Music, Liturgy and ME

Category: Sing the Mass

  • The Responsorial Psalm – using the common psalms

    The Psalms are the Bible’s hymn book. They were used by Jesus and by the first Christians. They are now used by us, particularly during the Liturgy of the Word. In the responsorial psalm the assembly, using the word of God, responds in song to the word of God just proclaimed. The psalms are a…

  • The Responsorial Psalm

    The Psalm has a different role in the Liturgy of the Word to the other selections from Scripture. It is less scripture read or sung to the assembly than it is a scriptural response from the assembly to the First reading. That Psalm is selected which will put on the lips of the assembly an…

  • The Gloria

    Gloria in excelsis Deo is one of the oldest Christian hymns still sung. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal describes the Gloria as ‘a very ancient and venerable hymn the text of which may not be replaced by any other text’. It is sung on Sundays and Feast days but is omitted on Sundays…

  • What should we sing at Mass? Priority 2A

    The songs of the Mass This post describes the overall hierarchy of music to be sung if we truly wish to sing the Mass rather than simply sing at Mass. I have already looked at the parts which constitute the highest priority – the Gospel Acclamation and the Eucharistic Acclamations. Now I will move on…

  • The Eucharistic Acclamations

    The Gospel and the consecration are the two most significant parts of the Mass. The music associated with these rites are therefore of the utmost importance when choosing what to sing. They should be sung before anything else is considered and are sung by the whole assembly ie priest, choir, congregation, servers,…. Start here: The…

  • The Gospel Acclamation

    The gospel acclamation accompanies the movement of the Book of Gospels from the altar to the ambo and prepares us to hear the proclamation of the Gospel. The gospel acclamation should be sung at every Mass. It doesn’t need an accompaniment. All that is needed is a single person to start it off and people…

  • What should we sing at Mass? Priority 1.

    The previous post gave the overall hierarchy of music to be sung at any Mass. Now we will look at these parts in more detail. Priority 1: Acclamations at the ‘highpoints’ of the Mass The Gospel and the consecration are the two most significant parts of the Mass. The music associated with these rites are…

  • What should we sing at Mass? Introduction.

    If many Catholics were asked this question they would probably reply “Hymns.” But this is not what is meant by singing the Mass. What should we sing? The General Instruction of the Roman Missal is the main source for this information and describes more fully the role and purpose of singing each of the parts…

  • Why sing at Mass?

    Of all the things the Catholic Church has to be concerned about, why is something like getting people to respond and sing at Mass and other sacraments so important? Music is often an important part of special gatherings – a singsong in the pub, the national anthem, ‘You’ll never walk alone’ at a football match…

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