Welcome to another installment of What Does the Prayer Really Sound Like?
Today we will hear the Passion of St. John, to be sung on Good Friday using the 1962 Missale Romanum. We hear it sung according to the traditional passion tone from the book called the Passionale.
The Passionale is often divided into three books for each of the three parts, the voice for the words spoken by Christ (Christus), the voice of the narrator (Chronista), and all the voices of speakers in the Gospel narrative other than Christ (Synagoga). The three parts are sung in different registers to differentiate them more easily. In this recording I sing all three parts.
Often if a Passionale or set of Passionalia are available, they are older editions and some adaptations must be made to be usable with the Novus Ordo. There are also now available new editions of a Passionale with Gregorian notation based on these old tones for use with the Novus Ordo. In this recording, we hear the version used in the Extraordinary use of the Roman rite.
My main purpose in making this PRAYERCAzT is to help men who must prepare to sing the Passion in Latin on Good Friday get the words, these tones and the relationship between them into their ears.
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http://www.wdtprs.com/prayercazt/080318_passion_john.mp3
However, these audio projects can be of great help to lay people who attend Holy Mass in the Traditional, or extraordinary form: by listening to them ahead of time, and becoming familiar with the sound of the before attending Mass, they will be more receptive to the content of the prayers and be aided in their full, conscious and active participation.
My pronunciation of Latin is going to betray something of my nationality, of course. Men who have as their mother tongue something other than English will sound a little different. However, we are told that the standard for the pronunciation of Latin in church is the way it is spoken in Rome. Since I have spent a lot of time in Rome, you can be pretty sure my accent will not be too far off the mark.
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Pray for me, listen carefully, and practice practice practice.
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Since often times, the official chant can be substituted for other arrangments, (I have heard the voices of the masses in the Synagoga done in polyphony also propers from Mass can be substituted for hymns in the Novus Ordo) why can’t the pre-1955 tone be used in the 1962 Mass or the 2002 Mass?
Blogger: Other melodies can be used. And there are polyphonic settings for the Synagoga, which can be used.
Blogger: also propers from Mass can be substituted for hymns in the Novus Ordo
Isn’t the other way around, that is, that that the hymns almost universally heard in Novus Ordo Masses actually are substitutes for the prescribed propers of the Mass? I.e., an entrance hymn substituted for the Introit, a communion hymn substituted for the Communion verse or psalm, etc.
It really is very unfortunate that the last section of the Passion sung by the one deacon alone is no longer used. It is a magnificent and haunting chant. I heard it sung once on a video tape from an Anglo-Catholic Church which still uses the English Missal inlcuding the Holy week Ordo predating the Pian reforms.
Were the book for the Passion ever produced that conformed to the rubric changes of 1960?
I was the Chant for the Passion for the ordinary form produced in 1989, however it is based on the Nova Vulgata. I followed along with the Passion according to St. Matthew from Father Z’s last pod chat, the changes were that great. Perhaps someone will consider producing one for the EF.
Since we are discussing chant. Is there an example text for the Preface in the “More Solemn” Tone? I know the the 2002 MR has examples from the Simple and Solemn Tones, and the Ordo Cantu Missae has the prefaces set to these. However, now that some of the OF Prefaces are permitted, it would be nice to seem them in the “More Solemn” Tone.
Fr. Z writes: “Often if a Passionale or set of Passionalia are available, they are older editions and some adaptations must be made to be usable with the Novus Ordo. There are also now available new editions of a Passionale with Gregorian notation based on these old tones for use with the Novus Ordo. In this recording, we hear the version used in the Extraordinary use of the Roman rite.”
Father (or any other reader), could you tell me what the “new editions” are? I would love to obtain a set for Wyoming Catholic College’s chapel. Indeed, if you knew where to get the old editions we wouldn’t complain.
I know that the new versions, for use in the Novus Ordo, are available at the Vatican Bookstore, in Rome. Perhaps get them through paxbook.
Fr., thank you very much for recording this. I am just a layman, but am not in a place where I might hear any chanted Passion this week. It is so wonderful to hear. Thank you again.