Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 16.djvu/532

Rh 510 MISSAL As the pontiff descends into the senatoriura to give the communion, the schola begins the communion Antiplwi, and continues singing the Psalm until, all the people having communicated, they receive the sign to begin the Gloria, after -which, the verse having been again repeated, they stop. The celebrant, then, facing eastward, otl ers the Oratio ad Complcndum, which being finished the arch deacon says to the people, &quot; Ite, missa est,&quot; they responding with &quot; Deo gratias.&quot; To complete our idea of the Roman communion office as it was prior to the end of the 8th century we must now turn to the Gregorian Antiphonarius sive Gradualis Liber ordinatm per circulum anni, which as its name implies contains those variable portions of the mass which were intended to be sung by the schola or choir. It gives for each day for which a proper mass is provided (1) the Antiphona (Anti- phona ad Introitum) and Psalmus ; (2) the Responsorium and Versus, with its Alleluia and Versus ; (3) the Offertorium and Versus ; (4) the Communio and Psalmus. Some explanation of each of these terms is necessary. (1) The word Antiphon (&amp;lt;ivTi&amp;lt;/&amp;gt;o&amp;gt;vov, Old English Antefn, English Anthem) in its ecclesiastical use has reference to the very ancient practice of relieving the voices of the singers by dividing the work between alternate choirs. In one of its most usual meanings it has the special significa tion of a sentence (usually scriptural) constantly sung by one choir between the verses of a psalm or hymn sung by another. According to the Roman liturgiologists it was Pope Celestine who enjoined that the Psalms of David should be sung (in rotation, one presumes) antiphonally before mass ; in process of time the antiphon came to be sung at the beginning and end only, and the psalm itself was reduced to a single verse. In the days of Gregory the Great the introit appears to have been sung precisely as at present, that is to say, after the antiphon (proper and par excellence), the Psalmus with its Gloria, then the antiphon again. (2) The Responsorium, like the Greek antiphon, derives its name from the responsive manner of singing. As introduced between the epistle and gospel it was probably at first a comparatively long passage, usually an entire psalm or canticle, originally given out by the cantor from the steps from which the epistle had been read (hence the later name Graduale), the response being taken up by the whole choir. (3) The Offertorium and Communio correspond to the &quot; hymn from the book of Psalms &quot; mentioned by early authorities (see, for example, Augustine, Retr., ii. 11; Ap. Const., viii. 13) as sung before the oblation and also while that which had been offered was being distributed to the people. A very intimate connexion between these four parts of the choral service can generally be observed ; thus, taking the first Sunday in the ecclesiastical year, we find both in the Antiphonary and in the modern Missal that the antiphon is Ps. xxv. 1-3, the psalmus Ps. xxv. 4, the responsorium (graduate) and versus Ps. xxv. 3 and xxv. 4, the offertorium and versus Ps. xxv. 1-3 and Ps. xxv. 5. The communio is Ps. Ixxxv. 12, one of the verses of the responsorium being Ps. Ixxxv. 7. In the selection of the introits there are also traces of a certain rotation of the psalms in the Psalter having been observed. The first pages of the modern Roman missal are occupied with the Calendar and a variety of explanations relating to the year and its parts, and the manner of determin ing the movable feasts. The general rubrics (Rubricse Generates Missalis) follow, explaining what are the various kinds of mass which may be celebrated, prescribing the hours of celebration, the kind and colour of vestments to be used, and the ritual to be followed (ritus celebrandi missam), and giving directions as to what is to be done in case of various defects or imperfections which may arise. The Pryparatio ad Missam, which comes next, is a short manual of devotion containing psalms, hymns, and prayers to be used as opportunity may occur before and after celebration. Next comes the proper of the season (Proprium Missarum de Tempore), occupying more than half of the entire volume. It contains the proper introit, collect (one or more), epistle, gradual (tract or sequence), gospel, offertory, secreta (one or more), communion, and post-communion for every Sunday of the year, and also for the festivals and ferias connected with the ecclesiastical seasons, as well as the offices peculiar to the ember days, Holy Week, Easter, and Whitsuntide. Between the office for Holy Saturday and that for Easter Sunday the ordinary of the mass (Ordo Missus), with the solemn and proper pre faces for the year, and the canon of the mass are inserted. The proper of the season is followed by the proper of the saints (Propriitm Sanctorum), containing what is special to each saint s day in the order of the calendar, and by the Commune Sanctorum, containing such offices as the com mon of one martyr and bishop, the common of one martyr not a bishop, the common of many martyrs in paschal time, the common of many martyrs out of paschal time, and the like. A variety of masses to be used at the feast of the dedication of a church, of masses for the dead, and of votive masses (as for the sick, for persons journeying, for bridegroom and bride) follow, and also certain benedictions. Most missals have an appendix also containing certain local masses of saints to be celebrated &quot; ex indulto apostolico.&quot; Masses fall into two great subdivisions : (1) ordinary or regular (secundum ordinem officii), celebrated according to the regular rotation of fast and feast, vigil and feria, in the calendar ; (2) extraordinary or occasional (extra ordinem officii), being either &quot; votive &quot; or &quot; for the dead,&quot; and from the nature of the case having no definite time prescribed for them. Festival masses are either double, half-double, or simple, an ordinary Sunday mass being a half-double. The difference depends on the number of collects and secretae ; on a double only one of each is offered, on a half- double there are two or three, and on a simple there may be as many as five, or even seven, of each. Any mass may be either high (missa solennis) or low (missa privata). The distinction depends upon the number of officiating clergy, certain differences of practice as to what is pro nounced aloud and what inaudibly, the use or absence of incense, certain gestures, and the like. Solitary masses are forbidden ; there must be at least an acolyte to give the responses. The vestments prescribed for the priest are the amice, alb, cingulum or girdle, maniple, stole, and chasuble (planeta) ; see COSTUME, vol. vi. p. 462. There are certain distinctions of course for a bishop or abbot. The colour of the vestments and of the drapery of the altar varies according to the day, being either white, red, green, violet, or black. This last custom does not go much further back than Innocent III., who explains the symbolism intended. Subjoined is an account of the manner of celebrating high mass according to the rite at present in force. 1. The priest who is to celebrate, having previously confessed (if necessary) and having finished matins and lauds, is to seek leisure for private prayer (fasting) and to use as he has opportunity the &quot; prayers before mass &quot; already referred to. How the robing in the sacristy is next to be gone about is minutely prescribed, and prayers are given to be used as each article is put on. The sacramental elements having previously been placed on the altar or on a credence table, the celebrant enters the church and takes his stand before the lowest step of the altar, having the deacon on his right and the subdeacon on his left. After invoking the Trinity (In nomine Patris, &c. ) he repeats alternately with those who are with him the psalm &quot; Judica me, Deus,&quot; which is preceded in the usual way by an antiphon (lutroibo ad altare Dei), and followed also by the Gloria and Antiphon. 1 The versicle &quot;Adjutorium nostrum,&quot; with its 1 This antiphon is not to be confounded with the Antiphona ad Introitum further on. This use of the 43d Psalm goes as far back at least as the end of the llth century, being mentioned by Micrologus (1080). It is omitted in masses for the dead and during Holy Week.