Canticle of Daniel (for Trinity Sunday)
I always encourage music directors to keep a copy of the Gregorian Missal close to hand, as this is “the” book that should inform our musical choices as pertains to Mass within the ‘Novus Ordo’. The Gregorian Missal, for those who may not know, is (essentially) an updated arrangement of Gregorian chants, as re-configured to match the novus ordo calendar, according to the Graduale Romanum, accompanied by english translations.
Contrary to popular belief, the Second Vatican Council actually decreed that Latin and Gregorian Chant were to retain their pride of place in the liturgy. Indeed, when you look at the General Instruction for the Roman Missal (“GIRM”) for the missal of Paul VI, you’ll see that the sections where it addresses which music to use first encourage the use of the traditional Gregorian chants:
41. The Main place should be given, all thigns being equal, to Gregorian chant, as being proper to the Roman Liturgy. Other kinds of sacred music, in particular polyphony, are in now way excluded, provided that they correspond to the spirit of the liturgical action and that they foster the participation of all the faithful. (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 116; and also 30)
Since the faithful from different countries come together ever more frequently, it is desirable that they know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the Profession of Faith and the Lord’s Prayer, according to the simpler settings. (cf. SC. no. 54 etc.)
Perhaps even more telling is the instruction regarding the Introit:
48. This chant is sung alternately by the choir and the people, or similarly by a cantor and the people, or entirely by the people, or by the choir alone. In the Dioceses of the United States of America, there are four options for the Entrance Chant:
1 • the antiphon from the Missal or the antiphon with the Psalm from the Graduale Romanum as set to music there or in another setting;
2 • the antiphon and Psalm from the Graduale Simplex for the liturgical time;
3 • a chant from another collection of Psalms and antiphons, approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop, including Psalms arranged in responsorial or metrical forms;
4 • another liturgical chant that is suited to the sacred action, the day, or the time of year, similarly approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop.
With the Missal itself referencing the documents of V2 (principally, Sacrosanctum Concilium, a ‘must read’ for every music director!) it is unsurprising, therefore, that the Gregorian Missal came to be. While many chants retain their traditional placement / liturgical associations, many do not, so it is not as simple as looking at a Liber Usualis and calculating which “Sunday after Pentecost” lines up with the “Umpteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time”.
While I will not delve into a full discussion of just how interesting it is that the first three options for the introit offered by the GIRM all reference Gregorian chant and psalmody (as opposed to vernacular hymns, which really only qualify under option four) I will merely content myself with making the observation that the propers are very profound, and can really influence one’s perception of a given liturgy. This collection of texts has also been set a myriad of ways over the centuries, and there are many tremendous pieces of renaissance polyphony which set them—a veritable treasure trove for any music director today (and all free on places like CPDL and IMSLP!). †1
And now we turn to the crux of today’s article: the Canticle of Daniel. The Gregorian Missal offers the Canticle of Daniel as an optional hymn of praise, in place of the Gradual on Trinity Sunday. (The overwhelming majority of novus ordo parishes sing “Responsorial Psalms” in place of chanting the Gradual before the Gospel, however the historical practice of chanting a Gradual remains licit. cf. GIRM 61.)
I find this to be a wonderful option to use, as it adds a special degree of solemnity to a feast day, and sets it apart, not unlike singing a Sequence on Easter Sunday does. Cognizant of the fact that many parishes are very far from being ready to accept an extended responsorial Gregorian chant, I would like to offer here an anglicization of this chant, according to the translation found in the Gregorian Missal. It is a simplification of the original, which is in Mode VII, eschewing some of the more detailed lines in favor of the Office Psalm Tone VII (d).
Even if your parish is not ready to even receive it in English, I encourage you to download it and perhaps offer it as a communion chant in addition to your usual fare.
†1 • For those looking for a more contemporary way to incorporate the text of the propers, consider using the texts offered for free at www.AntiphonRenewal.com, which are tropes of the proper texts, designed to be sung to well-known hymn tunes. Our parish has been using their introit tropes for nearly two years running, and I find them a very rich and rewarding way to allow people to sing melodies with which they are familiar, while simultaneously getting the text of the propers into their hands in an unobtrusive way.
