Singing/Chanting EP

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I know that in the Eastern/Oriental Rites, the entire liturgy, including the eucharistic prayer, is generally sung or chanted. Is it ever permitted to sing/chant the words of institution in the OF of the Latin Rite? Obviously most of the mass can be chanted/sung, but I had never come across the words of institution being sung until the other day. I assisted at a mass at our local cathedral at which a visiting Indian priest celebrated. He spoke the entire mass, but come the words of institution, he chanted them in a very solemn, but to my ears, distinctly Oriental fashion. If I had to guess, I would think he might be a biritual priest with either the Syro-Malankara or Syro-Malabar Churches. Is this permitted in the Latin Rite? I realize that in the EF the canon is always silent.
 
twf said:
I know that in the Eastern/Oriental Rites, the entire liturgy, including the eucharistic prayer, is generally sung or chanted. Is it ever permitted to sing/chant the words of institution in the OF of the Latin Rite? Obviously most of the mass can be chanted/sung, but I had never come across the words of institution being sung until the other day. I assisted at a mass at our local cathedral at which a visiting Indian priest celebrated. He spoke the entire mass, but come the words of institution, he chanted them in a very solemn, but to my ears, distinctly Oriental fashion. If I had to guess, I would think he might be a biritual priest with either the Syro-Malankara or Syro-Malabar Churches. Is this permitted in the Latin Rite? I realize that in the EF the canon is always silent.
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Yes it is permitted in the Latin Rite for the EP to be sung. I have heard it done many times.
 
twf said:
Is it ever permitted to sing/chant the words of institution in the OF of the Latin Rite?
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The Eucharistic Prayer may be sung, but it would appear that not all of it may be sung. From the GIRM:
216. The Preface is sung or said by the principal priest celebrant alone; but the Sanctus is sung or recited by all the concelebrants, together with the congregation and the choir.
  1. After the Sanctus, the priest concelebrants continue the Eucharistic Prayer in the way described below. Unless otherwise indicated, only the principal celebrant makes the gestures.
  2. The parts spoken by all the concelebrants together and especially the words of consecration, which all are bound to say, are to be said in such a way that the concelebrants speak them in a very low voice and that the principal celebrant’s voice be clearly heard. In this way the words can be better understood by the people.
It is a praiseworthy practice for the parts that are to be said by all the concelebrants together and for which musical notation is provided in the Missal to be sung.
I would have to look at a Missal to know whether or not the words of institution have musical notation provided for them. If they don’t… I would expect those words are not supposed to be sung/chanted.
 
japhy said:
The Eucharistic Prayer may be sung, but it would appear that not all of it may be sung. **It is a praiseworthy practice for the parts that are to be said by all the concelebrants together and for which musical notation is provided in the Missal to be sung.**I would have to look at a Missal to know whether or not the words of institution have musical notation provided for them. If they don’t… I would expect those words are not supposed to be sung/chanted.
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I just checked both the Canadian & the American Sacramentaries. The Canadain one only includes notation for EP II but it is for the entire EP including the words of institution.

The American one includes notation for EP 1-IV in their totallity.

The entire Mass may be chanted.
 
japhy said:
Stay classy, Canada.
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Yeah, well, since I don’t recall ever hearing any EPs chanted in the last 30 years of attending Mass I don’t think I’m going to fret that they only give the notation for EPII. It’s rare enough to hear the Preface chanted.

I wanted to kiss the pastor we had from 2001-2004 when he insisted on chanting the Preface at all Sunday Masses and singing a lot of the dialog. He didn’t have the greatest voice, in fact I saw a baby actually shudder at a particularly sour note, but he knew the importance of chanting this.
 
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