Missa Cantata
Encyclopedia
Missa Cantata is a form of Tridentine Mass
defined officially in 1960 as a sung Mass celebrated without sacred ministers, i.e., deacon and subdeacon.
Other names in pre-1960 sources:
While the Baltimore Ceremonial thus classifed the Missa Cantata as a High Mass, Adrian Fortescue wrote in his 1910 article "Liturgy of the Mass" in the Catholic Encyclopedia
, that a Missa Cantata "is really a low Mass
, since the essence of high Mass is not the music but the deacon and subdeacon."
Pope John XXIII
's Code of Rubrics
, 271 gave the following definition of the forms of Mass in 1960:
or a subdeacon
(or clergy to fill these parts in the ceremony of the Mass
) were not easily had. It was intended to be used in place of Solemn Mass
on Sundays and major feast days.
The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913 ed.) stated: "Only in churches which have no ordained person except one priest, and in which high Mass is thus impossible, is it allowed to celebrate the Mass (on Sundays and feasts) with most of the adornment borrowed from high Mass, with singing and (generally) with incense. The Sacred Congregation of Rites has on several occasions (9 June 1884; 7 December 1888) forbidden the use of incense at a Missa Cantata; nevertheless, exceptions have been made for several dioceses, and the custom of using it is now generally tolerated."
Any remaining doubt about the full legitimacy of using incense at a Missa Cantata was cleared up by the 1960 Code of Rubrics, which stated: "The incensations that are obligatory in Solemn Mass are permitted in every Missa Cantata".
The parts sung by the priest are to be sung in Gregorian chant
. More elaborate musical settings of the choir's parts may also be used.
Four candles, not two as at an ordinary Low Mass nor six as at a High Mass, are to be lit at a Missa Cantata.
, whose use as an extraordinary form of the Roman Rite
is authorized in accordance with the conditions indicated in the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum
.
The "Missa Cantata" form of Mass, or something like it, is also in use in some traditional-minded Anglo-Catholic churches in the Anglican Communion
and the Continuing Anglican bodies, in Western Rite Orthodoxy
, and some groups of Old Catholics.
Tridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...
defined officially in 1960 as a sung Mass celebrated without sacred ministers, i.e., deacon and subdeacon.
Other names in pre-1960 sources:
- Missa cantata sine Ministris (Sung/Chanted Mass without the Ministers) – documents of the Holy See such as the Decree of the Congregation of Sacred Rites of 14 March 1906
- High Mass without Deacon or Sub-Deacon – Ceremonial for the Use of the Catholic Churches in the United States of America (commonly called the "Baltimore Ceremonial" because published by request of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, 1884), page 67.
While the Baltimore Ceremonial thus classifed the Missa Cantata as a High Mass, Adrian Fortescue wrote in his 1910 article "Liturgy of the Mass" in the Catholic Encyclopedia
Catholic Encyclopedia
The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...
, that a Missa Cantata "is really a low Mass
Low Mass
Low Mass is a Tridentine Mass defined officially in the Code of Rubrics included in the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal as Mass in which the priest does not chant the parts that the rubrics assign to him...
, since the essence of high Mass is not the music but the deacon and subdeacon."
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
's Code of Rubrics
Code of Rubrics
The Code of Rubrics is a three-part liturgical document promulgated in 1960 under Pope John XXIII, which in the form of a legal code indicated the rules governing the celebration of the Roman Rite Mass and Divine Office....
, 271 gave the following definition of the forms of Mass in 1960:
- Masses are of two kinds: sung Masses (in cantu) and low Masses (Missa lecta)).
- A Mass is called a sung Mass, when the celebrant actually sings those parts which the rubrics require to be sung; otherwise it is called a low Mass.
- Moreover, a sung Mass, when celebrated with the assistance of sacred ministers, is called a solemn or High Mass (Missa solemnis); when celebrated without sacred ministers, it is called a Missa cantata.
History
The Missa Cantata came into use during the 18th century and was intended for use in non-Catholic countries where the services of a deaconDeacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
or a subdeacon
Subdeacon
-Subdeacons in the Orthodox Church:A subdeacon or hypodeacon is the highest of the minor orders of clergy in the Orthodox Church. This order is higher than the reader and lower than the deacon.-Canonical Discipline:...
(or clergy to fill these parts in the ceremony of the Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
) were not easily had. It was intended to be used in place of Solemn Mass
Solemn Mass
Solemn Mass , sometimes also referred to as Solemn High Mass or simply High Mass, is, when used not merely as a description, the full ceremonial form of the Tridentine Mass, celebrated by a priest with a deacon and a subdeacon, requiring most of the parts of the Mass to be sung, and the use of...
on Sundays and major feast days.
The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913 ed.) stated: "Only in churches which have no ordained person except one priest, and in which high Mass is thus impossible, is it allowed to celebrate the Mass (on Sundays and feasts) with most of the adornment borrowed from high Mass, with singing and (generally) with incense. The Sacred Congregation of Rites has on several occasions (9 June 1884; 7 December 1888) forbidden the use of incense at a Missa Cantata; nevertheless, exceptions have been made for several dioceses, and the custom of using it is now generally tolerated."
Any remaining doubt about the full legitimacy of using incense at a Missa Cantata was cleared up by the 1960 Code of Rubrics, which stated: "The incensations that are obligatory in Solemn Mass are permitted in every Missa Cantata".
The parts sung by the priest are to be sung in Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
. More elaborate musical settings of the choir's parts may also be used.
Four candles, not two as at an ordinary Low Mass nor six as at a High Mass, are to be lit at a Missa Cantata.
Current situation
The Roman Rite of Mass, as revised in 1970, now allows parts of the Mass to be sung on all occasions, and the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 147 even states: "It is very appropriate that the priest sing those parts of the Eucharistic Prayer for which musical notation is provided." The revision thus abolished the hard-and-fast distinction between Missa Cantata and Low Mass, but the distinction is still maintained in the 1962 edition of the Roman MissalRoman Missal
The Roman Missal is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.-Situation before the Council of Trent:...
, whose use as an extraordinary form of the Roman Rite
Extraordinary form of the Roman Rite
"An extraordinary form of the Roman Rite" is a phrase used in Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio Summorum Pontificum to describe the liturgy of the 1962 Roman Missal, widely referred to as the "Tridentine Mass"...
is authorized in accordance with the conditions indicated in the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum is an Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XVI, issued "motu proprio" . The document specified the rules, for the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, for celebrating Mass according to the "Missal promulgated by John XXIII in 1962" , and for administering most of the sacraments in...
.
The "Missa Cantata" form of Mass, or something like it, is also in use in some traditional-minded Anglo-Catholic churches in the Anglican Communion
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
and the Continuing Anglican bodies, in Western Rite Orthodoxy
Western Rite Orthodoxy
Western Rite Orthodoxy or Western Orthodoxy or Orthodox Western Rite are terms used to describe congregations and groups which are in communion with Eastern Orthodox Churches or Oriental Orthodox Churches using traditional Western liturgies rather than adopting Eastern liturgies such as the Divine...
, and some groups of Old Catholics.
External links
- Preparations for a Missa Cantata - Handbook for Sacristan by Rev. William O'Brien, 1932
- article Liturgy of the Mass in Catholic EncyclopediaCatholic EncyclopediaThe Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...
Media
- Videos of a Missa Cantata with accompanying Liturgical Text
- Video of a Missa Cantata offered on the Last Sunday after Pentecost at the Roman Catholic parish of St. Nicholas of Chardonnet in Paris, France. (alternate host)
- Video of a Votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary offered as a Missa Cantata at the Roman Catholic Priory of St. Pius X in Warsaw, Poland. (alternate host)