Deciding on Which Songs Are OK for Mass
Date: November 3, 2024
Author: Fr. Edward McNamara, LC
Question: No. 48 of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal used in England and Wales says that for the entrance chant at Mass another song “cuius textus a Conferentia Episcoporum sit approbatus” can be chosen. The same goes for the offertory and communion chants (GIRM 74, 84). For adaptations in England and Wales GIRM 48 states that these “other songs” have to be accepted by the bishops’ conference. But what about other countries? Do the GIRM norms cited above mean that any song approved by any bishops’ conference can be said to qualify for the entrance chant in a particular diocese? – T.N., Helsinki, Finland
Answer: The complete text of the GIRM 48 in the missal used by the dioceses of England and Wales is the following:
“48. The singing at this time is done either alternately by the choir and the people or in a similar way by the cantor and the people, or entirely by the people, or by the choir alone. In the dioceses of England and Wales the options for the Entrance Chant are: (1) the antiphon and psalm from the Graduale Romanum or the Graduale Simplex; or (2) a song from another collection of psalms and antiphons, the text of which has been approved by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. If there is no singing at the Entrance, the antiphon in the Missal is recited either by the faithful, or by some of them, or by a lector; otherwise, it is recited by the priest himself, who may even adapt it as an introductory explanation (cf. no. 31).”
In the missal for Ireland this text follows more closely the Latin original saying: “[…] Graduale Simplex; or another chant that is suited to the sacred action, the day, or the time of year, and whose text has been approved by the Conference of Bishops.” The corresponding Latin is “[…] Graduale simplici extans, sive alius cantus, actioni sacrae, diei vel temporis indoli congruous, cuius textus a Conferentia Episcoporum sit approbatus.”
The U.S. version of this number has some variations which amplify the possibilities:
“48. This chant is sung alternately by the choir and the people or similarly by a cantor and the people, or entirely by the people, or by the choir alone. In the Dioceses of the United States of America, there are four options for the Entrance Chant: (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, who may even adapt it as an introductory explanation (cf. no. 31).”
These norms are more fully explained in the guidelines issued by the U.S. bishops’ conference, “Sing to the Lord.” While these are guidelines and not strict laws, they incorporate the laws found in the GIRM.
Regarding the entrance chant or song, the guidelines say:
“142. After the entire liturgical assembly has been gathered, an Entrance chant or song is sung as the procession with the priest, deacon, and ministers enters the church. ‘The purpose of this chant is to open the celebration, foster the unity of those who have been gathered, introduce their thoughts to the mystery of the liturgical season or festivity, and accompany the procession of the priest and ministers.’
“143. Care must be taken in the treatment of the texts of psalms, hymns, and songs in the Liturgy. Verses and stanzas should not be omitted arbitrarily in ways that risk distorting their content. While not all musical pieces require that all verses or stanzas be sung, verses should be omitted only if the text to be sung forms a coherent whole.
“144. The text and music for the Entrance song may be drawn from a number of sources.
“a. The singing of an antiphon and psalm during the entrance procession has been a long-standing tradition in the Roman Liturgy. Antiphons and psalms may be drawn from the official liturgical books—the Graduale Romanum or the Graduale Simplex—or from other collections of antiphons and psalms.
“b. Other hymns and songs may also be sung at the Entrance, providing that they are in keeping with the purpose of the Entrance chant or song. The texts of antiphons, psalms, hymns, and songs for the Liturgy must have been approved either by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops or by the local diocesan bishop.”
As seen above, the possibility of using other chants requires the approval of the bishops’ conference. Since these laws are territorial, priest and choir directors must follow the norms approved within each country and may only use those songs that are officially approved.
Outside the English-speaking world, whenever Mass is celebrated in English, such as in Finland, then any suitable musical setting or any hymn approved by an English-speaking bishops’ conference may be used. The same principle applies for other languages spoken in several countries.
Said approval may be quite specific, such as the approval of an alternative book of chants and antiphons with musical settings.
This may be necessary since many of the entrance antiphons for daily Mass do not correspond to the Roman Gradual and were always intended to be recited rather than sung. However, nothing opposes their being sung, and some authors have composed melodies for them.
The approval may also be general, such as when a bishops’ conference publishes a list of suitable hymns and songs approved for liturgical worship; for example, those in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and England and Wales.
The U.S. bishops have also issued an interesting doctrinal document to help discern suitable hymns for the liturgy, “Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church: An Aid for Evaluating Hymn Lyrics.”
Therefore, while preference should always be given to singing the official texts whenever possible, there are wide-ranging alternatives.
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Readers may send questions to zenit.liturgy@gmail.com. Please put the word "Liturgy" in the subject field. The text should include your initials, your city and your state, province or country. Father McNamara can only answer a small selection of the questions that arrive.