What to sing on Good Friday and the Easter vigil

In his second and final article on the Triduum liturgies, Fr MALCOLM McLAREN explains how good planning in the music can prevent “a sham and a shambles”. The first article in this series is Striking the right note.

Good Friday

It is during the celebration of Good Friday that we can clearly see the power and beauty of song to clothe the prayers, readings and texts of the celebration and to accompany the symbolic action of the adoration of the Cross.

The singing of the reproaches during this time sets the character of the day. Given the imminent arrival of Holy Week, it may not be possible to learn the reproaches in time for Good Friday. However, I would recommend that every parish choir set themselves the goal of learning them.

The Missal already has a tone for the verses, and settings for the refrain are available; it is something that could be worked on during the year when there is less pressure.

The celebration of this day both begins and ends in silence, and there is no introductory rite or usual form of the final blessing. The opening prayer (or collect) could be sung, as could the responsorial psalm during the Liturgy of the Word. Take care to use a tone for the psalm which reflects both the nature of the celebration and its words. It should be in stark contrast to the psalm of Easter Sunday.

Chant, or song, is a fundamental part of the action of the adoration of the Holy Cross. Apart from the reproaches, as the cross enters the church or is unveiled, the deacon or priest intones the chant, Behold the wood of the cross, to which the community responds: Come, let us adore. It is not even considered that this chant (repeated three times) would be said: it is sung.

For those concerned with forgetting the words or the melody, they could be discreetly attached to the back of the cross, and the option is even provided for the choir to assist the priest or deacon.

The choir would, in any event, lead the community’s response, with the community following (at least in the second and third times). The response could also be rehearsed briefly before the liturgy begins.

Although the singing of the reproaches would take place while the cross is venerated by the community, the Missal provides the option for other suitable hymns to be sung at this time.

The Easter Vigil

The Easter Vigil is a very particular celebration, at least until the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins, and I urge the parish liturgy commission and priests to pay close attention to the Roman Missal.

As I wrote previously, keeping this liturgy simple by following the Missal does not mean that it loses any of its beauty or reduces the special joy of the Risen Christ. Instead, a simple liturgy sharpens our focus, helps us appreciate better the rich symbolism which is present, and creates space for us to worship and pray.

And this is true for every liturgy, not just for the Easter Vigil!

The deacon has a significant musical role during the Easter Vigil, beginning with the chant in which the newly lit paschal candle is brought into the darkened church, and ending with the special Easter dismissal.

If your parish has the advantage of more than one deacon, I would suggest that you assign one deacon to each of the celebrations of the Triduum in order to spread the musical responsibility, rather than having a clutter of idle deacons at each celebration.

The Lumen Christi chant, intoned three times by the deacon, can be sung either in the vernacular (as given in the Roman Missal) or in Latin, using a very simple tone. The response uses the very same tone. Again, the choir has the responsibility to lead the congregation in responding.

I make particular mention here of the use of Latin, since only one Easter Vigil is permitted to be celebrated in each church, even in a multilingual community. The use of Latin, the language of the Church, helps to create a unity for those whose first language is different from that used during the celebration. (This same principle therefore has application in other contexts, notably during diocesan celebrations such as the Chrism Mass.)

The Exultet (or Easter proclamation) presents the biggest musical challenge for the celebration. It requires patience, practice and a commitment to learning it. I urge those involved in the formation of deacons to include learning the Exultet (together with other chants, such as those for Good Friday) as part of the programme of pastoral preparation, otherwise deacons find themselves unable to fulfill a role specifically assigned to them in the liturgy.

Since not every deacon is able to sing the Exultet, it may also be sung by a concelebrating priest, the presiding priest, or failing each of these (in turn) by a lay cantor. Its words are a reminder of the point of our keeping vigil, and the reason for our rejoicing.

Care should be taken to avoid singing a hymnised version of the Exultet in its place. It is chant which is the distinct musical language of our church, not hymns.

Parts of the melody of the Exultet will be recognised as the same used for the preface of the Eucharistic prayer: this reduces the burden of learning something new. (Indeed, if it helps with learning, there is a shorter form which can also be used.)

Moreover, if the Exultet is sung by an ordained minister, it also contains the same greeting from the start of the Eucharistic Prayer, The Lord be with you. It only makes sense then, that the priest would at least sing the introduction to the Eucharistic prayer, since the responses are the same. The choir should not forget to lead the congregation in the Amen at the conclusion of the Exultet.

I have not written in great detail about responsorial psalms, although I previously mentioned that the psalm should not be replaced by a hymn: this is made clear in the Pastoral Introduction to the Order of the Mass (93).

Therefore during the Liturgy of the Word, the psalm should be sung as a psalm, it could otherwise be read, or alternatively, the Roman Missal also gives permission for the psalm to be omitted altogether with the exception of the compulsory psalm for the Third Reading of the Old Testament. There is also the option for the psalm to be sung without a response.

A word of caution: since these psalms will generally be unaccompanied (as they still occur before the Gloria), choose cantors with a sufficient quality of voice. Remember that a microphone cannot change the quality of voice, it only increases the volume.

The choir and the musicians should be well prepared for the intoning of the Gloria by the priest following the final Old Testament Reading. This is a perfect example of the need for planning: everyone should know what the priest will intone, so that there is a smooth transition into the singing of the Gloria.

Some common sense should be applied in deciding what the priest will intone, depending mostly on the Gloria that will be sung by the choir and congregation. However, in most cases, the simple formula for Gloria in excelsis Deo found in the Missal will suffice.

The same applies for the Alleluia Psalm that will be intoned after the New Testament Reading.

This psalm is the first Alleluia chant of the Easter Season indeed Alleluia is the Easter song and here the psalm with its three verses replaces the traditional Gospel acclamation.

The same psalm is used as the Responsorial Psalm for Easter Sunday and so it can easily be used again at the Mass on Easter Sunday.

I suggest that the priest intones the Alleluia response that will be used for the psalm, with either a starting note or even a very soft accompaniment, to which the choir and the congregation then respond with a full musical accompaniment. It seems fitting that a response with three Alleluias would be chosen, since the Alleluia should be intoned three times by the priest.

I urge all priests to pay careful attention to the various options given for the Liturgy of Baptism, which follows the homily. From experience I know that the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults should also be consulted.

Of interest musically is the Litany of the Saints, which was

discussed in my third article  (sung if there are catechumens to be baptised), and the Vidi Aquam which is sung following the renewal of baptismal promises (if there are no catechumens to be baptised) whilst the congregation are sprinkled with holy water. Other baptismal hymns are also appropriate, and the same hymn can, again, be used on Easter Sunday.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist follows the usual pattern of the Mass. While my previous guidelines apply, this might be the opportunity to sing the Lord’s Prayer if it is not done on a regular basis, to sing the preface and introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer, and also to use a more elaborate setting of the Ordinary Parts of the Mass such as the Sanctus and Agnus Dei.

At the conclusion of the Easter Vigil, the dismissal given by the deacon (or priest), and the response of the congregation contain the double Alleluia. Again, given the nature of the celebration, it seems fitting that this dismissal should be sung. It may also be accompanied by the organist or pianist. The choir can lead the community in the response to the dismissal, noting that it will be used again on Easter Sunday, the Second Sunday of Easter and also on Pentecost Sunday (the final day of the Easter Season).

Finally, a few general words are in order. Firstly, do not exhaust your collection of Easter hymns within the first week, especially not after the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. Remember that there are seven Sundays of Easter during which Easter hymns may be sung.

The Easter Vigil is also a demanding celebration for all those involved, which is one reason for keeping things simple where you can. Avoid the temptation to concentrate all or most of your energies on a beautiful post-Communion hymn for the Easter Vigil, at the expense of the more important musical and liturgical elements.

Secondly, Easter Sunday has a chant particular to the celebration called a sequence: a short hymn sung before the Gospel Acclamation. Following the various liturgical reforms, the sequence now appears only four times in the liturgy of the Church. If there is one new piece that is learned for the Mass of Easter Sunday, this is something worth considering: the melody repeats itself in places, and again there are numerous recordings which can be used to help in learning it.

Thirdly, the Responsorial Psalm during Eastertide always has the option of using an Alleluia acclamation as the refrain.

It seems fitting that during the Alleluia season, where the option exists, this refrain should be sung where possible. In fact, in weekday celebrations where there is no second reading it is possible to combine the psalm and gospel acclamation as an Alleluia psalm (where the words of the gospel acclamation form the last verse of the psalm). If you are to adopt this latter innovation, communicate it well, so that it does not come as a surprise to either the priest or the congregation!

In conclusion, I was distressed to hear someone describe to me an Easter Vigil they once attended as both “a sham and a shambles”.

It does not need to be so: many liturgical problems can be avoided with proper preparation, planning and practice, including in relation to music. In fact, the practice for these celebrations should also include the choir.

My aim with this article is to assist not only choirs and musicians, but also the parish liturgy commission under the guidance of their parish priest, in their planning and preparation for this great celebration.

Above all, music can and should, contribute to the solemnity, beauty, and experience of this three-day solemn celebration of the heart of our faith: the Paschal Mystery – the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord.

Fr Malcolm McLaren’s previous articles on music in the liuturgy