''Missa cantata'' (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for "sung Mass") is a form of

Tridentine Mass The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite or ''usus antiquior'' (), Vetus Ordo or the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) or the Traditional Rite, is the liturgy in the Roman Missal of the Catholic Church codified in ...

defined officially in 1960 as a sung Mass celebrated without sacred ministers, i.e., deacon and subdeacon.

Pre-1960 name

Documents of the Holy See such as th
Decree of the Congregation of Sacred Rites of 14 March 1906
spoke of ''Missa cantata sine Ministris'' (Sung/Chanted Mass without the Ministers). The 19th-century ''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 The Plenary Councils of Baltimore were three meetings of American Catholic bishops, archbishops and superiors of religious orders in the United States. The councils were held in 1852, 1866 and 1884 in Baltimore, Maryland. These three conferenc ...

of 1884) used the name: High Mass without Deacon or Sub-Deacon

Classification

The ''Baltimore Ceremonial'' thus classified the ''Missa cantata'' as a High Mass. The early 20th-century ''

Catholic Encyclopedia ''The'' ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'', also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedi ...

'' said, on the contrary, that a ''Missa cantata'' "is really a low Mass, since the essence of high Mass is not the music but the deacon and subdeacon. 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.""Liturgy of the Mass"
in ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' by

Adrian Fortescue Adrian Henry Timothy Knottesford Fortescue (14 January 1874 – 11 February 1923) was an Catholic Church in England and Wales, English Catholic priest and polymath. An influential liturgist, artist, calligrapher, composer, Polyglot (person ...

, (New York, 1910) In 1960,

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

's Code of Rubrics distinguished the ''Missa cantata'' both from a high Mass and from low Mass. Under the number 271, it defined the forms of Mass as follows:

Ceremonial

The ''Missa cantata'' came into use during the 18th century and was intended for use in non-Catholic countries where the services of a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

or a

subdeacon Subdeacon is a minor orders, minor order of ministry for men or women in various branches of Christianity. The subdeacon has a specific liturgical role and is placed below the deacon and above the acolyte in the order of precedence. Subdeacons in ...

(or clergy to fill these parts in the ceremony of the

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

) were not easily had. It was intended to be used in place of Solemn Mass on Sundays and major feast days. The use of incense at a ''Missa cantata'' was at first forbidden, but became general: "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." General permission was finally granted in 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 is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek language, Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed main ...

. More elaborate musical settings of the choir's parts may also be used.

Current situation

The rigid distinction between a sung Mass and a low Mass in the

Roman Rite The Roman Rite () is the most common ritual family for performing the ecclesiastical services of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. The Roman Rite governs Rite (Christianity) ...

was abandoned in the 1969 revision of the

Roman Missal The Roman Missal () is the book which contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Roman Rite, the most common liturgy and Mass of the Catholic Church. There have been several editions. History Before the Council of Trent (1570) ...

. The

General Instruction of the Roman Missal The ''General Instruction of the Roman Missal'' (GIRM)—in the Latin original, (IGMR)—is the detailed document governing the celebration of Mass of the Roman Rite in what since 1969 is its normal form. Originally published in 1969 as a separa ...

even states: "It is very appropriate that the priest sing those parts of the Eucharistic Prayer for which musical notation is provided." Under the heading "The Importance of Singing", it says: "Great importance should therefore be attached to the use of singing in the celebration of the Mass, with due consideration for the culture of the people and abilities of each liturgical assembly. Although it is not always necessary (e.g., in weekday Masses) to sing all the texts that are of themselves meant to be sung, every care should be taken that singing by the ministers and the people is not absent in celebrations that occur on Sundays and on holy days of obligation."General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 40

References

External links

Preparations for a Missa Cantata – ''Handbook for Sacristan'' by Rev. William O'Brien, 1932
in

Media

Videos of a ''Missa cantata'' with accompanying liturgical textVideo 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)
Catholic liturgy Latin religious words and phrases Tridentine Mass Anglican Eucharistic theology {{italic title