Ship of Fools: Can someone please explain the Introit?

Thread: Can someone please explain the Introit? Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Kayarecee (# 17289) on :

I mean, I know what it is; versicles and psalm verses, proper to each Sunday or holy day, sung/chanted/said as the altar party process in, which in many church bodies was eventually replaced by an entrance hymn. What I don't get is the mechanics of it, since Introits haven't been regularly used in my tradition since the mid-1960s, so I've never experienced one for myself. All I have is the propers in our old hymnal (the Service Book and Hymnal, used by several Lutheran churches in the USA from 1951 to the late 1970s), which are rather lacking in explanations.

For example, the Introit for "a day of thanksgiving" is printed thus:

quote:
Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord : praise ye the Lord. Praise him for his mighty acts : praise him according to his excellent greatness. Ps. Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary : praise him in the firmament of his power. Glory be to the Father . . .

How would that be sung/said? I can't quite envision it. Thanks!

Posted by Fr Weber (# 13472) on :

It's generally chanted; the antiphon first, then the psalm verse, then the doxology, then the antiphon is repeated.

Originally, it served the same purpose in the liturgy as a processional hymn now does. As things began to accrete to the Mass (namely the preparatory prayers said by the priest & acolytes), it lost that function.

Burgess' English Gradual sets the proper chants to decorated psalm tones. Once you know the musical formulae well enough, you can plug any of the propers into them. The original Gregorian melodies are much more ornate, and require more rehearsal--and unlike the Burgess settings, they aren't the same tunes every week.

Posted by The Silent Acolyte (# 1158) on :

The single verse of a psalm is a vestigial remnant of an entire psalm. That explains how this short bit was expected to cover the entire trip from sacristy to altar. It wasn't.

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :

We (I'm Lutheran) still use them, every Sunday. Although the pastor isn't processing anywhere at that time--he's normally up front facing the altar. And we do use large chunks of a Psalm, or even an entire Psalm, if small enough. We read the thing, unless the pastor is that rare creature who can chant decently (or thinks he can [Razz]

), in which case it gets chanted.

Posted by Knopwood (# 11596) on :

This LCMS publication has the introits and graduals of the Divine Service set by Willan.

Posted by Kayarecee (# 17289) on :

Thanks, all! I had forgotten that the LCMS still uses introits regularly, and had likewise forgotten that I have a copy of Lutheran Worship on my shelf next to all of my ELCA-authorized hymnals. It makes a whole lot more sense to me now.

(Although in cases where it just prints the antiphon, and says Ps. like it did in the example in the OP, how do you know what psalm or psalm verse is supposed to be used?)

[ 19. November 2014, 12:58: Message edited by: Kayarecee ]

Posted by american piskie (# 593) on :

Surely it always gives ant plus the psalm verse, just as you have done?

Ant. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord : praise ye the Lord. Praise him for his mighty acts : praise him according to his excellent greatness.

Ps. Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary : praise him in the firmament of his power.

Glory be to the Father . . . without end. Amen

Ant. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord : praise ye the Lord. Praise him for his mighty acts : praise him according to his excellent greatness.

OK?

Posted by Kayarecee (# 17289) on :

Yep. I feel slightly foolish now for not seeing that myself, but I've got it now. Thanks.

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :

It surprises me that anyone's using a single psalm verse. I think we usually get between five and ten. Learning something here.

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :

As usual, the Catholic Encyclopedia entry is instructive if insufferably wordy.

Apparently the celebrant would signal the choir director to cut short the psalm when he was ready to begin the prayers of Mass. This custom developed into the inclusion of only a single verse of the psalm in the introit.

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

The 'introit' as used in the modern rites is simple an opening sentence, usually read at a said celebration by the presider before the welcome and confession.

Posted by Angloid (# 159) on :

'Is' at its minimum. Modern rites do not generally prescribe or limit such words: it is always possible to use an extended psalm or (as in most cases these days) sing a hymn. In fact Common Worship, unlike the ASB, does not provide such texts.

Posted by Knopwood (# 11596) on :

At my old parish in Toronto, we used the prayer book introits - which are a full psalm or a larger chunk of a psalm as LC describes - and graduals. I haven't been back in a while but believe the new incumbent may be moving in a more missal direction now.

Where I am now, we use the invariable Burgess propers Fr Weber points to, with the introit (single psalm verse) stretched over the same chant week by week (sometimes for a special occasion the choir will sing the proper chant in Latin).

The Canadian BAS (and For All the Saints) propers provide a single "sentence" which may be used as an entrance antiphon (like what leo describes) or a Gospel acclamation. There is also, however, a rubric in all the right places allowing for a "psalm, hymn, or anthem" and (per Angloid) these are not prescribed. Of course, in most parishes (even those identified as anglo-catholic) a hymn only will be used at the entrance, offertory, and communion, but the Anglican Gradual & Sacramentary provides propers for those places when desired. I'm still a big fan of singing the Mass, not singing at Mass!

Posted by Ceremoniar (# 13596) on :

At my FSSP parish, every Mass, High or Low, includes an introit. [Biased]

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :

In our church:

Everybody stands as the beadle brings in the Bible.

Everybody sits.

The minister comes in, and says a few words of welcome, "especially to any visitors who might be worshipping with us today" or "especially to the X family who are here visiting granny on her 80th birthday" or whatever.

The choir sing the Introit. This is the only point in the service in which the choir sings alone, and it's usually a single verse or two, or a short modern worship song, often sung in two parts. There are a couple of Introit songs which are worthy of the crappy choruses thread ("Water of Life" to the tune of "Rupert the Bear" comes to mind) but mostly the songs are short and uplifting.

The the minister does the Call to Worship and the service continues from there.

[ 22. November 2014, 19:49: Message edited by: North East Quine ]

Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :

St. George's Tron CofS Glasgow, when I used to go in 1976:

Choir enters/congregation stands.

Choir sings one verse of a hymn/very short anthem.

Minister says: "Let us continue in worship ..." (there may just have been a Call to Worship in between, but certainly no Welcome - such things came in later).

Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :

To celebrate Christ the King today, the choir sang the first section of Handel's Coronation Anthem The King shall rejoice as the introit. Then joined by the congregation in the processional hymn.

Posted by Alogon (# 5513) on :

Unfortunately, they are probably out of print now, but in the 1960s Augsburg published settings of the introits and graduals by various contemporary composers, in three volumes. They are of uneven quality, but some are ravishing. I'm particularly fond of the settings for Advent I by Paul Manz and for Lent 3 by Ludwig Lenel. These two are in my choir's repertoire, and they look forward to singing them every year.

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