?

For daily Masses, look for propers like this:

• Is it a feast day? If so, look in the Graduale Romanum in the sanctoral cycle (Proprium de Sanctis)
• If it is not a feast day, use the propers from the preceding Sunday. In the seasonal cycle (Proprium de Tempore), chants are arranged according to week (hebdomada) and not by Sunday. Note too that there are two cycles of daily Mass readings (Anno I & Anno II), and sometimes the Graduale will specify different chants for a particular day (feria). Ferias are numbered, so 2 = Mon., 3 = Tue., 4 = Wed., 5 = Thu., 6 = Fri., and “Sabbato” = Sat.

I’m basing this on what I remember from a translation of the instruction given (in Latin) in the front of the Graduale Romanum. But it seems to make sense to me without resorting to the legislation.

To do an English proper, can I look in a missal and find the Introit, Offertory and Communion and use a familiar Psalm Tone??

We are starting Thursday evening candlelight mass tonight … I would love to do the propers.

As I understand, the antiphons provided in the missal (and missalettes) are intended to be spoken (I know, strange). Also, only Introit and Communion verses are supplied (since the prayers at the Preparation are recited aloud at a spoken Mass). You certainly may use them if it’s expedient.

I know that I’d tend towards the collections in or based on the Graduale Romanum. I’m a bit of a maximalist when it comes to these things. :¬)

Hope this helps!

Awesome … thanks.

You wrote this: Note too that there are two cycles of daily Mass readings, and sometimes the Graduale will specify different chants for a particular day (feria). Ferias are numbered, so 2 = Mon., 3 = Tue., 4 = Wed., 5 = Thu., 6 = Fri., and “Sabbato” = Sat.

What is it that am I thinking of that has a 3-year cycle?

The three-year cycle is proper to Sundays and some holy days; the two-year cycle is proper to weekdays (ferias).

As my mother used to say, HELP US AND BLESS US AND BIND US WITH CHEESE … Will I ever figure out this stuff??

Well, one could always go to the one-year-cycle Extraordinary Form… :•)

BINGO!

You may also want to read a 2002 post of mine regarding the dubious simplifications in the Ordinary-Form Roman Rite.