CHAPTER 1

The Musical Ministry of the People

The Songs of the People

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The rubrics of THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER are true to tradition in reserving forthe people the responses to the Opening Acclamation, the Salutation, theacclamations at the beginnings and endings of Lessons, responses in the Prayersof the People, the response to the Peace, responses in the introductory dialogueof the Eucharistic Prayer, and the response to the Dismissal. The Amen, whereverit occurs, belongs to the people. The Kyrie and the Trisagion are songs of thepeople. The Sanctus and Benedictus qui venit, the Memorial Acclamation, and theLord's Prayer are songs which the people sing along with the celebrant. The wordhymn is used in the rubrics to indicate a metrical song of the people. In otherrites, as well as in the Eucharist, certain portions are reserved for the peopleas, for example, the responses to the Opening Preces and the Suffrages in theDaily Office. The Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer are songs which thepeople and celebrant sing together. It is highly inappropriate for theseportions of the rite to be preempted by a choir. These portions belong to thepeople; unless the congregation can sing them easily, they should say them.Music too complicated for the congregation should not be used for these portionsof the rites. A church music director desiring to perform a more complicatedsetting of one of these texts (for example, the Sanctus) should do so either ata time within the service appropriate for an anthem or at a concert. In earlyAnglicanism the more elaborate settings of the Sanctus were used, not within theEucharistic Prayer, but rather as an introit for the rite. Often the Sanctuswithin the Prayer was said or sung to a simple setting, so important wascongregational participation in the historic songs of the people. (Compare theelaborate music for the celebrant's portion of the Eucharistic Prayer from theancient Mozarabic rite provided in the Altar Book for use with Prayer D with thesimple setting of the people's Holy, holy, holy / Holy, holy, holy Lord[Sanctus] at S 123.)

In addition to those portions of the rites reserved to the people, traditionallythe congregation sings hymns or canticles as a part of the entrance rite; theresponse in the Gradual Psalm (or the Psalm itself); the Alleluia, Psalm orSequence hymn prior to the announcement of the Gospel; the Nicene Creed; theFraction Anthem; and possibly hymns or psalms during the preparation of theTable, during the Communion of the People, and before or after the postcommunionprayer. In the Daily Office it is traditional for the people to sing theInvitatory Psalm, the Psalmody of the Day, and the Canticles, or to singantiphons when a cantor or choir sings the aforementioned portions of the rite.

The Function of the Songs of the People ____________________

The aim of the songs of the people is that "full, conscious, and activeparticipation ... demanded by the very nature of the liturgy" (TheConstitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 14).

Though music may add solemnity, effectiveness, beauty, enjoyment, and unity to acelebration, that is not always true. It is not always better to sing than tosay; silence is to be preferred at times to sound. It is essential to considerthe particular gathering of people, the size of the group, their traditions,their musical abilities, the available musical leadership, the architecturalsetting, and the relative importance of the day or occasion. Also important arethe predominant age group, the degree of experience with a particular service,and the musical interest of the particular gathering. The music must notdominate the rite but instead highlight its basic structure.

The Musical Ministry of the Cantor, Song Leader, or Clerk

The Functions of the Cantor

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A fourth century practice still maintained in large portions of the Church todayis to have a soloist sing the Gradual Psalm, the Alleluia Verse at theEucharist, and the Invitatory Psalm (Venite or Jubilate Deo) at the DailyOffice. In the Gradual Psalm the cantor sings first a refrain enunciating thetheme of the Psalm or setting forth its application to the day or occasion. Thechoir and congregation then repeat the refrain and sing it at subsequentappropriate intervals throughout the Psalm. (See GPAVT.)

The cantor initiates the Gospel Acclamation by singing the Alleluia(s) which isthen repeated by the choir and congregation. The cantor then sings the Verse,after which the choir and congregation repeat the Alleluia(s). (See GPAVT.)

Several of the Fraction Anthems in THE HYMNAL 1982 are designed to be sung inthis manner (S 151 and S 167–S 172).

The Invitatory Psalm at the Daily Office may be treated in the same manner asthe Gradual Psalm, making use of the Invitatory Antiphons as refrains. (Acc. Ed.Vol. 1, S 289–S...