Wednesday Liturgy: Follow-up: Singing the Consecration
ROME, MAY 23, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.
After our comments on sung consecrations (May 9), a reader from Marquette, Michigan, asked: "May the organ be played under the celebrant's voice as an aid to his own musical presentation? Where I have seen this done the instrument did not detract from the prayer in any way. I have been told that it was improper, but I thought it contributed to the effect."
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, No. 32, has very clear indications with respect to this: "The nature of the 'presidential' texts demands that they be spoken in a loud and clear voice and that everyone listen with attention. Thus, while the priest is speaking these texts, there should be no other prayers or singing, and the organ or other musical instruments should be silent."
When these "presidential" texts are sung, the "loud and clear" aspect of their proclamation is reinforced. The prohibition of all other words or music at this time is to help everybody to listen with attention to the actual words being proclaimed.
For some, perhaps, low background organ music might enhance the sense of the sacred, but not everybody is equally endowed with musical sensibility. People who are both sensitive and musically literate could easily be distracted in assessing the quality of the playing, or recalling other works of the composer. People who are less attuned might find the music a trifle annoying. In either case concentration on the words and sacred action is diminished.
A priest asked: "What is meant by the requirement that the words of consecration be spoken 'clearly and distinctly'?"
The word "distinctly" indicates distinction (difference) rather then simply with good diction, which is catered for by the word "clearly."
This is probably a case where the message needs to be emphasized in order to get it across. In almost every language there are phrases which pair two words of similar meaning to produce a concept that is stronger than either word taken separately: neat and tidy, loud and clear, right and proper, etc.
The "clear and distinct" of the rubric probably stems from the Italian "chiara e distinta" which was transformed into the Latin rubric "distincte et aperte." Although the entire Eucharistic Prayer should be said or sung intelligibly and fervently, the rubric does indicate that the consecration be distinguished from the rest of the prayer.
Rather than a precise technical meaning, however, the "clear and distinct" of the rubric embraces a range of concepts that stress the overall requirement that the words be proffered with good diction, be easily audible, and that they be pronounced with due pause and reverence.
After our comments on sung consecrations (May 9), a reader from Marquette, Michigan, asked: "May the organ be played under the celebrant's voice as an aid to his own musical presentation? Where I have seen this done the instrument did not detract from the prayer in any way. I have been told that it was improper, but I thought it contributed to the effect."
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, No. 32, has very clear indications with respect to this: "The nature of the 'presidential' texts demands that they be spoken in a loud and clear voice and that everyone listen with attention. Thus, while the priest is speaking these texts, there should be no other prayers or singing, and the organ or other musical instruments should be silent."
When these "presidential" texts are sung, the "loud and clear" aspect of their proclamation is reinforced. The prohibition of all other words or music at this time is to help everybody to listen with attention to the actual words being proclaimed.
For some, perhaps, low background organ music might enhance the sense of the sacred, but not everybody is equally endowed with musical sensibility. People who are both sensitive and musically literate could easily be distracted in assessing the quality of the playing, or recalling other works of the composer. People who are less attuned might find the music a trifle annoying. In either case concentration on the words and sacred action is diminished.
A priest asked: "What is meant by the requirement that the words of consecration be spoken 'clearly and distinctly'?"
The word "distinctly" indicates distinction (difference) rather then simply with good diction, which is catered for by the word "clearly."
This is probably a case where the message needs to be emphasized in order to get it across. In almost every language there are phrases which pair two words of similar meaning to produce a concept that is stronger than either word taken separately: neat and tidy, loud and clear, right and proper, etc.
The "clear and distinct" of the rubric probably stems from the Italian "chiara e distinta" which was transformed into the Latin rubric "distincte et aperte." Although the entire Eucharistic Prayer should be said or sung intelligibly and fervently, the rubric does indicate that the consecration be distinguished from the rest of the prayer.
Rather than a precise technical meaning, however, the "clear and distinct" of the rubric embraces a range of concepts that stress the overall requirement that the words be proffered with good diction, be easily audible, and that they be pronounced with due pause and reverence.
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